Every year when I returned to school growing up, I had to write an essay about what I did during my summer vacation. Mine were always pretty boring: bike riding, a little tennis, lots of hanging out in the neighborhood, maybe a camping trip with the family, and since I was kind of a nerd, lots of reading—and not just the assigned books. I dreaded this assignment because I sounded uninteresting. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t go to some exotic destination. Maybe it was because I was 9 and my parents, with six kids, just wanted to make sure we all stayed alive. But at 58, I finally can write the essay I’ve always wanted. Now, if I can just remember who my teacher was when I was 9, track her down and ask her if I can get partial credit even though it’s 49 years later.
So what did I do? I went to Iceland. I will write a much longer article with pictures for T&S to share everything I did, but for now, I want to focus on the impact of Iceland on my psyche. (Did you know Iceland has become a ‘trendy’ travel destination? I am not sure if it started with me, but just in case, I think culottes will be trendy this fall!)
Iceland is beautiful. It is more than beautiful. It is amazing, breathtaking, stunning … just go ahead and add your favorite adjective here. I am not much of a nature lover. I prefer to look at things behind protective glass, but you can’t do that here. There is far too much to see. During the summer, it is daylight for all but three hours, so you have plenty of time to see the sights and drink beer. Iceland is experiencing its coldest, wettest summer in 100 years in honor of my visit, which meant I saw most of the waterfalls, geysers and lava fields while wind blew the rain directly into my face. I was cold and wet the entire time, but I embraced it. Icelanders told us, “There is no bad weather, just bad clothes.” And the truth was, with enough layers and the right sense of adventure, I didn’t really notice. (OK, that is a complete lie. At one point, when my face was being pelted with sleet, I thought, “What the ’f’ are you doing? Get out now!” But the thought passed, and I carried on.)
Iceland also has beautiful people. Not just physically, but also in terms of their outlook on life. Another saying I heard often and saw on signs around the city was, ‘Be Kind or Leave,’ a pretty straightforward way to approach life and one that this snarky writer had to make sure she practiced so she wouldn’t get deported. I heard one car horn honk the entire time I was in the country. People were friendly, happy to see us and eager to tell us about the history of Iceland (making me a feel a bit bad about everything I have forgotten about the history of our country). As we ate dinner one night, my three traveling companions and I spied three men dressed in shark costumes. It seemed odd, so two of us ran after them to get a picture. We found out the Miami trio was there for a music festival. After we told them we were from St. Louis, one of the shark suits announced he was a graduate of Washington University School of Law. As they ran down the street, they screamed ‘Go Cards!’ and for some reason, that seemed to be something that only could happen in a magical place like Iceland.
Contact Patty at phannum@townandstyle.com.