0:08 21 July, Hotel Jorgensen
Before I finally get some sleep, I just wanted to post that I made it to Copenhagen safe and sound. The country of Denmark invited me in with all the warmth and weather conditions that opened Hamlet, but after the tempest subsided, the midsummer night in the city I'll be spending the twelfth night of my journey proved quite inviting, so all's well that ends well.
I just came back from a dinner at a Mexican restaurant, that I enjoyed with two of my roommates, an Argentinian and an Israeli, and I have to say that my opinion of European Mexican restaurants continues to be quite good. Right now, I've got to get some sleep, as it's passed midnight and I want to wake up early enough to take advantage of the hostel/hotel's free breakfast. Gudden nacht.
12:43 20 July, Keflavik Airport
Before I take off (in roughly 20 mins.) I wanted to make make note of a few final impressions I'm left with of Iceland that, for whatever reason, didn't fit into my daily journal.
Reykjavik is one of the most international cities I've ever visited. Perhaps it just the vacation season in Europe that's to account for it, but there were so many Continental languages being spoken that it really took me back.
One of my more bizarre experiences occurred on the morning of my last full day in Þorsmörk. I went to fill my CamelPak with some of the tap water, and discovered, to my dismay, that the lodge had run out of cold water. Because the water coming up out of the ground is often heated by geothermal forces, this is the kind of thing that I imagine can only happen in Iceland. So I set off with water roughly the temperature of cooled tea water.
Iceland has not yet been, and hopefully never will be, transformed by Tort and Negligence Litigation. On the angling boats, hooks flew everywhere, warning labels were nowhere to be found on consumer products, and none of the coffee cups helpfully reminded you that the contents may be hot.
Islandic hotdogs, of which I've consumed many at this point, are famous for being the best in the world. I can attest that they are quite good (though Nathan's are hard to beat for a summer afternoon) but what set the experience apart for me was the condiments. Iceland has this garlic mayonnaise (that's the only way I can describe it) that they put on their hotdogs which tastes fantastic. I'm sure it does nothing for the healthfulness of an already unhealthy food, but what the heck, life's short (and getting shorter).
Not everyone in Iceland is blond. I've seen at least 12 brunettes that I'm reasonably confidant where native Islanders.
Well, that's all from Iceland. My overall impression of the country is quite good, with a special thumbs-up for the interior. It's the kind of country that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys adventure, the outdoors, bar hopping until the late morning hours, fish, a diverse music/fashion scene, and/or Coca Cola. It looks like they're getting ready to shut the hatch, so it's electronics off for the... actually I don't know how long the flight to Copenhagen is... but here's to hoping I get there!
Patrick, I cannnot say that I agree with your opinion of European Mexican food (except for Pablo's). Must I remind you that I ordered tacos pollo and got a beef taco and a seafood (nameley squid) taco. No way.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, there is a quite decent Mexican place in Cairo. I forget the name but it's on the top floor of the City Stars Mall by the movie theater.
Measure for measure, that's the best Shakespearean introductory paragraph I've ever read. I'm glad the Icelandic leg of your journey was not a comedy of errors (OK, except the disappearing bus part)and you made it back to the correct airport for your flight to Denmark. I hope the rest of the trip goes equally well, so that any worrying on my part will prove to be much ado about nothing, and you'll come back with quite a winter's tale to tell.
ReplyDeleteI have to back up Katy here; while not a mexican food fan myself, universally my study abroad gang agreed that Mexican food was a FAIL in Europe.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear things are going well!
It should be noted that Patrick, like myself has not been privy to a lot of decent Mexican food in his life due to his New England birth. If he finds a particular Mexican restaurant to be quite good, it is most likely a reflection upon NE Mexican food and not Mexican food in general.
ReplyDeleteIt should also be noted that he does not seek out Mexican restaurants where ever he goes in order to then, after the meal is completed, lambast the area on its poor quality of Mexican. Therefore his sample size of European Mexican restaurants may not be as high as other unnamed individuals.