| And finally the time has come to go for it – awaiting us is an adventurous trip and a race along the Jökulsá river, located in the Ásbyrgi National Park, North East of Iceland.
I got a ride with Rúnar Jensson, which was very handy as he owns a jeep. It is possible to say that it was typically Icelandic of us that we had planned to leave Reykjavík at 2 pm, and didn’t go until 5:30. Perhaps this was not so bad if we look at the whole picture. For one thing, we did'nt get caught in the big traffic jams that are traditional during Verslunarmannahelgi, the first weekend-holiday in August. Perhaps all the others had been punctual. It doesn’t take more than half an hour after leaving the city borders that one starts to notice the difference. The country with all its beauty and purity literally pours down on you, and you can feel how your energy supplies get renewed. It is easy to get lost in the beauty of the countryside, whether it be the sharp colours where blue rivers and green slopes majestically merge, or the broken and awesome mountains and canyons, or simply mystical cloud formations and the brightness of the Icelandic summer sun. We were in constant telephone connection with Ganagane and Andrés, who had started driving before us – obviously they were longing for some company! Later, when we were about to arrive at our destination, Ganagane called us and asked us to get some petrol at Húsavík, a nearby town, as he feared running out of petrol. We of course did as he asked and thereby had an opportunity to contemplate Húsavík in all its tranquility. It was midnight when we arrived and there was hardly a soul on the way. The people at the petrol station were immensely helpful and lovely to us (isn’t that so everywhere in the country side?). Although they had actually closed already, they brought us a container for petrol and then, when we discovered that their self-service wasn’t working, they simply showed us the way to the nearest petrol station. Now, that’s hospitality! Out of Húsavík’s tranquility an even deeper tranquility was awating us, an almost desert-like atmosphere I should say, until we arrived at Skúlagarður, the residence where we would spend the night. We were received with great hospitality and lead to our rooms. As I was falling asleep I could feel the sweetness of the day coming back to me. The first part of the trip was now over, leaving behind beautiful premonitions. |