Blogs from Iceland, Europe - page 86

3:15 AM- Good Friday- It feels as though I just blinked as I am gently tousled awake by the sound of Del Barber. Dennie and I drag ourselves from bed, crawl into a cab, and make our way to the airport where she is going to spend 10 days with Friends in Nelson, BC and where I am meeting 31 students to begin a 12 day tour of the capitals of Scandinavia - Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallin then back just in time for mid term exams. The EF tours itinerary is ambitious, and will require patience, but the nervous smiles from parents and energy in the air at 3:45 AM at YQR reaffirms my decision to take a big group of students with me to Northern Europe. 7AM- Reyjavik, Iceland- I believe it's Saturday!?- After ... read more

Goodness! Are we still talking about that eruption in 2010, Eyjafjallajokull? Even now that we are expecting Hekla to erupt? Hekla is never so serious as the one 3 years ago so no worries. However, yes, we are still talking about that eruption in 2010. So many people got stuck in Europe because of that and some even got to know each other because of that. I’ll tell you a story. A young woman lives in Canada and a young man in England. They need to be in contact because of their work, send e-mails, talk on the phone, but have never met even if they have worked together like that for some time. She went on a holiday to Asia and at the same time he went to Canada, holiday or not, doesn’t matter. The ... read more

I am a lucky traveller - spending just 5 days in Iceland - I got 5 sunny days. Different sources quote different statistics - but all of them agree that there are just a few days/weeks with clear sky per year. I share few shots of this amazing country - its pristine nature and amazing views.... read more

Day 1: Greater Area Reykjavik Sightseeing. After waiting a mere hour & half, the tour company (which forgot our reservation) arrived to drive us to the City tour in order to "visit some of Reykjavik's most remarkable sites!" (Per tour description). The “remarkable sites” include the local hospital and public school buildings, both grade schools and junior colleges. Leif Erickson did not attend school here; No one famous graduated here, George Washington did not sleep there. So, I am at a loss as to why these are on the tour. We waited patiently while the guide took two phone calls from his teenage daughters, and picked up and dropped off his friend. My favorite "site" was the house of a relative of some politician who parks her car in the red zone of fire ... read more

Ah we had the best sleep last night! We woke up to our alarm at 9.30am and we were both dead to the world cos it was so pitch black outside!! We had a quick breakie downstairs cos the horses were awaiting our arrival! They picked us up at 10am for our Icelandic horse riding expedition but it was absolutely pitch black and made it feel like it was about 3.30am and we just wanted to go back to bed! They drove us about an hour to Islenski Hesturinn horse riding where we met the loveliest couple! After teaching us about the little Icelandic horses and how they are so disease free they don't even need to have jobs over here in Iceland. But as soon as they leave the country for a race or anything ... read more