In the window of a wonderful bakery in Reykjavik. "There was no butter in that croissant ... there was no butter in that croissant ... there was ... no butter ... oh boy ... " … [Read more...]
Hot Dog!
Best. Hot dogs. Ever. Icelandic hot dogs are made from organic lamb, pork, and beef, are served on a hot, steamed bun and are just good. "Everything" means served with raw and crispy fried onion, ketchup, brown mustard, and remoulade. I will miss Icelandic hot dogs (I did only have one ... ) more than I will miss chocolate mousse with watermelon. The white building behind the hot dog stand is my hotel. Planning is everything. … [Read more...]
Golden Circle, Part II
Right. Bus, Thingvellir Park, Fridheim Farm, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir. Where were we ... ? Argh, I've made a very rookie blog mistake. As you all remember from the last post, the sun is fading fast. Well ... I now realize that I have almost no photos for the rest of the day. Just stories. So sorry! But here goes: We left the geyser with the sun almost down and headed to what I initially thought was dinner. But as Thorssten explained, I realized we had yet another course before dinner! We … [Read more...]
Golden Circle Tour, Part I
Signed up for an all-day tour on Sunday. Selected one with a small bus, as I've found the camaraderie of the group makes or breaks the day. This time had a good group -- 13 of us plus Thorssten, our guide. Fellow travelers were mostly American, with two Brit/Americans (who live down the street from my old house in Cary), two Torontonians, and a Japanese fellow. So settle in ... pour yourself a tea, a drink, a big glass of water, maybe get a snack ... this post is almost as long as the … [Read more...]
Monday Marathon Update
Getting lots and lots of miles in! … [Read more...]
Good Morning, Reykjavik
Arrived in Reykjavik in the dark on Saturday morning on very, very little sleep. Good: Icelandair is cheap. Bad: Icelandair economy class was not designed for a restful night's sleep. Down the street from my hotel I found a wonderful waffle breakfast with possibly the strongest coffee I've ever had. Both much needed. Knowing that the November sun doesn't rise in Reykjavik until 10 am, I expected to see a normal, bustling Saturday morning, but just dark. No. Not at all. At 9 am, the … [Read more...]
My Iceland Marathon
No, not any of the real Reykjavik marathons that occur in Spring or Fall. I've set a personal goal for this trip to walk a marathon -- 26.2 miles -- from the time I leave my front door until I return in 9 days. Wait ... no, no, no, that's not true at all. I've set a goal to ENJOY REALLY GOOD FOOD AND WINE IN ICELAND. A noble goal that I stand behind. But, in order to offset the health impact of my love of all things delicious, I've set a subgoal of walking, running, or crawling 26.2 miles. As … [Read more...]
Let it Snow!
Hey, folks! I'm off to Iceland! Four years ago I was sitting at an airport gate waiting for my flight to Ottawa when a couple of gates over they announced boarding for a flight to Reykjavik ... and it captured my imagination. I've been thinking of it ever since. So, today I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to JFK in New York. There I transfer to Icelandair for my overnight flight to Iceland. Check out the Friday weather report. Snow and more snow. And a bit of rain mixed in. … [Read more...]