The Golden Circle, and descent to reality

Saturday, July 13, 13

            Waking up exhausted and hungry, Bryan and I drove down to the same breakfast place we had visited the previous day.  My stomach was bothering me, and I ended up leaving breakfast, craving pretzels and some sparkling water to settle my stomach.  After breakfast, we headed out on the “Golden Circle” driving route, which would take us to some of Iceland’s most incredible natural wonders.  Having just seen the blue lagoon, this was a tall order. 

            Again, the drive was incredible.  My eyes swelled up with tears at points, listing to some of my favorite songs that fit so well with the incredible scenery – Hoppípolla, Með Blóðnasir, Takk… - It’s not worth wasting space trying to describe the feeling.  We spent a few hours driving northeast, taking stops when we felt like exploring, eating, walking, or just soaking in the majesty of the Icelandic landscape, full of beauty, full of nothing.  It was the most incredible, satisfying drives I’ve ever experienced.  

            After stopping at the large natural park, rock status, and other pit stops, we had lunch at a gas station / supermarket.  I was exhausted, not having slept well since Monday night, and I binged on some gummy candy, mozzarella sticks, and ham…not in that order. 

            After several hours of driving (which could be made in about one hour, we just took so many stops), we made it to Geysir, a natural “old faithful” with added Icelandic flair.  We knew we were approaching something special when the ground in front of us began to burst with steam and flowing water.  After parking, we took a small walk up an unlabeled path to the main geyser.  Along the way, we took pictures at the colorful steamy earth, decorated with vibrant foliage and flowers.  The main attraction, however, was the powerful geyser that erupted every few minutes with little warning.  A large granite circle, oozing with blue water, would shoot up about 50 feet into the air, shocking and soaking the people gathered on the sides.  It was Awesome.

            I was embarrassed, but I nearly had to turn to Bryan and ask to take a nap.  Luckily, he was on the same page and asked first.  We walked to the car, and passed out almost immediately for a little over an hour before hitting the road again.  We drove about 6 miles further north to Gulfoss, which can only be described as a combination grand canyon split by a double Niagara falls.  We explored several lookout points, and soaked in the misty air and majesty of two enormouswaterfalls in the middle of a stoic rock valley.  Again, Awesome.

            We took an alternate route back to Reykjavik.  A few miles outside the city, I pulled over to a rest stop that had several cars parked in the lot (a good sign).  Unexpectedly and lucky for us, I had stopped at Kerid, a natural lake formed in the basin of an old volcano.  We walked around the perimeter and explored the unworldly wonder, the third of the day.  One could call it natural beauty overload.  

            We celebrated our successful trip with a seafood dinner at a local restaurant, and were too exhausted to go out for another night in a row.  The next morning, we visited the rather odd Icelandic Phallological Museum, located right across the street from our hotel (we could see it from our window).  This was our last stop before taking WOW AIRLINES back to Gatwic and train to London.  We only spent 60 some hours in the country, but it was enough to change our lives and plan a subsequent visit sometime in the future.  The Immigration officer at the airport was quite perplexed with my passport, having been in Ghana, London, Iceland, and back to London in 5 days. Bryan and I exchanged cheers at a local pub, having completed a mini adventure of a lifetime.

            Monday and Tuesday (15&16 of July) were far more normal days for me, filled with grocery and phone minutes shopping, cleaning, and laundry.  Tuesday was a special day, for I went to the LHR airport, picked up my good friend Phoebe and fellow PZ student Ashton for a mini London tour and lunch.  The two will be studying in South Africa for the semester.

            I suppose I’ll end with a nice tube ride I had back after a long goodbye hug with Phoebe.  I sat down on the Piccadilly line, and was joined to my right by a Spanish couple.  The two spoke quickly and were obviously nervous.  I overheard their conversation in Spanish, and understood they needed directions.  If you haven’t understood it by now, I LOVE speaking someone’s first language over the all-triumphant English, at least when I get a change.  So, I kindly interrupted the couple, gave them my tube map, and helped them find out where they would need to go and transfer to, all in Spanish.  It was enough to make the three of us smile.  As I put my headphones in, a black couple sat to my right.  These two spoke very loud, and everyone on the car shot the couple annoyed looks.  I couldn’t understand the language, and figured they must be Senegalese.  But then the body language caught my eye.  The “hand in hand slap” and the female “jerk head away in joking disgust.”  I took out my headphones and listened closely.  Anne…dabbi…brofu………..OBRUNI – I turned to the man sitting next to me and spoke – “Me pa wa chow, wo te twi, anna?” The two stopped their conversation.  “Come again?” the man asked, and I repeated.  “Wo te twi?” he asked.  Nice one.  “Oh, meda anfwo, me te twi kakra, kakra!”  I said.  The two ERRUPTED with laughter and joy – To see a random Obruni speaking their home language, thousands of miles away.  I spent the rest of the hour ride talking to the couple about Ghana, London, Ghanaian politics, ect.  We parted with an exchange of phone numbers, emails, and an invitation – “next time you head to Ghana, you come stay at my place.  Hope to see you soon”  I retorted.  “Meda ase paaaa.  Me hunu wu, medanfros.” –Thanks a bunch, I’ll see you later, friends. I could see the couple beam from the outside window. 

            This summer has been one full of adventure and unexpected success at every corner.  Of course I’ve grown, studied hard, ect, but I’ve really enjoyed this pseudo spiritual sense that everything in the world works out, and no matter where you are, you aren’t lost (or at least for too long).  Here’s to another two weeks of hard work and incredible adventure before I return to the states.