Travel Tales: Iceland Day 1 from Brownsville to Reykjavik

Iceland_0023

After having a shitastic last week that was accompanied by flirts of happiness, I finally landed in Reykjavik [re-kee-ya-vik], Iceland. The flight had a very interesting set of events as my neighbor was asked to switch seats so two people could squeeze into the emergency exit together only to move again within minutes of take-off. That is all I remember from the flight as I was asleep very quickly for the duration of the trip. The process of from airport to hotel was one of the smoothest I have ever been a part of in my life. After finally getting my phone setup and checking with my family, my eyes told me to go to sleep. When I woke up I decided it was time to hit the town and boy what an experience! First, I got lost and then proceeded to wander around aimlessly. After getting over feeling like I was in 28 Days due to my isolation (no zombies), I realized that this is the best way to see the town because every turn is new and exciting vs following a set path to reach a site.

After a quick loop around downtown, I needed to eat and luckily being a vegetarian in Iceland isn’t that hard as there are several places that cater to the veganish diet. I stopped off at A Naestu Grosum to get my meal.

I needed to walk that off, so it was back on the road again. This time I was lost in my reminiscing of my final days in the states and the gray skies were a metaphor for what was going on with me. I sat talking to myself and thinking about everything and trying to find out what the best solution was and just like that a rainbow appeared (see above)! This truly turned my day around and I just started walking and thinking. The rainbow brought me to think that the treasure map is not lost at all, just needed to be tested. The rest of my day was spent walking (saw another sign – “it’s ok…” written on a bench) and snacking (carrot cake pictured below) as I just wanted to see the town. There is a certain quiet that blankets the entire town as you walk the narrow main streets. There is an abundance of eateries ranging from Indian to Thai to Mexican and standard pub fares. The weather is slightly chilly with a constant sea breeze. I assume that since the it isn’t high-summer time and school is in session, the streets will generally be quiet. I was supposed to go on a Northern Lights trip but it got canceled due to the likelihood of not seeing them tonight.

Iceland_0042

This trip is just beginning but I feel happy that I decided to go through with my big random adventure for the year. Very few people understand why I would go to Iceland. Here I am born on the tiny island of St. Vincent in the West Indies; grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn then college in Ann Arbor, Michigan; back to Crown Heights in Brooklyn now standing in the middle of Reykjavik on vacation (random road trips and such have been left out for various reasons).