八月下旬，我和 Steve、Felix 一起去冰島自駕遊。回來之後，我一直在思考如何寫一篇關於冰島的部落格——這段旅程是我人生中很特殊的一段經歷，也是我最長的一次旅行，如果我鉅細靡遺地記錄我們的行程和途中的每一次讚嘆與感動，恐怕寫成萬言書都不夠。我索性選了幾段令我印象深刻的主旋律，紀念這次難得的假期。
我對自然風光情有獨鍾，這次規劃冰島十二天的環島自駕遊，就是希望能飽覽冰島豐富多樣的地形和戶外美景。冰島的確沒有讓我們失望——怪石嶙峋的火山地貌、富含礦物質的天然溫泉、形態各異的山峰、高聳筆直的柱狀玄武岩、蒸氣瀰漫又充滿硫黃味的地熱區和間歇泉、氣勢磅礴的冰河、碧藍幽幽的冰山和冰洞……令我目不暇給，深深心折於大自然的美麗與力量。我在加州也見過不少名山大川，以及火山和冰河塑造的地貌，但這是我第一次在短短的兩週內一口氣見到這麼多令人屏息的美景。而且冰島人煙稀少，除了首都雷克雅未克和黃金圈，大部分的景點其實都沒什麼人，時常讓我有置身與世隔絕的仙境的錯覺。在這趟旅行之前，工作令我身心俱疲，我也飽受肩膀和手指的運動傷害所苦，但在冰島，這一切煩惱彷彿都不存在，我真正地切斷了與日常生活的聯繫——在冰島撼人心魄的美景之前，我一次都沒有想過職場上遇到的糟心事，也因為暫停了一週兩三次的攀岩，我也暫時忘卻了過去幾個月運動傷害帶給我的苦悶。在冰島的這兩個禮拜，大概是這一年來我的心靈感到最自由的一段時光了。
在冰島形形色色的自然美景中，十二天下來我印象最深刻的大概就是瀑布了。冰島有許多著名的瀑布，當我將他們安排進行程時，曾經擔心我們到最後會不會看瀑布看膩了，但後來事實證明我多慮了。冰島的瀑布各有各的瑰麗和特色，一整趟旅程下來，沒有兩道瀑布重複。比方說，我原本以為壯觀的眾神瀑布是不可侵犯的聖地，沒想到它其實是冰島改信基督教之後，把之前信奉的北歐舊神扔進瀑布沖掉的地方。
同樣源於菲約德勒姆冰河的黛提瀑布、塞爾福斯瀑布和哈菲列斯瀑布也各具特色。黛提瀑布是歐洲除了萊茵瀑布之外最雄偉的瀑布，有著千軍萬馬奔騰般的氣勢；塞爾福斯瀑布層次豐富，是由許多從柱狀玄武岩壁傾瀉而下的瀑布組成，讓我聯想到了《魔戒》中的瑞文戴爾；我們從上方俯瞰哈菲列斯瀑布時，能清楚地看見玄武岩壁間蜿蜒的河流，和從河階奔騰而下的瀑布。
位於冰島南岸的斯科加瀑布有「彩虹瀑布」的美名，雷鳴般的激流濺起豐沛的水氣，在燦爛陽光下築起一彎彩虹。我們沿著斯科加河逆流而上，短短三公里之內一口氣見到了八九道風采各異的瀑布，其中至少一半也懸著美麗的彩虹迎接我們，在蒼翠的森林和雄偉的巨岩的環繞下，彷彿是一道道通往神秘仙境的橋樑。在我們開車環島的路上，山壁間無名的瀑布更是數不勝數，也難怪冰島有許多關於精靈的傳說——如果我是精靈，我大概也會希望住在充滿瀑布和彩虹的地方。
決定一段旅程體驗好壞的關鍵因素，除了沿途的風景之外，還有同行的夥伴。這次的冰島之行，是我們在新冠疫情之前就有的想法。彼時我們一群朋友各自搬離灣區，約定要在世界各地延續我們共同的冒險旅程。冰島不但擁有我們共同熱愛的自然風光，也算是加州、紐約、荷蘭、澳洲（和後來的愛爾蘭）的「中間點」，所以冰島成了我們第一個重聚的目標，可惜後來的新冠疫情打亂了我們所有的計畫。現在 Matt 和 Jana 有了小孩，Callisto 從澳洲搬到了愛爾蘭、有了新工作，最後只有我、Steve 和 Felix 去了冰島，但是一路上依然歡聲笑語不斷，我們帶著對其他人的思念，在串串笑聲中建立起新的回憶。我們輪流開著車、一起住背包客棧、一起在簡陋的廚房裡泡泡麵、一起腦洞大開地發明新的梗，就像我們在研究所時一起露營、一起旅行一樣——過去幾年，我們每個人的生活好似都發生了天翻地覆的變化，但我們一起旅行時，卻好似什麼都沒有改變。
我喜歡旅行，因為旅行總是能開拓我的視野，能和摯友一起旅行、見識世界的奇妙和廣闊更是人生一大樂事。有朋友看了我在冰島的照片，說我看起來像個發光的小太陽，笑得無比燦爛、渾身上下都散發著喜悅的光芒——的確，一路上我都是發自心底的開心。新冠期間的旅行禁令對我造成了不小的影響——不能回家、不能拜訪朋友、出門也有諸多限制。以前我總把旅行當做理所當然，新冠疫情之後，我學會更加珍惜每一段旅程，以及與我同行的人。這次的冰島之行圓滿順利，也期待未來更多精彩的旅程。
In August, I went on a road trip around Iceland with Steve and Felix. After the trip, I have been pondering how to write a blog about Iceland. This trip is a very unique experience and one of the longest travels in my life. It would have taken more than ten thousand words to write down everything we did. Therefore, I picked a few themes that I enjoyed the most to commemorate this special vacation.
I love the outdoors. My main goal for this 12-day road trip around Iceland was to enjoy the diverse terrains and outdoor beauty, and Iceland did not let us down. We saw rocky volcanic landscapes, natural hot springs rich in minerals, mountains with all kinds of shapes, towering columnar basalt, steamy geothermal areas and geysers that smelled like sulfur, majestic glaciers, blue icebergs, mysterious ice caves, and so much more — I was dazzled by Mother Nature’s beauty and power. I have seen a lot of grand mountains, rivers, and landscapes shaped by volcanos and glaciers in California, but this was the first time I saw so many breathtaking scenes in just two weeks. Furthermore, Iceland is sparsely populated. Outside of Reykjavik and the Golden Circle, we did not see many people, which often made me feel like I was in some isolated fairyland. Before this trip, I was both physically and mentally exhausted from work. I was also really upset about my shoulder and finger injuries. Amazingly enough, all these issues ceased to exist when I was in Iceland, and I was truly unplugged. In front of the spectacular sceneries in Iceland, I never once thought about any of the nonsense at work. Further, since I took a short break from climbing, I temporarily left behind the pain and struggle caused by my injuries. My two weeks in Iceland are probably the most free I felt this year.
Out of all the natural beauty in Iceland, I am the most impressed with the waterfalls. There are a lot of famous waterfalls in Iceland. When I slotted these waterfalls into our itinerary, I worried that we might be tired of waterfalls by the end of our trip. It turned out that I worried too much. Each of the waterfalls in Iceland has its own unique characteristics, and we did not see any two similar waterfalls during our entire trip. For example, I originally thought the majestic Goðafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) was a sacred place. It turns out to be the waterfall where the Icelandic people threw their Norse gods away and flushed them down the river after Iceland converted to Christianity.
Dettifoss, Selfoss, and Hafragilsfoss are all along Jökulsá á Fjöllum, and they are all beautiful in their own ways. Dettifoss is the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls, and the water flew like a galloping army. Selfoss is rich in layers. It is composed of many waterfalls cascading down from columnar basalt walls, and it made me think of Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings. When we looked at Hafragilsfoss from above, we could see the winding river among the columnar basalt, and the waterfall coming down from the river steps.
Skogafoss is located on the south coast of Iceland. When we visited, the roaring waterfall splashed abundant water vapor and cast a beautiful rainbow in the sun. As we hiked up the Skoga River, we saw eight or nine different waterfalls within 2 miles, half of which welcomed us with vibrant rainbows. Surrounded by lush forests and giant boulders, these rainbows were like bridges to some mysterious fairyland. As we drove around Iceland, we saw numerous nameless waterfalls coming down from the mountain walls. No wonder there are so many legends about elves in Iceland — if I were an elf, I would also want to live in a place filled with waterfalls and rainbows.
Other than the scenery along the way, the people I travel with are a determining factor of my experience. We have been thinking about going to Iceland before COVID. Back then all my best friends were moving away from the Bay, and we made a promise to continue our adventures together around the world. Iceland became our first choice for a reunion not only because it has incredible outdoors that we all love, but it is a “middle point” between California, New York, the Netherlands, and Australia (then Ireland). Unfortunately, COVID disrupted our plans. Now Matt and Jana have a baby, Callisto moved from Australia to Ireland and has a new job, so by the end, only Steve, Felix, and I made it to Iceland. We still had an amazing time. We brought our thoughts for them with us and built new memories together along the way. We took turns driving, stayed in hostels together, made instant noodles together in the hostel kitchens, and came up with new jokes together, just like how we used to travel and camp together in grad school. In the past few years, all of our lives have changed drastically, but when we traveled together, it felt as if nothing had changed.
I love to travel because traveling always broadens my horizons. Traveling with my best friends and seeing the wonders of the world together is one of the greatest joys in life. A friend saw my photos from Iceland and told me I looked like a beaming little sun, with a bright smile and glowing joy all the time — indeed, I was happy from the bottom of my heart during the entire trip. The travel bans during COVID took a big toll on me — I couldn’t go home, couldn’t visit friends, and there were so many restrictions whenever I tried to go somewhere. I used to take travel for granted, but after COVID I have learned to cherish every journey and those who travel alongside me more. Our trip to Iceland was absolutely incredible, and I look forward to more exciting trips with my friends in the future.
