Surreal Ska’l, Iceland

Author – Meera Kumar

Easily one of the best journeys of my life was the driving in Iceland. The nation is an explorer’s delight especially when you travel from the warm and sunny climes of India.

Firstly of course you are told of the misnomer – Iceland is actually quite warm – thanks to the hot sulphur springs and geysers; while Greenland that is colder has a ‘Whiter’ landscape unlike its name.

There are various theories to the naming, favourite of which seems to be that the Vikings who settled here loved it so much that they named it to sound unwelcoming and so they could build a haven for themselves!

The Capital Reyjkavik is quaint, quiet, bright and clean on weekday mornings; and transforms to the party capital of Europe on weekend nights. The roads are wide and the vehicle to road ratio was sheer paradise for a Mumbaikar like me. The roadsides have city-provided drinking fountains with the sweetest coldest freshest water on Earth ( iceberg water).

Some memories stand out more than others – Flying a Cessna over Eyjafjallajokull – the volcano that ground Europe to a halt a few years ago, trekking across ice bergs, lounging in the blue lagoon with a Icelandic mud pack, visiting the world’s oldest surviving parliament Althingi ; boating at Jokulsarlon, with chunks of icebergs, marvelling at sonorous sounds of the massive church organ at Hallgrimskirja ; stopping to fling snow at each other arbitrarily on the roadside and to watch the
glorious Atlantic Puffins and Artic Terns; enjoying the little – Troll houses on farm lands and hearing the locals speak of fairies and trolls and ogres like flora and fauna; and last but not the least the superb Indian food at award-winning restaurant Austur-Indiafjelagid whose salmon kebabs are to die for.

This is definitely a bucket list item for all explorers, road trippers and people who enjoy stark landscapes as much at they like manicured gardens.

Can’t wait to visit again …Ska!