20 Mar Iceland: Fire, Ice, Water and Wind

As I know that I have had you all in a daze thinking about my next destination for the pati, I am writing quickly to tell you that I have just arrived from Iceland.

I kept my journey so secret that even the airlines didn't seem to know my final destination. During the trip I accumulated a total of 17 hours of delay in 4 connections, suffered 3 changes of destination, went through 4 time changes, had breakfast three times in a row (well, this wasn't so bad either) and they lost a suitcase (this was really bad). They only needed to make me a martyr from behind to be classified as cruelty.

As you can see, it has not been a bed of roses. To make matters worse, these meetings have been particularly difficult for me.

As I imagine that I must have already softened your stony hearts with my suffering, I will tell you not to worry about me, that I endure stoically whatever fate has in store for me, for the reward for my sorrows is always much greater than the price paid, and now you are going to see it.

The landscapes I have been discovering have left me permanently speechless and the conferences I have attended...well...also. (Although in this case, it seems to me that they were yawns).

I don't even know where to start, the lava fields, the waterfalls, the glaciers, the icebergs, the geysers... Although you might prefer me to start with a summary of my meetings, just ask for it.

As I can't decide between the photos I've taken, I'm going to write a couple of entries, and I'll leave the ones I liked the most for the end.

The combined action of four elements, water, fire, cold and wind, and a few million years, are to blame for so much wonder. The serene beauty of my image only completes the picture.

Here man has done nothing but subsist in the face of the onslaught of these four elements. I saw a film on the plane, one of those based on real events (like those on antena3 at siesta time) about an example of survival taken to the extreme:

It is the story of a fisherman who survived the sinking of his boat in the middle of the winter night and swam (or swam) in these icy waters for six hours until he reached the shore.

And then he walked (or walked) barefoot for another two hours through the lava fields until he reached a village. I was very grateful that the film was in Icelandic, so that I could better grasp the nuances, which are often lost in translation... I recommend it, especially to lovers of cinema for minorities.

That's why I liked it so much (the island, I don't even know about the film), because life is so hard that it tests man's ability to adapt. And I like to see how far man is capable of enduring in order to survive ("mostly" if I'm not the one who suffers, come on).

But man could have done little without the help of the Icelandic horse. They are said to be famous for their great toughness and for having a special air when galloping. Horses of other breeds are not allowed on the island, to maintain the purity of the breed. They are so proud that anyone can tell them that I think they are a little fat...

It is because of these extreme conditions that winter is not the best time of the year to visit this island: many places are not accessible until May, there are fewer daylight hours, it is freezing cold... but it has other advantages.

I can think of two things: the Northern Lights and the absence of tourists (although I never want to realise that if there are no tourists, there must be a reason...).

And what few tourists there are, remain soaking in the hot springs of Blue Lagoon,

But I needed much more, so I rented a car, but not before assuring the rentalcar that I was not going to drive off-road... (What? Me? Off-road?...please!...).

I didn't want to, but Juan Carlos insisted that we had to go to the Langjokull glacier to test the resistance of his new shoes in extreme terrain.

He also insisted on going out for drinks at night, and although reluctantly, he managed to get me out... Unfortunately, the bars were full of stunning Viking women celebrating bachelorette parties (this last one is my own, I sometimes can't tell the difference between the dream world and the real one...) who were making so much noise that we couldn't talk about work (which was what we really wanted to do), so we retired early to the hotel.

Some of the most abundant, significant and accessible wonders of the country are the waterfalls. For example the Seljalndsfoss waterfalls. By the way, what looks like a charcoal drawing is my great contribution to the world of photography. Look at the cute little houses on the left...

Or Skogafoss. There are hundreds of these along the southern stretch of the ring road. To get to Jokulsarlon, my destination for the day, only 300 kilometres from the capital, it took me almost six hours, because I felt the need to stop every five minutes to enjoy the scenery. I noticed that at the foot of each waterfall there is usually a small house. I suspect that they put them there to save on the shower water, well, and on the soap, because as cold as it is, I don't think they shower very often...

Anyway, as you can see, this is what waterfalls are all about, seen one, seen them all, right? They are all the same...

But as there are some more alike than others, I'm going to expand a bit on these from Gullfoss.

And I leave you with a riddle:

It's the middle of the night and you meet someone who is still wearing a party dress, his eyes are lost and the floor is full of ice... Who is it?

I'm sure you'll be quick to say that last night's bender got out of hand, won't you?

No, it's a penguin!

Because I say that this will be a penguin, which I think is too well-groomed to be a cormorant...

And now I'm done, I'll continue next week. As I said, I'll save what I liked the most for last.