Love In The Land Of Elves

Three trips to the country later, Savi and Vid of Bruised Passports fame are convinced that Iceland is the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Their most memorable visit so far has been a road trip against the wintry elements.

AS WE ARRIVE AT Reykjavik Airport and settle into the seats of our rental SUV, I feel a strange sense of familiarity wash over me. This is where I’ve been longing to be for over a year. All around me, raging winds summon a snowstorm, but strangely enough, I feel at home.

Two years ago, my husband, Vid, and I spent a languorous fortnight driving in Iceland. Splendid summer days and 20 hours of daylight ensured we spent our romantic getaway chasing waterfalls, sipping chilled beers outside scenic lodges, hiking to the tops of extinct volcanoes, and unwinding in hot tubs in the middle of mountains. We tried to explore every nook and cranny, but Iceland refused to be relegated to the shelf of fond memories. It continued to call out to us over and over again. Many months of planning later, here we are, determined to get our teeth sunk into Iceland’s winter landscapes.

We haven’t yet left the airport, but wailing winds and the din of hailstones falling on our car force me out of my nostalgia-laden reverie. I wonder if we’ve been wise about this plan. We cautiously snake our way out of the airport with a three-hour drive ahead of us. Only, we can’t see a thing. It’s only 2 pm, but darkness is descending quickly and there are several snowstorm warnings on the radio.

I plug in my USB stick, and soon enough, the car’s music system is belting out familiar ambient tunes. We try to underplay our apprehensions by regaling each other with tales from our last trip. Over the next 20 minutes, the weather clears up, almost as if a magic wand was waved somewhere. We see mountains looming ahead of us on the highway, lit only by the moonlight. As I marvel at the snow-capped peaks, I see a fleeting glimmer of something in the sky. It’s gone before I can make sense of it. Five minutes later, I spot a faint streak of green.