Filter Coffee #152

Guest Edition - On Travels Through Iceland

Dear Readers, the intention behind FC 151 was to share my thoughts on its many facets and also to talk about pretension, a curious concept. 

• Tarun made an excellent point: “One's intention could be good, but the means used could be not so good. Happens often in profit-making enterprises. A classic is – what is the difference between a gift and a bribe… It's the intention!! ‘White lies’ are a great example of a good ‘bad thing’ or is it a bad ‘good thing’?? The answer is always between the ears!!”

• Shereyar Vakil has this to say: “Dear Pras, yet another silver bullet from you. I have observed that many a time we notice things happening by accident and not by design, meaning unintentionally and not purposely. These things are beyond our circle of influence, hence we are helpless.  Filter coffee makes my Sunday a sunny day. Carry on, brother.”

• Uma Shashikant says: “We judge others by their action alone, and we judge ourselves by our intention alone – I don’t know who said this, but find this to be so true!”

In FC 151, I had mooted the idea of readers contributing ‘guest posts’. I am delighted that Uma Shashikant responded quickly and offered to share her experiences of travelling in certain parts of Iceland in June 2023. Thank you, Uma.

Dear Readers, by way of introduction (many of you may know of her) Uma is a much-acclaimed writer on financial & investment matters through her columns in the Times of India, Economic Times and other newspapers as well. Sample one of her recently published columns, 🔗Why saving for a career break is not simple nor fail-proof - Times of India. Please also see her profile 🔗Uma Shashikant - Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | Professional Profile | LinkedIn. She is currently based out of Atlanta GA, USA.

Through this edition of FC, Uma would like to share her 9-day-long Icelandic travel experience. Of course, her narrative is fairly long and replete with pictures, but I have her permission to provide you, the readers, with an abridged version of her travelogue. As you read on, you will have nostalgic feelings if you have been to Iceland and if you haven’t, your bucket list now has one more item added to it. 

🌋🏔 Land Of Fire & Ice

by Uma Shashikant

Iceland is a country of extreme contrasts and dramatic landscapes. Widely known as ‘the land of fire and ice,’ Iceland is home to some of the largest glaciers in Europe and some of the world's most active volcanoes. It is also the land of light and darkness. Long summer days with near 24-hours of sunshine are offset by short winter days with only a few hours of gloomy daylight — the perfect scenario for enjoying the magical northern lights.

Iceland was a Viking settlement, later ruled by Nordic regimes before becoming an independent democracy. And the pride of descending from the Vikings is palpable. Our host in Reykjavík told us that his grandson dresses as a pirate at every parade. The Nordic influence is evident in the language, food and clothes. As visitors, we felt it the most in the language. We struggled with the names of the places. Pronunciation is far removed from its spelling. 

Sitting alone at the top of the Atlantic Ocean, nudging the Arctic circle, the country is a miraculous piece of land on the rift between the Eurasian and North American Continental plates. Inside it holds the magic of earth’s formation, in its fire and ice features — its lava and glaciers. 

For a country of its size, Iceland’s sagas have been extensively written and are still widely read. Mythology and folklore describe rock formations on the shore as lost trolls, popular as mementoes in shops. Modern Icelanders will proudly explain how volcanoes spewed lava across the island and created its many glaciers over thousands of years. 

Lava fields covered in moss, icy clear blue seas, hot springs, geothermal pools, and waterfalls are strewn across the land offering the visitor a kaleidoscope of enthralling views in summer, the season we chose to visit.

We hired camper vans and chose to go anti-clockwise from Reykjavik. The drive southwest from Keflavik to Rik was our introduction to Iceland. Ice-capped mountains lined the left, holding within them glaciers and volcanos tame and sober to our visitor's eyes. The unpronounceable Eyjafjallajokull had brought European air traffic to a standstill when it last erupted in 2010. Our first stop for the day was at Seljalandsfoss. ‘Foss’ means a waterfall, created by the above volcano’s melting glaciers. It is the only falls one can walk through from behind. If someone told you to pack rain pants for Iceland, be informed that we wore them for just ten minutes on our trip. 

We gave Westman Islands a skip for want of time to take a ferry. 32 daily ferries operate in Heimaey, the main fishing town. Dear Readers, plan well and take that ferry to Heimaey and tell us the story.

The majestic Vatnajokull, the largest icecap between both poles, lies to the southeast of Iceland. We drove to the Skaftafell National Park, to see two of the glacier’s largest tongues. Parking and walking up — a small trek of 40 minutes —we came upon the first set of trees, birches and willows slowly gaining ground. The invaders are said to have slayed Iceland’s trees for the wood.

The next stop was Jokullsarlan - the bay of melting icebergs. On clear blue waters that melted from the cap of the glacier floated icebergs of various sizes and shapes, melting gradually as they headed to the sea.

It was a  long drive via Egilsstadir before we reached Vok Baths, the warm water pools. Vok was just what we needed to perk up and relax simultaneously. Dettifoss is the largest waterfall in Europe. Water gushes down to 165ft. So uplifting at the end of a long day. A short trek from the parking lot and so worth it. 

We then drove North towards Asbyrgi. This is a horseshoe formation of rocks shaped and chiselled by glaciers over thousands of years, much like the Grand Canyon. Just that it is only a few thousand years in the making and has managed about 400ft of the canyon so far. From the parking lot, the trek to the edge was three miles. We had walked a lot already and did not have the energy for the round trip. The information desk told us we could drive a nearby road to reach the lake at the end for another view. We picked that. Always ask the locals, they know better than all maps and guides put together. We briefly visited Husavik, the whale and puffin watcher’s paradise. Whale tours are conducted here.

Godafoss - God's Falls -involved a 3-mile trek. Another fall? We sulked. But what a spectacular sight! The walk around the falls was so relaxing. We walked around both ends and spent a good two hours there. Had some coffee and left for Akureyri, the North capital of Iceland, the second most populated after Reykjavik. Shops, signs, cars, buses, people — we felt alive again. We had a hearty lunch at Cafe Berlin — don’t miss Iceland’s local ice creams.

Vatnshellir lava caves were next on the list. 8000 years old — this was easily the most ancient thing we saw. 35 meters below the ground, in three layers that included a pool and the waterfall, lava had once flown. Beneath the ground that hardened while the molten lava trapped inside tunnelled its way. With a small torch in hand, we clambered down two sets of spiral stairs and heard our guide, absolutely awestruck all through the 45-minute trek. At the last level which was the deepest, she asked us to close our eyes after turning the torch off, for a whole minute. Pitch dark. Our hearts went out to say a prayer of gratitude. For life; for light; for air; and the earth. 

Then came the last waterfall of the trip - Gulfoss. Spectacular, powerful, and beautiful. As we got closer we saw the mist rise in the air from the falls dropping forcefully into the crevice. We then drove up to Kerid, the crater lake. Last point on the list of places to see. Inside the volcanic crater lay a clear bluewater lake. We clambered down the wooden steps and sat there enthralled by its beauty. 

Closing Thoughts:  We lie in that nondescript place between tourists and travellers. If one can go only once to Iceland, what would one do? Refer to lists like Full Suitcase and make a shortlist of varied places to see, cover as much as we can, and optimize the time and resources. Touristy, right? But if we like to be travellers that soak in experiences, skipping many of the listed touristy places. We either have to come back again and again or should have many more days on hand. We romanticize going for two months to a place and driving about in leisure and trekking 15 miles a day. Time, money and energy must come together to make that happen. Someday, someplace.  

Dear Readers, I hope this travelogue by Uma was engaging. She could not cover that part of Iceland where the famous Blue Lagoon is located. This link will help you know more about it: 🔗Blue Lagoon Iceland

I invite readers to contribute their guest posts and I will include them in the future editions of FC.

Here are a few of  Icelandic expressions from 🔗12 Weird Icelandic Phrases and Sayings

BLIND IS A BOOKLESS MAN (BLINDUR ER BÓKLAUS MAÐUR)

Reading is a huge part of Icelandic culture. Icelanders read the most books in the world per capita, so it makes sense they would have some literary expressions. ‘Blind is a bookless man,’ suggests that those who don’t read are ignorant to the world around them.

Example: “He can be so ignorant sometimes. But we all know blind is a bookless man”

ON WITH THE BUTTER (ÁFRAM MEÐ SMJÖRIÐ)

This phrase is used when you want to tell people they need to get back to work or really need something to get done quickly.

Example: “Hey everyone this project is due today so get on with the butter!”

IT ALL COMES WITH THE COLD WATER (KEMUR ALLT MEÐ KALDA VATNINU)

The next time your friend complains about waiting on you tell them that it all comes with the cold water. This fun expression means that if you are patient everything will fall into place or that good things come to those who wait.

Example: “Just be patient, it all comes with the cold water.”

LAY YOUR HEAD IN WATER (LEGGJA HÖFUÐIÐ Í BLEYTI)

Can’t make up your mind? Just lay your head in water. This phrase is also used when you have to think long and hard about something.

Example: “I haven’t decided where I want to go to school next year. I need to lay my head in water before I choose.”

A pun to end : A Cuban married an Icelander and named their child Ice cube! (aargh)

See you next week. Take care & be safe. Ciao.