And so we say farewell to scenic Iceland. On our final day we had a big breakfast at our hotel, made a few last-minute purchases, and then packed up the car and left the Hotel Borg. We drove south, back to the Reykjanes peninsula, and spent some of the time before our flight doing some sightseeing in the otherworldly landscape.
The most interesting stop was at the "Bridge Between Continents," which spans a chasm which is part of the Mid-Atlantic Rift system. One side is attached to the North American plate, the other side is attached to the European plate. Presumably the bridge itself has some expansion joints to allow for the constant widening of the rift.
As seasoned international travelers, we allowed plenty of time at the airport — half an hour to drop off the car, half an hour to check in, half an hour to pass through security, etc. And, as happens so often, each of those things took about ten minutes, leaving us with an hour to kill in Keflavik International Airport.
Fortunately, it's not a bad airport to hang around in. We blew all our Icelandic currency at the duty-free shop on a bottle of Brinnevin and a box of Hraun. Lunch was one of the best airport meals I've ever eaten: a big Danish-style open-faced sandwich of smoked salmon, with boiled egg and salad greens.
The flight boarded on time and the trip back to Logan felt much quicker than the outward journey, even though I think it actually took a few minutes longer.
We both enjoyed Iceland enormously, and agreed that it would be worth a stopover next time we're flying to Europe.
Sir William Jackson Hooker's departure from Iceland was a little more worrisome than ours, as the crew of the ship which brought him there had more or less accidentally overthrown the government in the course of a dispute with the Danish governor, so when a British warship arrived to straighten things out Sir William had to cut short his lichen-gathering.
". . . and I here learned that the vessel, which we had observed the evening before entering the Bay, was the Talbot sloop of war, commanded by the Honorable Alexander Jones. . . . (T)he captain had proceeded without loss of time to Reikevig harbor, that he might have an opportunity of ascertaining more correctly the facts connected with a revolution in the government, of which he had heard at the former place, but had received only a short and unsatisfactory account. The consequence of these enquiries was his issuing orders, that the persons, principally concerned in bringing about this change of affairs, should with all possible expedition proceed to England, where a full account of all the transactions was to be laid before the British government. From this time, therefore, my researches to Iceland may be regarded as nearly at an end; and, though various circumstances prevented the sailing of our vessel until the twenty-fifth of August, yet the daily, and sometimes hourly, expectation of being called on board, prevented my making any excursion to a distance from Reikevig. (. . . ) My memory no farther enables me to continue my journal in any thing like a regular manner, but, even had this been the case, yet still such would be found the uninteresting nature of the events that happened, except, indeed, those political ones that are more fully detailed in the Appendix A, that they could afford but little amusement."
And on that note, our expedition comes to an end.
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