Note: This is a blog for my dear friend Sif, who is Icelandic. So she can hear all about what we got up to in her homeland, and how much we loved it...
This is for you, Siffy!
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Karlos and I had 5 days in Iceland, having lost two due to the faulty aircraft and its diversion, but - despite him falling and breaking a rib on day 1 - and being in much pain for the most part - his broken rib did not hold us back from exploring and having as much fun as possible.
And what a lot of fun we had.
When we first arrived in Iceland, I spent a lot of time in the duty free shop - trying to find the delcious filled 'lakkris' I had once discovered in a cupboard at your house! We also loaded ourselves with red wine, viking beer (got to be done!), and two bottles of margarita mix. Stepping out into the arrivals hall, it didn't take me long to spot Karen - and I went running towards her excitedly, totally forgetting about my duty free, nearly smashing bottles in the process. It was just soooo good to be in Iceland at last! We had already copped a good eyeful as we arrived in the plane... travelling through clouds for what felt like ages, until - all of a sudden - the the first tip of Icelandic soil appeared through the mist beneath us - before stretching out as far as we could see. Rolling green fields, rugged terrain, the odd stone building... the night sky - pink and dusky, but still light. It was like discovering a magic, hidden land within the clouds...
We spent that first night eating cheese and drinking wine. I have to say - as much as we really, really loved the USA - it was nice to be in a place that makes good cheese at last! We were also amazed at how the sun was just not going down. We laughed at how Karen stuck black bin bags around the windows in our bedroom, to keep the sunlight out. And when we eventually fell asleep, in the early hours, we fell asleep content; eager to explore over the next few days. I was secretly hoping you would give birth whilst we were in Iceland, Sif. I thought that would be pretty cool!
The next day Karen had to work, so Karlos and I finished off the delicious breakfast she had set out - all kinds of sweet fancies from the local 'bakkeri' - and had a relaxed morning of me napping some more, and Karlos facebooking. Oh the life of a traveller! Around lunchtime we became fidgety, so wrapped ourselves up for a journey down into Reykjavik centre. Your country is b-e-autiful, Sif - but 14 degree weather in the summer? We are no way as tough as you Viking bloods! It was chilly. And I'll be honest - I think even my bum had goosebumps!
We loved Reykjavik. We loved walking the streets and admiring the nordic fashion, and listening to the language and accent of the Icelandic people - a breath of fresh air after the endless american accents of our last two months. The change for our ears was nice. Even if we couldn't understand a word people spoke.
We pottered in and out of shops and cafes, laughing at bottles of 'Volcanic ash' for sale, and menus of whale, puffin, and other unusual animals being served for lunch. We found ourselves in a small shop selling art, in particular the work of a very talented travel photographer and his snaps of this beautiful country - especially the northern lights. We decided we must return here in January some day, just to see them. We then made our way into a coffee shop and ordered hot drinks to takeaway. Whilst they were being made I spent time looking at the food in the cabinet, teaching myself Icelandic from the name tags. Laughing at how a slice of cake was priced "5,000"!
We continued up the main street and admired the street art, and one street artist in the process of spray painting another. One lady passing by asked us if we knew what one of these paintings meant. It refered to greed. Another that spoke to me said: "just look at how the mountains, so very mighty be, sharp as razors at the top they span the land and sea. But don't forget that though magestic spires, capped with ice and snow, from each and every single grain of sand they grow." I liked that. I took a photo.
We made our way down to the waterfront, and spent some time taking pictures of the water lapping the rocks. Karlos found a jellyfish and I took pics of him taking pics of that. We climbed the rocks and made our way over to the Viking skeleton ship. I'm sure it's got a proper name, but I think you'll know what I mean. Karlos climbed this, and I took pictures of him again. Soon we decided it was time for lunch...
And just for you, Sif - we bought ourselves a delicious Icelandic hotdog - crunchy onions and all. I could really have eaten two!
On our way back to Karen and the apartment, we stopped by the church. You know THE church (the name escapes me) - but the big one, with the amazing triangular shape. We walked into the church and a lady was singing the most beautiful song - it was in Icelandic of course, so I couldn't understand - but we just sat in the church and listened to her singing, and the man next to her play piano, and then we walked to the top, to the bell tower, and got wonderful views over Reykjavik - just as the heavens opened and the city was lashed with rain. We walked home in this rain - but we were pretty happy about it.
That night was the night of the fateful broken rib, though. (Which I wrote about in the last blog...) We had planned to go out for an Icelandic feast, which was why Karlos was having a shower, getting ready - but things didn't quite work out that way...
Day 2 - Karlos woke in a lot of pain. Karen and I went for a walk to the local bakkeri, and bought an array of goodies for breakfast. The pecan pastry goodness was my favourite for sure... I could go back just to eat another of those! Karen cracked open a bottle of plonk, and we did our best to cheer Karlos up with booze and sweet eats for breakfast. He did spend most of the day on the couch, poor thing, feeling very sorry for himself. Late afternoon Karen and I went out to pick up Poki, the most gorgeous dog ever by the way, took him for a walk along the lake (near to where the heated beach is - you'll know what I mean) and came back with Icelandic lamb and lobster to cook for tea. It was a feast! More alcohol was comsumed of course - and Karlos cheered up a little at talk of 'we could go for a drive tomorrow.' This was after we left him pretty gutted after his suggestion for 'we could still go clubbing' was promptly turned down. He's a fiend!
Day 3 - was a really fun day. Probably my favourite. We took a drive to an area of thermal activity, smelling very sulphorous but not nearly as rotten as Rotorua I must say! And we stopped for a cup of tea and some Icelandic pancakes (forget the proper name for them, it's shocking, I know) and had a chat with some locals who were telling us their opinion on why Iceland should stay out of the European Union! Hahaha. By the afternoon we ended up at... the Blue Lagoon. I was so excited to be there! The warm water combined with the cool, fresh air and light spits of rain - was heaven. I had a health shot in the pool, whilst Karlos drank a beer - and spent the next hour or so smelling like ginger and lemons! We covered outselves in white clay and posed for photos as though we were swap creatures (people probably thought we were odd) and then Karen and I literally had a naked shower together.Karlos must have been in a lot of pain when we told him that, as he merely smiled. No asking for photos, or offering to lend us his waterproof camera, nothing! Hahaha. That night we went for an Icelandic feast at a local tapas bar. Foal was both our favourites - we could eat that again, for sure. Whale was... ok. Not too bad. Puffin? No thank you! We rolled ourselves back to the apartment, full and happy.
Day 4 - another goodie. Karlos had over done it the day before, we thought. As he was in a lot of pain, but still insistant that he wanted to explore - so we set off, Poki in tow, to visit Geyser, Gulfoss, and the Viking meeting point. There isn't much point in me describing these places to you Sif, as you know them so well! To those that don't - Geyser is a place where hot water springs gush from geysers in the earth, Gulfoss is a magestic, monsterous waterfall, and my ever so touristically dubbed 'the Viking meeting point' is the place where early Icelandic settlers would convene, long ago. What I do want to say is - Iceland is a magical, and awesome place. Such clean, fresh air, some peaceful, serene countryside, yet with the power of mother nature so evident at every turn - from the geothermal activity, to the thunder of giant waterfalls, the glaciers in the distance, and the rugged outline of mountains and volcanoes. Being here, as I said - is something magical. Something out of a Tolkein novel. We wanted to stay and explore more...
Our time in Iceland ended with another of Karen's delicious cooked meals, a jaunt to a local pub - where the drinks flowed as much as the singing and laughter - and time down by the lake in the early hours - sharing stories with local Icelandic teens - and watching night turn into a new day, without so much as a flicker in the light.
We were, genuinely, sad to leave.
Your country is beautiful Sif. Just like you x
~ Comet xo
Do love that church. Kinda reminds me of equlibrium
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