It was 5 a.m. over an airport called Keflavík. It was dark. It was wet. There was an edgy wind that made my flight’s touchdown from Boston one of those Hail Mary moments where even a non-believer like myself asks for divine intervention.
None was needed. The Icelandair pilots negotiated this fleeting existential crisis with aplomb—as if such epic, crazed crosswinds were the usual welcome home.
An hour later, still in the dark and relieved that I had resisted alcohol during the last three hours of the flight—owing to Iceland’s low tolerance for booze in your system when driving—I was behind the wheel of a rented car, negotiating the 50 kilometers into Reykjavík. I couldn’t help but think that arriving in pre-dawn blackness, with the rain sheeting down like something out of Nordic film noir, was the perfect start to my August 2021 journey into geographic isolation.
Travel is always freighted with expectations. Coming to this distant outpost of human habitation—a one-time Danish dependency whose nearest landmass was that cartological tabula rasa called Greenland—I didn’t know what I would find in this vast, underpopulated (3,76,000 inhabitants) subarctic island nation whose global position and its cohabiting arrangement with the EU made it the balcony of Europe.
Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
READER'S DIGEST-BOOKS
These book summaries highlight Siddharthya Roy's exploration of conflict and violence, Michael Castleman's deep dive into the history of publishing, and Swadesh Deepak's examination of social issues and masculinity through Hindi literature.
Man with printed sarong
A lawyer, pianist, critic, and mentor to artists, Lionel Wendt is best known for his photographs of Sri Lanka, especially those of people indigenous to the island, captured amidst the lush landscape or posing in his studio.
Too Much?
New studies show that even moderate drinking is a health hazard. Here’s a frank look at the toll alcohol takes on the body
ME & MY SHELF
Coimbatore-born Prashanth Srivatsa is a science fiction/fantasy writer whose stories have appeared in magazines such as Asimov’s, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance. magazines such as Asimov's, Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance.
Small Business, Big Heart
Caring for people is part of the deal at family-run shops
Spill the Beans
Everyone has secrets. Here's why you should share yours
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
Angry lovers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
FULL STEAM AHEAD!
I GOT THE CHANCE TO DRIVE THE WORLD'S LAST SCHEDULED STEAM TRAIN
Stressed and Worn Down
More and more people are clenching and grinding their teeth. Here's what to do about it
THIS BACON FAKERY MUST STOP
I was recently given bacon-flavoured dental floss for my birthday.