Saturday 10 July 1999
Unlike most of my other vacations, the preparation for this Iceland Tour has been the most relaxed and careless. In “Århus” the sun has given us 27 degrees Celsius the last few days, which everyone has enjoyed on the beach as well at the cafes in the city center. With my usual timing, I of course have got the flu and the last few days have been accompanied with my coughing. Therefore, the warm sun, the hours at the beach and the following night in the city, seams like the perfect treatment for me. After some exacting exams in June and a week in bed, I really need to hang out a bit.
Saturday morning turns out to be a real chock, when the beauty (her name is Ane) and the beast (myself) wake up arm in arm. A quick look at the alarm clock gets me on my feet in a hurry. It’s 1:30 p.m. and the travelers should meet at Børge (the team-leader) at 2 p.m. and drive to the ferry starts at 3 p.m. Help! I haven’t packed anything. On my way to the shower, I phone Børge, while I double check on my wrist watch - yeah, it’s 1:30 p.m. Ane, who I met the evening before, don’t understand a thing. Usually she never sleeps so long, but her watch also shows 1:30 p.m. Maybe that guy Claus’ company isn’t so bad after all.
Børge is still asleep when I call him. I’m stunned - don’t he realize that we’ll met him in half an hour? Børge, who easily see through the comic of the situation, after my laborious explanation, relieves my anxiety. “Claus, it’s only 7:30 a.m.”, but I don’t get it the first time, and continues to suggest new plans. Børge explains to me, why all other people are asleep at this time. Slowly, as I turn my watch 180 degrees it occurs to me, that I might be in good time. Half a day actually, which is quite an extraordinary gift on a sunny day with a beautiful girl beside me.
After a stunning I shows up at Børge’s place. Here, I say hello to the other travellers, Martin and Per. Unfortunately Per cannot join us, as he has to work all week, but he’ll still insists on driving us to the ferry port at “Hanstholm”, which is quite a job, as he will be driving all the afternoon in 29° C. Before the departure we have a challenge to face. Børge has been buying supplies enough to four days trekking in the wild. Of course none of us has room for extra food in our backpacks, so Børge inspects our luggage with a critical view. The cost is a T-shirt here and a pair of shoes there. All of us are worried. Apparently we will have to walk 14 days in the same dress. We’ll really have to be pals on this trip.
The ferry “Norröna” from 1973 is a bit worn and the cabins have, if not anything else, at least atmosphere. We share our cabin with two Germans who included 2 six-packs in their daily victual, and as they aren’t the most well groomed persons we have met, our nostril are the first to be closed the first night.
Before we go to sleep we study the other travelers as we receive a substantial amount of food, when buying tonight’s supper. Nobody goes hungry in bed! Most of the other voyagers are from Germany, the Netherlands and France. A lot of them bring their 4x4 cruiser, a motorcycle or bikes. The spirit is clear. Freedom, adventure and exploration describe the expectations around here.
Later that evening we join the Viking Club, a small dance hall with really cheap prices on liquor - we’re not in Denmark anymore, that’s for sure. It’s a very free-and-easy mood between the travelers, all looking forward to the days ahead and all enjoying the lousy band and nice blue ocean. During the evening we have had company from a Faeroe family who is on their way home from a trip around the world. Their last words before we turned to bed were: “Don’t expect type of weather you have in Denmark, when you arrive to the Faeroe Islands”. They were right about that!