Last Night

I'll be home in less than 24 hours (knock on wood). I have the oddest feeling of being homesick for Toronto, and a sadness that I am leaving Iceland--a place that felt so much like home. I came for the geography and the animals, and I grew to love the people. They are what truly makes Iceland a beautiful place. As a whole, Icelanders are very straight-forward, sincere, kind, friendly, open-minded, non-judgemental and positive (while having a lovely black humour about the negative aspects of life). I hope to come back and explore the Northern parts of Iceland in the summer, when it is more accesible, and things are less icy.

Yesterday I went to the National Gallery; if you like 60's modern art (using ample amounts of dirty 40 year old laundry), then it's your thing! However, there were several amazing metal sculptures by Jon Gunna Arnason, who did the sculpture of Solfas, The Sun Voyager (of which I've taken a whole new series of photos of).

I also visited the National Museum--not bad, but again: heavy emphasis on the influence of Christianity in Iceland. (And somewhat biased in my opinion). Neither institution allowed photos.

Today I tried to go shopping for souveniers. Sorry, I couldn't seem to part with another 4500 kronurs+ for a t-shirt, or 2500+ for a mug. (That's $46+cdn, and 26+ cdn). Things can still be shockingly expensive here...

Although, I did get to experience Icelandic Halloween. Kids seem to get out of school early to dress up in costumes (under their parkas), and sing Euro-pop songs to shop-keepers who give them candy. It was cute, but sorry--I didn't have my camera.

I had a nap (still not used to the time difference, and I haven't slept too well), then I went to the harbourfront to take pictures of The Sun Voyager. I really like the sculpture; it reminds me of the Viking Longboat it represents, but I also see a Geiger-esque bug creature too. I have a new set of pictures of it on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/sets/72157614364942997/

Then, I grabbed a quick bite at a very expensive Icelandic Fast Food joint, and rushed to the Tour Office to see if they were having a Nothern Lights Tour; they were! Again, they wouldn't let me pay for the tour. (Incredible service-- http://www.icelandexcursions.is/ )

We set off around 8pm, and arrived at our first and only location around 10pm. The sky was so clear, I couldn't see the constellations through the stars. It was bitter cold (a cold front from the north arrived last night, clearing away weeks of cloudy and rainy weather from the southern Gulf Stream). I was glad to have the clear skies, even if it meant a cold north wind. After about an hour, the Guide told us;"Hurry! The lights are starting!" Hurray! Success after 4 tries!!! The Aurora Borealis started out dim and soft, with no discernable colour. It was a convex curve, starting just off true north, curving over due west. Lights slowly shot up, off the horizontal curve of light. Some claimed to see a faint green light, but I couldn't see any colour. The curve of light would undulate, convering the bright stars, then break apart into several smaller curves, only to join in one long line again. After about 45 minutes the Northern Lights got quite bright, but still no noticeable colours. Then, after about an hour, they faded again, but not before I thought I could see some pink colouring. We were all happy to see the lights (as this was the first sighting in over 3 weeks), and I'm sure some got great photos, but unfortunately, my camera could not capture any images of the light show.

I was very happy to see the Northern Lights on my last night here. I met some amazing people, both Icelanders and travellers. I had many amazing and beautiful experiences. I took a lot of great photos, and hopefully, I will carry the memories in my heart, mind and soul.

Everybody Snyrts

Touring Reykjavik

Only a few days left, and I've done everything except diving in Silfra, at the Þingvellir National Park, which is actually a crack in the face of the earth between the Eurasian and American tectonic plates. (Which ain't gonna happen!). So, I decide to see the cultural and historical sights of Iceland. As Reykjavik is the capital, they have everything I would want to see, (except the Iceland Phallogical Museum! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Phallological_Museum ) Oh well--if I have another opportunity to go to Iceland, I will go to the Northern part (where the museum is).

I decided to go to Perlan ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlan ), Hallgrímskirkja ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja ) and Jón Gunnar Árnason's Sólfar (Sunship or The Sun Voyager) sculpture.

Perlan, or The Pearl, is a restaurant and cafeteria set on top of hot water storage tanks, on top of a hill over looking Reykjavik. One of the tanks has been emptied out to house a Museum that shows the Icelandic sagas through silicon figures (which really stink, by the way--I still can't get the smell out of my nose). The figures are very lifelike, and a few are move ever-so-slightly. (At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, as one of the figures appeared to be breathing). The Icelandic Sagas are far too detailed, intense, lengthy and important for me to attempt to share them here, but long-story short, Icelanders have a rich history of survival, strength, determination, pagan beliefs and practices, poetry, art, politics, adventure and world discoveries. In addition to the spectacularly lifelike figures and action scenes, the tour was descibed by very concise and interesting plaques at each of the 17 stations, and a neat digital recording (I wore on a string around my neck and listened to with headphones) explaining the exhibits. It was pretty cool.

It smart of me (coincidentally ) ; ) to see Hallgrímskirkja (the church of Hallgrímur, constructed between 1945 -1986) immediately after the Saga Museum. It was a gorgeous Lutheran church (who's organ I would love to hear) that had several displays illustrating the introduction of Christianity to Iceland. Basically, the Church's view of history and the Sagas point of view tend to be from very divergent perceptions, each showing their own story in a better light. They also contradicted each other's history somewhat, but between the two I found a balance which was quite interesting.

Scientifically, it has (recently) been proven that about 80% of Iceland's male population is Nordic, and about 80% of the female population is Celtic. This furthers the theory that much of Iceland was propogated by female slaves brought over from the Celtic regions, starting in the 900's. These studies shed a new light on the Icelandic Christianity vs. Paganism historical discussion.

After the church, I walked down to the waterfront of Reykjavik, and tried my hand at some artistic photos of the Sun Voyager. I think they turned out great, and I am hoping to have some time during tomorrow's sunset to take some more.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/

Back to Vik

On Sunday, I took advantage of a free (150 EUR) tour to go back to the black sand beaches of Vik, the glacier, and the falls.

I went back to my favourite beach, about 5 km west of Vik, and one of the village dogs came to greet me on the beach. She was incredibly friendly this time, and we played for only 15 minutes before I had to go. We chased each other, and I rubbed her belly. We didn't speak the same language, but she was the most perfectly trained dog I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I gave her commands through gesture and she instantly obeyed, not moving an inch until I made another motion, and praised and pet her profusely for her effort. Playing with her made time stand still. It was a one of a kind, special memory I will always have with me...

I also experienced the rarest occurence in Iceland- a crime! We were parked at a beautiful falls, and I decided to stay in the tour van this time. (I don't know why!) A vehicle pulled up a few meters away from the van, and a man, two women, and a toddler got out. Then the man opened the back hatch, and two sharpei dogs jumped out. Naturally, I was enthralled with the vision of two rare Japanese dogs playing under waterfalls in Iceland, but I noticed the man struggling with something under the dog's beds in the back of the vehicle. He finally pulled out a bolt cutter, which I didn't find too odd, until he put them down his pants. So I continue looking, and the man's travelling companions were making a big show of corralling the two dogs, while he walked over to the bathrooms, and used the bolt cutter on something. I couldn't see what he was doing, and I was too stunned to take a picture. When the guy finished what he was doing, he went back to the truck, and hid the bolt cutters under the floorboard under the dog's beds. When he rejoined his family, I walked over to the bathroom, and discovered he had cut the padlock on the donation box for the public washrooms. I assume he was planning on coming back after his visit to the falls, to collect the money in the de-locked box. I point out the goings-on to the driver and the tour guide, and they decide to ask the guy if he cut the lock. I don't know if this is the Icelandic way, but of course the guy said he didn't do it. Eventually, the tour guys call in the occurence to their head office, who told them to call the police. Interesting end to a tour day!

A the end of the tour, I ask the driver to drop me off at a restaurant the tour guide recommended. I have not experienced traditional Icelandic food, so I was eager to go. It was a buffet, (or do they call it a smorgasboard here?) of mostly fish. I tried most of it, and it wasn't too bad, but it didn't agree with my stomach, unfortunately. Also, it was more than 3 times the price the tour guide said it was. Oh well, at least I experienced real Icelandic food!

After dinner, around 8 pm, the tour bus picked me up to go see the northern lights. The tour goes north of Reykjavik, in order to avoid the interference caused by the glow of city lights. Well, this was my third try, so I was quite excited: "3rd time's the charm", and the forecast was for mostly clear skies. The tour bus went up the North-West coast of Iceland, and we got to go through the Hvalfjörður Tunnel, which is 5770 m long, and goes 165 m below sea level. It only took about 5 minutes to travel under it, as opposed to 1.5 hours it would take if we drove around the fjord. We arrived at our first destination/attempt at about 9:45 pm. There was a small, mostly clear patch of sky above us, but the tour guide thought we could do better. We drove further north, then inland a bit, to a rural community centre parking lot, where there were no lights, and a lovely large patch of clear sky. The stars were closer, brighter, and more profuse than I have ever seen. (Unfortunately no picture; my wee camera couldn't get a picture of the starry sky.) We waited in below freezing temperatures, all necks bent at an unnatural angle looking up at the Northern sky. At about 11pm, people started coming out of the community centre. A play had ended, and they were serving home-made waffles, fresh of the grill. The tour guide explained our presence to the people at the community centre, and they kindly agreed to feed the tour waffles, coffee and tea (for a small donation). After our surprise snack, the tour guide decided to try another location, as ours was clouding up. A thin veil of Northern Lights could possibly be seen, but as we were staring into the sky for so long, it could have been our eyes playing tricks on us. We tried one last location, and the sky was not cooperating. So, we headed back to Reykjavik, while our tour guide told us many stories, about his experiences as a guide, both in the southern part of Iceland, and the rugged Icelandic North. What I most remember is his tale about last February, when a man proposed to his girlfriend under the brightest showing of northern lights that was ever seen in Iceland.

Oh well! Maybe the weather will cooperate so I can have another chance of seeing the northern lights. (Although I heard they can be seen in northern Ontario, too...)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/

Caving and The Blue Lagoon

Caving was not as fun as the brochures made it out to be...It wasn't a magical Fraggle Rock land. It was dark, tiny, rocky, wet, unstable, difficult, scary, and painful at times. We had to crawl 50% of the time, crouch 25%, and be careful not to hit our heads 95% of the time. The ground was very rocky, with mostly broken shards of stone, and sharp and pointy bits of lava rock. There was a lot of mud, as Iceland has been warming up (due yet again to global warming). The ceiling was dripping with ground water, and there were many large icicle stalagtites that we were discouraged from disturbing. The tube was "traversable" (in the lightest meaning of the word) for about 1000 meters in. It shot off in a few directions, and we did a bit of wandering. We came saw a 1000 year old sheep skeleton; the poor thing wandered in, got lost in the total darkness, and died. The environmental conditions in the lava cave prevented the bones from decomposing. Lava caves are actually lava tubes that are formed during a run of very hot lava, cooling to just hot lava on top, and the very hot lava continues to run through, until the eruption stops, and the hardened, hot outer layer cools to form a tube of lava. Over the years, the lava tubes become caves, depending on the ongoing geological activity (i.e., earthquakes, or other lava eruptions.) The other 2 lava caves in the area are too unstable to go down into. I know this is an exageration, but it felt like we were climbing down to hell for over an hour. I'm glad I went, but it is not something I will be doing again!

The Blue Lagoon was very exotic. A nearby power plant harnesses geothermic heat to transfer it into power. The leftover hot water that is used in this process is filtered over to the Blue Lagoon, where it is enjoyed as a luxury spa. The water is very salty and a milky blue colour. The bottom of the pool was very gritty and uneven. I picked up some of the grit with my feet to look at it, and it was black sand, presumably from crushed lava. The ground was very uneven lava rocks. My feet are very smooth and exfoliated now! There was a storm, so luxuriating in the hot, salty was very exciting and relaxing at the same time. My hair became frozen strands, whipping around my face if I was facing the wind in the wrong direction. The steam above the waters turned into tiny ice pellets that whipped my face if I was turned into the wind. The mists from the ultra-hot waters mixed with the wild weather to create a very heavenly aura. I enjoyed it immensely, especially when floating on my back, watching the storm rage above me, while gliding through the mists and the boyant, geothermically heated waters. It was like being in a natural sensory deprivation take; I could hear my breathing, and feel the dichotomy of the hot water and the cold wind, but all I could see was the gorgeous winter sky.

On my way back to the hotel I felt like some sushi, so I went to a small place I saw in the heart of downtown Reykjavik. It was good, but they didn't seem to utilize the local fish as much as I had hoped. As I was leaving, I overheard the waitress tell a horrified German couple about their order. They had inadvertantly ordered whale sushi! I took a picture, and listened to the waitress explain Icelands' cutural legacy of eating whale meat. The poor couple looked like they had lost their appetites.

Overall, another great day! Due to some issues I had with the originating tour company, they had given me a free ticket into The Blue Lagoon (yay! I saved over $30 cdn!) Tomorrow, another free (!) tour into the interior and the southern shore. My arms and legs are banged up and I am really beat from the caving, so I hope the Blue Lagoon was enough to revitalise me for the hiking tour tomorrow!

Please look at the pics of today @: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/

There are two new sets of photos, "Iceland Caving" and "The Blue Lagoon". (Please note--there are a LOT more pictures where the (above) link to the photo gallery is, then are viewable in the slideshow in the upper right corner of this screen.

Reykjavik Zoo

A Nice Quiet Day at the Reykjavik Zoo.

The zoo had maybe a dozen species of animals (not including the aquatic life) that are all currently residing in Iceland (whether they are indiginous or not). It was a very small, almost farm-like place. It was kept very well, and all the animals seemed content.

The seals were adorable. They had surprisingly furry bodies (fur of a sort--it was more spikey and sparse than lush and furry), the sweetest little faces, and big white whiskers. They loved swimming upside down. (I think they were bored though.)

The Arctic Foxes were a really odd mix (looks and behaviour) of a cat and a dog. They were very skittish, which I was glad to see. I hate to see wild animals too aclimated to human presence.

The reindeer were a lot smaller than I expected--I think because they were young. I got to see them right at feeding time, and the window was right over their food. They were also a bit skittish, so I only stayed a minute so they could eat in peace.

The aquarium was very interesting. Lots of extremely weird creatures. If you look in the photos carefully, you can even see a sea cucumber. There were many very weird looking fish, including flounder, starfish, and many other fish native to the North Atlantic.

The pigs, goats, sheep and cows were the same as you can see at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. I can't imagine how many cows they had to bring over on ships hundreds of years ago before they could get them to survive the journey, and the Icelandic climate.

More Icelandic Horses--they were very pretty and well-groomed, unlike the ones I've previously encountered, who were definitely not kept as show pets. The zoo horses even seemed more sleek and taller than the previous ones.

I met Max, a Papillion dog who belonged to one of the zoo keepers. He really liked the way I smelled. There was a cat at the zoo, who was a very typical example of a Reykjavik cat--smaller, more compact, plumper, and very thick fur. He had an especially squishy face, like many of the cats have on Toronto's Kensington Market.


Then I hopped on a bus, and just went for a ride around the suburbs of Reykjavik. A lot of the housing developments have groups of 2-4 story apartment-style homes, and the backyards are certainly not the manicured and polished looking ones we have in Toronto. They have long natural grasses, and many of tem are corwded with lava rocks. Very young kids are playing outside (alone or in groups) with no adult supervision. (Thanks to the nearly non-existant crime rate I'm guessing.) A lot of the concrete homes have many cracks, probably due to the many earthquakes Iceland has. There is a cool looking outdoor pool I'm going to have to check out. The steam rising from the water could be seen kilometers away, and it had a really big tube slide. I went to McDonalds, and it was extremely expensive. A "value meal" cost about 12$ cdn. The McChicken was different; the meat was sweeter, and the breading was very peppery. The fries tasted the same. They did not have fountain carbonated drinks, but boxed juice and milk-type products. It was very crowded, with families, young couples, older business men, and lots of kids. Most of the young children were running around, preferring the revolving door to the playland. I've been told that Icelanders are very liberal with their kids, and let them do pretty much as they please, and hardly ever say no to them, unless they are bothering others or getting into harm. The kids were nowhere near as loud as North American kids were, and they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, so whatever the parents are doing seems to work. Iceland is rated as one of the most happy places in the world (read The Geography of Bliss), and I guess happy kids make happy adults.

Nothing too exciting today; I'm going caving tomorrow afternoon, and then the Blue Lagoon in the late afternoon...Sunday I have a surprise Tour in the interior and southern shore, as my Northern Lights tour failed to pick me up twice in a row (so they gave me a free 150 Euro $ tour). It has been too cloudy to see the lights anyways, but they have me on a waiting list for the first clear night (for another free tour!)

I've been getting a lot of positive feedback about my blogs and photos; thanks!

Super Jeep Tour Day

I took 297 pictures. (I managed to trim them down before I posted them.)

What I did/saw today:

1) Greenlandic Dogs

b) greenlandic Dog Kennels

c) Greenlandic Dog Trolley

2) More Icelandic Horses

3) Seagulls and Ravens

a) seagulls nesting in the cliffs

b) seagulls making whoopee

4) Glaciers
a) glaciers melting
b)glaciers cracking
c)walking on glaciers

5) Waterfalls

6) South West Shore of Iceland

7) Black Sand Beaches of Vik

8) Super Jeep off roading in Lava Fields, Mountains, etc

9) Traditional Icelandic Meat Soup & dried fish--YUM!

10) Polar Bears (sort-of)

11) The Alantic Ocean

12) Cliffs off the Atlantic Ocean

13) A downed 1973 United States Navy Airplane

14) creeks, rivers, brooks, and more water than I thought possible

15) Traditional Fishing Villages

16) Farms/churches/jail

17)Post-
a)Avalanche
b)volcanic eruption
c)any number of geologic events!

18) caves

19) cave Houses and cliff houses...

Greenlandic Dogs-- very friendly, very hard and eager workers, beautiful, one of the oldest breeds, predecesors of the husky. They lived in this breath-taking location, under a tall steep mountain, in very nicely kept kennels. We got to meet and play with them before the run. Not enough snow to sled (thanks to global warming), but pretty fun trolleys. We ran for about 4 km (?) out to the Atlantic ocean, where this 1973 USN downed plane was. Then the dogs rested.

They changed the dogs around (two different teams that needed adjustment), and I walked by myself down to the Atlantic Ocean. I wasn't paying attention, and almost got nabbed by the undertow. Talk about frightening!!! I felt like I was walking on the moon; there was only the sound of my breathing in my big snow suit and parka, and the roar of the ocean. Nothing but black sand and stones for km's around. No other people. Amazing!!!

This is kinda going to be my mantra for this blog--look at the pictures!

The Super Jeep Tour stopped at a farm, and we got to pet the most beautiful Icelandic Horses. They ran right over to the fence, wanting nothing but pets and scratches. I fell in love with another gorgeous horse again--I seem to like 'em big and full of attitude!

(Look at the pictures...)

My guide explained that the huge black birds were ravens, not crows. The mosquitos in Iceland do not carry disease like the North American and other ones do, so they do not have the Avian Bird Flu to kill off the birds like we do in Toronto.

Really big seagulls made nests in the cliffs overlooking the atlantic ocean--and they were in full breeding mode. I wish I had a zoom lense!

We saw at least 4 waterfalls today--all far more beautiful than Gullfoss (from the other day). I could have walked behind one, but it was very cold, and I did not want to wear wet clothing all day in the cold...I should have brought an extra change of clothes. (My camera got really wet today--you can see the drops mostly in the glacier photos).

The south-west shore of Iceland is absolutely the most spectacular scenery and geography I have ever seen. It is surreally beautiful. (Look at the pics). The air was incredibly pure and fresh, like nothing I have ever experienced. We could have even drank from the falls, or the glacier run-off, everything is that pure.

We walked under the cliffs on the black sand beaches of Vik--not the beach in the Dentyne Gum commercial (although we ate lunch in a restaurant over-looking that beach--I had traditional Iceland Meat (lamb) soup and dried fish, with bread and butter). The Atlantic Ocean was (again/still) breathtaking, and we had to dodge the surf to tuck in and out of the caves on the shore. Then the tide got really high really quickly, and we got out of there really quickly!

We went to a road-side restaurant/hotel/gift shop area, where they had a real stuffed polar bear on display. What happened was, in 2000, these 2 polar bears came over on ice floats from Greenland (caused by global warming), and were an immediate danger to the locals (polar bears are not native to Iceland). They had to shoot the 1st, and while they were trying to formulate a plan for the second one, he became too dangerous as well. I touched the fur and the nails--kinda like a big samoyed dog!

Not to make light of the situation though--seriously people, stop global warming!!!!

Many of the small farms, villages and settlements were built against the cliffs, but any time there is volcanic activity/earthquakes (of which there are literally hundreds of quakes per week--but only 2-3 on the richter scale) the little villages would get smushed by falling lava boulders. So they started a reforestation program, so the trees will stop (most of) the falling rocks. Then they built a jail, to fit about 50 people, but it proved to be too big, so they turned it into a bed and breakfast. Crime is almost non-existant in Iceland. Because building materials are very scarce in Iceland, they build a lot of dwellings in the side of mountains, cliffs and caves. They are mostly used for nothing but photo-ops nowadays. These are just some of the smart ways Icelanders adapt to their environment.

The last tour of the day was a walk on a glacier. It was getting dark, so the pictures have a lovely blue hue to them. But, if you saw the glaciers in full lights, they are a bit blue anyways. Beautiful. (I know--get a new adjective!!!) They are melting faster than they can be measured thanks to global warming. The huge one I walked on is not expected to last for another 20 yrs or so. It was melting FAST as we were touring it, I can only imagine how fast it melts in the Iceland summers. We had to walk behind the guide, as there were cracks, holes and fissures all over the glacier.

Every stop we made in each fishing and/or farming village, we were warmly and genuinely greeted. Iceland people are so sociable. The weirdest thing is, I can travel around Reykjavik, and see the same person 3 or 4 times in different areas. My mind can barely comprehend that type of intimate society, being from the Big Smoke and all!!!

Our Guide just started his company a few months ago, and bought a new super jeep last week. He was eager to try it out, and we did some incredibly exilerating off roading--all hilly and bumpy and wet and splashy--no place like Iceland to do that!!!

The tour company was http://www.husky-travel.is/ THEY ARE THE BEST!!! Way above and beyond excellent personalized service. It was supposed to be a 9 hr tour, and we were gone 12. Every sight was more breathtaking than the last. I have seriously run out of adjectives. All I was saying all day was: "WOW!" I would give this tour a 13/10. And you all know how critical I can be...this was beyond perfect. Every time we thought we saw the best thing ever, Jon the Tour Guide would say, in that ever so sexy and direct black-humour way that Icelanders have of speaking--"We're not done YET." He answered every question we had--and anticipated every need we had, and brought us to the most magical places in Iceland...

Well, this was the best day ever. My guide, Jon, and my fellow tour-ees Karen and her husband (who's name unfortunately is not coming to mind), and Mackenzie, the lovely girl from Boston who's working at the Kennel, made today the most amazing day. Except for the time today on the beach when I went into the surf, I have not felt alone at all. Iceland is the best vacation destination--they really look after their tourists here, and make you feel welcome and at home every second.

Please look at the photos--they can do far more justice than my words can.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/

Icelandic Horses, Geysir, Gullfoss

This was very nearly the best day I have ever had. I went Icelandic Horse riding, and checked out Geysir and Gullfoss.

Riding The Icelandic Horse has been a recent dream come true. These diminutive giants (yes, I know--a contradiction in terms, but really, how else to explain this beautiful, strong, sturdy, but short horse?) are 127 to 147 cm tall, and 270 to 410 kg. They can easily carry 1/3 their weight. They have lived in Iceland since around 800 AD, having been brought to the island by Vikings. The breed originated from Scandinavian and European Horse stock. There are roughly 75,000 Icelandic Horses in Iceland, some of these are wild herds.

The Icelandic Horse's best known trait is their remarkable character, being: willing, brave, happy, confident and gentle. They are easy to ride, and easy to handle, and many Icelandic Horses can adapt to the skill of the rider.

I met my horse, Skygrr (an English/phoenetic pronounciation of his Icelandic name.) He was a beautiful, rather large, multi-coloured Icelandic Horse, mostly in shades of light brown on the body mixed with grey winter coat, black legs, and a gorgeous brown, honey, black, grey, red and white mane and tail. He seemed quite bulky and sturdy, and had a lovely, confident, calm, "old-spirit" personality. We rode for about 2 hours, (which was perhaps a bit ambitious for my almost total lack of riding experience.) I hurt a bit now, but it will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow! None-the-less, I experienced many moments of joy, fear, abandon, and exileration. Our group of about 8 started out slowly, as we were all novice riders. We started with the "tölt" (perhaps between a walk and a trot), and several times, we went into the "skeið", which is a faster speed. The horse moves its legs with alternating one foot / two foot support, which is a relatively smooth motion. I don't think I could hold a glass of wine without spilling it (as the tale goes...pardon the pun), but I didn't feel like I was going to fall off, and felt reasonably safe. Once, Skygrr even went very fast, I think he was moving in a more traditional gallop--basically, running.

We crossed grassy and bumpy-with-old-lava-eruptions Icelandic fields and meadows, went along lava-gravel horse paths, through quite a few muddy/swampy patches, a lava rock field, several small streams, and 2 larger rivers. At times the weather was almost spring-like, with little to no wind, and spots of pure Icelandic sunlight. Then it would suddenly change to very cold, windy, and definitely winter weather. Most of the ride was blessed with moderate wind, thin clouds, and about 4 degrees celcius. Towards the end, when we were crossing the very rocky and turbulent lava field (don't worry--it was not active), it started to rain heavily, and the wind picked up. The rain made pinging noises off my riding helmet, and ran in rivulets down my visor into Skygrrs mane. Skygrr didn't seem to mind the weather, in fact, it is a trait of Icelandic Horses to turn their noses into the wind (usually while stading in groups). Several times during the ride, Skygrr nudged up behind or beside other horses, and once, one of the other horses nibbled and licked at my boot while Skygrr was up against him. Apparantly, it is a trait of Icelandic Horses to follow the leader, with little to no direction from the rider to do so. They seem to be very social animals, enjoying the company of their fellow horses. This particular farm has about 80 Icelandic Horses in the winter, and 190 (ish) during the "summer" season.

One concern has kept this from being the best experience I have ever had; I am worried that the large number of untrained riders (including me), are not sufficiently instructed in riding techniques and horse behaviour to be as non-expoitative of the Icelandic Horse as possible. In 1 minute, I was given 4 instructions immediately before riding the horse,(including: left, right, stop, faster), and told nothing else. Several times, I asked if my riding "style" was hurting the horse, and I was repeatedly told "no". Likewise, I think the reign (the leash leading to the horse's mouth?) was far too short, and I'm reasonably sure it was causing discomfort to the beautiful horse I was riding. The reigns were so short that I had to bend and reach quite far forward to keep them loosely on the end of my fingertips. As I was second in the line of our group, it was a short while later that I noticed the other horse's reigns were at least 25 cm longer. I left the reign loose at all possible times (about 80% of the time), but even though I am not familiar with horse behaviour, I felt that Skygrr was experiencing discomfort. Once, when crossing a deep river, Skygrr bent down to drink, and I had to completely let go of the reigns so he could quench his thirst. I think, if I were to do this again, and I would like to, I would seek out a farm that provides a bit more technical lessons and background on Icelandic Horse behaviour.

While not dismissing my issues with the possible exploitation of these beautiful and magnificent animals, I would have to reiterate that this was definitely almost the best experience of my life.

After the ride, we went to the farm's restaurant for a light lunch of soup, bread, cheese, cold cuts, cucumber and tomato. In addition, two lovely students (from Malasia and Saigon, studying in Paris) offered me a taste of more traditional Icelandic fare, including many parts of the sheep (blood/cheek fat/liver/testicles), and Iceland's national alcoholic beverage, Brenniven (Icelandic shnapps--sort of mix between vodka, licorice, and gin). Yes, I sampled some of the sheep-based food (I won't say which), and 2 shots of the Brenniven (some of which I will have to bring back home). I won't be bringing home any sheep-based food. ; )

Then, off to Geysir (the World's most famous geiser), which was noisy (gurgling, steaming, bursting), hot (underground springs of water are super heated by underground lava flows) and smelly (more of that lovely sulphur smell that makes me crave devilled eggs). Apart from it being a total tourist trap, the pictures can do Geysir more justice than my words. It was raining heavily, so much of Geysirs' fury was diminished, but it was still beautiful.

After an hour of Geysir, we drove 10 minutes to Gullfoss, Iceland's most famous waterfall. It is about only 30 meters tall, with 2 drops, but it is still beautiful. (Nothing like our Niagara Falls, though!) The wind and rain was so vicious at this point, that staying outside and taking pictures was difficult. At least the wind was blowing me up and away from the sheer cliff drop into the river valley created by the falls! Sufficed to say, my previous quest for a rain and wind proof winter coat was successful, as I stayed warm and dry all day.

After another hour in a road-side tourist shack complete with tacky/expensive gift shop and deep-fried snack bar (and rude American's open-mouthed chewing their greasy burgers and fries...I know, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all...) we journeyed back to Reykjavik. I enjoyed the Tour-Guide's narration of Iceland's geographical and geological wonders as we sped through them; but as the driver was careening up/down/left/right/sideways, at no less than 100 k.p.h. over the narrow mountainous and rain-slicked roads, I was having enough trouble holding down my lunch without being able to take pictures at lightning speed. (Have I mentioned that Icelanders drive like they're posessed by their Viking ancestors?)

All-in-all, a great day. I was concerned for the Icelandic Horses who are subjected to hoards of tourists, and not impressed with the commercialization of Geysir and Gullfoss, but this was definitely the highlight of my Iceland Adventure. Tomorrow night, The Northern Lights (if the weather behaves). Thursday--Dog Sledding!!!

Direct Link to the photos of today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/

Eldhestar Farm: http://www.eldhestar.is/

Geysir: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geysir

Gulfoss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullfoss

Downtown Reykjavik and The Old Harbour

Whenever Icelandic people ask where I from, they always say "OH! I've always wanted to go to Toronto!" This is far from what I have been repeatedly told: that Icelandic people always ask "How do you like Iceland?" I haven't been asked that once...

I had a typical "tourist" day today, walking through downtown Reykjavik taking pictures. Surprisingly, every time I stopped and put my camera up to my face, the cars driving past and the people walking past would immediately stop! How incredibly polite! So of course, I tried my best to make sure to take a picture when there were no people or cars, because I don't want to be an impolite tourist.

All of the photos have descriptions, and my walk today was a repeat of my first day here, so I won't bore you with writing about it a third time.

Another great breakfast at the hotel today, with cold cuts, cheeses, lovely breads, cucumber, tomato, boiled eggs, tea, fresh orange juice, melon, and many unidentifiable meat and cheese spreads which I have yet to explore. Background music by Motzart, excellent conversation by the hotelier Jon. I am still the only guest here, and the service is above perfection. I had a long nap after breakfast. : ) No hotdog today; the line was ridiculously long. But I did go into a bakery, and had a great chocolate pastry (250 isk/about 2.50 cdn). I stopped for a slice of pizza, which was good, but different tasting then I expected--I think it was because of the Iceland water used in the bread. It was quite expensive, @ 450 isk / 4.50 cdn). Another long luxurious shower with the sublime Iceland water, then another nap after my 3 hour walk today : )

Here is a link to the photos I took today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/


Tomorrow, I am going Icelandic Horse Riding (!!!), and I will also see two of Iceland's most famous sights: Geysir and Gullfoss (a really big geiser and waterfall). I have loaded up 8 sets of batteries, so hopefully they will work and I will have great images to show tomorrow!

Whale "Watching" Tour

I saw the White Beak Dolphin, and the Harbour Porpoise today.

This is my sexy new bulky outfit! (Yes, it was cold, wet and windy.)

Before y'all get your hopes up, there were no whales to be seen. (It is winter, and they tend to migrate south to warmer waters.) As well, my camera batteries, the back-up set, and the third back-up set failed. I did get to see some porpoises and dolphins, but I did not get pictures of them, so I can't visually share the experience.


It was very cold and blustery out on the ocean, but there's something about Reykjavik that makes the wind and cold bearable; it is not as biting and harsh as Toronto's wind and cold. It was a beautiful day, and at about 20 minutes into the boat ride, the sun broke through and there was no rain whatsoever.


I did see (very briefly), the back and fin of a Harbour Porpoise--who are very shy and barely broke the surface only twice. We mostly saw several groups (pods?) of White Beak Dolphins. The dolphins were very gregarious, jumping almost completely out of the ocean. They were very cute, and I think I even heard them calling to each other.


The dolphins were dancing through the rays of the setting sun on the waves. It was quite magical, and I could not stop myself from exclaiming "OOOHHH!" every time I saw one jump out of the water and curve sleekly back in. Mostly, one one dolphin was seen at a time, but towards the end of the day, there were 3 or 4 jumping out of the ocean together, or immediately after the other. Small white and black (with a wee bit of yellow) flocks of birds indicated the presence of these aquatic mammals, and occasionally a small spout of water was visible just before they broke out of the water.


I was only slightly dissapointed at not sighting any whales, but the dolphins more than made up for it. I am going to call later this week, and see if I can use my ticket to go for another (free) ride, as no whales were sighted this time. (It can't hurt to ask!)


After the tour, I walked to the Fleamarket (see URL link in previous post). I bought a very touristy, and somewhat expensive item; the Traditional Icelandic Sweater. It is black (of course), with the tradional black and white and (beige? grey?) semi-circle design over the chest, around the shoulders, and around the back. It zips up, and is not bulky at all. I have seen many locals wearing these sweaters, including the very cute second mate on the boat, so I'm confident I don't look like a git wearing it.


I even waited outside in line at the hotdog stand for 25 minutes(!) for another hotdog; yes they are that good! (and cheap @ 250isk)


(As well, the tap water here is SOOO wonderful; it is the best tasting water I have EVER drank, and it is very soft water. My hair has never been so soft and shiny, and my skin barely needed any moisturizer. I am dreading going back to Toronto water... )


Please go directly to this link to see some photos from today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smadventure/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

R.I.P. ChiChi Larue
April 1 2001 - February 14 2008
(BAN PET STORE SALES OF DOGS & CATS)

First Day!

Turbulence is the new extreme sport! I don't know which is "funner", being shaken around in a plane smaller than a subway car @ 35000 ft, or being jostled in a 189 seater plane over the North Atlantic Ocean...well, for sheer adrenaline, I'll choose the small plane anytime! (Insert sarcasm here...) But, in the flight from Toronto to Boston we were almost 15 minutes early, and we landed almost 15 minutes early in Keflavik--the operative word being "Landed". Yay!!! Safe, not too shaken, and alive.

I have already experienced the infamous Icelandic communication style: I purchased my bus ticket from the airport to my hotel, and I was not sure which of 3 papers given to me by the ticket agent was the actual boarding ticket. I showed the most likely candidate to the driver (who was standing outside the bus watching people put their luggage in the underside of the bus), and asked "Is this the ticket?" He brusquely, but not with malice, stared beyond me and barked "Get in the bus". (Okay! Right away!)

Overall people are genuinely friendly, and very helpful. It is my perception that when Icelanders smile, they mean it, and they are not faking it.

I arrived very early at my hotel (6 hrs before the check-in time), but I was immediately ushered into the lobby, given the pertinent information, and was not allowed to carry any of my luggage. I was asked if I was going to sleep (which was very appreciated that they got it was 4am for me), and asked if I wanted a wake-up call. I was reminded that there was breakfast currently available, and felt quite pampered and respected. After a few minutes of seeking an electrical outlet shallow enough to accomodate my adapter and convertor with no success, I went down to the front desk and described my problem, which was immediately rectified by a small secondary adapter. My computer works, and I didn't fry anything or blow up the hotel!

After a 4 hr "nap" (on a firm, but comfortable bed with very good linens and duvet) I woke up, confirmed my whale watching and northern lights tours, and went out to explore downtown Reykjavik (with very helpful directions by Jon, the front desk guy.) I spent about 2 hrs walking aorund the main area of downtown, seeing the Hallgrímskirkja http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja , which is unfortunately covered in construction scaffolding, and the Reykjavik Viking Boat Sculpture, http://www.phototravels.net/iceland/iceland/photo-iceland-d-007.html , which is also almost conpletely obscured by an immense amount of unfinished condominiums. (Pictures of both to come shortly).

Down by the Old Harbour, I found the Kolaportið Flea Market (which is closed weekdays), but the INCREDIBLE infamous hotdog stand across from it was open. http://www.planetware.com/reykjavik/kolaportio-flea-market-isl-hb-kola.htm All I can say is mmmmmmmmmmmm....WOW! 240isk, which is about 2.50 cdn, was an incredible introduction to traditional (well, modern traditional) Icelandic food. It was small, but the raw and crunchy fried onions, and some kind of mustard, with possibly ketchup and mayonnaise was to-die-for. And I didn't even mind looking like a stupid tourist munching away on my cheap hotdog on the main drag, Laugavegur, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laugavegur_(Reykjav%C3%ADk) .

Reykjavik is very interesting (duh). It seems to me to be a combination of Toronto, Amsterdam and Montreal in culture, style, geography and attitude. Of course, even the "plain" people are beautiful here; everyone is gorgeous. Everyone is dressed very well. Every store has a sign in the window which I quickly realized was "SALE". About 25% of the stores are vacant with for rent signs. There are no trees (that I have seen). The homes are a mix of metal clad and some sort of stucco (concrete)? Lots of small apartment type units mixed with tall square and quaint houses. I saw a miniature black poodle in full show cut, and a beautiful, friendly, very thick-furred calico cat down by the harbourfront area.

The city slopes Northward towards the Atlantic, with a mildy steep climb towards the south end of the city. The air is fresh, very damp (even when it isn't raining), and clear; not a TRACE of polution...imagine that. (Even the snow right beside the "freeway" type road from the Airport to Reykjavik seemed only mildly beige, as opposed to the black it gets in Toronto). It was windy and raining, but almost no-one had a hood or hat on, and it was certainly not uncomfortable or cold. (Even though it was hovering aroud 1 C.) I HATE wind, but this was not a hateful wind. The negative ions from the ocean carried by the wind may be one of the reasons people from Iceland are known to be so happy.

I got some groceries at the "Bonus" grocery store (an 8 minute walk from my hotel) (my hotel is less than a 20 minute walk to the other end of Reykjavik where the harbour is). The fruit and veg was about 50% inedible, and not much to chose from, but I did get some nice apples and bananas. Food is only a little more expensive than Toronto, but we are totally spoiled for choice and quantity--a reminder to not take our wonderful grocery stores for granted. I got some rye bread, crisp bread, gouda, salami, apples, bananas, a large pkg of snow peas (from Guatemala!), a lg can of pineapple, a large container of real juice, a pack of cookies, 3 bottles of diet sprite (there only seems to be 2 choices for pop in Iceland--coke or sprite), and 4 medium containers of an incredible dairy product that is somewhat like yoghurt (but stiffer), all for under 4000 isk. (45 cdn).

Sorry, I forgot my camera today, but I'm glad I just experienced my first day instead of taking pictures. There will be many coming up. But until then, please enjoy the pics I took on the plane and of my room!

Going Away Card--24 Hours To Go!

4 Nights Until I'm In Iceland!

I'm all packed...it took less than 45 minutes. I have to make financial arrangements at the Vet and the Emergency vet (just in case). I left some credit at the grocery store for my housesitter. I have to do some laundry, clean the apartment, henna my hair and a pedicure. Oh--and get over the sinus cold I woke up with on Saturday morning; the one that seems to be spreading down my throat to my lungs. And I was worried about catching a cold on the plane! Oh well; vodka and orange juice seems to work well as a decongestant, and massive doses of vitamin c, echinacea and "Germ Defense" effervescent cold formula can't hurt. And I'm missing my animals already...

But on the bright side; I am not sure of the philospohical/esoteric reasons I'm travelling. I told one supportive person I was looking for an objective point of view--a chance to step back and see into my life from a different perspective. A dear friend (who's renewed presence in my life after many years has basically made this trip possible--THANK YOU D!) suggested I'm on a vision quest. Then we started joking about the fun ways to pronounce paradigm, and we decided I was going on a para-diggum shift. (You know, it's the simple house frock you wear when you are deciding what to change into.) I dunno--whatever, I think it's important, as in life, to simply take this one minute at a time and not over-analyze my trip/journey/adventure. Experience the moment, grab the joy, be, live it while you got it!

Pre-Trip Planning

Hello! Welcome to my first entry of my Iceland Adventures blog.

Aside from a trip to The Netherlands when I was 8, and a drive from Toronto to L.A. when I was 18, this is my first real vacation. Why am I going to Iceland? Well, thanks to a recent influx of "extra" cash, I had a choice of either saving it ...(umm, yah) or spending it; so what to spend it on? A down payment on a house? Nope; they don't look favourably to those in my position when granting mortgages, (even though my credit score is excellent). Pay off some of my student loan? Yawn... Buy another little yappy dog? Tempting...but I need another pet like a hole in the head. So...I read a book called "Eat, Pray, Love", and immediately after, another book called "The Geography of Bliss", and I think--I gotta travel! I have had 3 travel plans be kiboshed by ex's in the past, so I know I have to travel alone this time (if I want to do something right, I gotta do it myself!) As a Scorpio, I need to travel to where there is lots of water, and little tourists. Not an easy task in February. So I scan the globe, and see Iceland, way up there in the North Atlantic. Hmm...Iceland in February? Yah! If I'm going to do something, I'm going to go all the way! And what's more extreme than Iceland in the Winter? (Australia in February with 45 degree celcius heat waves and rampant wildfires sound intense, but I couldn't handle the 30+ hrs of flight time...) So: about 6 hrs total flight time, a rapidly declining Icelandic Kronur, off-season rates, famously gentle horses, friendly sledding dogs, limited daylight, northern lights, whales, world-renown geographic wonders, and infamous roaming weekend parties, lead me to the decision that Iceland is the place for me! Add one very generous friend who is actually looking forward to house/pet-sitting (my animals love her more than they love me, I think!), and other friends who are kindly taking care of my various other responsibilities, and off to Iceland I go!!!

I plan to take in many day tours, including: a whale-watching boat tour, riding Icelandic Horses, a tour of Geysir and Gulfoss (Icelands' most famous geiser and waterfall), a drive into the countryside north of reykjavik to see the Northern Lights, Dog Sledding (!!!), a tour to Icelands' southern wonders, including the black sand Beaches of Vik (currently seen on the Dentyne "Make face Time" commercials), the waterfalls and glaciers in the Vik area, caving in the lava tunnels under Iceland, and a trip to The Blue Lagoon (mmm). Some smaller adventures include trips to the Reykjavik Zoo, the Fleamarket, Parliament, and the many geothermically heated outdoor swimming pools. I hope to sample some Icelandic Gastronomic rarities, while avoiding whale, reindeer and puffin. Of course, Reykjavik is known for their incredible all-weekend-long pub crawls, so I should probably indulge in that, too...*s* As it is winter, travel into the interior may be limited, but I am hoping the weather is stable enough to travel a bit.

I will be leaving in 12 days, on Thursday February 12, 2009, @ 3:29pm from Toronto. Then, I arrive in Boston @ 5:05pm, with a 3.5 hrs layover, leaving for Iceland @ 8:35pm. I land @ Keflavik on Friday @ 6:40am GMT (Iceland is 5 hrs ahead of Toronto time). Hopefully, I can sleep a bit on the plane! Unfortunately, the sun isn't rising in Iceland until around 10 am, so I will probably not see any of Icelands' incredibly beautiful geography from the plane.

My plan for arrival day is to check in early at my hotel in Reykjavik (if they will let me), and take a quick nap. As check in isn't until 2pm, I may have to leave my bags at the hotel and explore a bit. Maybe take in a swim at a local geothermically heated outdoor pool, or find a bite to eat. I am looking forward to going on a whale sight-seeing boat tour on Saturday, and I was advised to call on Friday, as the winter weather will dictate if a whale tour is running the next day.

I have a chronologically ordered folder of my upcoming adventures (with all the pertinent contact info), a new memory card for my camera, 6,000 Icelandic Kronur (about $64CDN) for incidentals like the city bus, a VISA card ready to get more worn out than it already is, a new warm/windproof/waterproof coat, comfy new Croc Winter boots, a cute little black swim-dress, new wool socks, wool gloves, and a warm hat (that I made). All I need to do now is be patient for another 12 days!