Home bound but not for long

Our last breakfast, our last B&B. We had a pensieve journey back to the airport, we didn’t want to leave but we are looking forward to non smelly showers and our flat. Even I’m not going to miss bread and cheese.

No more evil signs

Bread and cheese again! Ali just can’t take it anymore. We had an early drive to the ferry to save us going on the brown roads again. The sea was turquoise but thank goodness we didn’t have to go on the brown roads. I had to get out of the car and walk on while Ali drove on.

It was so windy but we saw so many birds. We stopped at Flatley island where a number of women drinking, in brightly coloured clothes and a guitar got on and progressed to sing and get everyone on the ship dancing on the desk.

We drove around Snaefells, saw an icecap, lava fields and volcanoes. We had a picnic in the windiest place ever by a crater. We passed a man on a coach who was weeing into the facing traffic and then got to our last hotel.

Puffins and a boarding school

We shared an apartment with people working in Homovik, which we later also saw on the plane. Our breakfast was in a basket of guess what?....bread and cheese. Holmovik was the town of signs, they were everywhere and I got a little addicted.

We drove to Latrabjarg over so many brown roads that they seriously got to us, we had a few hairy moments but it was so nice to stop for lunch at a beach where the picnic table had a guest book on it. We checked into Hotel Latrabjarg which was previously a boarding school, complete with hall and long corridors. However, the shower is a childs shower and there is only one for all 24 people in the hotel and it cost 125 poinds to stay there.

The sand around Latrabjarg was so golden, and the sea turquoise. We had another bumpy drive to see kittiwakes, razorbills and puffins but it was so worth it, you could get so close. We walked along the cliffs, along the golden sand beach and attacked by artic tern yet again. We had dinner in the school hall and then to bed before matron switched the lights off.

Sea ice and seal pups

The holiday plays havoc with my dreams. Yet another smelly shower, and then a trip to Glaumbaer, turf houses. We went inside one to see where they lived. The beds were about 10 inches shorter than me. We visited Blonduos, the sea ice exhibition in the oldest building in Iceland. We visited Hvammstand, a seal centre which had disgusting films of seal butchery but they encouraged us to drive to Illugastair and I’m so pleased they did as there were so many wild seals, white pups playing on the rocks.

We had a long drive to the Western Fjords to Holmovik along many brown roads and deathly drops on my side.

Our heaven - Grimsey

Shocking dream night. I dreamt I was married to Katie Price, but then I was stuck on the volcano with the head of M15 which I saved from the eruption so I was honoured by Prince charles. He gave me a pink gown. So, where did that come from? 

Brekkie then up and away early to get to the airport. En route we stopped at Godafoss falls. We got the airport 3 hours early but as checkin was one desk, the next room was depatures, and the next room arrivals, without doors, there was little to do. We had a receipt for a boarding pass. No customs, no passport control, no security. Our plane at 19 seats that folded down that were tiny. We were on a tiny propeller plane that only took 25 minutes to get to Grimsey airport, a building of only one room that anyone can walk onto the runway. Our guide met us with a stick for the tallest people that we were instructed to wave over our heads as the artic terns had just had chicks. They swooped us constantly. We found their wggs, we saw kittiwakes, fulmars and so many puffins, just meters away from us. They were so close with their bright orange legs. We went to the beacj where the locals collect sea bird eggs by abseiling. We really didn’t want to leave, we could have stayed for weeks just watching.

Back on the plane, without boarding pass, we just got on. We drove to the hotel while fantasicing about owning our own B&B one day.

Whale watching and hypothermia

What an eggy shower! Ali also came out with the line at ‘breakfast, lunch and dinners are really resembling each other aren’t they’? We eat out every other day and breakfast, lunch and dinner of bread, cheese, salami and crisps are getting a bit monotonous.

We drove to Dettifoss on the worst brown road we have been on. We had 30km of bumps but then we got to the amazing waterfall, it was so powerfull. We drove through the national park, past craters and then we finally got off of the brown road. We drove around the headland to Husavik and then to the whale museum which was kinda gory as it started with whaling. The museum was full of whale skeltons. We had lunch overlooking the mountains and then drove t our closed hotel where we abandoned the car and walked to our whale watching tool. Ali wore a protective suit and off we went on a scooner that was previously used for cod fishing but as it uses sail, it was no longer needed. The water was crystal clear but choppy.

We followed minke whales, dolphins, puffins but it was so so so cold. We had hot choclate with the capitains rum in it and a cinemon roll that warmed me from the inside and then walked back to the hotel. Today we had 4 beds, they are getting bigger and bigger.

Mosquito nets at the ready

Tiny room, tiny shower and then breakfast in toy town. It’s the quantist place I have ever seen in my life, nestled between 2 fjords. We drove back over the mountain pass, through the frozen lakes, and then drove to lake Myvatn. We drove to Mount Krafla, through a power station and walked around the caldera while Ali still hobbled along. At Leirhnjuker we walked across moss covered lava that smelt absolutely disgusting as the flies were insistant in going in our mouths. They are addicted to oxygen, and addicted to annoying me so I insisted we the mosquito nets.

We drove to Hvergall – a tephra crater on such a bad road that we couldn’t get to the top , next time  At Dimmuborgir we got to test out our mosquito nets and walked through the lava formations left over when the lake drained. The pseudocraters were amazing, so were the flies that swarmed the car and us. We stayed in Hotel Edna, a series of houses with a much bigger room but back to the sulphur showers.

We visited Myvatn natural baths, had another naked shower, and they say that the smell of eggs goes away. It sooooo doesn’t ! We walked to dinner in our mosquito nets and went bird watching in a picture perfect sunset, still smelling of sulphur.

White curtains are pointless

Ali was still hobbling as we had breakfast in the communal room and met some friends who we would later meet at the next destination (a theme of the trip). We drove to Hofn glacier museum which exceeded expectations. It had videos of the James bond films filled there. We had a lovely drive through lava fields to the eastern Fjords. A scenic drive across headlands and the clouds lifted to let us see the crystal clear water and mountains. Lunch between two mountains and then a visit to Petra’s mineral collection. It was huge, so many things in one place.It was definitely a day of mountains, sea, estuaries and glacial rivers. We drove around Lagarfjot, a large lake that has the equivalent of Nessie. We saw a tiny Icelandic forest, and then drove over a mountain pass, complete with frozen lake and snow. Its quite surreal to be so sun burned, on a boiling hot day, with snow and ice. We stayed in a fishing village in the tinniest room every, with 2 tiny single beds, 1 tiny bathroom where the door didn’t shut propely and white curtains. Pointless!

Icebergs sunbathing on the beach

We drove to Skaftafell national park through lava fields and looking at the icecap and glaciers. A very uphill climb took us to Svartifoss, a waterfall of basalt columns that sparked in the sunshine. Unfortunately Ali fell on her ankle but the sun was shining and stupid me forgot to put suncream on. Lunch overlooking the glacier and then onto Jukulsarlon to a beach that had icebergs on it. They were just sat on the black sand melting with the waves crashing into them.

We visited the glacial lagoon to join the amphibious vehicle on a tour around the icebergs and glacier in the boiling heat. Small boats joined the boat as they guided us through the icebergs. We ate some crystal clear ice, and then Ali started to hubble from the pain. We drove to Hotel Arnanes, where we stayed in a cabin and had dinner of French onion soup that was actually tomato and basil, and my skin started to crisp as I beemed lobster red.

Engagement day :)

Oh my gosh, it was hot in the night, and so bright at 2am. Due to the ash of the volcano, we weren’t allowed to open the windows. I got the moneys worth at breakfast and then off for another hot tub in our robes and slippers. To my surprise, Ali had my ring and said “Honey, I can’t believe you have put up with me for 2.5 years, I love you so much, and I can’t imagine life without you, would you do me the honour of being my wife?”. On one knew, in the hot tub, overlooking the river and volcano. I said ‘of course I will, yes’. We had pictures, Jacuzzi again and then dreamt of Ranga being our wedding venue. Pn to Seljalandfoss waterfalls and Skogafoss for lunch, past the erupting volcano.

Onto Dyrhoalaey, and a massive climb up to the cliff in the car over a gravel road. We sat watching the basalt arche, sea birds as the clouds drew in and then we were walking through the clouds. Onto Reynisdranger to see the sea stack and black sand beach. Onto Fjadrangljfur to a canyon, where we walked up to the top of the hill. The canyon looked like shards of rock

Overnight in the Iceland air hotel, slightly lifeless compared to last night but I don’t care, we are engaged!

The best meal of my life

Back in the car and it was time to say goodbye to Reykjavik. We drove to Pingvellir with my multiple maps (none of our road maps covered the entire area so I had 3 on the go. One of which kept changing the position of North, who would do that? Some of the time our map was upside down, some sideways.

We walked through Pingvellir, where the first parliament was held, past a waterfall, cememtary and up a very steep footpath as we tried to avoid the ants (tourists). We drove to Geysir, lunch and watched Stokkur explode every few minutes. It was amazing, how it bulged and then exploded.

We visited the volcano exhibition which boomed but the best news of all, we found a road map!!!! I can’t explain my excitement. We drove to Golfoss, a double cascade waterfall. We walked along the top of the fall and then sat on a bank watching the ants.

Onto Hotel Ranga, the only 4star hotel in Iceland and we were given the Australia suite! With balcony, Jacuzzi bath, surf board on the wall, night sky on the ceiling and black out curtains 

We walked through the hotel in our rolbes and slippers to the hot tub and watched volcano Hekla. I had the best meal that I’ve ever had in my life. Polenta and beetroot with mushroom sauce, skewered chicken and wild mushroom risotto and mint marinated cucumber, brownie and pistachio with blueberry sorbet. It was amazing! And I don’t like mushrooms.

Jacuzzi bath after dinner, then to bed in the dark.

First eggy shower of many

Morning arrived and it was just as light as last night. Ali’s nightmare continued with a shower in a shower curtain again and my nightmare started with sulphur showers and showering with a nose peg on. Breakfast of break and cheese (my favourite), and then off for a walk to the church. We went up the elevator to gorgeous views of the city and it’s unique buildings and mountains. We picked up some provisions which cost £20 for bread, cheese and crisps and then drove to Perlan geothermal pods.

On to Hafnarfjordur, where pixies are respected but the map of pixies was £9 and my desire to see pixies doesn’t equate to £9. A drive to Seltan, thermal vents that stank of rotten egs that you could taste, and bubbling mud pots of 200 degrees Celsius. We were warned against walking off of the boardwalks but alas, the tourists risked falling through the earth. The walked the loop, went down a very bumpy brown road, saw Arctic terns and then we finally found the symbol for the Bridge over 2 continents, after going a long way wrong. By this time, the weather took a time for the worse, it was rainy, windy, freezing as I walked over the bridge between the Eruasian and American plates.

Lunch in the car trying to get the feeling back in my fingers, then we visited the Blue Lagoon while the wind was blowing a gale and the rain was pouring. We dashed to the pool in the cold wind after the Icelandic tradition of naked showers, into the wave machine. We spent the entire time trying to find sheltered spots and rescuing ali as we had to force our way through the gale. It was squidgy underfoot from the algae which was a trifle disgusting. We covered our faces in the silica mask that hut your face, and then relaxed. On the drive back to Reykjavik, we passed the most phenomenal rainbow, it was meant to be.

First time on the wrong side

Ali’s worst nightmare was realised in the morning, a shower curtain! We had a breakfast gorge and then took the bus to the airport. We found a stalker who followed us from the door, onto the plane (complete with following us to arrivals to get a sandwich) and then stalked us all the way onto the flight. The thing I love about airports is the perfume shop, and thanks to the delay we had hours of it.

Ali described the surprise trip and then we had a delay, then another delay, then the board said ‘final call’ and one minute later ‘closed’. We all ran to the gate and then watched everyone else running to the gate after us, to be greated by news of a mistake.

We boarded the plane eventually, and as usual, the person in front of me put their seat back and crushed my knees. We picked up our hire car with only 22 miles on the clock and drove into Reykjavik, the first time Ali has driven on the other side of the road, with the steering wheel on the wrong side. I also learned the knack of navigating by the first four letters of road signs only, it’s impossible to remember the whole word!

We stayed at Dolmus guest house and had a walk for dinner, pizza, very Icelandic  All the buildings were so unique and it’s the least bustling capital city I’ve ever seen. Back by 9, we shut the curtains and it was as light with the curtains drawn, as it was without. Thus started 12 nights of no dark at nightime. Eye masks at the ready.

The last non-smelly shower

A mamouth travelling journey stared with a trip to Al’s to drop off Sue. I can’t explain how hot we were in a British summer wearing jeans and hiking boots. A train to temple meads, then a taxi to the bus station, a coach to Gatwick airport (and a delay caused by the closure of the M4), a bus to the travel lodge whereby we were the last stop, and then we were finally there after leaving home at lunchtime, we got to Gatwick at 11pm. We hadn’t even got out of the country yet so needed some sleep but the people arguing outside our door at 4am had other ideas. So did the softest bed in the world so I slept on the sofa with a towel as cover. Who likes soft beds?