Monday, March 23: A Lesson in Winter Travel in Iceland

Monday was our Reykjavik exploration day, and after breakfast at home we set out for the city. We got an email from the rental car company warning of bad weather, with a reminder to hold onto the car doors with both hand when opening them, since high winds can push the doors wide open and break the hinges. We set out nonetheless, persevering even though there was snow blowing all over the roads. 

In Reykjavik, we followed a Rick Steves self-guided walking tour for a while, learning some history of the city. We got hot dogs at Baejarins Beztu Pylsur. We then began walking up the rainbow street, Skolavordustigur, toward the church Hallgrimskirkja, stopping to browse in shops along the way. We went into a couple of secondhand shops and some souvenir shops on Laugavegur. Greta quickly selected the two souvenirs she'd planned on getting: a small plush puffin and a children's book in Icelandic. I found the jewelry store--Anna Maria--where I bought a silver ring back in 2005; we went inside. Lucia wanted to buy a ring but the prices have risen significantly since I was there, so we left emptyhanded. 

We stopped for lunch at a lovely little spot called Grai Kotturinn. We had eaten hot dogs in the not so distant past, so I decided to get some homemade toast with cheese and jam.

"You don't want that," Mom said. "It won't be enough. You don't want to order that."

I did, indeed want to order that. We went back and forth for a while until I finally said I was forty-nine years old and could decide what I wanted to order for lunch.

When our lunches arrived, Lucia began attempting to portion out a gigantic stack of pancakes, which she and Greta had decided to share. "Give Greta some bacon," I instructed. "Then cut the pancakes in half."

Lucia rolled her eyes. "I'm sixteen," she said. "I know how to share my food."

Dad started laughing first, and then we all did, the echo of this mother-daughter exchange too funny to overlook.

We continued on our walk. It got windier and windier the closer we got to the church. There was also a lot of snow. When we finally reached Hallgrimskirkja, we looked around inside for a bit then took the elevator to the tower. There, the wind was literally howling and screaming. We walked up a flight of stairs to the highest point; I was afraid to take pictures since the wind was strong enough to rip the phone out of my hand. It was a beautiful view, regardless of the wind.

After that, we began walking back, intending to get to the car. We made a few more stops for shopping. We were very very cold and windblown by the time we reached the car, and we looked forward to some time at home before figuring out dinner. 

We'd driven for only twenty minutes when we realized all the traffic had stopped, and cars were lined up along the roadside. We pulled in behind a car and waited. Some distance away, we could see the flashing lights of an emergency vehicle. The road was closed. We waited and waited until we'd waited for an hour. The weather got worse. We saw a man walk through the snow to ask the policement for information; when he walked back past our car, we asked him what he knew. He'd been told only that the road would open "sometime in the evening," after it had been cleared. No specifics were available. Around us, cars were turning around, giving up. We drove past the road barrier as we turned around, and the policeman gave us the website to check for updates.

So we headed back into Reykjavik, parked the car, and had some fish and chips at the Reykjavik Fish Restaurant. We found some info online (thanks, reddit), and kept checking the travel website, and after an hour or so the road was marked as open. We hurried to retrieve the car, glad to be able to get back to the house. 

But the road, though open, was barely passable, and it was a harrowing drive. Wind whipping snow everywhere, snowdrifts appearing, no visibility, darkness, slippery hills. We drove past several cars that had spun off the road. Near Selfoss, we saw a man stumble up an embankment, his car having just hurtled into a ditch, and wave his arms desperately for help. We pulled over, but we could offer little assistance, and we were glad when three Icelandic women pulled up behind us and said they'd take over. We continued on. The roads to our rental were untouched; there is one very narrow "land bridge" to get over just before the house that was covered in snow; but somehow Andrew did not take us over the edge.

Thanks to Andrew's heroic driving, we made it home in one piece. This was a lesson in heeding weather warnings--unlike the weather advisories back home, which don't necessarily dictate the progress of the day, weather warnings here mean you best make sure you're somewhere you don't mind staying for a while when the weather hits. As many tourists have said before us, we won't make that mistake again.