Today was mostly spent revisiting some of my favorite things and places I've found during my time here in Reykjavik. It wasn't really eventful, and not even particularly interesting. I slept in, ate a late breakfast at Prikið, had a late lunch at Icelandic Fish and Chips, wasted time reading in the coffee shop of Mál og Menning. I even did some dreaded touristy shopping, which I now have some slight regret that I waited until the last day to do as there is a thing or two I won't be able to get...at least not this time around. The only really new experience was eating dinner at a small bistro called Gata where I had what they called Fishsoup, but I call Every Damn Thing In The Sea Soup. No doubt it was a Nordic version, perhaps even the great-grandfather, of a frogmore stew or a low-country boil where you you toss a little bit of everything you have at hand into it and voila, you've got soup. And soup is good food. This particular variant had mussels, clams, shrimp, and some kind of white fish (I'm assuming cod) in a well seasoned and pleasantly salty tomato broth.I had a brief glimmer of hope that my last night here would be marked by something amazing when I noticed around sunset that the sky was only partly cloudy for the first time since I arrived. I then quickly checked the aurora forecast that the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska runs. It was only said to be moderate, but at this latitude (approximately 66 north) that should be enough. However, it's nearly 11 and I've yet to see a sparkle or a shimmer in the sky. There's either too much light pollution (even though I can see stars) or it's not active enough to see overhead and the Esja mountains are blocking the northern horizon and I just can't see it. Seeing the aurora wasn't a deal breaker to having a good time, but it would have made a nice finale to a great vacation. Tomorrow morning there are last minute errands, packing, and a late morning bus ride to the Blue Lagoon before heading to the airport. The plane leaves at 5pm and then my vacation will officially be over.
I once again find myself wondering how I can go back. Back to a life where I can't waste the day away doing whatever strikes me. A life without snow and 50mph winds. A life without being able to walk down to the grocery store for skyr, to the coffee shop for a drink, or the bakery for amazing bread. How do you go back to a world where someone taking out a pair of knitting needles and knitting on an airplane (which happened on the flight from Akureyri to Reykjavik) causes a Sky Marshall to throw you to the ground and handcuff you. I had a similar life altering decision at the end of my roadtrip where I had a genuine moment of contemplation about a left turn at Albuquerque (literally) and leaving my job and life behind, or a right turn and going back home to responsibility and adult decisions. I obviously went home and returned to the life I had known, and obviously I will do it again but that nagging doubt lingers there in my mind. I could see myself living in Iceland. I've only seen it during it's cold blusterous season, not even during the golden months of summer when everything is green and beautiful and the sun doesn't set for days and yet I know I could be happy here. The only other time I've felt that was sitting on the roof of a bed and breakfast at night in Quebec watching cargo ships going up and down the St. Laurence river. If nothing else, it gives me something to look forward to.
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