In case you are wondering about whether I’m self-centered, the answer is YES! Really, who else would burden people with blogs of his travels … as if anyone cared one whit about Tom’s adventures. Then again, I live among a number of you and know full well how dull your daily lives are. So, buckle up while I make a few final comments as I travel back home.

I’m happy to report that I’m still getting positive comments on my Make America Think Again cap. It doesn’t change anything about the dire straights in which we find ourselves. Still, finding fellow sufferers out in the world offers some succor in these desperate times. On occasion, a tiny jab will be made at Trump in public events. On those occasions, the general reaction within the audience has been supportive of this implied criticism.

By the way, I lied in an earlier blog. Well, not lie exactly. I misreported a fact. I mentioned that the smallest community we would visit had 700 hardy residents. Not quite true! I subsequently found that Djupivogur, located on the eastern seaboard, has somewhere between 400 and 500 happy residents. Aside from the dramatic beauty all around, I wondered how folk could live in such isolation. I assumed they would be stricken by the isolation associated with living in such a remote location. However, that is NOT how the  locals saw it.

This was our local guide in that tiny community. As she discussed life in a small coastal village far from civilization, she stressed how most locals were related in some way … which she admitted caused some issues with finding a mate or even a date in her teens. So, I asked how did she find a husband? Well, it turns out that kids (and there are many of them) typically attend high school in larger communities to which they must travel and live in dorms. Those that go on to university need to relocate to even larger places like Akureyri or Reykjavik.

She met her husband at Uni in Akureyri and somehow convinced him to relocate to her home town. She argued that such a place was perfect for raising children, an environment free from crime and other dangers endemic to larger cities. She uses her education to teach English and Danish in the local school and cannot imagine living anywhere else. For her, this small coastal community is paradise.

We have now completed our tour of five coastal communities … Seydisfjordur, Akureyri, Isafjordur, Djupivogur, and Heimaey. Iceland has a lot going for it. But pronouncing names of  communities, of streets, and of people can be testing for Americans. Fortunately, English is a mandatory course for all kids. So, this enchanting land remains on my asylum list.

The gentleman above has lived in one if these tiny coastal villages for almost a decade now. He originally was from Poland. He came to Iceland for a summer and now it is his home. Another guide (no pic) immigrated from the Basque region of Spain. He also came for one summer and, perhaps to his surprise, never left. 

When asked why they chose to stay and put down roots, their replies were strikingly similar. They love the people and the culture. Sure, winters are cold and you can forget about any sun for weeks. On the other hand, the people are warm and friendly. Everyone looks out for each other. And yes, taxes are high but services are provided to all without the constant bitching and whining we find in the U.S. Consider this, if you need highly specialized care, the government will pay for your medical trip to Norway or Denmark. In the U.S., we are slashing at our impoverished health care system, if you can even call it that. There is something to be said for a culture that supports the common good.

Our last stop was in Heimaey, an island community located off the southern shore of the Island. In 1973, a reminder that Iceland is geologically active became all too real. In the middle of the night, a nearby hill erupted and spewed lava and ash for 5 months. Much of what had existed was buried under many feet of molten lava. One third of all the homes were destroyed with many more damaged. But the community acted as one, got everyone out and across the seas to the mainland with no deaths. A number of men and women stayed behind to fight the lava flows…actions that saved the harbor and the life of the community. The techniques they tried out of desperation are now common practice. Best of all, Heimaey is back.

At this moment, we are in Montreal waiting for a connecting flight to the U.S. I love experiencing new places and absorbing the culture and history of others. However, I hate air travel with a passion, perhaps because I did so much of it during my career (oh, to return to the days when Midwest Expess treated everyone as 1st class passengers).

The only snafu so far was finding our flight out of Reykjavik. Even the Viking helpers at the airport gave us conflicting and even wrong info. You would think  they could figure things out. All I had was info for a United Airlines flight. Turned out we were on an Air Canada flight. Just made it in time.

Still, small inconveniences are nothing. One must grasp the beauty of our world. We know not how long we have before our stupidity and short sightedness ruins everything.