Thursday 24 December 2015

Iceland: An Introduction

           This is the saga of Thomas-Thomas'-son and Lucy-Henry's-daughter and their journey to the Land of Ice in the frozen, far north. Actually, this is only an introduction to set the scene for a recent, short holiday in Iceland. I must say straight away that Lucy is also posting on "Box Elder" her account of that holiday. I wish to do two things here. One is to be the WD40, so to speak, that lubricates and fills in certain details of her account, the other is to try to describe my feelings about Iceland, feelings that opened up for me a quite illuminating experience.
           To begin with, we decided to take this short, three-full-day break to celebrate her birthday. Readers here will perhaps remember that we tend to stretch our birthday celebrations over three days, whilst I, at the same time, usually try to ignore the fact that it is my birthday at the September break. Now it will not, I'm sure, take any stretch of the imagination to see that our visit took place in winter conditions, at around the middle of December.
           It has been very mild here in France, as it has in other areas more accustomed to chilly conditions at this time of year. One consequence of the mild weather is that the blood-sucking bugs are still doing their level best to make life uncomfortable. To escape to a cold country free of pests, whilst may not be the most desired location for sun-loving Arizonans, came as a welcome relief. To feel cold was an unexpected joy. "Heavens, I really am alive!" I thought. A circumstance that added much to our contentment was that five friends, two human and three canine, offered to house-sit in our absence.
           Well I guess that will have to do as an introduction. Now comes the trawling through, and ordering of, the many photographs that we took. One must also beware of wasting time, mooning about a possible return to the Land of Ice.

18 comments:

  1. Tom, I anxiously await your thoughts on this place we now share a little more fully!

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    1. Hi Beth; Not too anxiously I trust. We did get there and back in one piece.

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    1. Hullo Ellena; Must get down to doing my homework then! :)

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  3. Great intro, much looking forward to the sequel!

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    1. Hullo Natalie; Matters are being prepared as you speak.

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  4. And thus the stage is set as we sit eagerly in the seats waiting for the orchestra to begin ...

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    1. Hi RW; Now where did I put my wretched baton?

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    1. Is this a stroppy, curmudgeonly young Bruce I see before me?

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  6. Hi Tom -Sounds like a very pleasant trip complemented by maybe some Icelandic schnapps!! I should imagine it did feel rather clean and fresh – apart from the lack of bugs but also due to her reliance almost entirely on renewable energy. Best wishes

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    1. Hi Lindsay; Schnapps indeed! There is certainly an undeniable cleanliness and freshness (brrrr!) about Iceland. Loved every minute of our stay there.

      The Best of Christmas to you and yours.

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  7. Merry Christmas, Tom and Lucy! I look forward to your photos and reading more about your trip.

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    1. Hullo Martha; More on the way tomorrow. And a very merry Christmas to you also, from Lucy and me.

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  8. Being a born northerner, and having experienced a few winters in warm climates, I know what you mean. It just doesn't feel right not to be properly cold for at least a while in winter.

    Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!

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    1. Hi Zhoen; There needs to be completion, and a lack of a cold spell leaves life incomplete. As you say, it just doesn't feel right.....

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  9. i know what you mean about the cold. after 3 days in amsterdam with unseasonable 14C, i landed in edmonton to about -15C and immediately took in a deep beautiful breath and decided i was truly home.

    i love your introduction, it truly set the tone. looking forward to more.

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    1. Hi Agnieszka; It seems as if the northern mists and a spell of cold is built into our very souls. There is a necessary refreshment that accompanies that experience.

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