"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are."

REYKJAVIK: SEPTEMBER 29, 1999

The dream began as the plane touched down in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was a fluke that this country ended up on our schedule. Eric Anahory and I were flying together on the 'Discover Iceland' airline promotion. In order to attract tourism Iceland Air in cooperation with the Iceland Chamber of Commerce were running a special deal. Fly anywhere in Europe connecting through Reykjavik and choose to stay up to three days. We chose only one day for a few different reasons Iceland is one of the most expensive countries to travel in the world. It is right up there in the company of Japan and certain parts of the USA. Secondly we had absolutely no idea what to expect. Iceland was not a part of our conscienceness. When planning a trip like ours I don't think many people really consider this wonderful country. Therefore visiting for one day was just a reflex of curiosity rather than a strong conviction of a desired destination. And lastly we had to plan our arrival in Amsterdam with the arrival of our third travel companion, Dan Garber. To explain this trip as a dream was fitting as the scenery in Iceland is surreal to the first time visitor. Lava fields extend as far as the eye can see. This black porous rock made me think that I had landed in a science fiction novel and not a European country. The fifty minute shuttle from the Keflavik Airport to downtown Reykjavik was very expensive. It did however take us directly to our suggested hostel.

The Hostel was quite reasonable considering all I had heard about the outlandish prices. The rooms on the other hand were very, very small. Four bunk beds lined up two by two across from each other with scarcely enough room for two people to stand in between them. Being our first hostel experience we were prepared for the 'luxury' of mainland Europe after this introduction. Our first order of business after a quick breakfast was to head straight to the Blue Lagoon mineral baths. There had been an encouraging write up about this attraction in the airline magazine. It was next to freezing cold with a tiny hail like drizzle coming down all around us. The overcast skies made our approach to this oasis in the middle of the lava fields even more remarkable. The hot pool was amazing, the perfect remedy for our first bout of jet lag. The facility was near empty which gave the entire pool to a handful of lucky souls. After the first hour or so we were joined by one hundred high school students on a trip from Copenhagen, Denmark. The group was a traveling chorus and for the next hour we were continuously serenaded with soothing music. We floated around for another hour or two talking about our great fortune of having 'Discovered Iceland'. That night we met a couple people who we were sharing the room with. Sander Kluit had been in Iceland for three weeks and he said he would show us around town. We had an interesting dinner at a nice pub. The staggering cost of food was soundly overshadowed by the inclusion of Whale and Puffin on the menu. My Uncle is a naturalist who has worked with Whales for the last twenty years so despite my curiosity I wouldn't even consider eating Whale. Anahory on the other hand had no reservations and he and our new found friends indulged. We also ordered a puffin appetizer and my nibble confirmed that that it did indeed taste as bad as it looked. After dinner we found a great bar and drank a fair share of Murphy's and Guinness. It had been a long day, and with the cost of beer being $6.00 a pint, we made it an early night. Our whirlwind tour of Iceland was about to come to an abrupt end. We awoke early the next morning and headed straight for the mainland. - journal entry 9/30

"Our plane from Iceland should touch down momentarily. I just slept quite successfully for at least two thirds of the flight. I will need some adjusting but I feel good. Iceland was a nice treat but our trip will now begin with a vengeance".

"The Blue Lagoon was a 10 on the choice of 'places to go 'list. It was the perfect relaxing afternoon we needed between flights. A giant sauna bath with beautiful women and our own concert".