Landing landscapes

One of my favorite parts about travelling by plane is the landing. I love being able to have an increasingly closer look at the landscape below- whether it's composed of fields, lakes, ships, roads or buildings- and watch it come closer and closer, and yeah, bigger and bigger.

That's why I always hope for daylight and no rain at landing whenever I'm on a flight heading back home. Daylight and dry weather seem like two rather simple things but nonetheless they both happen to be rather scarce during Icelandic winter days. This Christmas flight I was in luck though. The sky was clear and the ground was covered in beautiful snow, creating a mix of sea, black shore and white fields.

Then I landed, walked out of the airport and was welcomed, if welcomed is the right word, with the near chronic +10 m/sec wind of my hometown, something I had completely forgotten about in all the excitement of finally going home. 

I let the cold wind annoy me for a  few seconds until I realized that I had actually missed it. Not much, no, I'm not that crazy. But a bit. To me the wind is an unmistakable part of home. Coming home during the winter wouldn't be the same without hearing the wind howling outside your window at least once while falling asleep, grateful for a warm cozy bed.

I'm pretty sure I'd think differently if I had to deal with it all year round. At least I have no recollection of loving it when I went through near daily battles with the wind over the control of car doors and flying hats. Once I even had to fight the wind over flying money, and I remember very well that while I was running into my neighbors' yard trying to collect my money from their trees and bushes there was absolutely no love for the wind in my heart. 

But I guess that's one of the perks of living abroad and only visiting home a couple of times a year; I can say that I like the wind... and actually get away with it.

xx

E