Thursday, August 17, 2023
No rain this night. But I woke up sometime after midnight. Couldn’t sleep. Turned snd tossed. Finally decided to go to the bathroom. Fortunately not cold and nobody around. Not fully dark. The midnight sun.
Very quiet. The campground manager - who turns out to be Italian- told me the school vacation is over, so it’s very quiet now. On our field just us and two camper-vans. My slippers in the grass make a sound like a frog with every step.
I look at the right, and over the row of planted trees I see the clouds are yellow and emit light. I hope it’s the aurora borealis, but after a while I conclude there must be a greenhouse there. Its lights shine on the clouds from below.
In the morning we take our time. Dry the tents, leave our leftover food in the kitchen for others to use.
It’s our last day and we have to prepare for a very early flight home tomorrow morning.
We pack, and after a big arrivederci from the manager we turn the prow to Reykjavik. It soon starts to rain, and I feel a little sad to leave this country. It has grown on me a bit. I’ve noticed the last few days. I am no longer the tourist looking at the land. I have become a bit of the country.
The windshield wipers move monotonously and the bare mountains move by.
We pass a supermarket and decide to stop for last minute items and some wool for Sisi to take home as a souvenir. I also mail two postcards. One to my old geography teacher. The other to old friends on a farm in south France. I know that the card will be carefully studied, and finally placed behind an electricity wire against the kitchen wall. There are more cards there. Carefully kept. From other countries where I have been. And when I enter that kitchen again, the card will be taken out, and we will talk about it. The farmer and his wife have never traveled.
Later we return the rented camping gear, and we walk through Reykjavik to the famous church there. It’s utterly simple but graceful in design. No decorations anywhere. Well, you know my opinion about protestant Christian countries. They are the only countries without corruption. Here too things seem quite efficient and honest.
Then we head for the b&b where we will spend the night. Our flight is at 06:00. We have to return the car before 04:00 and the rental people will take us to the airport.
It’s going to be a very short night.
Roy De Hair
2023-08-17
Back to normal...
durieux
2023-08-18
Indeed. Until the next trip!
Peter D
2023-08-18
Weer een mooie reis met prachtige foto's! Ik ben ooit 3 dagen op dienstreis geweest in IJsland. Melden bij de "Blue Lagoon". Het landschap was een grote verbazing voor mij en met zeer vriendelijke mensen. Dank je wel voor je mooie foto's.
Marcie
2023-08-19
I've enjoyed your descriptions and photos so much. Thank you for taking the time to record and share your experiences. God bless.
Ab
2023-08-19
Geweldig Rob, daar kun je weer even op teren
Paul
2023-08-21
Weer genoten van alle verhalen. Op naar de volgende reis!
Gijs
2023-08-28
Prachtig land. Mooie foto's Rob. Werk ze maar weer.