Iceland Day 6: Perlan & Departure

I did my best to convince Britney and my parents that we should start the morning with a ‘polar bear plunge’ in the ocean but was unsuccessful in convincing anyone (including myself) to participate. We slept in and had a relaxing morning before leaving the Airbnb at around 12PM.

We headed to the Perlan, where we’d had dinner a few nights prior and which also served as the city’s science center¹. We watched an aurora show in the planetarium, trekked through an artificial glacial ice cave², walked around the city observation deck and perused various exhibits that showcased information on Icelandic geology and local flora and fauna. I fiercely negotiated with dad to let us stay as late as possible (our flight was at 5PM).

After seeing the exhibits we raced back to the city center so that I could get one of the famous Icelandic hot dogs from Baejarins Beztu Pylsur³. Dad was tense while driving – he likes to get to the airport several hours before his flight. Once I had a full belly I was able to stop teasing him about his “obsession with the airport lounge” and we eventually stopped trying to press each other’s buttons.

It was light outside. I enjoyed gazing at the volcanic wasteland by the airport (something we couldn’t see in the darkness of our arrival flight). As our departure approached a vaporous haze slowly filled the air. The volcanic scenes faded into a misty canvased backdrop on which I played out memories from the week. When the airplane took-off it was too foggy to catch a final glimpse of the city, or to give a farewell – I guess we will have to come back.