The past two weeks have been much slower than anticipated. Within a few days of our return from Iceland, my partner Mick tested positive for COVID. My own positive test happened three days later. The timing was awful – we were scheduled to do extra care for our granddaughter Maeve during that time. The other things we had to postpone – dates with friends, for example – were easier to shuffle into the future. Our first bout of COVID a few years ago caused us to cancel an entire trip to Maine and we lounged around our house for nearly two weeks, feeling pretty terrible the whole time. This time, we each had one day of feeling crappy with a fever, a few days of feeling tired, and not quite a week of testing positive. Such a different experience. We never would have thought this was COVID had we not tested.
Did we pick it up on our recent trip? Probably, but we don’t know. Our traveling companions did not get it. So, it’s a mystery. And a reminder that the season of catching things is upon us. Vaccines are still a good idea. Taking care to not pass a virus on to someone else is always the right thing to do.
Since we’ve returned to the U.S., I’ve recommended traveling to Iceland to everyone who asks how our trip was. Now that we’re unpacked and settled back into the familiarity of home, I’ve thought quite a lot about what made Iceland so appealing: the cleanliness, the quiet, the space to think, the starkness of a volcanic landscape, and the paring down of stuff so I can move around with ease. When I was younger, I always wanted to bring home a piece of wherever I was in the form of some kind of souvenir, but that no longer resonates. Accumulating more stuff is not why I travel. Collecting experiences is my goal now. Seeing how other people live, eating new food, walking unfamiliar streets for the first time, stumbling upon an amazing view, learning about the many ways to organize a country and a culture – that is why I travel.
Our Iceland trip was different from other trips over the past several years in that we slept in a different place every single night. Going around the Ring Road in the time we had required us to do it that way. This kind of travel reminds me of what my parents did on road trips when I was a kid – we were never in the same place for more than one night unless we were visiting someone, like my sister who lived in Colorado. I believe my dad would have loved driving the Ring Road and side routes; that was just his kind of thing. But being in a new place every day means there’s no time until you get home to really sink into what you’ve seen.
I tend to like staying put in a place for several days. Shaking up that tendency a bit – pushing myself to keep moving, keep looking, keep feeling awe over each discovery – made my time in Iceland shimmer.
And I am glad to be back home for now. Glad to consider not only what I absorbed from a place so different from Minnesota, but also what pieces of that place I can incorporate into how I live here.
I’ll start with the quiet.
cover photo by kcmickelson 2025
One Minnesota Crone 
I’ve been absent due to my partner’s death and the busy months following that, so I’m just beginning to look at posts again. How exciting that you did the Ring Road! We went a few years ago and gave it almost 3 weeks so we were able to stay in most places several nights. Two or three days into the trip I told myself I really wanted to return to this amazing country.
One thing I’ll add to your favorable impressions is the culture, which deeply impressed me. Getting to know people we stayed with a little and interacting daily with locals was as meaningful as the unforgettable scenery. It seems to me that the isolation the island enjoyed for so long created a culture that has been able to remain true to itself in many ways, even with the onslaught of tourism and the internet. I’m hoping that when I click back I’m going to find more posts from or about Iceland! Welcome home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you’re back to reading posts again, so a welcome back to you, too, is in order. Interacting with the people by staying in each place a bit longer sounds lovely. Another reason to return!
LikeLike
I hope everyone is feeling better. The photo is stunning!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
What a great post! The feelings you express are similar to mine: staying in a different place each day is, in itself, a type of trip. Found it to be an interesting modification to our usual travels.
Just got back from GA, a 4 day trip with a different place each night. I’m ready to stay put for a bit, too.
Glad you are feeling better, friend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank, Susan!
LikeLike
It seems it was a successful trip to Iceland. I will have to go and see the photos you posted. Glad to hear your bout with COVID was fairly mild but it does take it out of one. Husband and I had out shots last week.
Enjoy your quiet and continue to feel better!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’ll be posting more Iceland photos in the future, I think. I only took about 1800 of them!
LikeLike
Glad to hear your feeling better from Covid. I’m still relishing your last post and photos about Iceland. ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Rose!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sorry you both got COVID upon your return, but am thankful it was seemingly not too serious. And, yes, we need to continue to get vaccinated. I need to get my booster soon, like yesterday.
It sounds like you had a wonderful time in Iceland and brought home a whole lot to weave into your life, starting with “quiet.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Audrey. Yes, we did have a wonderful time and I can’t say enough about how important it is to get out of our own backyards. There is so much to see and learn beyond our borders.
LikeLike