Iceland is not France¹Obviously.

I really am that person, you know, who believes every distance on dry land should be walkable. As I move through the years, my attitude on this has changed. I remember I thought the mile long walk from High School to Home was ridiculous. How could I possibly be expected to walk that far? I really wanted a car, but I wanted cool clothes more. Alas, the one car I was allowed to drive was shared between four siblings. As the youngest, I never got priority.

Perhaps it was in college when I finally became happy walking. I was a townie for my first stint as an undergrad. I really wanted to live in the dorm²I really don’t understand why, but when I was 18 I knew everything. Of course.. So walking was the option along with some buses. It was probably around that time that the rhythm of walking became so soothing to me. A walk helps me think. A walk helps me have a difficult conversation with my walking partner. A walk makes me happy.

So, when Husband and I decided not to rent a car on this vacation until we were ready to head out into the Icelandic countryside, we tried to determine the best way to get to the Sky Lagoon³In case you want a refresh on my thoughts on the lagoons of Iceland. The bus didn’t get very close, and buying bus tickets in Iceland isn’t as easy as it sounds⁴More on that another time.. GoogleMaps told me it was 5.6 kims. That seemed like a big scary number even though I walk that much most mornings when I am Work From Home. On the day of our reservation at the lagoon, it was very sunny and not windy, so we decided to give it a try.

It. Was. Walkable. And amazing.

Remember how when I was in France, it seemed like it should be walkable, but the path wasn’t there? The path is there in Reykjavik. The path is INCREDIBLE in Reykjavik. It wasn’t just that there was a sidewalk, there was a sidewalk with three lanes: two lanes for bikes and one for walking and/or running⁵Which is indicated by signs with outlines of adults walking with children. Sometimes a dad. Sometimes a mom. Sometimes also carrying the child.. The sidewalks are part of the design of the streets. Sometimes go over the cross street. Sometimes they go under the cross street. The asphalt is well maintained.

What really amazed me though is when we turned to walk towards the Sky Lagoon off the main path by the highway, it was STILL walkable⁶And welcoming to walkers.. Only one lane now, but large enough so you could be passed by a bicycle⁷Or more likely a scooter without feeling like you were going to fall off the road into the weeds⁸Or in this case flowers. Although, the daffodils were long gone by now.. And then, when we passed an area of construction, they MOVED the PATH with a detour so it was STILL walkable.

Of course, I am sure it was harder⁹And more expensive for the construction company to have to provide for the path to get from Point A to Point B when they would be blocking the to build new buildings. I don’t believe it was a design choice I was seeing. A design choice becomes obvious after the construction is complete. I think, what I was seeing, was a core value.

Having grown up in the US in the 70s and 80s, I was raised to believe a car meant success and wealth. Why walk when you can drive? I also was taught communism was bad even though there are roots of communism in all communities. To me, the way sidewalks are a priority in Iceland is a reflection of the importance of maintaining the community even while you reach to advance or create. This is not so much a design choice as a core value displayed for everyone to experience – a design constraint.

It is another hint on why I find Iceland so wonderful. 

Last night, our first of four in the countryside, we went on another long walk. It was sprinkling lightly which is my favorite kind of walking weather. And here in a town of about 200 people, there were still pathways¹⁰You can’t quite call them sidewalks. It was a path meant mainly for horses. Do horses pass on the right or the left?. It was walkable¹¹Although Husband did not appreciate the horse droppings on the path.. 

France is not Iceland. There are different core values to observe in the infrastructure there, and when I go back, I will look for them with different eyes. Perhaps, as I continue to travel, I will learn more about the impacts the choices a community makes for constraints and design space influence more than just the cost of construction.

It is good to be allowed to travel outside our small spheres again. It is good to go out into the world and learn how different ways can work, and sometimes bring a little bit of those communities back to our homes. For me, finding these small surprises happens best when it is walkable and when I am brave enough to take the walk.