Bless Bless (Goodbye) Iceland - Bonjour Chèvre, Crepes, Cafe

Monday-Tuesday, June 22-23

   After breakfast, we began what felt like the longest day ever. 

Our first stop was to Seljalandsfos. This waterfall is unique because there is actually a path to walk behind this powerful waterfall. It was fun to both see the falls from another perspective and to take silhouette pictures....naturally, a jumping picture couldn't be avoided. :)

   We were a little bit wet from the spray, but it was a beautiful day outside and we soon dried off. Hitch-hikers are also pretty common in this region, and so we collectively agreed to take a German girl to her next destination. At first, she was really quiet and shy, but as Jamie kept talking to her and asking her questions, she slowly opened up. 

   We dropped off our hitch-hiker, grabbed coffee, sent off a letter, and then set off again for our next destination, Geysir. This geysir is the one that all other geysirs are named after. It used to be much more active than it is today and was known to shoot water 80 feet into the air. Unfortunately, tourists in the past threw rocks into a certain hole in the geysir which slowed down its activity. However, there is a smaller geysir right next to it that is still very active and will shoot water 20 feet into the air about every 5 minutes. We also stopped briefly at Þingvellir to see the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian plates. It was also the sight of many important, annual meetings to discuss and decide important decisions about Iceland (a type of government meeting).

   Our last stop in Iceland was the Blue Lagoon. It is probably the most popular and "touristy" location, but a unique and fun experience as well. We changed into our bathing suits and lounged in the HUGE pool of naturally heated water that has the color of a milky blue. We waded around the lagoon trying to find the hottest pockets of water (it was a bit windy and cold outside), ordered juice and Skyr (like yogurt) shakes from the "bar," and covered our faces with a mineral-rich mud. They closed the lagoon at 9pm, so we got out, showered (unfortunately it really dries out your hair), and dressed for our 1:00AM flight to Paris. 

On our way to the airport, we bought hot dogs (apparently, a common item in Iceland) and had fun with the lady who worked there. She asked us if we wanted the ketchup over, under, or over and under. One of us had under, another over, and the other two over and under. She actually did a great job remembering, but it was entertaining to watch her try and figure it out. Our last stop was the 4x4 Car Rental where we reluctantly returned our Jeep. It was a great vehicle for us: comfortable, reliable, and it pretty much became our "home" for our week in Iceland.

Leifur Eiriksson:

   At the airport, we checked in, walked to our gate and boarded our flight to Paris. The fight itself was 2.5 hours, so we only slept a little bit, but because of the time change, we arrived in Paris at 6AM. We were exhausted with so little (and little quality) sleep, but it was our last few hours with Jamie. After we had all stored our bags, we took these hours to roam around the streets of Paris. Jamie had actually spent a total of about 4 months here, so we walked and took the Metro to several of her favorite spots. Our first order of business was to get coffee. We then ordered amazing crepes (filled with egg, cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato, onion) from her favorite crepe place in the 5th district. From there, we took a Metro to a park with an incredible view. While at the domed terrace that overlooked Paris, I felt like we were watching the next Step Up movie as a small dance crew was practicing their moves on the level below us.

Sooo tired...but ready for coffee

   From the park, we walked/took the Metro to another district in Paris to visit another coffee shop (Holy Belly), but it ended up being closed. Instead, we got some juice (Emily ordered in French from a guy who ended up being from Australia). Once we arrived back at the train station, we said goodbye to Jamie, who would later fly out to Africa to start her photography work for non-profit organizations. It was really sad to see her go, but we were also excited for her because this is a ministry she has been dreaming and planning for quite awhile. 

   Stephen, Emily, and I took naps on our 2.5 hour train ride from Paris to Avignon. We woke up just before our train stop (I had been sure to set my alarm). Now that we were here, I had the address to our night's lodging (through bnb), but no one seemed to know where the street was. The lady at the information booth was actually extremely helpful and looked it up on her phone. She advised us to take a taxi, which we did, and ended up at our little apartment for the night. We were extremely tired, but hungry for dinner so we set down our luggage and walked out to the city center of Avignon and ate dinner at one of the restaurants. We noticed dark clouds quickly gathering over us, so we moved inside the restaurant. Good thing, too, because as soon as we did it started pouring! Dinner was delicious and there was a lull in the rain as we walked home. Showers that night felt amazing, and we were more than ready for bed. Even though it was hot and humid (especially coming from a cooler, drier climate), we soon fell asleep....but not for the whole night. At about 2:30AM, Emily and I woke up quickly when we heard it pouring rain again. We had woken up because our window, which was placed on the roof, was open and letting in the rain. Although it was still hot, we closed the window, except for a small crack, and laid in bed for quite awhile listening to the thunder and watching lightning light up the room. I haven't experienced a lightning and thunder storm like this one in quite awhile. 

Our "natural" peaceful sleeping position :)

Emily and I had salad and amazing French cheese. 

Cowboy cheeseburger for the hamburger fanatic. 

The Long Drive

Sunday, June 21

   Sunday was "the long drive," but not without incredible views at every turn. Landscapes changed from layered green mountains, to clear glassy lakes, to vast black sand beaches. During one stretch we saw a mountain in the distance which to us became first an eagle...but then a dragon. The shadows complimented the picture perfectly, as well as the clouds (what we depicted as smoke) that billowed up from the adjacent mountain/volcano. 

   Our first real stop for the day was at an Viking village set that someone had used for their film. It was fun to explore the little village, take fun pictures, and I even found a flower that looked and felt more like cotton on a stem.

You can just barely see the village in the background between us. 

Our Viking faces:

   After a few more hours of driving, we hit up the glacier lagoon. Words cannot really describe how beautiful the glaciers were, and after being in the car all day and with each other for a week, we enjoyed the scenery but also took quite a few hilarious (to us anyways) photos. :)

   Our last stop for the day was to have dinner in Vik. Stephen and I had a habit of ordering the same meals, and tonight was no different. Fish and vegetables became our common dinner, but it was hard to resist when everything on the plate was fresh! After dinner, we drove to a nearby beach. The contrast of the bright green plants over black sand was again, beautiful. At this stop, we decided to send off a message in a bottle. Emily's mom had given her the supplies, so we created our own version of a message, sealed the bottle tight with super glue (yes, we just happened to have some) and duct tape (we also happened to have that too). Using Stephen's good throwing arm, we launched the bottle out into the ocean, and if it actually goes out to sea and follows the currents, could potentially end up in Canada or the East Coast. :)

   That night, we had a last minute adventure. We reached our hostel, which was scenically placed beside a waterfall, and asked for our reservation. But they couldn't find us. We then had a thought that we had booked it for the wrong night....and sure enough, that is what had happened. There were no available spots there for that night, so they directed us to a hotel nearby. It was late at night, but the receptionist was still very friendly and gave us two rooms for the night at about the same price that we would've paid for the hostel. It was nice to have the sheets and towels provided as well as a full-on breakfast in the morning.

Our drive to the hostel:

Distance covered today:

Summer Solstice

Being that I am now in France...and it is Wednesday...I have a lot to catch up on, so I will have to summarize more and just hit the highlights.

Saturday, June 20

   After waking up early, we drove further around the lake to Dimmugorgir. The area surrounding the lake is very volcanic and this particular area had volcanic columns twisting up into the sky. They were the perfect setting to take pictures with the Viking hat we had been given. :) We also had to try very hard to avoid Midges which were everywhere. These fly-like nuisances are attracted to carbon dioxide so they will always congregate around your face. Very annoying. They surround the lake region, so every time we entered or exited the car, we had to make it quick in order to avoid a crowd of Midges moving in. 

Lake Myvatn:

Dimmuborgir:

   Our next stop for the day was Godafoss (waterfall of the gods). In 1000 AD, Iceland was proclaimed a Christian nation. On his way back from the announcement, a prominent leader threw all of his gods into the waterfall which is why it received its name. They are also very beautiful and powerful to see and reminded us of a miniature version of Niagra Falls. 

Godafoss:

Me: "Stephen, make a face like a god"

And now silly

And I guess a nice one too. :)

   A little bit after noon, we arrived at Husavik, the Whale watching capital of Iceland. We booked our tour and set off soon after. At first, it was slow going and even though they almost always have sightings, our doubts started to set in. But sure enough, we saw a Humpback Whale made its appearance off in the distance. Later on, a Minke Whale made his appearance, but the best show was to come toward the end of our trip. Both types of whales were feeding close to the boat and coming up several times for air. Then the Humpback Whale actually surfaced right next to the boat and pretty much swam right underneath us!! We were so close to him and as he surfaced a few times, we were able to enjoy a close-up view. Our boat ride also showed us a few puffins who would skid across the water as they tried to take off...sometime successful, other times not. They are so dense because they were made to dive at such deep levels, that it also makes it difficult for them to actually take off and fly. 

Husavik:

Whale pics are on my nice camera. :)

   From Husavik, we drove through some spectacular (or "ominous" as became the vocab word of the week) volcanic scenery to more of a country scene. We'd read about a place where we could pet reindeer, and after traversing through the countryside and over a very tight bridge, we ended up at someone's house. It felt a bit awkward because no one was around, but finally a few men came up. They looked just as confused as us, and we later learned that they had gotten rid of their petting zoo and only had a baby reindeer that they kept as a pet. Fortunately, they were nice and let us pet the extremely cute baby reindeer. 

Volcanic scenery

   Our night's stay was in Seydisfjordur. It also happened to be the Summer Solstice, where we could see the "midnight sun" if there were no clouds. At midnight, there were clouds blocking the sun, but Jamie had a surprise for us. With her wrapped "parcel," we all left our hostel to find a good location for it. We happened upon the perfect solution. The town of Seydisfjordur is an artistic town, but also very quaint. But a main feature at night is the large, lit-up sign on the side of a hill. Being a picturesque place, we climbed through a field and under a fence to reach the sign, where then Jamie pulled out sparklers for us to celebrate with. Being a photographer, she also pulled out her camera, and we partook in a fun photo session while celebrating the summer solstice with sparklers. 

Driving to Seydisfjordur 

Looking down on seydisfjordur 

Walking up to the sign:

Jamie's bouquet of dandelions:

Hamborgarafabrikkan

Friday, June 19

   We still had yet to see the sun, and this morning was no different. Low clouds covered us in a slight fog along with a rain that steadily increased in intensity. It certainly wasn't ideal conditions for Emily's first turn to drive, but we made it safely through. Once the clouds lifted, it was once again hard to take our eyes off of the surrounding beauty. I have a habit of occasionally yelling out, "Hey guys, we're in Iceland!" just to keep the excitement fresh. However, it has now turned into a joke, because the first time I yelled it out, the first thing I also pointed out was a building....which was probably the most unattractive object to point out in that setting. 

   The first stop of the day was in a little town where we stopped to feed ourselves and our Jeep. While walking to the cafe, we noticed a line of fish skeletons drying out on a line along with a large whale bone and several wooden statues of seals. The cafe served us delicious quiche with the side of garlic sauce. When the waitress came to collect our plates, she noticed the nearly full saucers and since she had made the sauce, she jokingly said she was going to the kitchen to cry. We weren't sure whether to laugh at first, but then she turned back and said, "I am joking." :)

Little town:

Sven matching our Jeep:

Emily and Jamie outside the cafe:

   Ever since meeting the horses a few days before, we had started to collect sugar cubes at different cafes. As we were leaving the town, we passed some beautiful horses grazing along the side of the road, so we immediately pulled off and grabbed the sugar cubes. Surprisingly, the horses took the sugar, but not with as much enthusiasm as when we offered dandelions and other flowers. A few of the horses were very friendly, especially as we were feeding them, but the others could've cared less. 

   As I continued driving us around the peninsula, the scenery changed to green fields and a crystal blue ocean...but something just felt different. Then it hit me. The sun had actually come out, and this was the first time I was seeing it in Iceland! It dramatically enhanced the colors and created such vivid scenery. 

   At the tip of the peninsula, we pulled off and took a short hike to see a curved rock statue in the ocean. As with many other natural monuments, Iceland used this interesting rock form to create a connection to some mythical creature...mainly trolls, dwarfs, or elves. The rock statue in the water was supposedly a troll, but looked more like two arches...maybe a monster taking a drink of water, but we couldn't really see why they thought of a troll. 

On our way to see the troll:

   We also stopped at a beach to meet some seals, but they were on the other side of the channel and could only be seen from a distance. We did, however, come in contact with more "Angry Birds" and were almost attacked by several! They are extremely territorial and would bomb-dive toward us without actually getting us. Even so, we took that as our cue and went on our way. 

   Jamie took over the wheel, and we ended up in Arkureyri for dinner. When we asked a kid (older-high-school range), he recommended a restaurant that we had to ask him to repeat about 6 times! The english translation is Hamburger Factory, but in Icelandic, it is very long and complicated (Hamborgarafabrikkan) We ended up taking his suggestion and were really glad we did. The menu was sassy and entertaining to read, and the food was absolutely delicious. 

Sven reading the menu:

   From here, Stephen drove us the rest of the way to our night's stay at Lake Myvatn. Fortunately, the area we stayed in was small, because we only had a street name and a picture of the building to direct us. We found it fairly easily, with only a small amount of exploring. Once inside, we unpacked, chatted for awhile with a cup of tea (it was easy to forget the time when it never got dark), then went to bed.

PS. I have several photos of the sights I talk about on my nice camera. I'll post those when I get home. :)