just like in some of the previous posts, i am posting this after having had the post in draft state for a long time.
after returning from a not so awesome sighting of the northern lights the second time around. i waited in the lounge for Saravanan, who joined me in Iceland. the next day we had not pre-booked any tours and did not have any plans, so we decided to take the blue lagoon trip. so after a late morning we caught the last bus heading to the lagoon. this was the first time i was heading out of the city during the day time, and i was seeing a different and contrasting world around me- something i have come to see about Iceland in most travel videos/documentaries.
rugged/jagged rocks with moss all over them with a touch of snow that stretches for a few hundred meters, then a huge mountain that had jumped out of the ground. after a 45 minute journey, we walked down a path (with rock formations raising some 5 meters on both sides) towards the lagoon, like a resemblance to the sequence in ‘the ten commandments’ where the red sea parts to give way to Moses and his followers :-). passing the dark black and sludge green rocks, small ponds filled with steaming turquoise blue water. after exchanging the tickets for some bands, we went through the high tech systems, i changed into my swimming gear (i had specifically brought it for this trip). after close to an hour of wallowing around in the water and becoming light headed, i dried up and got inline to board the bus back to the hostel.
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the dreaded cycle has struck again.
In front of the monitor, with no interest and no creative juice. i am still trying to find the compulsion to finish off the rest of the posts about my trip to Iceland and also trying to find ways to move on/ahead.
I still have plans to post about the remaining 3 days i spent in Iceland. when i will publish the posts still remains to be seen.
a good night’s sleep and i was ready to hit Reykjavik city. This time my focus was to get a more in depth feel of the city. First on the list of places to visit was the photography museum. hosting a collection of photographs taken from flickr by Icelandic photographers, the collection was just as contrasting and vibrant as the country itself. but i was still left a little disappointed, because it still was missing some of photographers i had seen in flickr and whose photos had given me a fair idea of what i could expect in Iceland.
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after a 45 minute delay i boarded the flight to Keflavik. An hour into the flight journey i got clicking at the setting winter sun. Somehow after having taking a tandem sky dive, every time i board a plane i have this feeling that i might get a chance to just tear the door open and dive out. Not the most positive of feeling for most, but somehow i cannot get it out of my mind every time a board a flight.
the moment i got off the flight at Keflavik, a long time wish had started - visit and tour Iceland - and how much i enjoyed the tour will come in the later posts. i spent some time around the various car rental counter just to get the rates as i was planning to go around Iceland a few days into the trip. With enough maps and tourist info brochures, i got the bus ticket to the hostel, It was 4pm and the arctic winter night had already set in. At the hostel i paid for the membership card and the room rent. then got some food from the nearest ‘1011′ food store and cooked. At about 10 met up with others staying in the hostel and after close to 2 hours of chit chatting, we headed to the main city for some partying. some part of the time was spent a proper Icelandic bar - Sirkus, then headed to a more modern icelandic bar - Kaffibarrin and later to a dance floor - solon. solon by morning is a restaurant and by night is a dance floor. But then in all these places, the small town feel was more than evident.
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we are used to the routine where
a day comes and goes by,
a week comes and goes by,
a month comes and goes by,
and a year come and goes by, i.e. after a prolonged duration (365 days/52 weeks/12 months to be exact) at a very slow pace - having gone through the cycle of days, weeks, and months before the switch.
We are aware of the insignificance of this, yet we still stick to celebrating and welcoming in a new year irrespective of what we will make of the coming year.
Optimism, the best way to sum up being awake till midnight and welcoming the new dawn (even though it is just another new day on the wrong side of the calendar).
