Weekend Getaway

I am currently sitting out on my balcony updating this blog when really I should be studying for a test tomorrow...the weather is great and night is still young. I actually could write a book about this past weekend but instead I thought that a few words and extra pictures tell more.

Just to update a few of you, I met an Icelandic girl in Minneapolis named Maren back in January. Sadly she is still in Minneapolis:( but her younger sister Stebba who is about my age is living in Reykjavik:) I spent the last weekend with her and her family. Although no one, and I mean no one, can replace Maren, they really welcomed me into their home as if I was part of the family.

Friday night, Stebba and I drove to their home in Akureyri which is located in the northern part of Iceland (about a 4.5 hour drive away). We stayed in Akureyri for one night and then headed to a cabin outside of Egilsstaðir the following day which is 3 hours east of Akureyri. We picked up more family and headed to the cabin which the family rented for the weekend (it also included specific rivers that we could fish on). The weekend was filled with great company, relaxation, fishing, amazing food, board games, and peace.

On the way we stopped at Goðafoss - a waterfall which got its name from the year 1000 when Iceland converted to Christianity.

Stebba, Edda (Maren's older sister), and I. I hate to say it but we lost the fishing competition.

Simon (Sölvi's friend), Sölvi (Maren's brother), and Vignir (Maren's dad)

My big catch of the day - I tried to make my family proud. I have never fished in such a beautiful and peaceful place before.

On the way home we stopped to take a dip. Yes, we went swimming under those rocks in some caves. It was really creepy. Basically I screamed a lot, got dunked by Stebba, and thought Sölvi was an animal.

Picture of me holding Snæfriður (Maren's niece - sorry if I spelled that one wrong), with Hildur (Maren's mom). There are beautiful horses everywhere.

Namafjall - high-temperature geothermal area with a lot of fumaroles and mud pots. It slightly resembled the bog of eternal stench if you ask me. It looked like mars but smelled horrible!

What was also really striking about the weekend was the strong connection I felt to the nature. I saw and felt something different that I have not experienced before. Silence was also a consistent thought throughout the weekend. I sometimes just need it whether silence means a linguistic barrier, peace while fishing, silence during a drive, or silence during a morning hike. Another thought was Maren. I learned a lot about her this weekend - in fact I feel like we really bonded. The funny thing is, she has no idea! The world truly feels small once again. I wanted to cry when I left yesterday. Parting with your own family can of course be very sad at times, but it is refreshing to know you will see them again. Yesterday, that was not a certainty. I just hope that even if I cannot welcome Stebba and her family into my home someday, I just hope I can somehow give someone out there a similar feeling that I had the entire weekend.

Takk fyrir!