We decided to drive to Jökulsárlón the next day. Darius promised that we’d see puffins, the only non-tropical beach rated among the top ten beaches in the world and glacier-dropped icebergs sliding into the ocean. The day dawned. Well, actually, when the sun doesn’t completely set, ‘dawn’ is an academic concept. It was a little cloudy, but we set out undaunted and resilient.

The drive was beautiful. The road, the N1 National Highway began as tarmac but quickly degenerated into a series of one-lane bridges and gravel. As I was driving along – slowly – a passing truck flung a rock at our windshield. The resounding impact cracked the windshield.

“I’m glad I got the insurance,” Darius reiterated.

The puffin beach was spectacular. And this time we could see the puffins with our naked eye.

During the drive, we passed several waterfalls, including the famous Skaftafell and a town that had been abandoned during the 1700’s. The ghost town has been ‘restored’ to look less ghostly – i.e. more like it was when it was abandoned. (They do some strange things in Iceland.)

Iceland is home to the largest ice cap in Europe. (Provided that you believe Iceland is in Europe.) Glacier tongues snake down the mountains toward the sea. On the south coast, ice meets the ocean.

We saw icebergs floating in the lagoon and spotted a nearby amphibious vehicle. Darius heavily favored a ride on the water, but, Nazy, remembering the whale “watch” tour, was sceptical. However, the bay looked smooth and we decided to take, eh, “take the plunge”.

The water was exceptionally flat. We glided amongst the icebergs and tasted 1500 year old ice. Darius tried his Icelandic on the guide – who was from Germany. He switched to English.

“I was here in March,” he said. “But is was desolate and depressing.”

“When isn’t it?” The guide replied.



The drive back to Reykjavik was smooth and simple. We arrived around 10:00 PM and had a quick dinner of Lobster soap and Icelandic Salmon. Darius left the key and the car at a drop-off point and then ran toward his apartment. (The rental agency was closed.)

Because we had an early flight, Nazy and I decided to retire before sundown (i.e. 2:00 AM). We caught the 5:00 AM shuttle to the airport.

Darius planned to take an early bus to his job in Bifrost to close on his teaching position. Unfortunately, the only bus in that direction left at 7:00 AM. As a result, Darius had to ‘re-rent’ a car. This caused a great deal of merriment at the Sixt rental counter. The crack on window spread as Darius drove north – far north. The drive, according to Darius, was through a fjord-threaded countryside completely different from anything we’d seen on the weekend.

Darius finalized contractual negotiations, bailed out of his obligation in California and now plans to spend another year, more specifically another winter, in Iceland. The rest of the summer residents (from Germany, Poland and Estonia) will undoubtedly head south. Everywhere is south from Iceland.