Nothing parallels travel memories. We can lose money in the stock market, but nobody can take away our experiences, memories or education. Travel is the most fun facet of education I can think of. Here is a recent account from one of my clients who just returned from Iceland on a trip I prepared.
Here I am, last morning in Iceland. I am writing this partly for your enjoyment, but mostly for me to remember this trip and what I have learned. I was reminded of the the importance of travel - how enriching travel and new experiences truly are; opening one up to a wealth of new experience and culture. As I recount the past week, I have met more new people that I have a chance of staying in touch with than I have in the past 6 months in New York City.
I have very much enjoyed traveling around this starkly beautiful and odd landscape. Volcanic fields, flat mountains, bubbling hot springs, enormous melting glaciers, black sand and rock beaches with seabirds and horses, and even a 6 month old whale carcass.
Icelanders are a very intriguing breed. They are cutting edge, trendy, and funky, while reserved, traditional, and quaint. They are shy until you break the shell, after which you might hear their family history going back to the Viking Sagas. They are also proud of their small nation, their history, their culture and their landscape. They keep close to one another, yet they are interested in meeting new people from all over the world.
The past few days we have been in a remote hut in the wilderness in the middle of winter. We stayed next to a volcano, cooked our own fresh lamb dinner, and sat in the amazing hot spring enjoying the brisk air, northern lights, and recounting the trip and other great experiences with our “silent assassin” guide Anton. This was after a day touring the south coast, where all of the farms maintain the exact same names and locations they did the time of the Vikings.
Last night was again in Reykjavik. Met up with a couple guys from the first night… talked about life, enjoyed some laughs, had some beers, talked to some ladies, and then went at 3:30 am to take pictures on a frozen lake in the moonlight just outside of the city. After this trip I feel alive, energized, and feel that I have taken a step back - out of the world of routines and cubicles, and into a parallel world of bliss and rejuvenation. You only live once, so make sure you are really doing everything you want to. You never know when a terrorist attack, financial crisis, or giant meteor will send the world back to the stone age.
————————–
Subscribe in a reader