Oh, I've been a lax blogger! But Sheena and I have been busy, for sure. Our latest adventure was a trip to Iceland in February.
Day one: we had stayed overnight near the airport as the flight was at silly o'clock. All went smoothly and we landed in Iceland at just after 9am local time (which was the same as UK time). It was cold, but not snowy as I had imagined. There was old snow on the ground, muddied and slushed, but the vista was of rocky, snow-highlighted terrain rather than the white-out I had anticipated. Warmer than usual for the time of year perhaps? But it was chilly, and the wind was biting!
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| Stripy Icelandic Mountains |
We eventually found our hotel after asking directions (sent to the wrong place, with same road name), and using an insufficiently detailed map until at last our sat nav started to work. On the way up the main road from Keflavik to Reykjavik we passed the biggest fish processing plant I've ever seen - it must have been about a kilometre long! But then fishing is a mainstay of their economy, so not surprising.
As soon as I walked in I realised it was the same hotel that I had stayed in during my previous visit 8 or so years previously, even though I hadn't made the booking this time. Picture hunting lodge (entrance) crossed with motel style parking and rooms, and a sports bar with video screen (showing flickering firelight most of the time). The ground was icy - and there were dirty piles of snow in the corners of the parking area. Across the road we had a lovely view of the KFC (no, we didn't eat there once). Our room upstairs looked out across the town (Mosfellsbaer) to mountains that were striped with snow that snuggled away from the wind in the channels made from years of meltwater scoured paths. It was picturesque, but somewhat bleak without the mantle of complete snow cover. It was a nice room, a very comfy bed, and pleasant staff. The breakfast was a help-yourself buffet which enabled us to fill up heartily for the day ahead.
We spent our first day relaxing and went to the local supermarket to stock up on some sandwich
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| Our hats kept us warm and made others smile! |
components. We visited the bar in the evening and chatted with some other residents in the lounge, plus an Icelandic storyteller. Now, he probably didn't picture himself as a storyteller, but we all recognised him as such. He started off as a fisherman, working out of Dubai. He had an apartment in Dubai. He was the son of the family who owned the massive fish processing factory. His father was dead, his mother was an alcoholic. He inherited the family business and was a fisherman. I have never seen a fisherman with such soft, small hands! But who knows, maybe he was the sonar operator or something. He had an apartment in Iceland, no, an apartment and a house, or was it now two houses? He was upset that girls he met wouldn't wait for him for three months every time he went to sea. He loved being at sea, even though as a millionaire he didn't need to work. He also loved to talk, but seemed to be following in his mother's footsteps. Our host came in and spoke something rapid and harsh in Icelandic. He sloped back to the main bar, like a contrite child.
It was good to exchange pleasantries with the other guests, and share what we had done or what we were going to do. Our first day was relaxing and we slept well after our very early start. No Northern lights out the window, but rain!
In part two - LAVA!
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All Photos (C) Carolyn Tyrrell-Sheppard
