A Video is Worth 10,000 Words

Something got lost in translation between iMovie and YouTube. After multiple upload re-dos, this is what we get. Audio off in some places and a few photos out of order, but the general gist of things remains. 

Action!

A Few Notes about Iceland

I realised that I wanted to make a few points about the trip in the blogs about it, but the points just didn’t fit within the flow of the blog, so I’ll put them here.

First, Icelandic money (the Icelandic Kroner) is bizarre. At the time of the trip, there were 205 ISK in every 1 GBP, so we pretty much felt like millionaires after withdrawing 40,000 ISK from the cash machine at the airport. However, feeling like a millionaire and actually being one are two different things. Not being a millionaire meant lots of confusing calculations in the grocery store, and lots of conversations about whether 650 ISK was a fair price for five apples.

Second, the Iceland landscape is insane. I knew it was going to be diverse and impressive and beautiful, but I had no idea that it would change so dramatically so quickly. There were many times along the trip when we would simply drive over a bridge and the landscape would be entirely different. A trip across a short 1-way bridge was all that was needed to go from lush grasslands to barren volcanic rock fields stretching as far as the eye could see. Impressive, beautiful, but bizarre.

Third, the Icelandic ponies are my new favorite pony. They are fluffy and adorable, loving and friendly. I felt like a horse whisperer. On the way to the airport on Tuesday, we stopped to feed the horses the last of our apples and carrots. I was shocked that most of them didn’t eat the apples or carrots. A few did, but only after much sniffing and sampling. Strange. Regardless, they were adorable. I took about 25 film photos of them in one afternoon, but I haven’t developed that roll yet so results to come soon.

Fourth, and I know this is to be expected when travelling so far north but, it never got dark! I swear the sun only kissed the horizon around 4 am before rising up again for a new day. I blame the shock of this to my living relatively near the equator for my entire life. I knew it wasn’t going to get dark, but I didn’t understand really what that meant. I thought dusk and dawn would still exist, but they didn’t really. My whole internal clock was thrown by the almost constant presence of the sun. I was also shocked that the locals hadn’t equipped their homes with blackout curtains in order to sleep.

All in all, I had an amazing time in Iceland. I would definitely go back. The people were friendly and welcoming, the country was beautiful, and the weather, at least while we were there, was great. I’ve heard that the Blue Lagoon turns green in the summer due to algee, so I am glad that we missed that. I’d like to go back in the wintertime, though,  and see what the place feels like covered in ice and in complete darkness. More photos on the good ol' Facebook page. 35 mm shots coming soon.

Iceland Part 3

Monday morning we enjoyed more complimentary breakfast before checking out and continuing along the coast to see famous basalt column cliffs and sea stacks. It was a short drive from Vik up around a mountain then back to the coast to get to the basalt columns and sea stacks. More black sand beaches and floods of tourists. We took more pictures and did more silly beach things (like cartwheels and handstands) and then continued on. Further up the coast we drove up a mountain to the edge of a cliff to explore and take even more pictures. The sun drove the morning clouds away and we enjoyed some warm sunshine and ocean.

Back in the car and on the road again towards Gardur, a town near Keflavik. We drove along the coast, through some really bizarre landscape (the whole island, actually, is bizarre landscape followed by even more bizarre landscape) past the Blue Lagoon to Gardur. We checked into our guesthouse, by far the most impressive on of the trip, and then headed back to the Blue Lagoon for a relaxing afternoon in the spa. This natural hot spring spa is really beautiful and amazing, but before you can enjoy it, you have to cough up £35 and take another communal shower sans bathing suit. What’s with the Europeans and their apparent comfort with nudity? I felt like a prude American as I took the quickest shower ever.

Anyway, the hot spring creates a silica mud, which coats the floor of the spring. This mud does wonders for the skin, so you’re supposed to smear it all over your face and other problem areas of skin, let it dry for about 10 minutes, then wash it off. The water was really salty, which made floating really easy for everyone. You could get massages in the lagoon, or outside. There was a swim-up bar where you could buy beer, slushies, and ice cream. We stayed at the spa for about 3 hours until we were nice and pruney. We showered again and washed our hair, then hit the gift shop on the way out. I bought some of that silica mud mask for myself because it made my skin feel smooth and refreshed, not at all dry like normal cleansers do. We went back to the guesthouse and then found a local pizza place, ordered some pizza and took it back to the guesthouse to enjoy while we chilled out and watched some TV. It was a very relaxing end to our adventurous week.

The music video which inspired this entire vacation:

We actually saw everything that’s featured in this music video. Awesome! It was a perfect trip!

Iceland Part 2

Saturday we woke up semi-early, checked out of Kex, ate a quick breakfast in the car and headed out of town. This time we drove south east of Reykjavik along the southern Icelandic coast towards Hofn, a small town on the south-east coast of Iceland. It was about a 5 hour drive totoal, but we took made some pitstops along the way.

Again, rather by mistake, we stumbled upon Sejalandsfoss, another famous Icelandic waterfall. We pulled over, snapped pictures, explored the waterfall, climbed in and around it, and hiked up the mountain a bit to see the smaller, but still beautiful waterfalls which decorate the mountainside around Sejalandsfoss. We ate lunch and packed back into the car to continue on to Jokulsarlon (the glacier lagoon).

After another 2 hours of driving past the waterfall, and a brief nap for me, we arrived at the lagoon. The wind on this part of the island was more punishing than we had yet experienced. Thank goodness for windproof jackets. The icebergs floating in the lagoon were huge and the most brilliant shade of blue. I had seen pictures of these types of icebergs before, but didn’t really believe that they were actually that blue in real life. Again, more photo ops, a seal spotting (whom we named Sven), and a bathroom break, before we piled back into the car to warm up and continue on to Hofn. Jess napped for a part of the way from the lagoon to Hofn. We drove around a misty mountain to the coastal city of Hofn, about an hour outside of the lagoon. We checked into our guesthouse, where we were supprised to be given ‘the apartment’ all to ourselves. No more communal showering! We found a recommended restaurant near to the hostel, and enjoyed a yummy traditional Iceland dinner of lamb and lobster. Nomnom.

Sunday we slept in a bit, enjoyed complimentary breakfast and then checked out of the guesthouse. We doubled back the way we came, heading towards the Skaftafell National Park for some hiking. On the way, we stopped at the lagoon again, but this time explored the coastline and beach that connected to the lagoon. Ice had washed up on the black sand beaches, which made for some good photos. We did classic beach jumping pictures and then continued on.

Once we got to the Skaftafell National Park, we ate lunch in the car to boost our strength before the hike up the mountains to more waterfalls. Svartifoss, a particularly famous waterfall, lie up in the mountain, about a 40-minute hike up from the parking lot. We passed other waterfalls along the way before arriving at the rather picturesque and impressive Svartifoss. The basalt columns through which Svartifoss has carved its path make Svartifoss unique and recognisable. We took pictures and hiked past the warning rope further up the river towards the base of the waterfall. I’m really glad that we did, as we were able to see the most beautiful blue-green pool that Svartifoss emptied into. More photos and silliness, then we hiked back.

From Skaftafell National Park we drove to Vik, a tiny village just past the halfway point between Reykjavik and Hofn. We checked into our hotel (booked at last-minute due to a booking error not realised until a week before departure…oops) and dined at the local restaurant, which happened to be right next door to the hotel. Vik is famous for it’s beaches and cliff faces. We decided to explore that a bit before showering and hitting the hay. Along the way we had our first hands-on encounter with Icelandic horses. Super fuzzy, stalky, and friendly, these horses came right up to us and let us pet their noses and feed them grass from the other side of the fence. They followed us on our path to the beach for a little while, before being distracted by some delicious dandelions or something of that sort.

More black sand beaches on Vik beach. Rocky, moss-covered cliffs covered in nesting birds high above, and the waves crashing and spitting foam – this felt like a real beach. We played in the waves, took even more photos, and just enjoyed the peaceful scenery. We were the only people on the beach. It was nearly 10 when we went back to the hotel, but judging from the sun in the sky one would have likely thought it was closer to 6. Shower in the hotel and pass out on the beds.

Iceland Part 1

About a week and a half ago Patrick, Jessica, and I embarked on the greatest adventure I’ve had in years. We set out to Iceland on the evening of Thursday June 7^th. I would have written about it sooner but we’ve been without wifi at the new house for the past five days or so, so I haven’t been able to access the blog. Anyway, after the trip has started to fade in my mind a bit, I feel the only way to accurately recount the adventure is to break it up into three parts. Here follows part 1.

Our plane arrived at the massive (sarcasm) international airport in Keflavik Iceland on Thursday at 11:45 pm. Based on the light outside of the plane, I would have thought it was more like 7 pm. Anyway, we gathered our bags, found the rental car place and a cash machine, and headed out to Reykjavik. It was only about a 40 minute drive to Reykjavik from Keflavik, so that was nice. We were headed for the Kex Hostel, which comes highly recommended by both online reviews and the travel channel. We were setting the hostel bar pretty high right off the bat. After driving past it about 3 times, we finally found it. We checked in and hauled our bags up 3 flights of stairs to our dorm-room-esque accommodation. 4 bunk beds, 4 lockers, a desk and a window. What more does a sleepy traveller need? We effectively stumbled into the bathroom for a quick teeth brushing, then passed out.

Friday morning we woke up at 9 and headed out. We searched google maps for a grocery store, drove to a store called Bonus and loaded up with supplies. Bonus, it turned out, was like a dollar store with massive amounts of food. We loaded up on sandwich supplies and snacks and hit the road. Destination of day 1: the Golden Circle.

We drove for about an hour north east of Reykjavik towards geysers and waterfalls. We drove through a national park with a landscape not unlike an Arizonan desert. When we got to the geyser, quite by mistake rather than intent (silly Google maps), we hit up the gift shop and bathroom before heading to witness the explosions on the hilltop. Jess bought a fuzzy new fleece to keep warm (the wind was quite punishing, but otherwise the weather was perfect). We saw some smaller geysers before the real thing. It erupted (do geyser’s really erupt?) about every 6 or 7 minutes, and was really quite impressive. Once the wind shifted rather quickly just before an eruption and a group of tourists were then showered with hot water. We snapped pictures and videos and headed out towards the waterfall.

Gullfoss waterfall was just 40 minutes away from the geyser, sot it wasn’t long before we were out of the car and in nature again. This waterfall was massive, loud, and powerful. It threw mist high up in the air and carved a deep canyon out of the hillside. We again snapped lots of pictures, ooh-and-ahhed at the beauty of this island, and then pilled back into the car. We drove back to Kex and had some dinner at the restaurant/bar, which came highly recommended again by online reviews and travel shows. Our plan was then to go to the Blue Lagoon, but soon discovered that it wasn’t anywhere near Reykjavik, and we wouldn’t make it to it before closing. Instead, Jess an I explored Reykjavik shopping while Patrick enjoyed a pint (or more like a litre) and some football (soccer) at the hostel. After souvenir shopping, Jess and I expanded our comfort zones and participated in our first group shower session. Thank the gods it was just the two of us. We each took the showerheads in opposite corners, stared at the walls or closed our eyes and giggled the entire time. Not really as bad as I thought it would be, but it really did complete the hostel experience.

Jellybean Comes to London

One week ago I was reunited with my long lost BFF- Jellybean Jessica. After the crazy, hectic move to the new flat, I picked Jess up from the airport on Monday morning. We had a low-key day on Monday, just doing some shopping and visiting Putney and Roehampton. Jess made a delicious dinner - some sort of sun dried tomato pasta dish. Delicious. (Please send me this recipe, Jellybean!) Tuesday we went to the city and headed to the British Museum and the Tate Modern for some educational fun. The British Museum is always impressive with all of its ancient stuff. We also went to the Tate Modern and saw some ... modern stuff. It rained on our way to the Tate, and crossing the millennium bridge was especially challenging with what felt like tornado-force winds and rain coming from every direction. But hey, at least we got to walk across the Harry Potter bridge! Tuesday night was the monthly Gits and Shiggles comedy show at the Half Moon. It was particularly entertaining this time. I think Jess really liked a taste of British comedy and Putney night life.

Wednesday we explored the city, did the normal touristy stuff. Weather was good considering it was supposed to rain the entire day and only actually rained for about an hour. We almost glimpsed the queen outside of Buckingham Palace, but when the rain came suddenly we weren't interested in waiting around to see her anymore. We did some souvenir shopping and had sushi for dinner. Nomnom.

Thursday we went to the Tower of London. It rained pretty much the entire day so it dampened our spirits and washed away our desire to visit Borough Market. We did do some fun singing in the rain scenes, thought, which I am fairly sure delighted all of the locals that drove by. Thursday evening we packed up and headed to the airport for an Icelandic adventure!

Once again, I failed to take any pictures so here are some that I stole from Jessica's Facebook!

The Latest Home-Away-from-Home

Yesterday we moved into our new flat. We got up at the crack of dawn and headed to Putney to pick up the keys, then we took the bus to the new flat. Four new keys dangling from my keyring and they all serve a different purpose for a different door. Interesting. One of the keys is even an old-school skeleton key. Makes for very heavy, but-easy-to-find-in-the-depths-of-your-purse keys. Sweet. We reserved a "Zip Van" (moving vans owned by Zip Cars) and Patrick volunteered to brave driving on the wrong--eerr different-- side of the road.

It only took an hour and a half to load the van up with all of the stuff from our rooms. We packed it to it's maximum capacity, then drove back to the new flat, unloaded all of our stuff onto the pavement, and quickly returned the van within our 2-hour rental period. Just in time! It took us about another hour to haul all the stuff up to the new flat. It took at least 8 fully-loaded trips on the elevator. We are very thankful that there even is an elevator- we now live on the 5th floor.

I wish I had more time for a more detailed update, but Jessica Jellybean has finally arrived and we are just having too much fun to waste more time blogging. I snapped a few pictures of the process in the midst of the chaos. It's so good to be in the new home, though! Brownies in the oven to make a house smell like home :)