How to Increase Your Understanding of Setting When You Travel, Part 1

We can sometimes grow immune to the details of our everyday environment. Before we open our eyes, we’re complaining about having to get out of bed, or we’re already making a mental list of things to do before our feet touch the floor. How often do we notice the change in color in the sunrise or whether we hear birds or crickets chirping depending on the time of year?

Travel provides the opportunity to see a place with fresh eyes—and nostrils, ears, fingers, and, um, tongue, too. Our journey may only take us to the other side of town where differences might not be so significant, or we could travel far away, with a vastly different landscape. I’m about to do the latter. In a few hours, I will board a plane that will fly me to Iceland, a vista that seems alien in comparison to the Georgia Piedmont. I am excited, though, as this is a vacation I’ve been planning to take for fifteen years.

Although I’m not expecting a scene reminiscent of Santa’s Workshop at the North Pole, my knowledge of Iceland is somewhat limited to Björk music videos and our decade-old travel guide. My travel companions and I were able to glean some visuals from various websites to plan our itinerary. Another friend recommended a YouTube channel, Nordic Delights, which documents the adventures of an entertaining gay couple in Scandinavia. Although most of their videos include lots scenes of Kim (Swedish) and Pétur (Icelandic) sharing affectionate kisses and taking their shirts off, the boyfriends also shared a great deal of information that helped plan our trip. What I like most about the Nordic Delights videos is that each feels like you’re hanging out with friends and glimpsing at the everyday life of an Icelander.

My partner, Jeff, and I land in Keflavik on the first day of autumn. Presently, the highs are about fifty degrees, and the lows are close to forty degrees. We expect lots of rain and wind during the first portion of the trip; however, the forecast calls for clear, sunny weather near the end of the week, so we may luck out to see the northern lights. Our Canadian friends, Jeff and Kim—yes, I know there are a lot of Jeffs on this trip—will pick us up at the airport, and we will head along the southern coast to visit a national park and many of the natural wonders. We have plans to trek across a glacier, explore an ice cave, snorkel between the North American and Eurasian continents, watch geysers spew, and take in one drab breathtaking panorama after another.

I ran into a friend Friday night who has been to Iceland. He told me to expect a sulfur smell, which, if you have ever visited Yellowstone National Park with its geysers, seems appropriate. I must admit I’m concerned about smelling Hárkal, which is fermented shark meat with a strong ammonia scent. Visiting a country that utilized geothermal power, I’m told it’s a very clean country without fossil fuel pollution in the air we have here. 

Mostly, I’m curious to meet the Icelandic people and learn more about their lives. Although I appreciate the roadside attractions travel provides, I also enjoy discovering local spots beyond the beaten path.

Other than buying a Ranier Rain Jacket and Pants at REI, I really didn’t have to make any additional purchases for the trip. I’ve never visited a place with so much rain and wind, so this will be a new experience. Hearing a Scandinavian language spoken will be a far cry from the Texas twang and Spanish I grew up hearing. The Icelandic currency is the Króna, which is about 0.0080 to the U.S. dollar.

I definitely have an opportunity to exercise my muscles for creating a sense of place. I’ll share what I encounter in my next blog post.