Once upon a time, a Troll in Iceland
By a very nice day of July, Johnny and Janie left their Québec hometown for a great, great adventure. They couldn’t wait to get colder weather, as Johnny’s Inuk roots were making him complain a lot about the Québec’s down south very hot and humid weather. They both could not wait to camp and be in needs of blankets at night! Neither could they wait to enjoy the mix of hot sun and cool wind on their faces at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon shores.
After a flight that brought them to Reykjavik, they were impatient to go get that Camper van! Only thing is, Johnny and Janie are last minute people. They did not made plans. At all! So as they were driving, they ended up eating at a very pleasant restaurant in Reykjanesbær: Kaffi Duus. After they were done eating, they went for a walk and found footsteps from what appeared to be a giant… Janie took all her courage and followed the footsteps, even thought the boyfriend was not agreeing to this. See, where we come from, BigFoot is very scary…
As Janie was trying to reach the door knob, she heard a loud noise. The Giantess was, indeed, producing very strange noises coming from her body while sleeping. As she entered the cave, the noises stopped suddenly.
This is where all this story began.
You may not believe this, but Giganta is no just from the kids’ books. She is REAL. Ask Janie. She knows, she saw her. Giganta told her a secret. I am not going to share it, it’s a secret! Besides, I can tell you that after this very valuable secret Janie received, she gave them a mission. The couple had to go around the Ring Road and find her very specific meals to bring back to her after the loop finished. You see, as a Giant, she explained to them that she can not move as easily as small people. Janie and Johnny were also feeling ashamed about entering the cave just by curiosity and waking her up. So, as told earlier, when they left their hometown, they had no plans. But then they did. The Giant wanted a very, very specific meal:
- Lamb tenderloin in licorice sauce;-Smoked puffin with blueberry Brennivín sauce.
- Icelandic Arctic Char with bell pepper-salsa;-Lobster tails baked in garlic.
- Pan-fried blue ling with lobster sauce.
- Minke Whale with cranberry-malt sauce.
- Grilled Icelandic lamb with samfaina.
- White chocolate Skýr mousse with passion coulis.
As she named all the ingredients necessary to make her Icelandic Gourmet Feast, Johnny and Janie had their eyes wide open. They thought: ˵ Where are we going to find all this? What if we don’t? ˶ They certainly did not want to disappoint her. As they were talking to her, they found that she was very welcoming and open minded. Johnny and Janie certainly wanted to comfort her with all that food she was asking for.
So, they left, driving anti-clock wise around Iceland.
They saw the landscapes changing very suddenly as they were driving around. Not only the décor can change, but the weather is a fast changer too. They got surprised by how the rain, the fog and the wind can appear and disappear so quickly. They barely saw Dyrhólaey famous headland near the town of Vik, but luckily, found puffin birds! (It’s part of the menu quest from the Giant, remember?) That was a successful first day.
Read more: The Icelandic Pledge
The next day, going up along the coast, they found a sheep! These were very easy to find, as they were right in the middle of the road most of the time! Waking up in that Camper van was amazing, all the time. Janie’s face could tell a lot when she would wake up in the morning. She had, what is called, a camping face.
Sleeping in a Camper van allows you to dream a lot. Even tough you may feel you are already dreaming just being in Iceland, at night, the Camper van gives you only peace, good dreams and rest. And, as mentioned before, the weather is surprising. As Johnny and Janie were sleeping, one morning, they both were dreaming that they were on a boat. The wind was so strong that the Camper van was moving from one side to another, just like on the water. Johnny woke up first, saying: ‘I think I am going to catch a whale for the Giant ! ‘He was so involved into getting all the menu requested. That morning, they were confused and decided to go watch the whales anyways!
Once they got to see the whales more North of the Island, Janie and Johnny also got to see very amazing sunsets. Also, the very special Mývatn Nature Baths made them relax thought their quest. They found that it was amazing to be so close to nature in all its ways. Being in the Hot Springs is a way to realize how powerful the earth is. So much energy coming from the ground! Johnny and Janie never felt the Earth so alive under their feet and experienced the beauty of it.
They also had the chance to meet amazing people around the Island, and heard amazing stories told by farmers that are also sometimes camping owners. Restaurant owners are also sometimes camping owners. Janie and Johnny had a blast when they went in the small town of Skagaströnd. They met this lovely couple, owning the camping and the Bjarmanes Café. Lovely couple, lovely Café, lovely camping, lovely home-made food, lovely view. Lovely everything! What a heartbeat for that place! They wished they could spend more time in that town, but the clock was ticking to bring back the Giant her wishes. Plus, some of the ingredients were still missing.
All the West Coast had to be done to complete the tour. Johnny and Janie did not want to miss anything of their nice drive around.
The last days of having the Camper van were as awesome than the first ones. Janie and Johnny also found a free camping by the water, the Gata, in an area within a few kilometres of Strandarkirkja in the Southwest of Iceland. Camp site comes with angry birds. (they were Sterns and nesting 🙂 )
After all these extraordinary adventures and more than 1800 kilometers after, the couple had to give back the Camper van. They luckily found a very good restaurant that was offering exactly the menu asked by the Giant, Tapasbarinn, in Reykjavik. They asked for a take-out and just before they left for the airport, dropped the meal in the cave. They didn’t expect this, but Johnny and Janie became friends with the Giant and they are even planning to invite her in Canada next winter. Maybe she can hang out with the Northern Bigfoot…
The End!
Read more: The Ring Road Camper Van Tour
Happy Camping! #CamperStories
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