HLM -Chapter 1330 The Magical Land

Iceland is a truly magical country.

First of all, even the origin of its name is unusual. Given the name and the country’s proximity to the Arctic Ocean, many people assume that the climate here must be frigid all year round.

In reality, that’s not the case. One popular explanation is that it stems from the settlers’ clever scheme. When the first settlers established themselves on the island, they didn’t want others to come and share their “mouthful of food.” So they named it “Iceland,” hoping the name would disguise the island’s true climate and discourage newcomers.

The plane landed at Reykjavik International Airport at nine o’clock in the morning. While New Zealand was basking under the bright sun, here the wind howled cold, and darkness filled the sky.

Father Bo and Mother Bo didn’t know much about Iceland. Upon waking and looking outside, they asked curiously, “Weren’t we supposed to land at nine local time? Is this too early or too late? Is it not dawn yet, or is it already night?”

“It’s not dawn yet. It’s nine in the morning,” Eva explained.

Father Bo exclaimed, “Nine in the morning and it’s still dark?!”

Eva nodded. “Yes, Dad. At this time of year, there are only about five hours of daylight each day here.”

Wang Bo’s parents were stunned. “Then why did we even come? We might as well have stayed home! The days are way too short!”

Wang Bo chuckled. “Yes, the days are short, but Iceland’s climate and environment are wonderful.”

“Climate? There’s snow outside! You call that wonderful?” Father Bo said, clearly annoyed.

Mother Bo thought for a moment. “We’re inside the Arctic Circle, right? In normal places, days aren’t this short.”

Father Bo sighed. “Young people really like to complicate things. It’s spring in New Zealand, yet here we are in the middle of winter.”

Dale piped up, “No, Uncle. We’re here for Christmas! Christmas means cold and snow. One year, we even went to Santa Claus’ hometown—it was beautiful there.”

Father Bo said, “Well, since we’re here, whether it’s beautiful or not, we have to stay. Come on, dear, put another layer on our granddaughter and keep her warm in your arms. We can’t have the child freezing.”

The plane had landed, and they began gathering their belongings.

Wang Bo said to Eva, “Finally, Iceland. When I was in middle school studying geography, I often confused this place with Greenland.”

If you translate their names literally, Greenland would be “Green Island,” while Iceland is “Ice Island.” Yet, ironically, their climates are the opposite: Iceland is mild and green, whereas Greenland is icy and barren.

Among regions near the poles, Iceland’s climate and environment are among the best. This is thanks to its unique geographic conditions: it lies at the meeting point of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and at a high latitude.

Due to the influence of the North Atlantic Current and the prevailing westerlies, it enjoys a temperate maritime climate, which is a unique type for its latitude.

This vast island is heavily influenced by the North Atlantic Current, whose main branch flows past its southern coast and has branches circulating to the west and north. As a result, although it is near the Arctic Circle, winter temperatures aren’t extremely low, averaging around -2°C, which is milder than winters in New Zealand.

They were unlucky: when the plane landed, strong winds howled outside, mixed with some snowflakes—it was rather cold.

The pilot, who often visited Iceland, came over to help Wang Bo with the luggage. Smiling, he said, “If you don’t like Iceland’s weather right now, wait five minutes—it could get even worse.”

Wang Bo forced a smile. “My heavens… it can’t be that bad, can it?”

The pilot said regretfully, “Mayor, it’s not about your luck. Anyone who knows a little about Icelandic weather knows that it’s a complete mystery—you can only guess.”

At first, Wang Bo thought the pilot was exaggerating. But when they finished gathering their things and were about to leave, the moment the car drove out of the airport, the howling wind suddenly subsided, and no snowflakes fell.

Seeing this, Eva happily said, “Looks like Iceland really welcomes us.”

The driver was the administrator of the BACH, a sort of personal steward in charge of several BACHs. Knowing they were here for a vacation, he came specifically to pick them up.

Hearing Eva, he turned and smiled. “Yes, madam. This wind has been blowing for a whole day and night. It stopped just as you arrived—that’s a good sign.”

Wang Bo said, “Mr. Morrison, please watch the road carefully. Don’t accelerate while looking back!”

Morrison shrugged. “No need to worry. In the next hour, there will be no more than ten cars on this road. We can drive safely.”

Iceland covers 103,000 square kilometers but has only 300,000 people, making it one of Europe’s least densely populated countries.

The airport is only a five-minute drive from the capital, Reykjavik, according to Lonely Planet. It sounds like a joke, because airports are generally built away from urban areas to avoid disturbing residents. But Reykjavik International Airport really is this close, since the entire country has only one large city, and two-thirds of the population lives in the southwest near the capital.

Icelanders value freedom and quiet, so buildings are spread out, even reaching the airport. Still, the airport is about fifty kilometers from the city center.

Their destination was north of the capital—the location of the BACH. Reykjavik lies in western Iceland, facing the sea to the west and surrounded by mountains to the north and east.

Dale eagerly asked, “Uncle, is our house pretty?”

Morrison smiled. “Yes, my lady. It’s absolutely beautiful. You’ll have to see it for yourself; I can’t describe it in words.”

“If you’d come between June and the end of August, you would experience the Midnight Sun. There’s almost no night, and there are activities all day long.”

Wang Bo said, “Actually, New Zealand has this too. You know the South Island, right? It’s close to Antarctica. The southernmost tip also experiences the Midnight Sun and Polar Night, though for a shorter duration.”

Eva shook her head. “I’m not interested in the Midnight Sun or Polar Night.”

“Why not?” Morrison asked, puzzled.

Eva shrugged. “Darkness makes me sleepy, and light prevents me from sleeping well. So during the Midnight Sun, I can’t sleep all day, and during Polar Night, I just want to sleep all day.”

Wang Bo gave her a thumbs-up—this is truly the style of my sleepyhead wife.

Because it was dark, although Morrison had mentioned that the road was flat, he still drove carefully. “This is to avoid rabbits, slow birds, and reindeer that might dash onto the road.”