Road to Iceland
Beryl Tait and her family hosted Icelandic exchange student Ella Hjoleifsdottir for just one year in the 1960s, but their friendship has endured the test of time.
They send letters and care packages and visit every few years, most recently last summer. The Butler woman and her daughters, Sallie Benjamin of Butler and Sue Lancaster of Vienna, W.Va., and Tait's stepdaughter, Pam, traveled to Iceland to visit Hjoleifsdottir from July 23 to August 4.
Hjoleifsdottir last visited the United States in 2006, so the group felt it was time to reunite in Iceland.
Family reunionThe trip had a rocky start, but the family made the best of things. Their flight from Pittsburgh to Boston was delayed due to severe weather, causing them to arrive late and miss their plane to Reykjavik, the capital and largest city in Iceland.There was not another flight until the next day, so they checked into a hotel near the airport, visiting several tourist hot spots during the delay.The five-hour direct flight to Reykjavik went smoothly, and Hjoleifsdottir was waiting at the airport to transport the women to her condominium in downtown Reykjavik."Individual homes are very uncommon there, and very few buildings there have elevators," observed Tait.Hjoleifsdottir's fourth-floor condominium provided them with a beautiful panoramic view, she added.One of their first destinations was Arbaer Museum, an open-air historical display that re-creates the living environments of past generations."There were houses from different areas of Iceland," Benjamin said. "They were all authentic, but moved there for the museum. There was a farmhouse, a turf church and Viking houses."More than 20 buildings form a small village and visitors can see various demonstrations.The museum was a short distance from the developed areas of Reykjavik when it was founded in 1957, but modern city buildings are now visible on the horizon.Hjoleifsdottir wore traditional Icelandic clothing to the museum, which included a full-length black skirt, fancy blouse and embroidered shawl. Tait also remembers her wearing a similar costume years ago as an exchange student, when she gave speeches about Iceland for clubs and other organizations in Butler.
The group then spent four nights at Hjoleifsdottir's country cabin, located a little over an hour outside of Reykjavik.The picturesque cabin includes a geothermally heated hot tub and mosaic tile installed in the kitchen by Hjoleifsdottir, Benjamin said.Renewable resources like geothermal energy and hydropower provide nearly all of Iceland's electricity, according to travel literature."Ella's very talented: She paints, she does everything," Benjamin said.They spent time touring the countryside and taking in Iceland's natural beauty."It's known as the land of fire and ice," said Benjamin, referring to the glaciers and volcanoes that created the landscape. "It was the last country in Europe to be physically born and the last to be settled by man."The country's stunning scenery lent itself to photography and they all took dozens of pictures, but Lancaster took the most with more than 1,500 images on her digital camera.Near the cabin is the 3,000-year-old Kerio volcanic crater. Today, the site contains a blue-green lake offset by the red walls of the 180-foot deep crater.The next day, they embarked upon Iceland's Golden Circle, a popular tourist route in South Iceland.The three primary stops on the route are the national park Pingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur that contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur.They first visited Strokkur, which erupts about every four to eight minutes.A rope keeps tourists from venturing too close, but Benjamin noticed visitors could still stand within several yards of the geyser and feel the spray of water.Their visit to Geysir was more serene, as eruptions are infrequent and at times have stopped for years.Gullfoss Falls is one of the country's most popular destinations and tourists could see the attraction up close."It's not like Niagara Falls; we walked up and went behind the falls," Benjamin said.Another stop along the Golden Circle was Thingvellir, a national park that marks the original site of Iceland's national assembly.The open-air assembly represented all of Iceland and was established in A.D. 930 and continued to meet there until 1798. Fragments of around 50 booths built from turf and stone are visible and remains from the 10th century are believed to be buried underground.A friendly and modern city
The group returned to Hjoleifsdottir's condo in Reykjavik and spent time in the downtown shopping district.There were a variety of modern stores and small, quaint boutiques, Benjamin said."There were even some people making jewelry on the streets," she said.As souvenirs, the ladies brought back lava jewelry with matte, ink-colored stones in round settings.Today, tourists can use American currency in Iceland, Tait said."Years ago, we had to convert into krónur," Tait said. "But you still get your change back in krónur."They didn't need any cash the next day at the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The ultra-modern spa provides guests with scannable bracelets to keep track of charges for things like drinks and lockers, Benjamin said.Part of a lava formation, the natural outdoor pool offers geothermally-heated seawater rich in minerals like silica and sulfur.They suited up and spent several hours floating in the water, which averages about 104 degrees."We all got suntans," Benjamin said. "Who'd have thought we'd go to Iceland and get suntans?"Later, they boarded a boat at Fazafloi Bay for a whale watching tour."We got to see quite a few whales and schools of dolphins," Benjamin said.They also saw several puffins, which moved so fast it was difficult to take a photograph.Back in Reykjavik, they visited with Hjoleifsdottir's family. Language was not an issue for the travelers since English was frequently spoken, Benjamin said."Most people, especially the younger ones, can speak English very well," Benjamin said.It's common for Icelanders to speak several languages, and Hjoleifsdottir speaks Spanish, English, Icelandic and Danish, she added.The planning was left mostly up to Hjoleifsdottir, which made the experience very authentic, Benjamin said."You could really get a feel for what the people of Iceland are like," she said. "They're very friendly and very modern."Jill Roth, co-owner of Travel Centre of Butler, said the country has an approachable, small-town feel."The capital isn't even all that large," she said. "It's easy to get around and the people are very friendly."Just a short plane ride away, Iceland is accessible to American travelers, Roth said."It's easy to get there," she said. "There are direct flights from several U.S. cities."
Since the trip was "girls only," they spent all the time they wanted shopping, talking and catching up.Most evenings, they enjoyed staying up late to chat and play cards, Benjamin said.Due to Iceland's geographic position, the sun sets for just a few hours during the summer months."At 3 or 4 a.m., it was broad daylight, depending on how clear it was," she added. "It was hard to go to bed before midnight because it was so light out."Another interesting feature is the climate, Benjamin said."Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Iceland enjoys a cool temperate ocean climate: cool in summer and rather mild in winter," Bejamin said.Not everything was as they remembered, said Tait, who last visited Iceland about 10 years ago."I enjoyed seeing the change in it from when I was there before," said Tait.Most of the country roads were unpaved, but modern roads are more prevalent now, Tait said.Very few trees stand due to thin soil and deforestation. New forests have been planted in recent years, but it seems that just a few small trees exist, Benjamin said."When Ella came over here, she was in awe of all the tall trees," she said.The landscape is ideal for outdoor activities and Benjamin hopes to go hiking and camping during her next visit."I'm sure we'll go back, I just don't know when," Benjamin said. "I'd go back tomorrow."
