Before traveling to a foreign country, I enjoy doing research on the places I will be visiting, the photographic highlights, and the local food. Most importantly, I learn about the people, their culture, and customs.

Two of my passions are travel and competitive swimming with U.S. Masters Swimming, and if I can combine them, all the better. Three years ago, I had the opportunity to do just that on our small-group tour of Iceland. In the tour company’s travel itinerary, visiting the local public swimming pool in each town was one of the suggested activities during our free time in the late afternoon.

“There are public swimming pools in Iceland!” I told my husband. He knew at that moment where I would be headed each free afternoon. I learned there were 121 public swimming pools in a country roughly the size of Kentucky with less than 10% of Kentucky’s population. Even the smallest towns have a public pool with spas, which serves as the daily meeting place for the community, especially in the geothermal-heated spas where spirited conversations commonly take place. Pools are a vital part of the typical Icelandic small-town community, and children are required to learn how to swim in early childhood. Looking for the town mayor? Head to the local pool at the end of the workday, and the mayor will probably be there talking politics in the spa.

Packing the caps

When I travel, it’s the people I meet more than the places I see that leave lasting memories, so I was determined to meet other swimmers who shared my passion. I packed my U.S. Masters Swimming cap with the hope it would be a conversation starter. Then I remembered my stack of unused caps collected over the years at Masters swim meets and events. Perfect. I tossed them in the suitcase.

I got in four late-afternoon swim workouts in three Icelandic towns during our two-week tour. I approached every swimmer I saw wearing a swim cap, greeted them in Icelandic, and asked if they would like to have a free cap from the U.S.A. Fortunately, they all spoke English, because Icelandic is a difficult language to learn and speak. A few were skeptical, but once they understood there wasn’t a catch, they were glad to receive the gift. Many took their own caps off so they could wear the one I gave them. I had some fun conversations.

The swimmer in Akureyri

As it turned out, one of the swimmers I met in Akureyri, Gudrun, served on the board of the Icelandic Swimming Association, the very organization I had contacted to inquire about Iceland’s Masters Swimming program.

Swimming in Iceland and giving away my 21 caps made the trip so much more memorable. I have my photos to remind me of the beauty of Iceland, but it was the people I met along the way who have stayed in my heart.

Elaine Krugman is a U.S. Masters swimmer who writes about her three passions, travel, swimming, and chocolate, at ElainesTravels.com.