8am and so much for sleep. We had to pick up our rental car from SIXT at 10 am. I remember being so excited about that a few months ago…to cover the whole of Iceland’s Ring Road in just a week. Now I felt like an idiot for committing to pick the car up so early in the morning.
After a huge breakfast we made our way to the Hilton Hotel, where the SIXT office was. Again, we were met with a great smile and “There’s a small problem”.
We had asked for a Citroen C4. The people who had previously rented it were kind enough to hit it, so it was not rentable at this time. They offered another C4 with an automatic gearbox. We looked puzzled at each other: none of us had ever driven an automatic before.
“It’s easier actually”, she said. I don’t know whether it was the fact that she did not sound convinced or the fact that we were going to drive on some steep gravel roads that kept us skeptical.
In the end, we settled for a Ford Focus with a manual gearbox. Give us a manual anyday!
It was at this time that I realized I had discovered one of the traits of Icelanders, a trait I would come across over and over again. Problems don’t affect Icelanders. They just do their best to find a solution and move on. Problems are going to crop up from time to time anyway, so why take them to heart? Just solve it with a smile on your face and move on.
I did not know what to make of it at first: it was annoying, because nothing seemed to happen according to plan. It was also very refreshing to see people solving problems instead of complaining, which is what most Europeans do 
We decided to visit the local Zoo. It looked more like a small farm that a full-featured zoo, with only local animals “on display”. This made me feel like having taken a trip to the countryside, it was a much more personal and quiet experience, rather than entertaining.
Photo by VisitIceland
We walked around the small streets, saw Hallgrims Kirkja, entered some shops, the usual cheesy tourist agenda that everybody abides to in order to get into the city spirit. All in all, interesting and relaxing immersion into the Icelandic experience.
Photo by Oli Haukur
Next day, we were going to escape the city limits and go for the Golden Circle, as they call it: Thingvellir (the rift), Geysir (the geyser), Gullfoss (the two-step waterfall).
One Comment
Cand aveti nevoie de o masina de inchiriat de la oricare din cele doua aeroporturi (Baneasa sau Otopeni) apelati cu incredere la Rentacarfirst ce va pune la dispozitie cele mai bune oferte pentru inchirieri auto baneasa. Rentacarfirst are cel mai diversificat portofoliu de masini cu reviziile la zi si va asteapta sa va bucurati de experienta inchirierii unei masini.