Islande

11 au 16 Mars 2020
Shortened trip due to Covid-19 virus...

March 11 to 19… Oups, no, due to this worldwide pandemic covid19 virus (yes this is meant with sarcasm) … March 11 to 16.

Where to start? The range of emotions I’ve experienced have been on such a roller-coaster ride.  I think every traveller experiences trips that don’t go smoothly, or according to “plan”, making them unforgettable. Although, isn’t that whole point?  This is how you grow. Travelling is such a beautiful and marvelous way of learning life, about people, about cultures… and about oneself! And I’m talking about really travelling, not “vacationing” in an all-inclusive resort or on a cruise where all the comforts of home (or better) are available giving you the satisfaction of saying “yes I’ve stepped foot here”.  I mean traveling with the immersion of you in a city or a country. It is getting to know and feel the people, the culture with no set plan other than “going with the flow”. This is my kind of vacationing without passing judgement on anyone or their way of taking holidays!  It contributes to shaping who you are by exposing you to so much things you can’t learn in a classroom, in a book, or on the internet. 

So, first, let me tell you how this trip was supposed to go. Then I will tell you how it actually went. 

We were 6 gals who were supposed to experience Iceland together from March 13 to 19. Everything was organised and booked: the apartment downtown Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon Spa day, Snorkelling between 2 tectonic plates (2 continents), a Drag Queen Show at Reykjavik’s Harpa (Concert Hall), Hiking a glacier between 2 volcanoes and walking through the Crystal Blue Ice Caves, Horseback Riding, good dining, and just creating memorable moments with one another. Sounds amazing right? Well, none of it happened. 

I decided to leave two days prior to my fellow travelers for personal reasons: 1. The year 2019 left me with many challenges and I was much in need of a vacation; 2. I wanted a couple of days to re-live Iceland on my own, giving me the chance to take a step back and reflect objectively; 3. I’ve never really travelled with others before, and I was totally excited to greet them at the airport and start our adventures. 

My first day (March 12), after landing, went relatively uneventful, other than simply enjoying driving around the West Peninsula of Iceland, which is where I had intended to re-explore on my own for two days. I spent most of my time exploring around Kirkjufellsfoss and mountain. I did get mislead by the GPS Budget had given me, so I lost lots of time. It did also put me in a situation where I almost got stuck on a road packed with snow, with no houses or anyone around. But luckily, I managed to manoeuvre my little car out of there! Once I had visited Kirkjufellsfoss, making my way to the hotel, I fell asleep on the wheel and went off the road…! It took hitting two plastic warning posts for me to wake up… how I managed to not roll over the car since I was on the side of a semi-cliff, and then get back on the road smoothly without any damage to the car is still a mystery to me today. Someone was clearly watching over me at that moment…! Thank you!

 When I checked-in my hotel that first night, things started shifting. Messages were coming in and the two messages that triggered things were: 1. One co-traveller decided to bail due to the progression of the Covid19 virus situation; 2. During “facetiming” with my mother (and adored niece and nephew), she stated that the government was starting to discuss boarder/airport closing, but it wasn’t official or certain yet. Due to the time of the day, I figured it would be more productive to go to bed, have a good night’s sleep, and check things again the next day as Iceland did not show signs of panic over COVID 19. 

 

Day 2 (March 13), like day 1, was a full day of sun. Can’t complain about the weather at this point. A full day of spectacular scenery driving through Snæfellsjökull National Park. I made a few stops for a little picnic and admire the scenery at Londrangar, Hellnar, and Borgames. Upon my return to my hotel at the end of the day, I discovered that: 1. All my fellow travellers had bailed from the trip (at the exception of one, thank goodness for her – but after a long discussion, we decided it was probably best she stayed in Canada), and 2. I had a text from my dear friend Jana clearly stating that I should return quicker than planned. It’s not in her nature to over-exaggerate things, so that “put the last nail in the coffin” for me so to speak. Canada had decided to close its boarders with no specific timetable.  I went from a state of “I had such a beautiful day and excited to pick up the gals the next morning” to “overwhelmed” to “panic” to “anger” in less than a few minutes. I couldn’t believe how things had escalated so quickly. It took a few minutes for my head to wrap itself around the situation and what was happening. That’s when I realized my anger was simply fear – what if I get stuck in Iceland for an undetermined period of time? In times like these, the feeling of the possibility of being stranded alone and not being able to return to your home leaves you with a very uneasy, uncomfortable feeling.  Something I had never experienced before.  It would have been a lovely place to “hang out” for a while but the financial implication would have been too high. I couldn’t stop thinking of all the gals and what they were possibly going through, and the stressed it caused them as well!  I immediately regretted not bringing my laptop (which I usually do). I couldn’t understand why Canada was in a state of panic. What was I not understanding?  What the fxxx is going on?  I immediately got on the phone with Iceland Air to try and change my flight to what I was hoping was going to be a next day’s flight. After 3 hours on hold, I had no such luck – they didn’t understand why I was trying to return quicker. By then it was 2 a.m. and I just needed to get some sleep.

Day 3 (March 14). I got up at 5 a.m., showered and drove to the airport to return my car rental. Iceland Air has an office at the airport so seeing there was no line up I decided to attempt to change my flight again. After an hour and 1000$ I succeeded in changing my flight to March 16^th, instead of the 19^th.  That’s the earliest they could do since all other flights were full. Canada still hadn’t alerted on boarders closing therefore my flight change couldn’t be considered an “emergency”.  That being done, I sat at the airport coffee shop for a couple of hours, to enjoy a tasty extra-large latte, and to try and modify a few reservations and bookings we had made, like the Airbnb apartment rental, which I needed to figure out how to access and how to make my way there. Eventually I made my way to Green Motion, the car rental we originally had booked – to modify the reservation from 5 days to 2 days, and then off I went.  I headed to Blue Lagoon. We had all made reservation for the day there, and although they wouldn’t allow a reimbursement, they allowed a change of time from 8.am to 11am. It seemed logical to enjoy some relaxing time since it was paid for anyway. I really appreciated this time to relax in the hot springs and saunas, had 2 facials, a few drinks and a lovely warm sun bathing session. 

I left the Blue Lagoon around 4:30pm and made my way to the Airbnb. After some minor confusion, I had the peace of mind that I had a place for the next couple of days. I did a quick grocery shopping trip and I spent a few more hours attempting to cancel the remaining booked activities. That’s when I saw the email announcing the temporary closing of our places of work. Due to the health risks this virus is causing, I’m returning home quicker and, like many, will be unable to work. And also, an email from Budget/Avis Rental (the car rental for my first 2 days in Iceland) falsely claiming I had returned the car much later therefore charging me an extra full day of rental. It wasn’t the case at all since the time they claimed was after the time I had left with the second rental. So now I had to prove their bullshit, file a complaint and request a refund (which I eventually won).  Having no appetite, I decided to go for an evening/night walk through Reykjavik, which ended up being a lovely way of ending my day. 

 

Day 4 (March 15). I woke up a little dazed and confused. It took me a few seconds to realize where I was and remember the situation. After a mental recap, I realized there’s nothing else I could do – activities/bookings were modified/cancelled and I was returning quicker than planned. I realized I was mentally disconnected from this whole trip at this point, the motivation to explore was far from being at my usual level and I just wanted to go home.  I went for a quick run (finally!) which gave me enough clarity and decided to try to make the most of this last full day given the circumstances. I was still in Iceland after all, which was pretty cool!  Gratitude was in my thoughts all day. By 10a.m. I decided to turn off all notifications from my phone and off I went to explore a little of the South of Iceland. I visited Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Dyrhólaey (small peninsula with picturesque views), Reynisfjara Beach (I adore this beach!), and Vik. These were all spots I had previously visited during my last trip to Iceland, at the exception of Dyrhólaey – but such lovely landmarks are worth multiple visits! Now that I have “unfinished business” in Iceland, no doubt I will be returning, and no doubt that Andree-Anne will join me this time.

Again today, someone was watching over me! While visiting Seljalandsfoss, I had forgotten to lock the car doors but I only realized it after an hour of walking around the area…! I had left my bag, containing my tripod, camera equipment, money, passport, etc. As a message, whoever entered my car only took my hard copy map I had left on the passenger seat, and had left all the equipment, money, passport, etc… This could have been a complete disaster on top of the current situation! I had lots to be grateful today!!!

During my return to Reykjavik, the weather took a turn quickly. A solid snowstorm was setting in and the strong winds were quickly brushing the snow hiding the roads. Good thing I love driving, and am comfortable driving almost anywhere. 

Finally, back at the Airbnb, I was grateful for a hot shower. I cooked myself a nice warm dinner, which I savoured with good wine while filling my sense of humor over episodes of John Oliver.  

 

Day 5 (March 16). I slept in until 10am, which felt heavenly. I decided to have a last glimpse at Reykjavik (until next time) by going for a long run through the city. By 1:30pm, I was making my way back to the airport to return the car rental and catch my flight back to Canada. 

It’s a little surreal when you see in Iceland that no one was in a state of panic. Locals and travellers alike were aware of the virus and taking precautions, but in no way was there a state of panic like there seemed to be occurring in Canada. Really makes you question… everything. There seemed to be something odd with the whole situation. But even today as I’m writing this after returning, that “odd feeling” with the situation is still very much present. 

It didn’t help after a nice flight from Reykjavik, landing in Toronto to catch my connecting flight to Ottawa, we were held in the plane, on the tarmac for 2 hours. They explained that because of the virus, social distancing was key, therefore they were “deplaning” one plane at a time to go through customs. Which, I thought, was logical.  But I knew I was clearly missing my connecting flight. Finally, our turn came to leave the plane, only to find ourselves completely cramped in a small space crowded with at least 500 people (and most likely more) – they were even encouraging us to cram in closer…!! Many making the same realisation got frustrated and levels of aggressions were palpable. Choosing to laugh at this huge irony, I couldn’t help but think “Is this someone’s idea of a sick joke?”.  If I haven’t been in contact with the virus before, no doubt chances are very high now.  After a long 2 hours of being cramped all together, we slowly made it all through, and I was able to be rescheduled on the last flight of the day to Ottawa. 

I flew in Ottawa at 2am in the morning and was finally home by 3am.  My heart melted once I crossed my door, only to see that my so loved dear friend, Katherine, who was taking care of my cat and place while I was away, had stocked my fridge and cupboards with groceries! Since I was a returning traveller, I was asked to self-isolate for 14 days. Not seeing anyone or going outside, I knew this was going to be a challenge… 

 

Photos - Click Here!