With today being my last day in Iceland I needed to priorize my activities. I cancelled my riding tour in favor of a trip to the Blue Lagoon, and it was a wonderful decision.
The cold Arctic wind was whipping but the milky blue waters were warm. I floated around inside first before braving the outdoor lagoon. GLORIOUS. The silica and algae made my skin feel baby-soft, but wreaked havoc on my hair. In a minute I'm going to go pour half a bottle of conditioner on it, so that should help.
Dinner tonight will be sushi, then a nap before venturing out for the fireworks and bonfires. Icelanders set off about 1,300 tons (that's right - TONS) of fireworks each New Year's Eve, so it should be an extravaganza. More on that after the fact.
So, for a couple hours tonight after midnight I will be hanging out in 2009 while the rest of y'all are stuck in the stone age, practically!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Northern Lights
We drove an hour into the middle of Iceland last night and saw a glimpse of the Northern Lights, a neon green swath along the horizon, streaking low into the sky. It was a bit cloudy so the show wasn't spectacular, but still!
Despite the clouds, the stars were unbelievable. I've never seen stars twinkle and glitter the way they were last night. Almost flashing!!
Blue Lagoon is later today... stand by!
Despite the clouds, the stars were unbelievable. I've never seen stars twinkle and glitter the way they were last night. Almost flashing!!
Blue Lagoon is later today... stand by!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Dinner
I got word that our Northern Lights trip for tonight is a go! So I went out to grab a quick bite beforehand.
I found my way to a grungy but delicious pizza shop not far from my hotel. The walls were chalkboard and full of messages and designs. I ordered a 12'' pepperoni pizza and it came with a wheel of parmesan cheese, dried herbs, habanero and garlic oil. The boys behind the counter performed complex tricks on their yo-yos between orders. It was pretty quiet at 7:30pm but I imagine that the place gets packed wall to wall after the bars close!
The owner spoke perfect English and helped me iron out a plan for New Year´s Eve... more on that to come. Apparently Iceland (with it's 300,000 people) spends more on their fireworks displays than London (with it's 12 millions) does!
Now I'm going to chill for a bit before I get picked up and we head out of Reykjavik and into the pure, black Icelandic night.
I found my way to a grungy but delicious pizza shop not far from my hotel. The walls were chalkboard and full of messages and designs. I ordered a 12'' pepperoni pizza and it came with a wheel of parmesan cheese, dried herbs, habanero and garlic oil. The boys behind the counter performed complex tricks on their yo-yos between orders. It was pretty quiet at 7:30pm but I imagine that the place gets packed wall to wall after the bars close!
The owner spoke perfect English and helped me iron out a plan for New Year´s Eve... more on that to come. Apparently Iceland (with it's 300,000 people) spends more on their fireworks displays than London (with it's 12 millions) does!
Now I'm going to chill for a bit before I get picked up and we head out of Reykjavik and into the pure, black Icelandic night.
Evening Update
I am going to take the opportunity to update on my evening while there is no queue for the internet..
Still waiting to find out whether or not the Northern Lights tour is on for this evening. It has been cloudy lately and they have been cancelling tours, but my hopes are high.
I passed a few hours reading my murder mystery at an English pub. Whatever, don't judge me! I had a craving for creamy English beer after the mediocre Viking beer I had last night.
I remember visiting a Starbucks after a few days in Shanghai... the city was so completely foreign to me that I just needed to be someplace where I recognized the menu! I sort of had that feeling this evening.
If it's too cloudy to see the Northern Lights I am going to try to have dinner either on the harbor at a restaurant called the Sea Baron, which is supposed to have amazing lobster soup, or at Vegemot, a trendy vegetarian restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. No matter what, you will get the details for sure...
Still waiting to find out whether or not the Northern Lights tour is on for this evening. It has been cloudy lately and they have been cancelling tours, but my hopes are high.
I passed a few hours reading my murder mystery at an English pub. Whatever, don't judge me! I had a craving for creamy English beer after the mediocre Viking beer I had last night.
I remember visiting a Starbucks after a few days in Shanghai... the city was so completely foreign to me that I just needed to be someplace where I recognized the menu! I sort of had that feeling this evening.
If it's too cloudy to see the Northern Lights I am going to try to have dinner either on the harbor at a restaurant called the Sea Baron, which is supposed to have amazing lobster soup, or at Vegemot, a trendy vegetarian restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. No matter what, you will get the details for sure...
Cafe Post and Observations
This will be a quick post since I'm at the hotel and don't want to tie up the internet. It was a bit of a lost day today, but still a nice one. I didn't quite obey my wake-up call and so by the time I got moving couldn't book any day tours. Instead I took a little cafe tour with my Icelandic murder mystery, starting at Mokka, the oldest cafe in Reykjavik, and then heading to Kaffi and Te, where they remembered me from my first day.
I like to try to be a regular at a place when I travel. In China I visited the same bar every night before heading back to my hotel, and by the end of my trip we were taking photos together and they even hung one on the wall, so I was told by a friend who visited there after I left.
I finished up at a little cafe/bookstore along the main road, so full of tea and pastry that I couldn't do much but watch Icelandic life go by outside.
Observation: Icelandic fathers seem to be very involved with their children! I can't tell you how many single (well, I don't know if they are single per se, or just alone at the time) men I saw pushing baby carriages. I saw several male couples with kids, and the street vendor I watched for about an hour from inside a cafe had his little daughter with him and passed the time between customers playing games with her. David, our British tour guide from yesterday, had his 4-year old son Gabriel with him because school was closed. (David moved to Iceland in 1985 but said it took him forever to learn Icelandic... he only became fluent about five years ago!).
Last night's dinner was pretty mellow. I went to an Indian restaurant and feasted on lamb curry, cheese-filled naan, mango chutney, and some of the garlickiest naan I have ever tasted... all washed down with a Viking beer (bottled and brewed in northern Iceland). The beer was okay... I prefer rich and creamy English and Belgian beers but this one was okay.
Tonight I am schedule to leave Reykjavik and see the Northern Lights, but it's a bit cloudy and the trip may be cancelled. Hear's hoping we get to go! And tomorrow morning I am schedule to go horseback riding... then hopefully we will all visit the Blue Lagoon in the afternoon!
I can't wait to post pictures of all this!
I like to try to be a regular at a place when I travel. In China I visited the same bar every night before heading back to my hotel, and by the end of my trip we were taking photos together and they even hung one on the wall, so I was told by a friend who visited there after I left.
I finished up at a little cafe/bookstore along the main road, so full of tea and pastry that I couldn't do much but watch Icelandic life go by outside.
Observation: Icelandic fathers seem to be very involved with their children! I can't tell you how many single (well, I don't know if they are single per se, or just alone at the time) men I saw pushing baby carriages. I saw several male couples with kids, and the street vendor I watched for about an hour from inside a cafe had his little daughter with him and passed the time between customers playing games with her. David, our British tour guide from yesterday, had his 4-year old son Gabriel with him because school was closed. (David moved to Iceland in 1985 but said it took him forever to learn Icelandic... he only became fluent about five years ago!).
Last night's dinner was pretty mellow. I went to an Indian restaurant and feasted on lamb curry, cheese-filled naan, mango chutney, and some of the garlickiest naan I have ever tasted... all washed down with a Viking beer (bottled and brewed in northern Iceland). The beer was okay... I prefer rich and creamy English and Belgian beers but this one was okay.
Tonight I am schedule to leave Reykjavik and see the Northern Lights, but it's a bit cloudy and the trip may be cancelled. Hear's hoping we get to go! And tomorrow morning I am schedule to go horseback riding... then hopefully we will all visit the Blue Lagoon in the afternoon!
I can't wait to post pictures of all this!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Third Day
Well, I got my days mixed up and Trent and David actually arrive TOMORROW. With that new information in hand I booked myself on a day trip to the Golden Circle. We left at 9am, before sunrise, and started with a stop at the geothermal power plant just outside Reykjavik. Sounds exciting, right? Actually, it was VERY interesting! All power in Iceland is either geothermal or hydro-electric, and it serves them well. Though Iceland would be great for harnessing the wind's energy, they haven't even needed to tap that resource yet.
So, it was a good place to pass twenty or so minutes on a guided tour while waiting for the sun to come up.
Our first official stop was Gullfloss, an absolutely breathtaking waterfall in central Iceland. To get there, we drove deep into the cold, rocky, mountainous highlands of Iceland. It's COLD in there!! And the landscape looks more like a moonscape, all crevasse and mountains with swaths of snow carving wintry patterns down the slopes.
After the waterfall, where I warmed up with a bowl of lamb soup, we went on to visit the geysers - which erupt about every 8-10 minutes! It was really cool to walk around the milky geothermal pools, the bubbling natural steam vents, every so often a geyser shooting up into the air. And yes, the water is hot - about 100-degrees celcius. Yes, I touched it!
After the geysers we stopped at Thingsvill (I really need to double check these spellings) which is where, until about 1750, Iceland's government held court. It's also where the president's summer home is and ALSO happens to be the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are ripping apart from each other at a speedy 2.5 centimeters per year.
Let me tell you... you wouldn't want to lose your footing hiking around this place. It was gorgeous, though, high in a mountain valley, big chunks of ice floating down the river, the plates shifting imperceptibly underfoot.
It was dark by the time we turned back to Reykjavik, and I unwound with a shower and some tea and caught up on the unfolding situation is Israel. After the decadence of Saturday and Sunday nights' dinners, I think I'm going to play it cool tonight and just get something simple. There are about a million thousand pizzerias within six blocks of my hotel, so maybe I will see what all the fuss is about.
Well... I'm off to another night in the Arctic Circle... blog atcha later!
So, it was a good place to pass twenty or so minutes on a guided tour while waiting for the sun to come up.
Our first official stop was Gullfloss, an absolutely breathtaking waterfall in central Iceland. To get there, we drove deep into the cold, rocky, mountainous highlands of Iceland. It's COLD in there!! And the landscape looks more like a moonscape, all crevasse and mountains with swaths of snow carving wintry patterns down the slopes.
After the waterfall, where I warmed up with a bowl of lamb soup, we went on to visit the geysers - which erupt about every 8-10 minutes! It was really cool to walk around the milky geothermal pools, the bubbling natural steam vents, every so often a geyser shooting up into the air. And yes, the water is hot - about 100-degrees celcius. Yes, I touched it!
After the geysers we stopped at Thingsvill (I really need to double check these spellings) which is where, until about 1750, Iceland's government held court. It's also where the president's summer home is and ALSO happens to be the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are ripping apart from each other at a speedy 2.5 centimeters per year.
Let me tell you... you wouldn't want to lose your footing hiking around this place. It was gorgeous, though, high in a mountain valley, big chunks of ice floating down the river, the plates shifting imperceptibly underfoot.
It was dark by the time we turned back to Reykjavik, and I unwound with a shower and some tea and caught up on the unfolding situation is Israel. After the decadence of Saturday and Sunday nights' dinners, I think I'm going to play it cool tonight and just get something simple. There are about a million thousand pizzerias within six blocks of my hotel, so maybe I will see what all the fuss is about.
Well... I'm off to another night in the Arctic Circle... blog atcha later!
Second Dinner
Last night's dinner deserves it's own post, and I have an hour at the internet cafe to make sure I have enough time to write about everything!
I had been reading about this restaurant called Fish Market and the bright, young chef who runs the kitchen. Well, it turns out that Fish Market is about four doors down Adalstraeti from my hotel, so there I went for dinner last night.
I had the presence of mind to photograph each course, so look for pictures when I return home later this week.
They sat me upstairs at the bar overlooking the open kitchen, right in front of the sushi/raw bar chef's workstation. When I say 'chef,' please realize that I mean an Icelandic kid who looked about 14! He was assembling beautiful sushi platters and was very cute, but very focused, and didn't return my impressed smile.
The walls were lined with leafy bamboo and a slice of bamboo trunk served as the stand for my chopsticks. I decided on a first course - grilled puffin. The puffin came topped with a single slice of smoked eel that was wrapped around a mango chunk and accompanied by two fried dumplings. The puffin was blood-red and fatty, similar in texture to duck but with a taste all it's own. The eel was tender and the mango bright.
As the sushi chef continued to work in front of me, I noticed that he would garnish his shrimp sashimi with what looked like red berries, red but slightly fuzzy and about the size of blueberries. I asked him about them: kamasuke, he told me, Japanese plums. He held one out for me to try. Sour and pungent with a seed, they were not delicious.
That said, I'd like to let him taste my kamasuke.
Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Dinner. For my main course I ordered salted cod, an Icelandic classic, and it was served in cherry juice with a 'Christmas salad' (microgreens) and Jerusalem artichokes which were vaguely potatoey. Nuts and dried cherries were in the sauce, which perfectly complimented the cod. The first time I ever had berries with fish was at Hook in Georgetown when Janice, AVE, and I each sampled a perfect bite of raw tuna topped with a single blueberry and drizzle of blueberry juice.
Oh - I wanted to mention the fish-cooking method I observed, sitting by the open kitchen. The portions of fish were draped over a rod that was laying about one inch above red-hot coals of some kind. The fish were seared that way for a few seconds on each side, and then served. I have never seen a technique like that before.
I finally asked the sushi chef where he learned to make sushi. He said, 'Here!' So, we have a young, serious Icelander making sushi that could pass muster at any restaurant I've ever been to... it was very interesting.
And dessert - oh yes... there was dessert. I ordered the 'Premium Selection,' advertised in the menu as 'One for All and All for One.' I had definitely bitten off more than I could chew... literally. Out came banana creme brulee, banana custard, two scoops of sorbet (one cinnamon custard and one green tea), and banana wrapped in pastry dough and then deep-fried. My goodness. It was heavenly.
For wine I had two glasses of a nice, simple Cote du Rhone, which was refreshed directly from the bottle. All this food, plus eye candy, for a mere 11,100ISK or a little under $100.
Not cheap, but well worth every krona. And as you all know, I am not a souvernir/possession collector, so when I travel I prefer to spend my money on food (and drink!)
I had been reading about this restaurant called Fish Market and the bright, young chef who runs the kitchen. Well, it turns out that Fish Market is about four doors down Adalstraeti from my hotel, so there I went for dinner last night.
I had the presence of mind to photograph each course, so look for pictures when I return home later this week.
They sat me upstairs at the bar overlooking the open kitchen, right in front of the sushi/raw bar chef's workstation. When I say 'chef,' please realize that I mean an Icelandic kid who looked about 14! He was assembling beautiful sushi platters and was very cute, but very focused, and didn't return my impressed smile.
The walls were lined with leafy bamboo and a slice of bamboo trunk served as the stand for my chopsticks. I decided on a first course - grilled puffin. The puffin came topped with a single slice of smoked eel that was wrapped around a mango chunk and accompanied by two fried dumplings. The puffin was blood-red and fatty, similar in texture to duck but with a taste all it's own. The eel was tender and the mango bright.
As the sushi chef continued to work in front of me, I noticed that he would garnish his shrimp sashimi with what looked like red berries, red but slightly fuzzy and about the size of blueberries. I asked him about them: kamasuke, he told me, Japanese plums. He held one out for me to try. Sour and pungent with a seed, they were not delicious.
That said, I'd like to let him taste my kamasuke.
Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Dinner. For my main course I ordered salted cod, an Icelandic classic, and it was served in cherry juice with a 'Christmas salad' (microgreens) and Jerusalem artichokes which were vaguely potatoey. Nuts and dried cherries were in the sauce, which perfectly complimented the cod. The first time I ever had berries with fish was at Hook in Georgetown when Janice, AVE, and I each sampled a perfect bite of raw tuna topped with a single blueberry and drizzle of blueberry juice.
Oh - I wanted to mention the fish-cooking method I observed, sitting by the open kitchen. The portions of fish were draped over a rod that was laying about one inch above red-hot coals of some kind. The fish were seared that way for a few seconds on each side, and then served. I have never seen a technique like that before.
I finally asked the sushi chef where he learned to make sushi. He said, 'Here!' So, we have a young, serious Icelander making sushi that could pass muster at any restaurant I've ever been to... it was very interesting.
And dessert - oh yes... there was dessert. I ordered the 'Premium Selection,' advertised in the menu as 'One for All and All for One.' I had definitely bitten off more than I could chew... literally. Out came banana creme brulee, banana custard, two scoops of sorbet (one cinnamon custard and one green tea), and banana wrapped in pastry dough and then deep-fried. My goodness. It was heavenly.
For wine I had two glasses of a nice, simple Cote du Rhone, which was refreshed directly from the bottle. All this food, plus eye candy, for a mere 11,100ISK or a little under $100.
Not cheap, but well worth every krona. And as you all know, I am not a souvernir/possession collector, so when I travel I prefer to spend my money on food (and drink!)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Second Day
Before I tell you what I did today, I need to tell you what I had for dinner last night! As I strolled up and down Skolovordustigur (I had to refer to my guidebook about four times just to type that word out!) looking for a place to eat, a sign on the sidewalk caught my eye: WHALE MENU. I went in.
This was the three-course offering at the Hereford Steikhus:
Lobster soup with chive sour cream
Whale steak with roasted root vegetables and haricots verts
Skyrs
The soup was amazing - salty and creamy with big chunks of lobster. The whale steak was cooked rare, very smooth and rich and very filling. I was nervous at first, but I liked it. It had a taste all it's own... not like beef or lamb. Strange though... whales are obviously mammals, however, I sort of felt like I should have been eating something with the consistency of fish, since I was eating... seafood... but not really seafood... the animal lives in the sea... but it was red meat. Anyway, I guess I can add that to the list of strange regional foods I've eaten.
Skyrs is a traditional Icelandic dessert made of a custardy yogurt type base, which is delicious, and in this case topped with diced poached pear, a scoop of raspberry sorbet, and a hardened coffee-caramel swirl. Two glasses of red wine to accompany, and the entire thing came to a tidy sum of 6,8000ISK, or a little over $50. A bit of a splurge, but I certainly didn't break the bank!
Today my plans to go to the flea market were foiled since it wasn't open. I looked through my guidebooks and combined the interesting parts from three different self-guided walking tours. I started along Reykjavic harbor where the fishing boats came in. I wandered up the main street all the way to Hofdatun St and photgraphed the Hofdi, where Reagan and Gorbechev met in 1986. The street names here are impossible to read or retain, so I had to pretty much constantly refer to my map throughout my walk. I tried to be surreptitious about it, though. I always yell at my mom for whipping out the map in public when we travel together. I prefer to try to blend in... though I know that I usually scream AMERICAN! without saying a word.
By then I was starving so I stopped for a pastry and hot chocolate and warmed up a little before proceeding to the Hallgrimskirkja church where 400ISK gets you a trip up to the tower for some of the greatest views in Reykjavic. I did some shopping along the way to the statue of Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland who was apparently a fugitive from Norway.
I picked up a few gifts after that and headed back to my room to shower and regroup before dinner.
The sunlight situation here is not so bad. It's weird in the morning. When you wake up (I mean when you wake up naturally), it's impossible to discern whether it's midnight, 4am, or 9am because it's pitch black no matter what (Reykjavic is a small city and there isn't much light pollution). But once the sun starts coming up, around 10:30am, things feel totally normal, and though the sun sets around 3:30pm, it's light for about another hour after that, which is not too far off how it is in DC in the evenings these days.
I'm about to head out for a drink and dinner here soon. I can't wait to see Trent and David tomorrow morning... not sure what we have planned but I suspect a spa trip to the Blue Lagoon is in the works for at least one of the days.
This was the three-course offering at the Hereford Steikhus:
Lobster soup with chive sour cream
Whale steak with roasted root vegetables and haricots verts
Skyrs
The soup was amazing - salty and creamy with big chunks of lobster. The whale steak was cooked rare, very smooth and rich and very filling. I was nervous at first, but I liked it. It had a taste all it's own... not like beef or lamb. Strange though... whales are obviously mammals, however, I sort of felt like I should have been eating something with the consistency of fish, since I was eating... seafood... but not really seafood... the animal lives in the sea... but it was red meat. Anyway, I guess I can add that to the list of strange regional foods I've eaten.
Skyrs is a traditional Icelandic dessert made of a custardy yogurt type base, which is delicious, and in this case topped with diced poached pear, a scoop of raspberry sorbet, and a hardened coffee-caramel swirl. Two glasses of red wine to accompany, and the entire thing came to a tidy sum of 6,8000ISK, or a little over $50. A bit of a splurge, but I certainly didn't break the bank!
Today my plans to go to the flea market were foiled since it wasn't open. I looked through my guidebooks and combined the interesting parts from three different self-guided walking tours. I started along Reykjavic harbor where the fishing boats came in. I wandered up the main street all the way to Hofdatun St and photgraphed the Hofdi, where Reagan and Gorbechev met in 1986. The street names here are impossible to read or retain, so I had to pretty much constantly refer to my map throughout my walk. I tried to be surreptitious about it, though. I always yell at my mom for whipping out the map in public when we travel together. I prefer to try to blend in... though I know that I usually scream AMERICAN! without saying a word.
By then I was starving so I stopped for a pastry and hot chocolate and warmed up a little before proceeding to the Hallgrimskirkja church where 400ISK gets you a trip up to the tower for some of the greatest views in Reykjavic. I did some shopping along the way to the statue of Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland who was apparently a fugitive from Norway.
I picked up a few gifts after that and headed back to my room to shower and regroup before dinner.
The sunlight situation here is not so bad. It's weird in the morning. When you wake up (I mean when you wake up naturally), it's impossible to discern whether it's midnight, 4am, or 9am because it's pitch black no matter what (Reykjavic is a small city and there isn't much light pollution). But once the sun starts coming up, around 10:30am, things feel totally normal, and though the sun sets around 3:30pm, it's light for about another hour after that, which is not too far off how it is in DC in the evenings these days.
I'm about to head out for a drink and dinner here soon. I can't wait to see Trent and David tomorrow morning... not sure what we have planned but I suspect a spa trip to the Blue Lagoon is in the works for at least one of the days.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
First Day
Well, I found my way to an internet cafe so I can write a proper post. Usually I keep handwritten journals when I travel but maybe this time I will just try a blog chronicle.
Arrival was uneventful. Lots of waiting at JFK airport, but once we got in the air the flight went quickly and smoothly. As scary as it was to find myself in a foreign country all alone and with no one waiting for me, getting to my hotel was surprisingly easy. I bought a ticket for the Flybus which took me to a hotel shuttle. Check-in was easy enough, though I was STARVING and scarfed down a power bar while waiting for my room keys.
I crashed for a few hours and woke as the sun was rising. After only a few hours here I already feel fairly acquainted with Reykjavic´s city center. The streets are narrow and windy in places but my hotel is at a strategic location and easy to find my way back to. Plus, with only 300,000 people in all of Iceland (approximately 60% of whom live in or near Reykjavic) and that it's very much off season, the streets and shops are basically empty.
I wandered the main streets for a few hours, bought some Icelandic chocolate at the grocery store (which is called BONUS, with a garish pink pig´s head in place of the O), found some great hot chocolate and a liqueur truffle at Kaffi and Te, wandered down to the harbor, and tried to decide what I would be doing with myself tomorrow, my second and last day to myself.
But first, I needed to run an errand. Silly me - I didn't bring a bathing suit to Iceland! Who could forget such a thing? It´s the Arctic Circle in December, seems perfectly logical to pack a bathing suit. Duh! But, Trent reminded me of the amazing Blue Lagoon and assures me that soaking in the geothermally heated pool is positively glorious... so I took a cab to a shopping mall and found a cute black bikini.
Can I just stop myself and say that the clothing boutiques in Iceland are amazing? So chic and trendy and unusual. And, there is a grocery store in the mall.
Once I got back from my errand I chose to get a few more hours sleep... now I´m pretty much on schedule with Icelandic time. With the rest of the evening I´m going to wander around a little more, find a cocktail and eventually dinner. I will be taking copious notes on what I eat! Tomorrow I intend to hit the famed Flea Market down by the harbor (OMG... The Simpson´s just came on in the internet cafe! In English!) and maybe take one of the walking tours mentioned in my guidebook. I want to wait for Trent and David to try the ice bar, nightclubs, and excursions.
Oh - I wanted to mention - printed on each of the Icelandair headrests was this:
The throne of Odinn was named Hlidskjaff.
We simply call this
Your Seat.
I loved that!
Well... it's way early for dinner by European standards but I´m starved... so I may defy tradition (but beat the crowds) and eat something. Stay tuned for another post tomorrow!
Arrival was uneventful. Lots of waiting at JFK airport, but once we got in the air the flight went quickly and smoothly. As scary as it was to find myself in a foreign country all alone and with no one waiting for me, getting to my hotel was surprisingly easy. I bought a ticket for the Flybus which took me to a hotel shuttle. Check-in was easy enough, though I was STARVING and scarfed down a power bar while waiting for my room keys.
I crashed for a few hours and woke as the sun was rising. After only a few hours here I already feel fairly acquainted with Reykjavic´s city center. The streets are narrow and windy in places but my hotel is at a strategic location and easy to find my way back to. Plus, with only 300,000 people in all of Iceland (approximately 60% of whom live in or near Reykjavic) and that it's very much off season, the streets and shops are basically empty.
I wandered the main streets for a few hours, bought some Icelandic chocolate at the grocery store (which is called BONUS, with a garish pink pig´s head in place of the O), found some great hot chocolate and a liqueur truffle at Kaffi and Te, wandered down to the harbor, and tried to decide what I would be doing with myself tomorrow, my second and last day to myself.
But first, I needed to run an errand. Silly me - I didn't bring a bathing suit to Iceland! Who could forget such a thing? It´s the Arctic Circle in December, seems perfectly logical to pack a bathing suit. Duh! But, Trent reminded me of the amazing Blue Lagoon and assures me that soaking in the geothermally heated pool is positively glorious... so I took a cab to a shopping mall and found a cute black bikini.
Can I just stop myself and say that the clothing boutiques in Iceland are amazing? So chic and trendy and unusual. And, there is a grocery store in the mall.
Once I got back from my errand I chose to get a few more hours sleep... now I´m pretty much on schedule with Icelandic time. With the rest of the evening I´m going to wander around a little more, find a cocktail and eventually dinner. I will be taking copious notes on what I eat! Tomorrow I intend to hit the famed Flea Market down by the harbor (OMG... The Simpson´s just came on in the internet cafe! In English!) and maybe take one of the walking tours mentioned in my guidebook. I want to wait for Trent and David to try the ice bar, nightclubs, and excursions.
Oh - I wanted to mention - printed on each of the Icelandair headrests was this:
The throne of Odinn was named Hlidskjaff.
We simply call this
Your Seat.
I loved that!
Well... it's way early for dinner by European standards but I´m starved... so I may defy tradition (but beat the crowds) and eat something. Stay tuned for another post tomorrow!
Hello from Iceland
Just a quick note - don´t want to tie up the internet! I arrived in Iceland just fine, the flight was super easy. A movie, a few Simpson´s episodes, and I was there. Getting to the hotel was also uneventful... and I immediately crashed out.
I have more to say but I will try to find an internet cafe so I am not a net-hog... anyway... I´m off to run a crucial errand... more later...
I have more to say but I will try to find an internet cafe so I am not a net-hog... anyway... I´m off to run a crucial errand... more later...
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Last Post Stateside
Merry Christmas! This will be my last post until I land in Reykjavic on Saturday. I will have internet access in the hotel so stay tuned!
This was an indecisive morning. I got up determined to run 7 miles, then promply went back to bed. That lasted all of twenty minutes. I got dressed and headed out the door but spent the first three miles debating whether I should go for 7 or cut it short at 5 miles. I really hadn't decided what I was going to do when I hit the point where I either needed to go straight for 5 miles or turn right to add the additional loop.
I went straight.
Now I'm home and am going to get packing and cleaning... stay warm, everyone. I'll be in touch from Iceland!
This was an indecisive morning. I got up determined to run 7 miles, then promply went back to bed. That lasted all of twenty minutes. I got dressed and headed out the door but spent the first three miles debating whether I should go for 7 or cut it short at 5 miles. I really hadn't decided what I was going to do when I hit the point where I either needed to go straight for 5 miles or turn right to add the additional loop.
I went straight.
Now I'm home and am going to get packing and cleaning... stay warm, everyone. I'll be in touch from Iceland!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Feeling the Christmas Spirit
This morning I and two armed escorts took a quick trip down to the National Mall to see the Christmas trees. The National Tree and Menorah were on display, surrounded by cute little trains and smaller trees donated by each state and territory.
It was fun to walk around and see everything... and I am officially on leave! Heading out in a bit for dinner with relatives in Centreville, then it's home to start cleaning and getting organized to fly up to the Artic on Friday.
It was fun to walk around and see everything... and I am officially on leave! Heading out in a bit for dinner with relatives in Centreville, then it's home to start cleaning and getting organized to fly up to the Artic on Friday.
Recommended Reading
There is a great post over on Skwigg's blog right now about various diet/nutrition/workout plans. Skwigg is an expert on such things and has a vast amount of experience to draw on... take her word for it!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Shakin' It
Tonight two girlfriends and I went to a Christmas party in the 'burbs. A couple hours in and we were ready to go... but not ready to go home. After some discussion and a few false starts, we ended up at Andalu in Dupont Circle, a hip-hop club that I'd seen but never been inside of.
We had a few beers and before I knew it I had left my white self in the dust, found some attitude, and was busting moves on the dance floor in my skin-tight red dress and knee-high boots. Please do not be misinformed - I do not have moves. Whatsoever. But I do have the ability to make fun of myself and my rhythm is great, so I have fun and can pass for a decent dancer.
Somewhere towards the middle of my loss of self-consciousness, a beautiful black guy reached his hand past my two girlfriends to ME (Why? Doesn't he know I can't dance?) and led me out to the middle of the floor where we proceeded to get it on. Tastefully, of course. It was awesome. He was hot. The music was pumping. I felt sexy and edgy and fun, polar opposite of the lame loser I usually feel like, being the first to show up and first to leave most places.
Lezlie and Carrie found dance partners too and we grooved for a while before the deafness overtook us and we decided to split. My ears are still ringing a little, but it was the most fun I've had in a while.
We had a few beers and before I knew it I had left my white self in the dust, found some attitude, and was busting moves on the dance floor in my skin-tight red dress and knee-high boots. Please do not be misinformed - I do not have moves. Whatsoever. But I do have the ability to make fun of myself and my rhythm is great, so I have fun and can pass for a decent dancer.
Somewhere towards the middle of my loss of self-consciousness, a beautiful black guy reached his hand past my two girlfriends to ME (Why? Doesn't he know I can't dance?) and led me out to the middle of the floor where we proceeded to get it on. Tastefully, of course. It was awesome. He was hot. The music was pumping. I felt sexy and edgy and fun, polar opposite of the lame loser I usually feel like, being the first to show up and first to leave most places.
Lezlie and Carrie found dance partners too and we grooved for a while before the deafness overtook us and we decided to split. My ears are still ringing a little, but it was the most fun I've had in a while.
Hack Cough
My cat Natasha loves to suffocate me.
She'll walk on my desk between me and the keyboard and drag her tail underneath my nose, across my upper lip. I get a big inhale of cat hair. Yummo!
She'll walk on my desk between me and the keyboard and drag her tail underneath my nose, across my upper lip. I get a big inhale of cat hair. Yummo!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Resolutions or Why I Hate Facebook
Yes, I did it again. I joined Facebook only to deactivate my account within hours. Something about it just gives me the heebie-jeebies. I am not comfortable with that level of exposure and random people from my past trying to contact me.
Also, the word "friend" should never be used as a verb.
So anyway, that brings me to some of my New Year's Resolutions. One main one is that I want to be more protective of my time. I want to spend time with people I really enjoy being around and not feel obligated to make or keep social plans that I feel are draining.
I also resolve to keep track of my running. This means that I will need to replace my watch battery and record my mileage. I hope to improve my speed and endurance over the next year and maybe even try for some personal bests in upcoming races. I can really only hope to accomplish this by being diligent about my records.
By April, I hope to buy a piano.
Also, the word "friend" should never be used as a verb.
So anyway, that brings me to some of my New Year's Resolutions. One main one is that I want to be more protective of my time. I want to spend time with people I really enjoy being around and not feel obligated to make or keep social plans that I feel are draining.
I also resolve to keep track of my running. This means that I will need to replace my watch battery and record my mileage. I hope to improve my speed and endurance over the next year and maybe even try for some personal bests in upcoming races. I can really only hope to accomplish this by being diligent about my records.
By April, I hope to buy a piano.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Yoga Breakthrough
This evening I had one of my strongest yoga practices ever. Maybe it was because David, the owner of the studio, was practicing next to me! Or maybe, finally, after years of persistence, my stubborn body is starting to open up.
I was not blessed with a naturally flexible body. I have open shoulders, but that's about it. My hamstrings are about one inch long on a good day. So really, the only thing I have going for me as an Ashtangi is the will to work on things that are too hard for me.
Specifically, I felt really strong today in Utthita Hasta Padanghustasana. What happens is, you hold this posture for five breaths (except without the instructor supporting you).
Then slowly move to this posture and hold for five breaths.
Then you move to the first posture again and just exhale one time into a forward bend over the outstretched leg. Then you straighten up let go of the toe and hold the leg extended and unsupported for five breaths.
Then you switch sides. This little sequences comes right in the middle of the standing postures in the Primary Series and is very difficult. Not only does it take strength in the extended leg but it takes strength in the arms and in the supporting leg. Keeping the standing leg straight is very difficult. It's all very difficult. Yoga is very difficult. But today for whatever reason, I felt long and strong in these postures!
Afterwards, I tried to go to the hardware store to get a nut for my banjo. Somehow one of the nuts came off of the bolt that secures one end of the armrest onto the pot, and now the armrest is halfway falling off. How this happened, I do not know. But given how old the instrument is, the hardware store people were baffled and could not find a proper nut to fit the thread. Oh well... it's still very much playable, but the loose armrest is slightly annoying.
I was not blessed with a naturally flexible body. I have open shoulders, but that's about it. My hamstrings are about one inch long on a good day. So really, the only thing I have going for me as an Ashtangi is the will to work on things that are too hard for me.
Specifically, I felt really strong today in Utthita Hasta Padanghustasana. What happens is, you hold this posture for five breaths (except without the instructor supporting you).
Then slowly move to this posture and hold for five breaths.
Then you move to the first posture again and just exhale one time into a forward bend over the outstretched leg. Then you straighten up let go of the toe and hold the leg extended and unsupported for five breaths.
Then you switch sides. This little sequences comes right in the middle of the standing postures in the Primary Series and is very difficult. Not only does it take strength in the extended leg but it takes strength in the arms and in the supporting leg. Keeping the standing leg straight is very difficult. It's all very difficult. Yoga is very difficult. But today for whatever reason, I felt long and strong in these postures!
Afterwards, I tried to go to the hardware store to get a nut for my banjo. Somehow one of the nuts came off of the bolt that secures one end of the armrest onto the pot, and now the armrest is halfway falling off. How this happened, I do not know. But given how old the instrument is, the hardware store people were baffled and could not find a proper nut to fit the thread. Oh well... it's still very much playable, but the loose armrest is slightly annoying.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Disturbingly Alluring
Lately I have been rekindling my love affair with Nick Cave. I might be posting a few of his videos in the future.
This is "Where the Wild Roses Grow" with Kylie Minogue. I've posted the lyrics as below. Nick writes murder ballads, and so tenderly. Now, there is nothing remotely appropriate about romanticizing homicide... so how come he draws me in?
Nick Cave is hot. He seriously does something to me.
CHORUS:
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
As she stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
They grew down the river, all bloody and wild
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped the tears that ran down my face
CHORUS
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said, 'Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?'
On the second day he came with a single rose
Said: 'Will you give me your loss and your sorrow?'
I nodded my head, as I layed on the bed
He said, 'If I show you the roses will you follow?'
CHORUS
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he stood smiling above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die'
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth
CHORUS
Comfort
The Lord says,
"Be not afraid, I am with your always;
I have called you by name;
You are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flames burn you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
Isaiah 43: 1-3
"Be not afraid, I am with your always;
I have called you by name;
You are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flames burn you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
Isaiah 43: 1-3
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Change of Plans
I have to make an emergency drive up the coast this morning and will be staying overnight. So I won't be running the Jingle All the Way 10k tomorrow morning. I'll make up the distance on Monday.
May or may not be updating Twitter (sidebar to the right).
Everyone have a safe and warm weekend.
May or may not be updating Twitter (sidebar to the right).
Everyone have a safe and warm weekend.
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