After our excursion down to Reykjavik’s harbour, and after eating all the whale meat we could afford (Jonathan had the lobster soup), Ashleigh led the way into a jewelry shop in which I immediately became extremely bored. The store owner struck up a conversation with us right away in near perfect English, and we discovered she had connections in Winnipeg, Canada! (she’s related to the owner of the Round Table restaurant and knows some professors in the University of Winnipeg).
As we talked on, she asked us about our trip and about us and seemed genuinely interested, and then she offered to take us to a few places in Iceland that very night! Having nothing planned, we thought that was a great idea, though we were taken aback by her generosity. Her name was Saemi. That night we left Reykjavik with her and her husband, Peter, in a car and explored black sand beaches, lava fields, and sheer ocean cliffs up until 2:00 am.
The sun set ruby red, like fire, and lit up the black, jagged landscape with a devilish glow. I felt we were traversing through Mordor from Lord of the Rings.
We also stood on the bridge between the North American and the Eurasian plate.
After driving around with these strangers whom we’d grown so comfortable with, they offered to let us sleep in their house for that night! We hastily accepted; a warm room and bed sure beats sleeping outside in a tent without even a sleeping bag! We slept in their beautiful house with an outstanding view, and when we awoke Peter had cooked a pancake breakfast for us.
This couple astounded us with their generosity and trust, and with their willingness to teach us three strangers about their country. They certainly gave a good first impression of Icelanders!
