arriving in vik, iceland

adventure is arriving in a small town in the wind-swept desolate middle-of-nowhere in the dark.we arrived in vik (which is icelandic for cove), a town of around 300 people after driving east from reykjavik along highway 1. it shouldn’t take all day to make the drive, but it’s our first day in iceland, and after many stops along the way it is well & truly dark by the time we roll into the town. adventure is saying, well, we’re here.. and peering out the windows of the car into darkness. we have no place to stay and no map more detailed than a fold-out map of the entire island. we are six of us, american & canadian, and none of us have data on our phones. it’s so dark we can barely make out any buildings. the only thing lit is a white church, which must be on the side of a hill as it seems to float eerily above the horizon surrounded by blackness.we try to follow signs down dark empty roads. there are no cars, no people, no lights. after turning around a few times we find ourselves at what must be the ‘main strip’, basically a restaurant with an hotel and info center attached. we inquire inside and find rooms at the lundi hotel, which also goes by the name the puffin hostel. or maybe it’s the other way round, we are confused to this day.there’s a restaurant attached and the glowing light radiates warmth out the windows and lures us in. it’s full, we barely manage to get a table, and we are immediately surrounded by the conversations of other travelers, and soon by our own conversations and relief that we find ourselves here over pints of beer.adventure is arriving in the dark and going to sleep anticipating the first light, walking out and seeing the place where you are for the first time. the place you tried so hard to construct in your mind as you were lost in the night. and the imagined version always falls short. vik, iceland / october 2013