 |
| Photo from the Planetarium |
Travel to Orleans can have it's challenges but trying to go from Ottawa can be just as taxing, especially before the Winterlude rush. Have you ever planned a flight and gotten a pretty good deal but found it was 29 hours with connections then found out it was only a 5 1/2 hour flight? We decided to pay more to go direct from Toronto to Iceland in the dead of winter and recoup some money by driving there. The drive took place in the torrential rain with temperatures of 12 degrees. Now who on earth leaves their hometown when it's 12 degrees to go to a country called Iceland IN WINTER? But wait, in school they taught us Iceland was really green so we were safe, right? They wouldn't lie to us? Right??
Well, the red eye had us arriving early to a blizzard, and starving on a Sunday so sadly, of course, everything was closed. What to do, what to do? For this travel, I came with a very detailed plan of what to see and do but the universe had other plans for us. The first stop was supposed to be the Blue Lagoon which opened upon our arrival but the severe cold scared us off. Gale force winds deterred us from soaking for the day in hot springs so instead we went to the Perlan Planetarium. We were their first guests and unfortunately I slept thru the show due to jet lag. It doesn't help that day light only really starts at 11am. We have to be out of the house at 10 a.m. every day so that we can maximize our 5 hours of touring the island and start heading home by 4pm before dark when we would turn into pumpkins.
12-14 Jan-Stay Apts Reyjkavik: So far I was very unimpressed by Reyjkavik (aka Ottawa's weather-clone sister), until we went to the outside deck of the planetarium in the blizzard. Omg gorgeous but frostbitey weather. The famous downtown church was closed for Sunday mass but it was immense and just ok.
I've never actually seen a church that size with the most minimalistic decor ever- no stain glass, marble, anything.
Typical Icelandic lunch, so proud of myself for trying new foods and it's like my fav recipe Coquille St Jacques. Tried to walk the streets in the city centre but with the gale force wind, it was really cold and I had this dry hacking cough that reacted whenever I went outside. I mean, what the hell was I thinking? We went to the Airbnb hotel and they must have had a very good photographer because the place was the size of a matchbox which was unfortunate because we were going to be there for 2 days. Great location walking to the restaurants and the sites and the beds must have been comfortable because I woke up at 10:10am the next day in shock, never having slept that late.
13th- it's amazing how you can make an oatmeal feast with all the leftover airplane snacks then off to the gorgeous Blue Lagoon Spa. It's everything you've ever heard and more. Unlike the Nordic Spa with individual pools this has one big massive Olympic sized irregular shaped pool with white silica healing water, a drink bar and lots of hidden coves. Found my travel companion gleefully ogling a photographer taking pictures of an Icelandic buxom beauty in a very sexy bathing suit posing. Could hardly drag him away from there, the animal! There is a face mask station by the water to do a variety of treatments including a collagen anti-aging mask. I wanted to cover my whole body in that. It's funny to see everyone relaxing and leisurely floating with white masks on their face then simply slipping below the water to wash it off.
Was fascinated by the fact that it did not open until 1992 and only after a couple of young guys horsing around in the outdoor pond by their work were shocked to find it cleared up the psoriasis of one of them. It works so well that the doctors nearby will give you a prescription to go there daily if you have a skin condition; I must move there. The three men must be millionaires so if anyone has any of their phone numbers please let me know... to discuss business opportunities, of course. The airport has a full shop selling the Blue Lagoon products. The prices were redonculous and the only reason I needed them so much was their pool tortured and stripped my hair for the entire week. Can't comb or brush this rat's nest. I'm hoping to have a normal, unsulphered, non rotten egg bath in Canada and it should be aces again without spending $125 for conditioner.
 |
| These are some of the road warnings you will see at the airport. Very welcoming. |
14-15 - Spirit Farms Selfoss
Well we were looking forward to going on as far as the south of the island in Vik but that was not to be. Going thru the mountain pass was ugly with whiteout conditions, quite nerve wracking. they provide a very comprehensive list of roads and that was on the list which has been impassable so we had to re-book our Airbnb and chose a place that I had originally wanted to go to but we didn't, called spirit farms, another spiritual Airbnb. couldn't wait to talk to these people. So it is in the middle of nowhere and run by two brothers who are hippies. While I love hippies, often their places are substandard but their's was awesome. They have incorporated the best of all accommodations users; Airbnb, Woofers and more volunteers so the place is clean and he offers sweat lodges and all kinds of side events like I do, only HE is crazy busy. I'm NOT bitter. :)
We booked the room, took off to sight see and by the time we got back I never saw them again.
Pity. I would have loved to have talked to him about his sweat Lodge and workshops. His place was like an artistic hostel but thankfully not like the one in Bangkok overrun by feral cats that my daughter forced me to stay at. He gave us some great tourism ideas too. Daylight was slipping away so we went nearby to see only the Kerid Crater and it was cold, snow covered and gorgeous but like most other sites in Iceland in winter, it's black and white. I can't even imagine what most of these sites must be like in the summer and I can't wait to come back with my family , Aurora Borealis in absentia be damned.
Actually every day was a mad hunt for the Northern Lights. You see it in winter when the skies are full of stars. If there's clouds you don't see anything and there were clouds and snow all week. Occasionally we would have a perfect night and spend the whole night with her eyes glued. Sometimes the lights only come for a few minutes but alas not for us. One lady told us she lived there for 10 years and it took her three years to even see the lights so I feel better. Having the apps just makes you more paranoid that you're missing something because they notify you within seconds of Aurora's arrival, only to disappoint. How can you tell I'm bitter?
15-16 a Cozy Little Cabin - We woke up to a beautiful red sunrise. I was up at 5am and the rest of the house at 10. Got an Aurora notification saying she was visible at 5:29 am. Nope, never saw it. Our first stop was to see the oldest Eco settlement in the world called Solhenir but alas it's winter and they don't open until spring but I'm still saying I've been there .
Next we went to Hruni, the highlight of my trip at the Natural hot springs. It really is in the middle of nowhere, is free, which coincidentally is my favourite price and as we got out of our car I wondered about the sanity of the two of us. We might have turned around and walked away had we not run into to a lone female telling us yes the air temperature is cold but the hot springs are fantastic and her second time going. It was blustery, more gale force winds and we were frozen .
You hike up the small trail to the grass covered shack for trolls and fairies, doff your clothes as fast as humanly possible , don a bathing suit and jump into a two-person deep coffin, which warms you to your soul. Sure, there were nearby ponds but only the truly brave and adventurous like myself would climb over the snow and into the ponds to find that they're just too shallow to be wasting valuable body temperatures in. The Taj Mahal was the bubbling water box. I can't wait to bring my family back to one of my new happy places.
Although our trip was very detailed oriented, we ended up having to be very flexible with our plans, often driving thru the same area over and over and over again. Next time it will be be the circle route hitting every sight exactly once.
The end of a perfect day was to use our what we thought was rye bread with the havarti cheese and the spread that I brought to make grilled cheese sandwiches. Oh my god it was the worst meal in history. It turns out the rye bread was actually molasses dessert bread and the spread was cream cheese which does not fry. It was a bloody sweet mess that fell apart on you plate. I looked with envy at the meal the three young kids had made; rice in a bowl and borscht soup which I would have killed for it. Ironically I found out later that they hated their meal too because it was so bland so I guess we're never happy.  |
| This volcano covers everything in ashes |
 |
| Did not see this thankfully but there are 200 earthquakes/day! |
We had to keep constant watch on the roads so when they were clear we decided to drive down towards Vic to see see the Volcano Lava Interactive Museum. It was very cool and then we went back the exact same way we came twice before to see first the
Selfoss Geyser and then the Gullfoss Waterfall and both were free. I'm shocked at how many big attractions don't charge in Iceland. Then off to a cozy cabin in the middle of nowhere where we could count on seeing the Northern Lights finally. I had much guilt for contacting the host Hulda to tell them it was chilly in there . At 10:45 pm she left her FIVE children with her husband and drove15-minutes to give us extra blankets and a heater. We are couple of suck babies, ok, me especially. Cooked a hobo supper which was the best we've ever eaten. Chefs from the world over would be stopping in our cabin to taste test and sign us up to work for their 5-star Michelin restaurants. Play some cards and dice game and then we opened the blinds behind the bed and stared out for the entire night certain we would see Aurora finally. Nope, not this clear night either. I'm getting very bitter about Aurora evading us . I'm starting to wonder if this is an old folk legend and she doesn't even exist... and to carry it one step further, the tales we learned in school that Iceland is really quite green and warm, all lies. I'm sure it was just a bunch of drunken bums sitting around going well we got suckered into coming here so maybe we should perpetrate the myth and tell all our friends to come join us. It's just a thought.
 |
| Gulfoss falls, a mini version of Niagara Falls |
 |
| The Geyser as it blew |
Selfoss Geyser and then the Gullfoss Waterfall and both were free. I'm shocked at how many big attractions don't charge in Iceland. Then off to a cozy cabin in the middle of nowhere where we could count on seeing the Northern Lights finally. I had much guilt for contacting the host Hulda to tell them it was chilly in there . At 10:45 pm she left her FIVE children with her husband and drove15-minutes to give us extra blankets and a heater. We are couple of suck babies, ok, me especially. Cooked a hobo supper which was the best we've ever eaten. Chefs from the world over would be stopping in our cabin to taste test and sign us up to work for their 5-star Michelin restaurants. Play some cards and dice game and then we opened the blinds behind the bed and stared out for the entire night certain we would see Aurora finally. Nope, not this clear night either. I'm getting very bitter about Aurora evading us . I'm starting to wonder if this is an old folk legend and she doesn't even exist... and to carry it one step further, the tales we learned in school that Iceland is really quite green and warm, all lies. I'm sure it was just a bunch of drunken bums sitting around going well we got suckered into coming here so maybe we should perpetrate the myth and tell all our friends to come join us. It's just a thought.
16-18 Warm Cozy Cottage in the Golden Circle Hallador
 |
| Fault lines |
Exhausted, on our final night, and with Icelandic kronors burning a hole in my pockets, we went back to Reykjavik to have a typical meal. We ordered soup shared an appetizer had the main course into desserts and the bill came to $212!!!! I guess we're not going to do this every day. Everything on the island is expensive . A loaf of bread $10, bag of chips $10, eggs $8, one slice of Cheesecake $23 . This is not a place you stay long-term.
Well we spent the last night standing outside "pushing clouds away", just shy of doing a Aurora rainbow Northern Lights dance and finally gave up. How annoying to see on two apps that the town on one side and the other side of where we were staying both saw the lights.
The couple's place we stayed at was fascinating. I wish I could have spent more time with them. We stayed in the guest house which was medieval looking somewhat and they had traditional beds, singles, set separately against the wall, headboard to headboard. Not much nooky going on in this arrangement. I guess it all worked out because by the time you finish a week travelling with a friend you're more than happy to have your own space and peace and quiet at night from each other. Translation, neither of us successfully smothered the other while they slept and snored and that's truly a miracle.
Got an early start on our departure day in Iceland. Off to tour the capital for him and to a city pool including a rooftop hot spring pool for me. They believe the hot springs are so good for you that people start or finish their day with a $10 soak at the local pools and there are so many of them. Keep in mind that they're very comfortable with their bodies so the showers are single sex, open concept. Oh goodie, you know how much of love public nudity.
At the airport by 2 and by the time I got back to Toronto's snow storm, we drove 4 hours on the treacherous roads, stayed in a last minute hotel, came back to an Ottawa snow storm, shoveled out a driveway to get my car and home, it was not until 24 hours later. Home sweet home. Decorations still up and I'm so tired, I'm thinking I will be that crazy Christmas B&B lady with the year round decorations.
Some take aways from this trip -
Make tiny bread balls and sprinkle them with coarse salt.
Roundup some empty lobster tails to make fish soup like every restaurant over there made
Get a waffle maker
Get all my contracts written in blood
The puffins will have to wait until I return in the summer
Aurora will have to wait till I return too.
Never travel in winter to Iceland!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment