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Amending Our Travel Plans

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Last May I was bold to announce our planned travel for 2021 and 2022.

Iceland is a beautiful country with splendid friendly people.

Thankfully we made it to Iceland in October of 2021.

We’ve been staying close to home but still trying new things. Charlie rode in a race car.

Our future plans, however, have been strategically modified due to the ongoing COVID crisis.

I’m hoping to get Charlie to the top of the Empire State Building (visible near the right side of the photo). The new World Trade Center building is the tallest one in the center.

A trip to a warm island in the dead of winter just isn’t in the cards right now.  Instead we’re doing a long weekend in NYC to celebrate our winter birthdays.

My music man in Father Duffy Square just opposite Times Square in NYC.

I’m so excited to have theatre tickets for 3 much anticipated plays/musicals.  We haven’t been to New York since our daytrip to see the 9/11 Monument last year.  Our last theatre excursion was in 2017 — pre-COVID. That same year we took a day trip to the Statue of Liberty.  I’m eager to spend some time in The Big Apple.  It’s always exciting. (In 2021 around the same time we were in The Big Easy.)

Our oceanview cabin on “Enchantment of the Seas” should look a lot like this.

One item that hasn’t changed is our reservation on a cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda.  We’ve been trying to get on this cruise since I booked it in 2019.  I’m hoping our first cruise is enjoyable for both Charlie and me.  I have lots of experience out in the ocean. ‘Nuf said.

Greece is on my bucket list.

Traditionally our fall trip is an extended vacation to someplace on the bucket list.  I had been planning to visit Greece but the hoops are just too numerous to jump through at this time.  (We learned a lot about international travel in a pandemic on our recent trip to Iceland.)

The Big Island is just south of Maui.

So I’m hoping that Charlie and I will be traveling to the Hawaiian Islands of Maui and Hawaii.  He has never been, I have visited Oahu and Kauai.  The thing I remember most about my previous time in Hawaii is that I had very high expectations for the trip and it surpassed everything I could have imagined.  I loved it.

We rode in Iceland. Hoping to go riding on Maui.

At this time of our lives we still enjoy traveling on our own without submitting to the confines of tour groups.  That being said, we love seeing new place and meeting new people and when touring with a group becomes necessary, we’ll be there.

Jo

Iceland: No Lava, Fog, and an Unusual Excursion

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On our final full day in Iceland we had been planning to visit the volcano that had started erupting in March, 2021.

The volcano looked something like this on the day we wanted to see it.

Unfortunately on this day there was no spewing lava and, more importantly, the area was obscured in fog.  We could see from the live web cameras  that we wouldn’t be able to see anything more than a few feet from our face.  We had used our good weather days here and here.

I had avocado toast with my coffee.

We stopped for coffee and a bite to eat at Reykjavik Roasters.

We were never really sure what the signs said.

Then we drove to Ikea where we browsed and shopped and Charlie got something to eat.

The display at the entrance seemed familiar.

Ikea in Iceland is both like and unlike Ikea in the US.  We bought some Christmassy souvenirs and noted how the furniture was more compact.  I picked up a few brochures written in Icelandic to see how kitchens and bathrooms compare.

Surprisingly, Charlie had a good time at Ikea.

I would suggest that the price and quality of food at Ikea are outstanding.  This was a fun outing, especially on a rainy, foggy, cold day.

We really enjoyed this seafood soup near Reykjavik Harbor.

We finished the day with lobster (langoustine) soup at Sægreifinn (The Seabaron).

Iceland:

Jo

The Northern Lights on Our Own

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Having been on a guided tour to see the Northern Lights, Charlie, Sug, and I were ready to go on a self-guided expedition to see if we could see them again.

The orange splotch in the middle of the green means high aurora activity expected.

Our chances seemed pretty good since the sky was clear (free of clouds) and the aurora forecast was favorable. (We were in Reykjavik.)

Parking near the sculpture was convenient and free at this time of night.

Around 9 p.m. we drove to the Sun Voyager sculpture in Reykjavik Harbor.

The strong light at the right of the photo is the “Imagine Peace Tower”.

As we looked across Faxaflói Bay we could see the Imagine Peace Tower located on Videy Island off the coast of Reykjavik, an outdoor art piece by Yoko Ono dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. The wishing well monument which symbolizes peace and joy, emits a shining beam of light into the sky and features peace prayers in 24 languages.  Unveiled in 2007, the Imagine Peace Tower is lit each year from October 9th (John’s birthday) until December 8th (the anniversary of his death).

The pale green light is the Aurora Borealis. (Photo taken from my iPhone 6.)

We knew from experience that we needed to face north in order to see the “northern” lights.  So I opened my phone’s compass app and discovered true north to be about 30 degrees to the left of the Peace Tower.

The green streak is the Northern Lights. The white area above the NL are clouds.

We did, in fact, see a wonderful display of the Northern Lights without leaving Reykjavik or waiting until after midnight. We were chuffed. (Sug took much better photos than I did since she had a much newer phone.)

Iceland:

Jo

Iceland: COVID Testing and the South Coast

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We had a long day on Sunday — church and the Golden Circle, but it was not over until we completed our COVID testing to return home.

We carried these test kits with us from the US to Iceland so we could test before our return home.

The 3 of us each had appointments on Monday morning with the Iceland health department but I was concerned that would take a bite out of our day for which I  had planned the longest drive of our trip.  So on Sunday evening we each took our turn in front of the computer to tele-test Abbott’s BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag At-Home Test Kit (which I purchased in the US and brought with us).  With few hitches we each took the test and received our results and were accepted for our return to the United States so we were delayed on Monday morning as we left Reykjavik for the south coast of Iceland.

Inside the building of our first stop was this fabulous map where we overheard a tour guide describing what we were planning to see.

About 20 miles from Reykjavik we made our first stop in Hveragerði  at Almar Bakery,  for coffee and breakfast.

Almar Bakery in Hveragerði.

This was a great way to begin our day’s journey.

Our first stop included a post office where I dropped off 2 postcards headed for the US.

The bakery building also housed one of the few post offices we saw in Iceland.  I dropped off a couple of postcards I had written previously.

We stopped at Seljalandfoss.

About 50 miles later we stopped at Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

My pathetic attempt at a selfie in front of Seljalandsfoss.

We had finally figured out that foss on the end of a word means waterfall.

Some people braved the slippery rocks behind the falls.

This one was special because hikers and tourists could actually walk behind the falls. The weather was a little cold for us to take the plunge but plenty of others risked getting wet from the spray.  I imagine the view was awesome.  Each of us also bought a welcome bowl of hot soup at the food truck near the entrance.

Note the steep path to the viewing platform at the top of the waterfall.

Our next waterfall, Skogáfoss,  did not disappoint.  This one could be seen from both the top and bottom.

Iceland is the land of rainbows.

We did not ascend the almost 500 steps to view Skogáfoss from above.  The rainbowed ground-level view was heavenly enough.

One of the world’s oldest and purest breeds of sheep, the Icelandic sheep have been the only sheep raised in Iceland for over 1000 years.

An added attraction were the Icelandic sheep in a nearby meadow.  Their pre-winter fleece was abundant.

The road to Reynisfjara.

Finally we were back on the road to our true destination, Reynisfjara.

Reynisfjara

Reynisfjara is a world-famous black-sand beach found on the South Coast of Iceland.

Reynisfjara

Shooting into the light returned this dreamy nightlike photo.

So glad we didn’t miss this stunning scenery about 116 miles from Reykajavik.

Glaciers are visible on the ride back to Reykjavik.

We returned to Reykjavik to rest and eat before our final surprise of the day.

Jo

Iceland:

Jo

Iceland: The Golden Circle

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After attending church on Sunday morning, we headed out of Reykjavik to self-drive the Golden Circle.

The Golden Circle was our destination.

The original plan was to see the volcano but since the weather was bright and sunny and the forecast was iffy for the rest of our stay we decided to make a clockwise tour of the Golden Circle which included Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall,  Geysir Geothermal Area, and Kerið Crater Lake .

A boardwalk at the top of a set of stairs hinted of a brightness in the distance.

Charlie was our driver and I was the navigator.  This trip Sug enjoyed the sights.  Our first stop was the waterfall at Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park.

Öxarárfoss waterfall

Öxarárfoss waterfall can also be seen from the top if one is willing to make the rugged hike.  We were not.

Having not eaten since the porridge at church, we stopped at a cattle farm, Efstidalur II, to have a bite of lunch in their restaurant.  The downstairs was only serving ice cream and the upstairs only served a soup buffet.  While the soup was delicious it was the most expensive bowl of soup any of us had ever had.  And although the cash register receipt said buffet we were limited to one bowl per person.

As is often the case in Iceland a waterfall will display a rainbow if watched long enough.

Our next stop was Gullfoss Waterfall.   The small specks on the path on the left of the above photo are people.  Everything is bigger than it looks in a picture.  We had an opportunity for a rest stop and some coffee at the souvenir shop.

The geysir at this hot springs erupts about every 4 to 10 minutes.

My favorite stop on the Golden Circle tour was Geysir Hot Springs Geothermal Area, from where we get our word geyser.   Waiting then watching just never gets old for me. (I’ve rewatched my video of the eruption many times since returning home.)

While we were driving to our next destination a paraglider crossed our path.

Alas the sun was beginning to go down and we had one more item on our list.

Kerið Crater Lake

The last site we wished to visit on the Golden Circle was Kerið Crater Lake.  

An explanatory sign at Kerið.

One of the really neat things about all the places we visited in Iceland is that nothing was “off limits”.

Charlie on the top edge of the crater. (Note the stairs near the center of the photo.)

In addition to scaling the top of Kerið crater Charlie also descended the stairs that led right down to the lake which, by the way, was cold unlike the boiling water in the geothermal area.

Sunset on the Golden Circle.

As we drove back to Reykjavik more paragliders filled the air in front of us.

Iceland:

Jo

Iceland: Hallgrímskirkja

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Our fourth day in Iceland was a Sunday so we planned to attend the 11 a.m. morning church service at Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík.

Hallgrímskirkja is a VERY visible landmark in Reykjavik.

At 74.5 metres (244 ft) tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and an easy-to-spot landmark in Reykjavik.

The church is the blue spot. Note all the cafes nearby.

We arrived early and parked alongside the church in its parking lot. (The parking lot is free everyday and we caught on that it is one of the few free parking spots in the middle of the city.  We always were able to snag a spot.)

We wanted to see Reykjavik from the top of the tower.

We wanted to climb into the tower before the service began to see Reykjavik from the heights.  The first ascension was by elevator.

The windows surrounding the clock faces on 4 sides of the tower allowed some nice photos of the harbor and distant mountains.

We exited the elevator at the clock level where there are windows from which we took our first photos.

The views were breathtaking especially for Charlie who does not care for heights.

I suggested Charlie NOT look down.

Then we climbed a short set of stairs to the highest area in the tower.  The view was 360 degrees and there were no barriers through which to take photos.

No chance of falling through these narrow bars. (The dark spear is a shadow of the church’s tower.)

However there was no fear of falling or jumping since the window openings were barred.

The organ pipes are over the entry door at the back of the church.

After descending the tower we entered the sanctuary to attend a worship service (in Icelandic) and especially to see and hear the  Klaisorgan, the largest in Iceland.

The front of the church was bright with sunshine which is not often the case in Iceland.

The pews are unique in that the back may be flipped on either side of the bench so congregants can face either the front or back of the church depending on the program.

Björn Steinar Sólbergsson at the Klaisorgan console.

The organist, Björn Steinar Sólbergsson, was excellent.

Björn Steinar Sólbergsson engaged the children of the church (and, frankly, us also even though we could not understand one word of Icelandic).

Not only did he play a prelude and music during the service but he also had a teaching session with children after the service where he answered their questions and they answered his.

The plaza in front of Hallgrímskirkja.

This would have been enough of a perfect morning to set us up for the rest of the day.  Then the piece de resistance , we were invited to enjoy porridge and kleinur (donuts) with the children and their families.

The Golden Circle was our next destination.

We left church ready to explore.

Jo

Iceland:

Jo

October, 2021: Checked

/ Jo / 2 Comments

I have had one of the best months ever.  Even though traveling and partying required jumping through a number of hoops to accomplish my goals, the adventure clearly made up for the aggravation and stress.

  1.  Travel to Iceland. Charlie, Sug, and I traveled to Iceland for a week and had the adventure of a lifetime, including multiple viewings of the Northern Lights.

    We had a wonderful guide who taught us just what to look for.

  2. Work on a project: I changed the baseboard behind the sofa from a slim profile to one with more dimension and weight.  Small projects really mess up a room and take just as many tools and techniques as larger endeavors.  Or so it seems.

    Baseboard behind sofa has been updated.

  3.  Masked party.  We had a mysterious evening around the fire pit.

    Charlie and I, like most guests, wore masks to our party.

    Everyone came ready to party.

  4.  See a movie:  No Time to Die. Bond, James Bond.  This movie kept me on the edge of my seat right from the start. Gorgeous vistas of Italy and Jamaica with a quick side visit to Havana, Cuba reminded me of why I love to travel.
  5.  Read a book: The End of October by Lawrence Wright. I really, really enjoyed this well-researched novel about a global pandemic that makes COVID seem tame.

    The End of October was written in 2017!!

  6.  List Halloween costumes for quick sale.  The fully unique, comfortable, and handmade costumes were listed but not sold.  I guess next year I’ll be more proactive to find just the right wearer.

    Once upon a time, my little knight even carried her ladyship’s token in his belt.

  7.  Shred old documents.  Another tall stack of old papers are shredded and recycled.  While I won’t list this as a task every month I will continue to whittle down the pile.
  8.  Autumnize the mantel.

    This simple mantel should carry us through Thanksgiving.

    Some bronze, some pumpkins, and the Red Wing stag all say fall is in the air.  Asters are from our garden.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: ADVENTURE.
  10. Write a goal list for November, 2021.

Jo

Iceland: Day 3 and the Lights

/ Jo / 2 Comments

Our third day in Iceland was a Saturday and  I had planned on exploring Reykjavik.

So many scrumptious choices. Lots of people bought bread.

In the morning Charlie, Sug, and I stopped at Brikk bakery for our morning coffee and pastry.

Many stores and restaurants in Iceland open much later in the morning than in the US.

Then on to Bonus which is Iceland’s discount grocery store chain.  Charlie in particular loves going grocery shopping especially in foreign countries.

Reykjavik is on a peninsulas and so is surrounded on 3 sides by water.

After the grocery store we parked the car at our apartment and walked by Reykjavik harbor to take in the weekend flea market.  Frankly I would recommend a pass on this flea market as it has few authentic Iceland elements.  (However, don’t miss the flea market in Paris, France.)

In lieu of butter we were served heavy whipped cream with our waffles.

Then we walked down to the rainbow street where we each had a waffle for lunch at Mokka Kaffi. (We had visited there on our first day in Iceland and had been hungering to try their waffles.) Again, we were not disappointed.

It may come as no surprise that the Northern Lights appear in the northern sky. Look north. (The Big Dipper [center of photo] is a good signpost.)

We were notified in the afternoon that our Northern Lights Tour would actually take place. (I had originally booked with Troll Expeditions for our first night in Iceland but they cancelled that night then said they would not be going out again during our stay.  I had kept supplemental backup information on my itinerary just in case.  So we ended up going out with East West Tours which I booked through Reykjavik Sightseeing, but it can be booked direct with East West.)

Our guide drove us about an hour out of Reykjavik to view the lights. He also took the photos.

We were picked up a block from our apartment at about 9 p.m. by Gustaf driving a Mercedes minibus   We were all dressed in our warmest gear since we would be standing out in the cold Icelandic wind in the middle of the night.

Included in the price of the tour:

  • Pick up 30 mins prior to departure, at any location in Reykjavik area
  • Hot chocolate and Icelandic ‘kleina’ (donuts)

    Gustaf (left) with Charlie’s help served us hot chocolate and kleina after viewing the lights.

  • Photos included
  • Use of tripods
  • Free WiFi
  • Knowledgeable, local guide
  • Drop off back in Reykjavik

I came to Iceland to mark seeing the elusive Aurora Borealis off my bucket list.

This was the dream of a life time — part awesome and part educational.

Iceland:

Jo

Don’t Call Me Pony

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On our second day in Iceland I had planned the morning off since we had been traveling for over 36 hours and were supposed to have stayed up into the wee hours of the night before to search for the Northern Lights.  Due to cloudiness the search was called off so we were up and raring to go the next morning.

We were greeted with a hearty welcome and some very good coffee and pastries. (Le Kock also serves a full Icelandic breakfast buffet.)

Sug was staying about 2 blocks away from us in a guesthouse so we strolled by her digs then continued on down the street to Le Kock restaurant and bakery where we had coffee and donuts.  (They also offer a full  Icelandic breakfast buffet.)

Kaffi Brennslan prepared a custom meal for me which I thoroughly enjoyed.

After breakfast we headed to downtown Reykjavik and walked around until we were hungry — again.  There are lots of small coffee shops with good food and WiFi but I had selected Kaffi Brennslan for our next meal.  We were not disappointed.

Ishestar — “Is” for Iceland, “Hestar” means horses.

We needed to eat an early lunch because I had planned a Lava Tour at 2 p.m. — on horseback!

The stables were full of attractive horses.

Charlie and I have ridden mules at the Grand Canyon, horses in Cuba, and like to plan similar excursions when possible.  Sug, however, had not been on a horse since a carnival pony ride when she was young.

I tried for a selfie but this friendly fellow wanted into the frame.

The 2-hour Lava Tour at Ishestar stables was perfect for the three of us. Though small in stature and pudgy, these are NOT ponies. There is only one type of horse in Iceland which has been native for over 1,000 years and is perfectly suited to the climate.  There are no wild horses — all are owned by someone.

Charlie in his riding gear.

We arrived and were shown a short video of what to expect when we met the horses.  Then we geared up with hardhats.  Ishestar also supplied waterproof suits and boots if needed.  The 3 of us had arrived prepared with waterproof trousers and raincoats.

Jo and Charlie had a photo op before heading back to the stables.

The horses were already tacked when we went to saddle up.  The group was divided into beginners and more experienced riders and assigned a horse accordingly.

Perhaps horse lovers would like a close-up of our steeds.

About a half hour into the 2-hour ride beginners went one way and advanced riders went another.  Charlie and I were in the advanced group where we experienced the trot of an Icelandic horse.  A rider does not post at the trot in Iceland, just maintains an easy bounce with the horse.

Hardy, colorful plants grow on lava.

We discovered a part of Iceland that can only be seen on horseback.  We were also graced with a rainbow but that is not an unusual sight in this enigmatic country.

Iceland:

Jo

Color and Plant Inspiration for a Fall Party

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Before Charlie and I left for Iceland I recovered our occasional pillows with a fall color scheme.

The color scheme — khaki, olive green, burgundy/maroon.

And I made myself a masque with the intention of having a party at the end of October.

A truckful of hardy plants in Reykjavik — kale and heather.

I wasn’t sure what I would be using to decorate the party area until we went to Iceland where gardeners were planting decorative arrangements in October which I suspect remain colorful all winter.

Ornamental kale will withstand cold weather.

While I was unable to find heather, I did find some colorful kale at our local Home Depot.

We have used the transplanted orange flowers over and over in different color arrangements this year to give some pizazz.

I also purchased some burgundy and deep orange chrysanthemums to coordinate with the bright orange marigolds we had been growing during summer.

A relocatable planter.

We used our garden wheelbarrow and a child-sized wheelbarrow to arrange the flowers.

Easy to water and rearrange, the plants are set into the wheelbarrows pots and all.

If the party is in the yard the moveable garden can be stay there.  If the weather mandates that the party is inside the house we’ll wheel the barrows to our entrance.

I’m continuing my hunt for heather so I can have more winter color in our garden like this Icelandic inspiration picture.

Funny how we traveled to Iceland to see the Northern Lights and also received some gardening ideas.

Jo