Carefully planned vacations can become even better when recalculations happen. 

My friend Betsy has something her family calls an anything can happen day.  It’s a way to travel without any set plan and respond to opportunities rather than planning an itinerary. 

Yesterday was an anything can happen day. 

We arrived at the small local grocery store right after it opened to look for something for breakfast. The gracious staff at the market opened up the closed for the season dining room so we could sit and eat our skyr and what the Scots call digestive biscuits (i.e. cookies).  One of the employees carefully made us the best cappuccino and latte we’d had in Iceland, served in lovely cups and saucers.  She then made our  takeaway order, and refused to take payment.  The kindness of strangers 

In Iceland, hotels offer amazing and abundant breakfast buffets.  This simple breakfast with what was available was as wonderful as any of those served at heavily laden tables. 

Looking at maps, my friend and I created our own Ring Road to circle the Westfjords in cold, rainy, and windy weather. It was a perfect day for experiencing Iceland’s stunning and rugged beauty.   We came upon a local handcraft cooperative where I found some handknit slippers to replace mine damaged beyond repair in the flood. We had a picnic overlooking a moss covered lava vista. 

Driving anything can happen gravel roads in the rain can turn a white car brown.  Since the car was too dirty to even see out, we stopped at the car wash near our night’s resting place. Car washes in Iceland are free, and consist of a brush attached to the end of a hose. While we waited our turn for the one brush hose, a fellow traveler from Maine found another hose and proceeded to rinse our car while we waited.   The kindness of strangers. 

Much has been said about the extraordinary response of stranger to stranger since the flooding in Houston.  I know that I experienced it time again from both friends and strangers that became neighbors, in the Jesus sense. 

I continue to experience this in Iceland. I think of one of my favorite hymns: 

As Christ breaks bread and bids us share, 
each proud division ends. 
The love that made us makes us one, 
and strangers now are friends, 

http://cometsgirlga.blog/2017/09/20/the-missed-memo/

Today was a travel day. We packed up and began the road trip from Akureyri to the Westfjords.

When my friend and I had to do a little reorganizing of our trip due to Hurricane Irma, we had to choose which places we wanted to see most. After a lot of research, we decided to go to the Westfjords, a remote and even more wild corner of Iceland.

We began the five hour trip knowing it would take us far longer. As always, there were many stops for photographs, walking, painting, and even ice cream.

Leaving The Ring Road that circles the country, we headed up the stunning east coastline of the Westfjords.   After nine hours of driving, we were finally in the small fishing town of Holmavik.

Though we thought we had planned well, it turns out that we had been given some misinformation.  I should have known since every time I googled the town the top piece of information is about the Witchcraft and Sorcery Museum. Yikes!

Turns out that the  tourist season here ends August 21.  All but one restaurant had closed; it was the restaurant that was attached to the Witchcraft museum, and it had limited hours.  The laundry service we’d been promised (having brought a week’s worth of dirty clothes) never was a possibility.  Finally, in this remote town it appeared we were the only guests in the hotel.  It was all rather creepy.  I think it was that Witchcraft museum.

At least we had good internet.

After agonizing over what to do, we decided to stay the night and find another place to stay tomorrow.  That being said, we also had to agonize where in Iceland we wanted to travel to next.  I guess agonize and travel in Iceland don’t really go together.  After all, it is Iceland.  It’s all beautiful!

We went down the hill to the lovely grocery store and bought some provisions for a picnic dinner in the room.  Then as the sun set, we took a walk to the local church.  The steeple, I’m afraid, looked like a witch’s hat, with a cross on top.

Tomorrow we’ll drive some more through the Westfjords and to a place that will be back near the Ring Road.  We’ve decided that for the rest of our stay we’ll cut back on driving so we’ll have more time for stopping and exploring.  And laughing, too.  And, oh yes, doing laundry. 

I usually begin planning vacations months and months before going. I set the date, buy tickets, make reservations, and do all the rearranging and arranging that goes into leaving work and home. 

The vacation is set on the calendar not knowing what will be at the center of my life when I actually go. 

My first trip to Iceland was weeks after the Tax Day flood and the two feet flooding of my home. 

My second trip to Iceland was weeks after the Harvey flood and the five feet flooding of my home. 

Iceland, with it’s beauty and awayness, is many things for me.  It appears that at the heart of my trips here is that Iceland is a place for me to heal. 

Yesterday, we traveled east to hike to waterfalls. Goðafoss. Dettifoss. Selfoss. 

In the midst of roaring water, rocky and uneven paths, under a blue beyond imagination sky, the tears finally came about this last flooding of my my home and the homes of so very many others.  Finally I was able to begin the next steps of healing.  I will say that God and I had some very serious chats about what in the world God was doing in this terrible catastrophe. 

The last place we visited yesterday before going back to our hotel was a church that was built very near Goðafoss to commemorate the one thousand year anniversary of Iceland accepting Christianity.  Tradition has it that when the king of Iceland decided to make Christianity the nation’s official religion, he threw the pagan idols into the waters of Goðafoss. 

The waterfall where a people gave up their past ways and turned completely to God is where my tears of grief and anger over yet another flood began to flow at the beginning of this day’s travels.  When I ended the day’s travels was at the cross built outside the church nearby praying words of Compline, 

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping.   That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest peace.