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Day 41 -- Loooong Transit Day: Oslo-Reykjavik-Seattle -- Tuesday, July 24th

The view from our hotel room at the Park Inn at the Oslo Airport.  We can see a parking garage and the control tower at the airport.  Even with planes coming and going, we couldn't hear them -- that's how well constructed the hotel is.

Rise and shine, and time to get those boots laced up.  I am SO looking forward to wearing something other than heavy hiking boots.

The breakfast buffet was huge and varied.  

We filled up, in fact I did it twice!  Daddy was the first to wake and went down for his breakfast alone.  Then Kelsey and I went down while Aubrietta (last to get up) needed more time up in the room to get ready.  When Aubrietta came down, Kelsey went on to the playroom and I had a second breakfast with Aubrietta.  I sat there savoring my 4th cup of coffee until the staff started clearing the dining room, and then I stealthily slipped some extra grapes and pastry into a plastic bag I'd had hidden in my shoulder bag.  Those would come in handy for our long day of travel ahead.

The Park Inn turned out to be a really family friendly hotel.  Upon check in the girls were given colored pencils and coloring sheets, and one wall in the otherwise tidy and stark lobby was festooned with children's artwork taped up for all to admire.  There was a big playroom stocked with toys.  They may have been toys for preschoolers, but that didn't prevent Aubrietta and Kelsey from spending an hour there after breakfast, building an elaborate block town.

Leaving the hotel and heading to the airport.  What's that blinding light?  Sunshine in Oslo?  Impossible!

The long covered walkway connecting the hotel to the terminal.

Uh-oh.  Long line at the IcelandAir check in.   There was a bit of worry for us with our flight, because when I went to do online check-in and print our boarding passes yesterday there was already notice on the IcelandAir website that many of today's flights would be delayed, including ours.  There was the real potential for us to miss our connection in Reykjavik and be stuck there overnight, as there is only one flight to Seattle from Reykjavik per day.  The line above is due to the flight delays, as well as the self-service baggage-tag kiosks being out of order.  A double whammy.

Thankfully we were at the airport 4 hours before our flight was supposed to leave, so after standing in lines for what seemed like half that time, we were finally on the other side of security and able to sit down for a late lunch.  This cafe had to-go containers you could fill from a buffet with about 50 different items and cold salads.

The girls were happy to not be in a rush this time and be allowed to explore the Duty-Free.

With a long day and night ahead, I encouraged the girls to sweeten up the clothes they'd be in for a long time.  They had fun choosing which scent to use, and ended up doing one fragrance on one side, and a different one on the other.

Well, our plane is at the gate, that's a good sign.  Two hours late, but it's there.

Wait, what's this?  Oh no, something wrong with the engine.  A little door keeps popping open.  Where's the duct tape?  OK, I don't care about being late, missing a connection.  Call in another aircraft or cancel it, I don't want to get onto that plane now.

Aubrietta finds one of the 3-wheeled scooters that the airport staff use to zip around.  At the risk of being yelled at, she stepped on for me to take a quick photo.  She really wanted to take it for a spin, but I wouldn't let her.

After another half hour delay while the engine was being examined, it was finally decided the flight should go on, and we were allowed to board.  I snapped this photo as we boarded the plane.  So our plane is named after a volcano.  Let's hope it doesn't blow up like one. 

Although it was a short flight (under 3 hours) the girls were offered a complementary full children's meal (Adults could order off a menu of overpriced items).  They also got free headphones, colored pencils, and postcards to color.

With the children cheerful over their freebies, it was easier for me to relax, though I was still spooked about the engine and the possibility of missing our connecting flight to Seattle.  I distracted myself by watching an assortment of Icelandic short films on the inflight entertainment center.

We touched down in Iceland after our Seattle flight should have departed.  What lay ahead for us?  Would IcelandAir put us up for the night in a hotel?  Not likely, so I'd read on the travel review blogs.  During the hundreds of hours I researched online in preparation for our trip I'd read nothing but bad things about Keflavik Airport and IcelandAir's poor customer service.  

When we got to the gate we hustled off the plane and literally ran to our connecting gate, encouraged by the flight attendant on our last flight that the plane to Seattle hadn't departed yet, but we had to hurry!  There would be no time to shop for more salty black licorice gum or pick up some Icelandic currency at the airport.  I had stupidly used our remaining Icelandic Kronor to pay for lunch before our flight to Denmark last month, not even thinking about keeping a few coins as souvenirs for the kids.  Stupid me!

Less than half an hour after we landed in Iceland we were in the air again.  It was a miracle, IcelandAir really did hold the plane for us.  Believe it or not, our checked luggage made it onto the plane, too.  I'm not sure how, but it did.

Although the flight to Seattle from Iceland was half an hour longer than the flight from Seattle to Iceland (due to tailwinds), this flight felt so much longer.  Perhaps it was because we'd already been on one flight today.  The sun was with us the entire time we flew West.

Looking down at the ice near Greenland you could see interesting melt patterns.

It was pretty to look at, but sad, too.  I thought about the arctic ice melting and the polar bears starving because of it.  I kept my eye out hoping to see a polar bear, but either there weren't any, or they were really well camouflaged.

Kelsey was able to nod off, but Aubrietta stayed awake the whole 7 1/2 hours watching movies, just as I did.  She even watched the Hunger Games movie, and she's not usually into such scary films.  I continued watching Icelandic films (who knew that Iceland has a vibrant indie film industry?).

These are just some of the films I watched (follow the links and you can watch them too, some of them for free!):

The Last Farm

Family Reunion

Clean

Children

Parents

Volcano

There were some other films I saw as well but I wasn't able to find them online to share with you.

 

About 6 hours into the flight my lower back and legs protested and I got the worst case of "restless legs" I think I've ever had.  I got up a few times to walk the aisle, but it didn't really help.  Being as tall as I am and having to twist into a pretzel to fly coach is a real pain -- literally.    Coming to the end of this trip reminded me that I will never have an adventure overseas like this again.  Maybe this will be the last time I'll ever travel out of the country.  When we get home I'll be looking for a job, any spare cash will be devoted to a college fund for the girls, and we're going to be living pretty frugally.  Nonetheless, I was really looking forward to returning home.  Stretching out in my own bed was going to be a treat, too, since it would be 3am Norway time when we finally got home, and I was really tired.

It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny afternoon in Seattle when our plane touched down.  We were pleasantly surprized to find our bags waiting for us in the secure baggage area. Getting through customs at Sea-Tac was worse than any of the other airports we'd been through, though.  The grapes I'd taken from the hotel buffet in Norway?  I had a few left, and the customs agent made me go to a separate area for hazardous materials to dispose of them.  The lines were really long and we overheard a lot of people being hassled over seemingly trivial things.  Those customs agents appeared to be having a really good time torturing the weary travelers, especially those with foreign passports.  Here we were, a family of four holding American passports, with local driver licenses and ID's, and they asked us all sorts of questions about where we'd been, why we went, how come we were returning today, etc.  It just seemed a bit much.

Uncle Buck and Aunt Barbara were waiting to pick us up and deliver us home.  It was strange to ride again in my 12 year old minivan just 41 days after stepping out of it at this same airport to embark on this trip.  It seemed like another lifetime ago.

Thanks for reading along.  I enjoyed keeping this journal, knowing that many of my family and friends were traveling along with us in spirit.

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Day 6 - Flying from Iceland to Copenhagen, Denmark - Tuesday, June 19

Most of our packing happened the night before (I was up until 1:30am again, couldn't sleep), so all we had to do was dress and clean the apartment. We didn't strip the beds, but we swept and took out all the trash. At 8:30 Tomas arrived and drove Daddy and the luggage to the Grand Hotel in his compact Suzuki car which ran on methane, generated by iceland's trash incinerators. The girls and I made the now familiar 7 minute walk.

 

After a short wait a shuttle bus came to take us to the BSI bus terminal, where we waited about five minutes for the large Flybus to take us to Keflavik airport, 40 minutes away. This time I didn't fall asleep, though the rumble of the bus engine was certainly conducive given my lack of sleep. Aubrietta fell asleep, and Kelsey was catching up in her journal. On the ride to Reykjavik when we arrived I had been too tired to take in the view, but this time I really enjoyed seeing all the lava fields, houses built in impossible locations in the middle of nowhere, and blue lupines in full bloom along the highway.

Delicious airport food does exist! You just have to come to Iceland to get it. Aubrietta is especially excited to have a shrimp sandwich. Daddy is having stewed lamb and rice pilaf with corn. Kelsey is having a pasta chef salad and a pylsa (hot dog). I am having a bite of everything and whatever the kids don't finish.

We had to be at Keflavik 3 hours ahead of departure, so we had plenty of time to eat an early lunch. Going through security we all had to take off our shoes, and we all enjoyed a thorough massage i.e. pat down. Unlike in US airports we'd been in, there were lots of places to sit down before and after you went through security so you could comfortably take off and put on your shoes. There were also long, tall tables for you to repack your electronics and liquids, as opposed to in Seattle where you are frantically repacking on the moving belt as plastic tubs and suitcases pile up behind you.

 

The departures area we were confined to had hardly any shops, and the girls and I were really looking forward to stocking up on salty licorice gum and other unusual candies we'd come to enjoy during our short stay in Iceland. I stood in line for the tax refund of 1200 ISK I was entitled to for the purchase of the 3 "Buffs" and patches I bought, then we combined the money with what we had left and used up the remaining cash for lunch, putting the balance on credit card. We probably should have saved some of the coins for the kids as souvenirs, but we didn't. We might have another chance to get some coins during our layover on our return home.

 

There was no announcement for our flight boarding, people just lined up at the gate. There wasn't enough seating for everyone, anyway. Keflavik is notorious for lack of seating, and people can often be found sitting up against the wall or lying on the floor. I'm glad we didn't have a long wait.

Goodbye Iceland. There are lots of things we'll miss about you, but the sulfur - smelling water is not one of them. When you turn on the cold water tap it is warm, and you have to run it for awhile to get cold water that does not taste of sulfur. All the drinking fountains we found, the water ran continuously.

 

The plane was nearly full, and we were near the back again, sitting two and two, with both girls having a window this time, and Daddy and I in middle seats. It was a 3 hour flight, and again the girls received a children's meal, this time with pasta and meat sauce, orange juice, and pretzel mix. Even though we had just eaten lunch, both girls dug in as if they hadn't seen food in hours. It was a pretty smooth flight, and an easy landing into Copenhagen.

First view of Copenhagen, from the plane

As seen on the baggage carousel in Copenhagen

There was no customs to go through because we were arriving from Iceland, which is part of the Shengen Agreement countries, allowing free movement between member countries. Getting to luggage claim was a bit of a puzzle, and then we found ourselves in an area that connected to trains, light rail (called "Metro"), busses, shuttles, and parking. I wanted to investigate buying either a Copenhagen visitor's card, which provided all transport plus attraction entry, or just transportation. I looked for a TI but couldn't find one. At the machines to buy Metro/Bus tickets, there was not the option to get a Copenhagen card, and the directions on the machine were hard to decipher. There were 24 or 72 hour cards for all zones, or the 4 "city pass" zones, and then there were multi-ride tickets in sets of ten ("klippekort"), which required one or more to be used per ride, depending on how many zones you crossed. I thought I had done my research and knew what I wanted, but suddenly there were more options, and I was stumped. We didn't need a 72 hour card, and 24 wasn't enough.

 

Meanwhile the girls and I needed the bathroom badly since none of us had gone since Iceland. For some odd reason bathrooms were really far away, down another level. Daddy went to find an ATM. I asked at the transportation ticket window which card to get, and they didn't sell Copenhagen cards, and I still thought that was what I wanted. Stupidly, I didn't just buy transit tickets then, and instead went off to find the Copenhagen card agent. I was also looking for a Telia outlet which would sell me a mini SIM card for my iPad, giving me internet everywhere, not just at WiFi hotspots. Meanwhile someone was always having to sit with the bags, and tempers were getting short. It was 19:00, and my online transit plans that I'd printed out were coming to the end of their effectiveness. The ticket window line was long, so I went back to the machines to buy 24 hour transit-only tickets, only to discover that my credit card wouldn't read. In Denmark you can only use credit cards with chips, not magnetic stripes. Back to the ticket line.

 

Finally, 190.00 DK worth of 24 hour "city pass" tickets for us in hand, we made our way to the metro platform. Following the print-out from the online transit planner I'd done at home, we got off at the Femoren Metro station to transfer to a 77 bus. When we got to the bus stop we discovered that we had just missed the last bus of the day. A different bus pulled up and we asked the driver if he was going the same direction, and he took us two stops further in the direction we needed, then suggested we call a cab. We were at a 5 way intersection and totally disoriented. We then got on a different bus, the 2A, but going the wrong direction. The driver told us to sit tight because she was almost at the end of her route and would be turning around and could deliver us within one block of where we ultimately wanted to be.

Walking with our luggage. Packing light pays off again.

It was after 20:00 when we finally arrived at the apartment. Our host had left the key for us, and we let ourselves in. We were the first people to stay in the newly created apartment under the eaves of a single family home. It was light, and bright, and still smelled of fresh-cut tile and wood. The wood floors were bare and unfinished, and would be done after we left -- the apartment renovation had come together just days before our arrival. All the furnishings were IKEA, and all the kitchen utensils still had the white IKEA barcode stickers on them. There was a nice 2-page note from our host with information, including wifi access code, and a stack of tourist brochures. Fresh flowers were on the table, and the refrigerator was stocked for us with cold drinks, including 2 Carlsburg beers, which Daddy gratefully guzzled, as the bus fiasco and walking with all that luggage had really gotten him in a lather. If I was a drinker, I would have had one too, we were that spent.

For a daily drinker who hadn't had a drink in 6 days, he was beyond excited to have a beer.

A short time later our host Peter and his 4 year old son Carl came up to say hello. He'd bought the house in 2007 and was now a divorced single father, and hoped the extra income from the apartment would help him afford to keep the house. I sure hope he gets good tenants and that this new endeavor works well for him, he deserves it.

 

Every window opened onto a magnificent view.

The large back garden was full of fruit trees, berry bushes, flower beds, and a young vineyard.

Across the street was a playground.

Our bed, tucked under the eaves

View from our bedroom window.

We cleaned up, ate some of the snack food we had with us, and went to bed.

NEXT:  Day 7 - first full day in Copenhagen, Wednesday, June 20th

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Day 5 - part 2 - Kelsey and Daddy's Iceland Bus Tour, Monday, June 18

This entry is taken directly from Daddy's handwritten journal:

Kelsey and I got up early (7am after only 5 or so hours of sleep for me) and walked to the Grand Hotel where we were picked up by a bus to take us to the central bus terminal for Reykjavik Excursions. The tour we went on was the Golden Circle Tour, one of the most popular. It was all day - 9am - 5:30pm, the cost was 10,300 ISK for me (about $81.00 USD), but free for 10 and under.

We drove East from Reykjavik out over a broad coastal plain that is where most of the agriculture on the island is conducted. I used to be under the sea until it was uplifted during a volcanic eruption many years ago.

First stop was a ranch with hundreds of Icelandic horses. They take tourists out for rides but we were there for a show, telling us about the horses history, uses, and demeanor. The show was in a newly constructed arena with grandstands along one side. Very nice show although really pretty simple. Kelsey was entranced with the small size and pleasant disposition of the horses. I was astounded that they were first brought the the island by the Vikings in open long boats. Unbelievable!

Next stop was an incredible farm (Fridheimer) where they grow tomatoes and cucumbers year round in greenhouses. The greenhouses are heated geothermally and in the winter (and perhaps fall and spring) they use supplemental grow lights because the day length is so short. They are able to grow and harvest year-round. The tomatoes were really interesting... grown in peat bags and trained up to overhanging strings. The plants droop all over the place as the tomatoes are only growing on the uppermost 7-8 feet or so, even though the plants can reach a total length of nearly 30 feet! They infuse the greenhouses with extra CO2 to promote growth. They import bumblebees from Holland to pollinate. They use no insecticides but rather rely on beneficial predatory insects. Their products are harvested and in stores in Reykjavik the next day, so they're vine-ripened.

Kelsey was most taken with the black and white cat there who reminded her how much she missed our black and white Mumu at home.

The whole enterprise was incredibly clever, but also capital intensive. Must have been phenominal financing to get it set up. And their electric bill! The farmer said that their greenhouse use as much electricity (for grow lights) as a city of 3,000 people! Still, they think they can do it profitably.

Next stop was Gullafoss (Golden Falls), a very spectacular waterfall fed by melting glaciers. Hundreds of tourists, and many buses, but still very worthwhile.

Next stop Geysir, with bubbling mud baths and a very frequent (every 5-10 minutes) geyser. Kelsey and I first ate a lunch I had packed. We then visited the gift shop before going to see the Geyser. The tour guide had ordered us to please not stick our fingers in the water, saying it was hot enough to elicit severe burns. Kelsey couldn't help herself and did so anyway, although at a place where the water was running downhill and had cooled sufficiently that she wasn't burned.

 

We witnessed 4-5 eruptions, the first two of which really caused Kelsey to jump!

Last stop was Pingvellir National Park, where you can actually see rifts in the earth's crust where the Eurasian plate and the American plate are pulling away from each other.

There is no single rift line, although in one place we stopped to straddle the narrow first with one foot on each plate.

Some of the deeper rifts are filled with water and are a very popular spot for SCUBA divers.

At one place there was a bridge across a water filled rift where people had thrown many, many coins into the water. Kelsey really wanted to climb down to reach some of those that were on the edge of the rift but not in the water. I wouldn't let her for fear she might fall in.

40 minutes back to Reykjavik.

NEXT:  Day 6 - Flying from Iceland to Copenhagen, Denmark - Tuesday, June 19

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Day 5, Part 1 - Last Full Day in Iceland - Heather and Aubrietta do Reykjavik - Monday June 18

Daddy and Kelsey packed a lunch of ham sandwhiches for their big day.

Kelsey and Daddy were up at 7:00 and out the door by 8:00 to be picked up at the Grand Hotel for an all day Golden Circle bus tour. Aubrietta had been up a bit in the night, but was still sleeping at 8:00, so I decided to let her sleep more, since she was recovering from being sick. After a little while cleaning up the kitchen, I lay down, too, and promptly fell back asleep. I had been up until 1:30, so it wasn't surprising that I was tired. The next thing I knew it was 11:45!

I got Aubrietta up and she was finally hungry, so I asked her what she wanted, and she requested eggs with the wild mushrooms we had bought at the farm market on Friday. We also had yummy pear milk.

A little after noon we started walking to the bus, but just missed it, so we walked on another 2 blocks to catch a different bus headed downtown. we got off at the Hlemmur bus station and I taught Aubrietta all about reading a transit schedule and map. The bus system in Reykjavik is like most European systems: user friendly. I had on my iPad and app that showed where every bus was on the map, in real time. While riding the bus the upcoming stop was announced and displayed on a reader board.

We think this has something to do with Breast Cancer Awareness. It was strung across a busy street in downtown Reykjavik.

 

Aubrietta loved these little painted rocks, but I wouldn't let her buy one, because # 1 it would weigh

down our luggage, and #2 she could make them herself.

 

We walked down the main shopping street, went into knitting and woollen goods stores, and looked at Buffs and bought one for each of us - two with puffins for Kelsey and me, and one for Aubrietta with mossy rocks. Strolling down the street we compared prices and bought an Iceland map puzzle, postcards, and patches. We stopped at the post office and bought 5 post card stamps and 2 flat brass cat Christmas Ornaments patterned after a stamp design.

Aubrietta wanted to check out the library, which also housed an art museum. The library was a newer building that was very modern in decor, with art and statues throughout.

In the children's section, where the comic books were, Aubrietta found TinTin comics in Icelandic. Looking on was another one of those naked statues! Thankfully Kelsey wasn't with us to get hysterical about it. Aubrietta barely noticed. I think she's adjusting quickly.

It was fun to look around and find familiar titles in Icelandic.

There was a separate area for toddlers, and to keep it clean for children still crawling, everyone entering had to take off their shoes. Also prevents little fingers from being stepped on by hard heels.

Aubrietta could have stayed and read all day, but we didn't come to Iceland to sit in a library all day. Visit one briefly, yes, but not read away the day.

We stopped in the restroom on the way out and there were very detailed instructions on hand washing by the sinks. Iceland is a very clean country.

Aubrietta wanted to visit Perlan, a tourist site overlooking the city, built atop old water tanks. On the way to the bus we spied the famous hot dog stand that all the guidebooks insist is the best, and a must visit. I hadn't been looking for it, but there it was, so we got in line. When it was our turn I bravely ordered "one with everything," which included fried onions, raw onions, mustard sauce, and some sort of mayonaise/cream sauce.

Aubrietta claimed it was the best hot dog she'd ever eaten, and I was so very happy to see her appetite back. I had a few bites, and she wolfed down the rest. She liked that the meat was very smooth, not gristly and fatty like American hot dogs can be. It also seemed to have some spices in it.

Wating for a connecting bus in front of a hospital, in the company of two bus drivers and two Mormon missionaries (what a place to try to save souls, especially given Reykjavik's notorious bar culture and club scene).

 

To get to Perlan we had to take 3 different buses, and the transfers were quick and easy. Unfortunately the bus didn't stop right in front of Perlan, since that area was congested with tour buses, so we had a little hike to get to it, but it was a pleasant one through blooming blue lupines.

It was a beautiful day to be at the top of Perlan, but we saw what we wanted to see in about 10 minutes and were ready to move on. We walked nearly a mile to a bus stop for a bus that would take us towards the zoo, where Aubrietta wanted to go next. We had a few ride tickets left from the ones I bought by mistake the night before, and Aubrietta wanted to spend more time looking at the animals and exploring.

On our walk from the bus to the zoo we passed this community garden near some apartment houses. Look at all those frost blankets, and how there are no tall crops like corn, beans, or tomatoes.

At the zoo Aubrietta rode some of the rides she's missed, and investigated the play areas.

These sand-diggers are motorized! Push buttons controlled the swivel, dig, and dump functions.

The cows got loose on the way to the milking barn and were wandering past. No children got trampled, thankfully.

After the zoo we explored more of the Botanical Garden, and surrounding trails. Just before the zoo entrance was this lovely statue of a mother and child. I had to wait a few minutes to take this photo, because there were children climbing all over it, and I didn't want to get them in the photo. I can imagine something like this creating quite the controversy in the US, but here it is simply part of life.

Can you believe this is Iceland?

There were seemingly endless magical wooded paths, and grassy clearings where families were having picnic dinners.

The bike paths were swarming with people, too.

We got back to the apartment about 17:30, and Daddy and Kelsey arrived shortly thereafter. Our plan was to ride the bus to IKEA for a dinner of meatballs, which was on the outskirts of town, but it would have taken 3 buses to get there, and the last bus left IKEA at 19:30, so getting there and back was impossible at the late hour it was. The girls were disappointed, but we had a lot of packing to do, so it was for the best. We had open-face sandwhiches again, along with hard boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes, and corn and zucchini that I cooked up and slathered in Icelandic butter. Yum!

The girls and I walked to the Grand Hotel to print our airplane boarding passes in their business center and make reservation for the Flybus pickup the next morning at 9am. Daddy went to the pool to soak in the hot pools one last time. Daddy came back from the pool and started packing his things while I took the girls to the pool. By this time it was 21:00, but the pool was still full with people, including the two little girls we'd met at the school playground on Friday night. We'd just come out of the locker room onto the pool deck and there they were, waving enthusiastically and shouting for Aubrietta and Kelsey to join them in the pool. Bjork (the older girl) and Klara splashed around with the girls for about half an hour, then had to leave. It was sad to say goodbye to them. Aubrietta and Kelsey did a few more runs down the slide, then we joined about 100 people shoulder to shoulder in the hot pool.

Back to the apartment at 22:00, I started packing while Daddy and the girls walked to the Ice Cream shop, which was open until 23:00 during summer. It's really interesting how everything in Iceland in the summer is geared toward staying up late. The first morning buses don't start running until 7am, businesses open around 9 or 10, and restaurants don't even open for dinner until 19:00.

I'm not sure when I went to bed, but it was sometime after midnight, and of course, still light out. I couldn't believe our time in Iceland was over. It just went way too fast.

NEXT:  Day 5 - part 2 - Kelsey and Daddy's Iceland Bus Tour, Monday, June 18

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Day 4, 3rd day in Iceland, Sunday, June 17, Iceland's National Holiday

Aubrietta was a little better, but still queasy and weak. She ate a bit of breakfast and then the girls and I went to the pool. It was Aubrietta's turn to be awed by the locker room experience, and at the pool, the sight of nearly all males in tight fitting speedos instead of the baggy knee-length trunks popular in the US. Aubrietta tried the giant waterside and some of the other activities, then she was weary, so after about an hour at the pool we returned to the apartment.

Aubrietta was too exhausted to go on, and was feeling queasy again, so she went to bed and slept for 5 hours, with Daddy staying at home with her while Kelsey and I ventured out after a eating some open face sandwiches for lunch.

It was Iceland's National Holiday and there were many events going on throughout the city, including several parades. I thought viewing & photographing the colorful main parade would be fun, so we headed out on foot to the bus stop. I checked on my iPad before leaving the apartment to see where the bus was, using a handy app that shows the real-time location of all buses. My plan had been to buy a mini-SIM card to get wireless internet everywhere on my iPad, but with Aubrietta's illness and being homebound so much, it didn't seem necessary anymore. (We had free wifi at the apartment). The bus system was easy to use, we had several great paper maps, and most everything was walking distance anyway.

When Kelsey and I arrived at the bus stop I had just enough time to sit down and consult the time when our bus pulled up. We rode the #14 from Teigar to Grandi (end of the line) and hung out for awhile. We should have gotten off earlier, but the route was detoured because of all the road closures and it never went to the stop I was looking for. After a short layover, we went a few stops and then the children's parade turned off a side road right in front of us. We inched along until we got to the next bus stop and then Kelsey and I jumped off and joined the parade, which was led by a marching band.

The parade circled the lake (which in winter is for ice skating) and ended in a grassy field where children's activities were set up.

Kelsey wanted to buy some cotton candy, so I said she could have some as long as she was the one to buy it. I handed her 500 ISK, which is exactly what it cost, and pushed her towards the line. She turned back, feeling shy, so I took the money back and started to walk away.

She wanted cotton candy so badly that she begged for the money back, and sulked over to the line, glaring at me. One thing I want this trip to teach the girls is how to be more independent, and able to speak up and handle challenges. Trying to communicate with people who speak a different language, and asking for help, is a great start. European children are much more attuned to which strangers are safe and which should be avoided, and are confident in getting around the city on their own, and I think Aubrietta and Kelsey are at the right age to learn some of these skills.

Cotton candy in hand, Kelsey and I explored some of the games set up for children. There were wooden riding toys, stilts, ring and ball tossing games, balance challenges, and more.

There was a fun playground area, which included giant rope climbers and trampolines set into the ground.

There were also bouncy houses and inflatables, but we didn't partake of those.

In the back of this truck a clown act was going on, and Kelsey wanted to watch for awhile, even though it was all in Icelandic, of course.

We were surrounded by Icelandic families. The tourists probably all went to the main parade. One thing I love about Northern Europeans is how they have these enormous baby carriages that a child can ride in until they are 3 or 4 years old. When I backpacked through Europe in 1997 with my brother I visited several baby stores to look at carriages, and when I was married and expecting Aubrietta 2 years later, I had one imported from Norway. I used it for 6 years straight, and now it waits for grandchildren.

Check out this Icelandic couple, blessed with 4 daughters -- three in the baby carriage and one on the mother in a carrier!

 

And the sweaters! So many beautiful hand knits, especially on the children!

Kelsey and I walked toward the harbor and main shopping street area, in the company of thousands of happy people. We were hungry, and I hadn't had a good strong coffee since leaving Seattle, so we stopped in a coffeehouse, where Kelsey wrote on the wall while I ordered one coffee and 2 croissants for us.

On a grassy hillside hundreds of children and their families danced along to a live "Lazy Town" performance set up on a temporary stage on a closed street. "Lazy Town" is a popular children's televison program in the US, but here in Iceland it appears an addiction. I don't know if it originated here or just happens to be one of the few children's programs translated into Icelandic, but everywhere you go you see "Lazy Town" branded products.

Another thing we noticed is that many of the children were wearing "Buffs," stretchy tubular material worn as a head covering. Made popular on the TV show Survivor, Icelandic parents seem to have adopted the Buff as the perfect summer headcovering for their children, to keep them warm, and from getting their scalps sunburned through their very blond hair. Another interesting observation we made was that siblings were often dressed alike, both brothers, and sisters. Of course that made be feel right at home as a parent!

Icelanders are crazy for licorice, including salty licorice gum, and chocolate covered licorice. Even the youngest kids seem to like it, and we saw a number of kids walking around with these giant licorice lollipops.

 

I needed a toilet, and had the fun of using an automatic one for the first time. When the person ahead of me got out, the door snapped shut and spraying water and blowing air sounds could be heard within. After a minute or two the door popped open and I went in. The floor was still wet, but the toilet, without separate seat, had been blown dry. After going, I tried to open the door and it wouldn't budge. I was afraid the wash cycle would suddenly start with me in it! As I was standing there pulling on the door, I noticed an opening behind and above the toilet and hand symbols. I put a hand in the opening and warm soapy water started spraying, then clean water, then warm air blew. Then, when I tried the door again, it opened. I guess they really want to make sure you clean your hands, since you can't open the door until you do. Kelsey was afraid to go in, and decided to "hold it" until she got home.

Walking up the main shopping street back toward the Hlemmur bus station, most of the shops were closed. The main parade had been on the street just 2 hours earlier, and I'd hoped to find a discarded flag to take home as a souvenier, but not a scrap of trash littered the street! Although there is some graffiti tagging done by youth, there doesn't seem to be much littering or other vandalism.

Back home by 4pm, Aubrietta was just waking. She handn't thrown up but was pretty weak. Nonetheless, she was eager to get out, so I suggested a leisurely walk to the zoo, which was right next to the botanical garden. Both girls wanted to visit the zoo, and here we had just one day left and hadn't been there. Daddy took off for Videy Island, hiking 15 minutes over to the little foot ferry for the 5 minute crossing. Visiting Videy Island, which is a historic site and nature preserve, was one of the things I really wanted to do, but because of Aubrietta's condition we hadn't gotten around to it yet. Below are the photos he took from his brief visit.

Meanwhile the girls and I were at the zoo, where they had mostly farm animals, and the few Icelandic mammals....

Icelandic Pony, brought to Iceland by the Vikings

Reindeer

Arctic Fox

Adorable seals, mothers and nurslings.

And I'm not sure what this is, but I think it has something to do with toddlers turning in their pacifiers when they reach that stage of being too big for them, but being so attached to them that they don't want to throw them away. I've heard of parents bagging them up to "give to new babies," or doing some other ceremonious disposal of the pacifiers, so maybe that is what is going on here.

The zoo also had an amusement park, and Aubrietta really perked up at the sight of that. She was still a bit queasy and weak, but youthful enthusiasm overtook her when the girls spied the water balls. They had seen them on a TV show, but never in real life, and they both wanted to try them badly. I went into the concession stand to buy tickets for it, only to find out that the water balls were a different deal, and cost 500 ISK cash to ride. I had just spent my last cash, but remembered the 10 Euro Angie had given me. I whipped that bill out and begged the attendant, and she gave me 2000 ISK in return and let both girls ride. I'm not sure if it was a fair conversion, but it allowed the girls to do something they might never get to do again, so I wasn't going to worry about it. Thanks for that Euro, Angie!

The zoo closed at 18:00 and we were the last to leave, having been there only an hour. They pretty much had to show us the gate to get us to go.

Aubrietta was spent and hungry, so we stopped to rest at Cafe Flora in the botanical garden. I ordered the soup of the day, which was a light carrot potato bacon puree (heavy on the broth, not creamy), a Swiss Mocha, and an oatmeal raisin cookie.

The three of us shared the soup, although preference was given to Aubrietta because she was recovering from being so stomach sick the day before. Kelsey and I had the mocha, and took the cookie home for later.

Another observation we've made about Iceland is that there are a lot of cats, and they are everywhere. I suppose cats are great lapwarmers during the long, cold winters. As we were walking back to the apartment through the botanical garden we noticed this "fluff" in the foliage.

It was another cat, friendly as all the others we'd encountered. The cats we've met all seem well cared for, just enjoying their freedom during the short summer, not unlike the Icelandic children we see wandering the streets all hours of the day and night.

Back at the apartment Daddy had returned from Videy Island and wasn't really impressed. Perhaps he was just tired, I don't know. I really thought he would enjoy it. He talked me out of going, but I do regret that I didn't go. Maybe he was downplaying the experience because he knew we'd run out of time for me to make the trip over there on my own.

Over a dinner of the remaining Arctic Char, Daddy and Kelsey decided they would go in the morning on the all day bus tour of the "Golden Circle," which visited a horse farm, a commercial greenhouse where produce is grown year-round, an erupting geyser, Pingvellir National Park where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart, and Gullfoss waterfall.

Aubrietta had barely seen anything of Reykjavik, so I would stay behind with her on Monday and do whatever interested her, at her pace. She had a few bites of dinner, following that soup at the garden, and then she was done eating. It was good to see her eat again, but there was no way I was going to subject her delicate stomach and inclination to motion sickness to an all-day bus tour. In a way I wished I could see all the sights Kelsey and Daddy would be seeing, but it wasn't worth the long hours on the bus at this point.

We went to bed late, as usual, since it didn't get dark and time got away from us. Kelsey was in bed by 11:00, Aubrietta shortly thereafter, then Daddy, and I stayed up reading, writing, and doing laundry until nearly 2am. It was a long, but better day.

NEXT: Day 5, Part 1 - Last Full Day in Iceland - Heather and Aubrietta do Reykjavik - Monday June 18

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Day 3, 2nd day in Iceland, Saturday, June 16th

We slept pretty well, not having gone to bed until 1 to 2 am. We had breakfast of Skyr, bananas, and toast with orange cream cheese. The sun was shining and skies were mostly clear. Daddy had gotten up around 4am, unable to sleep any more, and by 8am he was antsy and wanting to get going. Aubrietta said she didn't feel well. I sent Daddy out the door with Kelsey to walk over to the youth hostel to buy the tourist discount cards, which would give us entrance to the municipal pools, unlimited rides on all buses and the ferry, and entrance to most museums and attractions. Just as they were leaving, Aubrietta threw up. "Better buy 3 cards instead of 4," I said, "as it looks like someone may not be going anywhere."

By the time Kelsey and daddy got back, Aubrietta had thrown up a few more times and was passed out on the floor, where she stayed the whole rest of the day. Thank goodness we hadn't booked an all-day bus tour or anything. I was hopeful that everyone would stay well on this trip, but I should have known better. I'm just surprised it wasn't me (yet), as lack of sleep usually wears me down.

Daddy and Kelsey decided to walk to the big pool complex just at the end of our street. I checked on Aubrietta and decided to leave her to rest while I walked them down to the pool. I knew that Kelsey would need help navigating the locker room, as the routine at Icelandic pools was much different than back at our local YMCA pool. First, before you even go into the locker room, you must remove your shoes and leave them in the hallway. No shoes or sandals of any kind are allowed. Next, you go in and find a locker among rows and rows of lockers, all generously sized. You remove ALL of your clothes, put them in a locker, and then carry your towel and swimsuit in hand and head to the showers.

The shower room is immense, with rows and rows of open showers. At the end of the rows are metal grids into which you tuck your towel. Everyone around you is completely naked, or in the process of putting on or taking off a suit. You then shower off, getting soap from a gallon pump bottle in the middle of the shower room. Illustrated diagrams are posted throughout the shower room, reminding you to soap thoroughly certain areas of your body, and everyone is taking this very seriously, sudsing up and scrubbing. Pool staff in white boots are circulating with floor squeegees, eyeing everyone to make sure they are soaping properly.

Scattered throughout the shower room are plastic highchairs for mothers to safely contain their babies, and plastic tubs to sit toddlers in for ease in washing. Of course many of the showers are handheld on a hose, so you can direct the spray and rinse thoroughly. Then, finally, you can put on your swimsuit. You go to the pool, then when you come back you remove your suit, shower again, put your suit in the spinner to get it mostly dry, get your towel, and dry off. There is a big sign at the entrance to the locker room from the shower room reminding you that you must be completely dry before entering the locker room. I had to remind Kelsey of this, since I wouldn't be there when she got out, since I was heading back to Aubrietta.

The water was the temperature of a very warm bath, and believe it or not this outdoor pool is open all year, even in the dead of winter (though the slides are shut down). There were no lifeguards in sight, but lots of children. As Iceland is a country where babies are left outside in carriages on the sidewalk while their parents go into shops or cafes, and even 6 year old children seem to roam the streets freely late at night, I suppose the culture dictates that everyone watch out for children, theirs or not, and step in to help without hesitation if a baby or child is in distress.

In addition to the massive outdoor pool complex, including an olympic lap pool with viewing structure, there was also a big indoor lap pool, for year-round swim meets. The pools are not chlorinated (hence the strict hygine rules), but there is a slight sulfur smell.

I walked Kelsey out to the pool deck, me being the only person other than pool staff still clothed (but without shoes, of course!), and handed her off to my husband to supervise. I took a few quick photos of Kelsey in the pool, then headed back to Aubrietta, who was still sleeping.

When they returned Kelsey had a little lunch and then went down for a nap, while my husband rode the bus around town, stopping at the fish market to buy some Arctic Char for dinner. He forgot that the fish market was closing at 14:00 since it was the holiday weekend (Sunday is the National Holiday), and arrived just as they were cleaning up the empty cases. The fishmonger didn't speak English but seemed willing to help, so my husband pointed to the fish he wanted on a big wall chart, and after a bit of back and forth to determine cut and quantity, my husband left the shop with several pounds of beautiful fish, which cost less than if he were to buy it back in Seattle, which is impressive because everything in Iceland is double or triple the cost back home.

Kelsey woke up, poor Aubrietta slept on between vomiting sessions, and Daddy decided it was time for his nap, so Kelsey and I headed out for a walk. We ended up walking half an hour to the big Kringlan shopping mall, where we bought some groceries, including gatorade and jello for Aubrietta, and a fresh loaf of bread. We walked through the mall but didn't go into any shops. We bought an ice cream and then walked back home.

Kelsey loved this giant revlovling door at the shopping mall.

Crossing even the busiest streets was easy, as walk signals were at all major intersections, even across highways, and wide bike and walking paths ran parallel to most main streets, with a swath of green separating them from the traffic.

Back home my husband was eager to cook up the Arctic Char. Usually we grill it over coals with alder chips to give it a smoky flavor, but without our grill he decided to pan fry it, and it was just superb. The fish was so buttery and soft, and needed no seasoning, not even salt. Even the potatoes were delicious, made even more so with the naturally bright yellow Icelandic butter made from 100% grass fed cows. Sadly, Aubrietta did not join us for this meal. She had a few sips of gatorade, threw up, and went back to sleep.

After dinner Kelsey and I ventured out again. At the end of our street several apartment houses were under renovation. Nearly all buildings are made of concrete and metal since there isn't any lumber in Iceland. The harsh climate takes it's toll on the building exteriors, and summer is the only time to really make repairs. It was 8 o'clock on a Saturday night and this guy was up on his lift painting trim.

I really wanted to see the Botanical Garden because I was curious about what flora and fauna could actually survive here in Iceland. On our walk there we passed this sculpture, which was about as shocking to Kelsey as the locker room experience that morning. My girls have always been comfortable in their own skin and relatively relaxed about nudity, that is until peer pressure, approaching puberty, and the American middle school locker room scene changed things a bit. As Aubrietta became suddenly shy, Kelsey was quick to follow. This is the first of many, many nude statues the girls will be seeing this summer, and I hope they can get over the "ick" factor and appreciate the beauty of the human form that has so entranced artists for centuries.

Kelsey was almost as excited to see the garden as I was. She kept wishing her teacher was with us because she knew how much she loved plants and gardening. By the way, Kelsey wants her teacher and classmates to know that she is thinking of them!

The rock garden was just stunning. Most of the plantings were not native, but were hardy enough to survive the Reykjavik winters, which are not so much harshy cold, but intensely dark.

It was windy and cold, and these goslings were eager to tuck under their mother's wing for warmth.

The garden had a cafe in a greenhouse that was open every night until 10:00pm. Kelsey loved the little bridge and koi pond.

 

Because we were a bit chilled, I let Kelsey order a fat oatmeal raisin cookie and a Swiss hot cocoa.

It cost the equivalent of $12.00 US, but it was a delicious and satisfying treat in a beautiful setting. We were saving a lot of money by not staying in a hotel and not eating in restaurants, so it was easy to justify this expense.

 

After warming up, we decided to take advantage of the biting wind and fly a kite. I have a pocket kite that has been with us for 10 years, which I always carry in my car in case the weather and mood strike for a good kite-fly. The kite always comes with us on our travels, and we hope to fly it in all 5 countries we'll be visiting.

 

The park had some interesting play structures for kids. All the trees you see have been purposefully planted. None are native.

 

On our way home we passed the campground behind the youth hostel. Brrr. I'm glad we weren't camping!

Every few blocks there seems to be another park or playground. This was a school (different from the one we had met the little girls at the night before). It had some fun springy things, and this giant paved maze.

It was past 10pm when Kelsey and I got back to the apartment. Daddy was ready for bed and Aubrietta was still sleeping. I got Kelsey headed towards bed, and encouraged Aubrietta to sip more fluids before tucking her into bed, bucket nearby. I sure hoped she would be better the next morning. I felt bad for all she had missed today.

NEXT:  Day 4, 3rd day in Iceland, Sunday, June 17, Iceland's National Holiday

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Detour in Iceland Plans

This video has been an inspiration for me to visit Iceland. Unfortunately we will not be doing anything as magnificent during our short stay. In fact we may not even make it out of Reykjavik. Aubrietta has been throwing up all day, and now just two days remain. Daddy wants to take an 8 hour "Golden Circle" bus tour in the company of all the other tourists, whereas I just want to take the girls exploring in Reykjavik, with a ferry ride to Videy Island, which is a nature preserve. I know there are beautiful geological wonders out there, but with a queasy child and limited time, I don't want to spend the whole day on a tour bus anymore. It sounded great when I planned the trip, but not so much now. As a family we've always been good about going our own ways, and never demanding the other come along to something that doesn't interest them, so Daddy may go for the bus tour, while I walk Reykjavik. We'll let the kids decide who they want to go with, and we'll hope Aubrietta is quickly recovered so she doesn't miss anymore than she already has.

NEXT: Day 3, 2nd day in Iceland, Saturday, June 16th

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Sunrise, Sunset -- Reykjavik, Iceland

Today the solar noon is at 1:28pm, and the sunset will be at midnight, followed by a sunrise at 2:56am.  We may or may not be awake at any of those times, depending on how hard jet-lag and lack of sleep from the red-eye flight will hit us.  We all brought sleep masks, so we'll see if they help us overcome the seemingly endless daylight.

The light does not bring much heat, however.  The average high for June is in the low-mid 50 degrees F.  Glad we brought down sweaters, long underwear, and fleece jackets!  There is also a lot of rain, so I suppose it will feel just like Seattle from September to May.

Another update coming soon.

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Day 1 - Departure and Journey to Iceland

Despite the excitement of the upcoming trip, leaving the house was rough. The final push to get out the door included me clearing off the last of the clutter on top of a dresser and gathering the mound of just laundered clean clothes that we didn't have time to put away, and tossing it all in the back of our bedroom closet for "later." Since a housesitter would be living in our house, I couldn't just shut the door and walk away, I had to clear the decks a bit.

Along comes daddy looking for his belt, which he forgot to put on, and of course it was amongst the clutter I'd tossed into the back of the closet, so he begins tossing it all out onto the floor in the bedroom. I was running around without a shirt on, having just taken off the t-shirt I'd built up a sweat in, so I could tidy up before changing into the travel clothes I'd be wearing for a long time. After getting the mess back into the closet again once daddy found his belt, I finally strapped on my 2 moneybelts with passports, tickets, and IDs for the 4 of us, buttoned up my shirt and figured we were as ready as we were going to get, and the housesitter would just have to forgive us anything we left behind (now I wonder, did all the toilets get flushed?). The girls were trying to keep the kitties contained and not running out the door as the suitcases were taken out. My in-laws arrived to take us to the airport, two of our neighbors said goodbye to us, and eventually we loaded into the car and off we went.

We weren't on the road very long when crying could be heard from the back of the car. Kelsey was playing with her camera and looked at a photo she'd taken of our beloved new kitty Mumu, who is the most affectionate kitty ever, and she missed her already. Mumu is the whole reason we got a housesitter, because she needs a person around to receive all the love she has to share. We hope the housesitter is receptive to waking in the night to a purring cat draped over her neck like a mink stole, or not being able to sit down without a cat jumping in her lap and rubbing her head continuously on her.

 

When we arrived at the airport we checked 3 bags and headed to the long line to go through security. The girls were excited to see a sign saying that kids 12 and under no longer had to take off their shoes, however when we went through the detector it turned out the metal shanks and metal shoelace rings on Aubrietta's boots triggered the alarm, so she had to take them off after all. In the photo above Kelsey is sitting happily while the rest of us wrestle our boots back on.

The girls patiently waited while daddy was pulled aside for "additional screening," after supposedly being randomly selected. I tried to keep my eyeballs on everything as he was led away from his things, his backpack was taken to go through the scanner again, and he was given a pat-down. With all the distractions and the sea of humanity rushing by, I can see how easily it would be for something to be picked up by someone else and carried off. Luckily we made it through will everything.

 

Because we had to be at the airport so early for an International flight, we had time on our hands. The four of us split 2 vegetarian burritos and then went to the gate where the girls played a travel game. We were able to see all 3 of our checked bags loaded into the belly of the plane, so that was reassuring.

 

Despite what I'd heard about Iceland Air being so stingy with the refreshments, it turned out just adults go without. Everyone got a free bottle of water as they boarded, and there were 2 beverage cart visits during 7 hour flight, but only kids got free food.

 

Each child got a complimentary meal box with spaghetti and meatballs, juice, crackers and cheese, and oreo cookies. The box featured art from an Icelandic children's book.

They also were given post cards to color featuring th Icelandic children's book character Helgi. The girls wrote their postcards to SarahB, Riley, Leila, and Xander. We turned the cards back to the flight crew, and they would mail them, for free.

 

We each had our own little TV in the headrest in front of us. To pass the time the girls watched a wide assortment of children's programs and movies. I watched a goofy 1980's Icelandic film "Stella goes on Holiday," similar to "National Lampoon's Vacation," in Icelandic with English subtitles.

There was some turbulance, but nothing too bad. At the smallest jolt Kelsey would look at me with a panicked expression and ask, "Is it going to get worse, do you think I'll throw up?" She was remembering a terrible flight we had 2 years ago from the midwest, which I'd just as soon forget.

It never got dark during our flight north east toward Iceland, even though we left Seattle at 4:30 in the afternoon and arrived in at Keflavik airport in Iceland at 6:45am.

 

This map shows current night and day on earth, relative to our position, and as we flew we remained always just above nightfall.

For a time as we flew toward greenland we could see iceburgs in the water below, and the clouds had a pink glow to them.

 

We are getting closer!

 

Blue skies and a view of our wing from where we sat in the second to the last row.

Because there was almost always a line up of people in the aisle waiting for the toilets, it was impossible to sleep. They'd steady themselves by grabbing your seatback and sometimes your hair as well, and lean into you and practically sit in your lap when someone tried to pass by. The seats reclined slightly, but were hard and oddly shaped. I think the only sleeping that occured during the flight was my legs going numb.

 

First view of Iceland as we approach Keflavik Airport.

After we landed we made our way through the maze to customs. The elderly customs agent glared stone-faced at us as he inspected our passports, never said a word, passed the passports back to us, and looked over our shoulder to the people behind us. I guess he was done with us. Welcome to Iceland!

 

 NEXT: Day 2 - First Day in Iceland, Friday, June 15

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