Iceland

The weather forecast was for rain, but the only thing that poured down was this magnificent waterfall.  This photo was taken south of Reykjavik, Iceland.  Taken from a distance, the power, beauty and simplicity of nature is striking in contrast to the presence of man. There is nothing uncertain about the water flowing off of the mountaintop, terraced by the rapid flowing force of water clearing debris while methodically polishing the surface of the stone.  There is no turning back for the pellets of water furiously reaching their fate, spattering to an alarming halt at the bottom, dissolving into a gentle pool after momentarily spraying back violently from the impact of the collision below.

Yet, looking from a closer perspective, the waterfall was mesmerizing.  Following the flow of water from the top, the tentacles and finger-like projections form eerie images that quickly self-destruct. I was never that close to a waterfall before to notice, but its more than likely that I have heretofore never taken the time to look deep into the heart of the waterfall like I did today.

Iceland is magnificent country, populated by 1/3 of the population of one of the smallest states in the nation, Hawaii.  Like Hawaii, it is blessed with great natural beauty and resources to boast about.  It is indeed one of the few places on earth that could produce all of its energy capitalizing on a combination of geothermal and hydroelectric renewable energy. The youthfulness of its origins, the volcanoes, hot springs, moving waterways and waterfalls make Iceland an ideal place to rid itself of the dependency on fossil fuel once and for all.  Curiously, Iceland has not taken that leap of faith and its automobiles, while not gas-guzzlers, run almost entirely on fossil fuel.  This makes no sense in a country proud and young like Iceland, where the community is homogeneous and Nordic, where crime is non-existent, where the tap water is cleaner and fresher than anything you can buy in a bottle, where the vegetables are grown organically, where the streets are clean and the people are friendly, engaging and educated.

This is only the second time I have visited Iceland. That doesn’t include the stopovers on Icelandic Airlines from my European travel days in the 60’s.  The other time was indeed the result of one such stopover, which left its airport of origin 12 hours later than expected due to maintenance woes.  Icelandic Airlines was kind enough to put us up in hotels in Reykjavik while waiting to exchange aircrafts when it was clear that it was not a good idea to continue to New York in the original defective airplane.  It gave me just enough time to meet, get to know, and fall in love with my future wife of 25 years.  All of this happened in Luxemburg Airport in November 1970, in Reykjavik, on the flight home to New York and driving back to medical school in Louisville, Kentucky.