Blogs from Southwest, Iceland, Europe - page 48

Daar zijn we dan, eindelijk in IJsland! En wat is het hier koud, een stuk erger dan verwacht. Het was vandaag zo´n 11 graden, maar vanwege de wind ligt de gevoelstemperatuur een stuk lager. Een beetje zoals Nederland in November, maar IJsland in Augustus wordt niet veel warmer. (max ca 15 graden). We hebben wel een goede reis gehad, IcelandAir bevalt prima! Erg luxe met leren stoelen, veel beenruimte en een in-flight entertainmentsysteem, waarmee Evita een poging heeft gedaan binnen 3 uur IJslands te leren. (en dat valt nog niet mee, wat een taaltje!) De reis ging verder heel makkelijk en snel, en ons hotel ziet er ook erg goed uit. Het heet Skjaldbréið en staat midden in het centrum! We hebben Reykjavik dus ook al een klein beetje verkend. In praktisch iedere winkel zijn wel ... read more

Today (Sat) we were in Reykajavik our last stop in Iceland. We docked about 7 am but our tour wasn’t leaving till 11 so since Mom and I were up by 6 we decided it was a good time to do laundry. We did run out to the store at the port to get postcards while things were drying. The jeans still weren’t dry when we got back so we decided to let them dry in the room and went up to meet Erin for breakfast. We took the Blue Lagoon Tour which started with a drive to an old church right next to the president’s house. We were supposed to have a tour inside but it was locked. There was still a nice view from there so got some photos and then we headed to ... read more

What a rude awakening! Starting from 6am, rain starts gushing on the tent, and the wind shakes the tent, even has us worried that the whole thing might take off. We try to get some more sleep - the bus doesn't leave until 9 - but by 7, there is no point, so we get up and start packing up, all the while trying to keep the tent from taking off. Breakfast is cancelled, since there is no point trying to make coffee in that kind of weather. Plus, the bus leaves from the petrol station, so we can just get some coffee there. Arriving at the bus stop around 8 (the whole packing went faster than expected), we get our second nice surprise of the day: everything is closed. No coffee, no breakfast, not a ... read more

Today is Canada Day back home. Joshua and Benjamin are lamenting the fact that they will not get to see fireworks. We get a relatively slow start to the day, and are only ready to head out some time after 11. Our thought for the day is to walk to the downtown park of Reykjavik and find the tourism office. We would like to do some whale watching while we are here, having passed up the opportunity when we were in New Zealand. The route to the downtown turns out to be fairly easy, following a single road. Reykjavik seems quite upscale, almost like a ski resort town. It has lots of restaurants and stores selling souvenirs as well as art galleries. We find the tourism office quite easily. I know that there is more than ... read more

As yesterday, we have a good sleep in, and are again one of the last tents on the camp ground by the time we finally crawl out of the tent. Good thing the sun doesn't shine too much in Iceland - that way you can sleep as long as you want without getting roasted! While I start packing up the tent, Nadine goes shopping for some groceries. On her way to the store, she already notices that the wind isn't with us today... On the way out of town, we stop by the petrol station - I need some new burning liquid, enough with uncontrollable flames and sooty pots! They don't have much, so I opt for some charcoal lighter fluid which the clerk assures me, will burn. We'll see... The sky is cloudy, but no ... read more