Sunday, December 08, 2013

Iceland: Finding the grave of Flight Sergeant Keith Garrett









I have officially turned into my Mum! At breakfast, Ali and I made sandwiches, took a Skyr each, then put it in a swimming costume bag which was see through. I tried hiding it up my jumper, didn't work. made Ali take her fleece off, put the bag inside and pulled the handle through the neck. The result is that it looked like I was carrying a ghost. So, we got up....then didn't see a single person, all the way to the room! With Iceland prices, needs must.

I love Iceland hotels, they check out so much later, at midday usually. So, we ventured into the private clinic blue lagoon. It's great, exactly the same as the blue lagoon, only smaller, but has rubber rings and noodles, but a bigger indoor pool. The silica mask was just in a bucket instead of trying to reach into the slated buckets at the Blue Lagoon. The rain and wind has really picked up. So, there was snow at the side of the pool, on top of the lava field and moss, Ali and I were floating around, with a rubber ring...in the rain. Oh we love Iceland. What I can't forgive Ali for is her attire, dressing gown and long socks, walking through the hotel.

Leaving the hotel, the drifting snow had finished, the rain has melted a lot of the snow on the road which was good. We drove to Grindavik at midday and saw an amazing sunrise. We visited Gunnuher Springs, where the earths crust is so thin, you can see it bubbling. We must be getting used to the smell of sulphur, the first time it made us gag, now we just wander through the vents of eggy steam.

We continued on the road, pass the bridge over two continents, then up to Reykjavik. First, we had a mission from our friend Sam, to find the grave of Flight Sergeant Keith Garrett from Worksop in Fossvogur cemetery. In 2000 one of the glaciers in Iceland had melted sufficiently to allow for the recovery of the bodies of three RAF men who died in World War 2 when their plane crashed. So, we visited. We didn't quite realise how big the cemetery is, but it was gorgeous, covered in snow. It was really interesting to see the Icelandic gravestones, all are very different and for Christmas, they place a cross made from a Christmas tree, with 4 coloured lights on it. Some hand lanterns and candles burning. We found an area devoted to the British Forces, and we found Flight Sargent Keith Garrett, age 22. Grave 46.17.

A quick stop at Perlan for some amazing views over Reykjavik, then onto our apartment in the centre. We walked into town, past a frozen lake with hundreds of swans, geese and ducks standing on the ice. We visited the Yule Town Christmas Market, then onto dinner. Ali treated me to a vegetarian restaurant, with Saag Aloo and Pakora. I was in heaven.

What an amazing day, it started in the Blue Lagoon clinic, went eggy, then visited a grave, then a vegetarian restaurant. We love Iceland.

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