This is somewhere in between fiction and non-fiction, as it partly realy happened...
When she moved to Scotland, she could see some hills from her window. As a girl from a country as flat as a parking lot, she immediately assumed these were part of the Scottish Highlands.
One chilly morning, when she woke up and opened her curtains, she saw the peaks were white. She dressed and rushed down the stairs to tell her homesick, Icelandic homemate the good news. Some frost would remind him of his cold homeland, wouldn't it?
" There is snow in the mountains", she told him.
He gave her a puzzled look.
" What mountains?"
He had not even noticed the bumbs in the landscape before, but now he realized that not only did Scotland lack dark polar nights, it also lacked real Icelandic mountains... Oh, how he missed those mountains...
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Written by Janie (265 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
oh dear...it made him even more home-sick.  |
Written by Fledermaus (3238 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
Thanks Janie,
I guess it did. Strange isn't it, how people look differently at such things? For Dutch people any bump over 300m is a mountain, while appearantly for an Icelander it isn't even a hill. |
Written by Janie (265 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
same for people living in norfolk ..i'd hate to live in a flat place...give me rolling hills.
are you still in scotland? brrr |
Written by Fledermaus (3238 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
Hi again Janie
The girl is a friend of mine. So that's why I put this in short-stories rather than non-fiction. I knew of the conversation, and that the boy was homesick, but I think that in reality the two things were not related. |
Written by Fledermaus (3238 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
| ... err. So I'm not in Scotland. I've only been there twice to visit her. |
Written by Asferthecat (824 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
A sweet anecdote, I love the thought of her mountains just being bumps to him.
I thought Iceland was flat - one lives and learns |
Written by Fledermaus (3238 comments posted) 30th April 2007 |
Thanks Asferthecat.
For Dutch standards they were definately mountains. I have no idea how tall a mountain has to be to be noticed by an Icelander though.  |
Written by anorwegianwood (278 comments posted) 1st May 2007 |
This is cute, and I mean that in a good way. Funny, I've actually had a similar conversation, though not as extreme. A friend from Montana commented on the number of hills around campus. I'd never noticed them.
~Claire |
Written by Fledermaus (3238 comments posted) 2nd May 2007 |
Thanks Claire,
I thought Montana was mountainous too?
It's funny. The Scottish Lowlands are as hilly as southern Limburg, which is by far the most hilly region in the Netherlands. I've never been in Iceland, but some googling around tought me the following about the highest points of the three countries:
Iceland: Hvannadalshnúkur, 2,110m
Scotland: Ben Nevis, 1344m
Netherlands: Vaalserberg: 322m |
Written by anorwegianwood (278 comments posted) 3rd May 2007 |
| Montana is HUGE, they have everything. The Rockies run along the west, but the eastern half of the state is pretty flat. I've driven through that area of the country, the Dakotas and central USA, and it's a very strange feeling if you're used to the east coast. The roads run straight across flat plains, and there aren't a lot of cars in the more rural places. The speed limits are much higher than they are in the east. I'm used to bridges and tunnels and winding roads. |
HI Fledermaus
Written by jean.day (2257 comments posted) 4th May 2007 |
I'm glad I didn't comment on this until all these other people have, because I think it is such fun to see what other's say.
I have been to Iceland, and although there are very big mountains there, the parts that most tourists visit are not like that.
And in Norfolk, there are parts that are not entirely flat - and have lovely rolling hills.
And in Montana, the roads are straight and the land is flat for at least 500 miles, but when you get to the mountains, they are huge and seem to rise suddenly from the plains which make them seem even higher.
I noticed you didn't include Montana in your height of mountains googling. It would be interesting to know. |
Written by Fledermaus (3238 comments posted) 4th May 2007 |
Thanks Claire and Jean,
Claire: Wow. I realy must visit the states once... A friend of mine went there and only visited Colorado, Nevada and Utah, but his photographs looked as if he had been on a world-trip.
Jean: Sounds like an interesting place. Heheh. Found it: Granite Peak, 3,901m. That even beats Iceland  |
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