A Dispatch from Iceland:
I imagine that response was provoked by one fact. I am not one who generally enjoys even the mildest of East Coast winters and in reality I probably complain far too much about them. It does seem though that most people harbor the belief that Iceland really is after all- just land and ice.I felt certain this was just not true.
I knew in my heart that Iceland’s geographical designation was closer to the Arctic Circle than I wanted to acknowledge, but I developed a romantic compulsion that convinced me I absolutely had to see so for myself.
My fantasy vacation was directing me to a land that boasts literacy rates of 100%, chess playing as a national pastime and sitting in hot mineral baths as another. I felt a desire to go someplace that held in its cultural belief system the notion trolls and fairies are real entities. I wanted hear a language spoken that was almost unaltered from the days of the Vikings. I had also read that the capital city boasted quite a nightlife if you tired of all that nature. Really most of all though, I just wanted to get away from the daily chaos of living in New York City, breathe some real fresh air and for just a few days not worry about a thing.
Icelandair in the winter season runs extraordinarily low airfare/hotel destination packages that offer “Take A Break” holidays, that let you stop over in Iceland for a few days. I convinced my partner B that this would be fun and an inexpensive break for us, and the next thing he knew we were on our way. Soon I found myself facing the reality of my own expectations though. A four day holiday jaunt to Europe takes a little more out of you than I expected.
