Blogs from Iceland, Europe - page 137

As we stepped off the airplane in Iceland we envisioned mounds of snow cascading the Icelandic landscape. What we encountered was rain and bleakness. The 50km drive to the capital city of Reykjavik (I could not figure out the reasoning as to WHY it was so far away) was through a moon-like terrain, with fields of black lava rock. Reykjavik reminded me of Scandinavia: colourful houses, stylish boutiques, kiosks selling the cheapest food available - hot dogs, and being able to pay by credit card for absolutely everything. We rented a car to explore the southern coast. We got the most economical car available, since gasoline was 6 times more expensive than what we were paying in Oman! Our Toyota Yaris managed to shelter us from the wind, but when the road turned to ice and ... read more

(Well, this is my SECOND attempt to send the COMPLETE blog entry on the Blue Lagoon.......am having technical difficulties this morning!) Good morning, everyone! Well, my body clock is totally confused..........went to bed at 7:30 last night; up and at 'em at 4:30 this morning! It will take a few days to get oriented again. Tons of snow fell in London, Ontario yesterday. Guess I"ll be out shovelling later this morning..........the ride home from the airport on Sunday night was a "white knuckle" affair. I was the only person in the airport shuttle and was glad that I wasn't doing the driving! It's the same type of weather that welcomed us back last year. Big news today..........it's Carroll's birthday!!!!! Happy Birthday to you, my friend! Thinking of you, and missing you already! It was so much ... read more

Hi folks…here’s a twist…this is Brenda (leader of the Blue Group) writing the blog entry not Pat. Why, you ask? Because I’m writing on behalf of all of you…to thank Pat for this incredible BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hurray and many thanks to our ‘Fearless Blogger Extraordinaire’: PAT Pat has been tireless over the past twenty-eight days, bonding with people, sharing her sense of humor and fun, leading her Green Group - and frequently the rest of us too - and still finding time to create this incredible blog. Everyone loves her…how could you not…and we all have loved sharing her boundless enthusiasm for this trip - and life. I know that the blog has been a labour of love for her - she needs to know how much it has affected all our lives. Parents, children, friends, co-workers, ... read more

Greetings from beautiful Iceland! (even though I am writing this on Saturday evening, I am quite certain it won't get sent out till at least Monday, when I am back home) We arrived yesterday (Friday), mid-afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, it was a blustery, windy afternoon in Iceland. I could have used more hairspray, had I known what was awaiting us outside the airport terminal! The views of Iceland from the airplane were so interesting. I got a few good shots. We should have anticipated the fierce winds because we could see huge white caps on the waves below! We were greeted at the terminal by some of the Icelandic Air crew who flew the Southern tour last year. Always nice to be welcomed with smiles and chocolates! Transition from airport to hotel was smooth, and ... read more

I got out of the airport and wondered over to the Flybus ticket counter, they asked me what hotel I was staying in and I showed them my reservation for the only hostel in Reykjavik. I waited with everybody else as the bus pulled up and wondered what delights this little capital city had in store for me in the 2 days I would be saying here. The journey to the youth hostel would take about an hour; I fell asleep and was rudely woken up. I thought that I had already been asleep for an hour but I looked out of the window to find that we were at a bus station and everybody was being told to leave the bus, being divided into smaller buses dependant on where there accommodation was. Nobody wanted to ... read more