The ship’s agent had made arrangements to have a local resident convert our money to Icelandic currency as soon as we cleared customs. He set up shop in the ship’s lounge and we lined up, ready to trade in our dollars for kroners. With our pockets bulging with local currency, we made our way down the gangplank and off to the various shops and sites of Reykjavik.
There were rumours that some of us even visited a few of the local watering holes, but I saw no evidence of that. Time often embellishes memories, and we are all pretty sure this was how that rumour got started. For the most part we all headed for restaurants and shops to look for souvenirs. One of the most prized items to buy in Iceland is their woollen products. I still have a hand woven sweater that I bought that night.
One thing that struck us was how mild the weather was. This was the middle of the winter and we were just below the Arctic Circle. Yet the temperature was just above freezing, with about an inch of snow in the ground. We had expected minus 20 C, wind and snow. Iceland is favoured somewhat by the warming that comes from the Gulf Stream . . . although by the time it gets there it is more properly called the North Atlantic Current.
As I mentioned before, I am not a true oceanographer, but the Senior Scientist, Dr. Allyn Clarke, was able to teach me that much. I’d always referred to this as the Gulf Stream, even when it got as far northeast as the UK. I recall discussing this in Reykjavik with Allyn. And thus one of my memories of Iceland is learning the proper name of this current.
Last updated on Thursday, 12 April 2007