Finale

I woke up Friday morning, to rain. The first rainfall since I arrived in Iceland, and it happened to be on the day that I had to walk to the bus stop. I sucked it up, and began the trek. I watched as one "FlyBus" passed the stop, and figured it wasn't a big deal; I'd just wait for the next one! Well, the next one came over an hour later, as I stood (with wet clothes, remember?) in the windy chill of the morning shower. I still got to the airport on time, since I had left early with plans to shop in the Duty Free stores. I was able to make it to my flight, get on, and get... relatively comfy. 

As I write this, I am sitting in the Boston airport. It is 4:12 AM and I have been here since 6:50 yesterday. My little brother is in pain, in the hospital in Birmingham AL, while I am stuck, unable to help him, in Boston. That little boy is so important to me, and knowing he's hurting makes me hurt. I want to rub his back (his favorite activity), and help him forget the pain and go to sleep. I just wish I could be there to make him smile, even while he's hurting!

I'll arrive in ATL at 9:20 after a short stop in Charlotte, NC. I'll get home, take care of the dogs, and then head to the hospital to see my little man. 

PETA. People Eating Tasty Animals.

 I began the day rather early with a whale watching tour. It didn't go as well as we all hoped, but overall, it was enjoyable! First, we stopped near the "Puffin Island" where the Icelandic puffins were busy cleaning up their nests and preparing for mating season. Puffins nests are between 3 and 9 feet underground, and often have two chambers. One of the chambers is used to sleep and nest in, while the other is used for their excrement. It was difficult to get good pictures of the puffins, as the boat couldn't get too close to the shore. Click here to look at close up pictures of puffins! They sure are beautiful little birds.

Once we were further out to sea, some whales began surfacing. None of them came too close to the boat, but just being able to see them was a nice experience. We saw 5-6 different Minke whales, as well as some harbour porpoises. 

While on the boat, I met a New Yorker named Andrew who had just landed in Iceland for a 2 day stop over on his way to Denmark. I showed him around the city a bit, and we ate lunch at a nice little restaurant where I ate Minke whale. Yes, I just paid to watch them in their natural habitat, and then walked into the city and paid to eat one... I'm a horrible person... The meat was so red, that I only lasted 5 bites or so before I just quit and let Andrew eat some. For those who have been reading my posts since Australia, you'll know I complained about how red kangaroo meat was... Well, kangaroo was cooked thoroughly compared to this whale!

We finished lunch and headed to Hallgrimskirkja, the tallest building in Reykjavik. As you may remember, I planned to visit this on my first day here, but had technical difficulties with the camera! Today was a much better day for a beautiful view over the lovely, colorful city of Reykjavik. 

After some shopping, I walked Andrew to his hotel, and then went to the local bird feeding area. There is a lake/pond in the city with benches around it, where people bring bread to feed to the birds. There were a large number of birds there, as well as many different breeds. I enjoyed feeding them, and then just watching as many parents brought their children to feed bread to the birds. The kids loved it! I truly enjoy watching children get so excited about such simple things.

This kid was having a BLAST.

Lagoons, Bingo, and Rotten Shark... Oh my.

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa. The warm water, heated by the earth, is full of rich minerals and silica. It is proven to be good for the skin, and provides a warm retreat from the cool Icelandic air. Upon arrival, you have to take a shower. This keeps the lagoon itself free of many germs/bacteria that we carry around throughout the day. You enter the lagoon inside, and go through what can only be described as a "doggie door for humans," which leads into the warm, steaming waters of The Blue Lagoon. It was such a relaxing environment, and an amazing experience.    

I went with some women that I met Sunday, when I went into Reykjavik for worship. They were fun to be around, and it was a blast getting to know them more.

After showering, I tried to comb/brush my hair... The minerals in the lagoon absolutely DESTROYED my long, thick, hair. It is poofy, coarse, rough, tangled, bent, broken, etc. Maybe I should just cut it off?

Finally, I just gave up, and spent ten minutes trying to get it into a ponytail. Upon succeeding that venture, it was time to head to BINGO!!! Carina is a nurse and they are taking a trip to Boston soon, so they hosted a Bingo night with tons of cool prizes as a way to raise money. After awhile, my time came! I got Bingo, and yelled, "AMERICA!!" Everyone laughed (pretty sure I was the only non-Icelandic person there) and clapped for me. Now I have a big basket of crackers, cheese, and jam that I have to transport home... We'll see how that goes! I might end up eating all of it during my 10 hour layover in Boston.

Finally, to end my long, yet awesome day... The moment I have NOT been waiting for... It is time to eat Hákarl. "Hákarl is traditionally prepared by gutting and beheading a Greenland shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly-sand, with the now-cleaned cavity resting on a slight hill. The shark is then covered with sand and gravel, and stones are then placed on top of the sand in order to press the shark. The fluids from the shark are in this way pressed out of the body. The shark ferments in this fashion for 6–12 weeks depending on the season. Following this curing period,  the shark is then cut into strips and hung to dry for several months."


Much of my traveling so far has been based off of Andrew Zimmern's show, "Bizzare Foods." I used his advice on Australian cuisine to find some delicious food, and thought I'd do the same for Iceland. The hotdog I had the other day was great... but what was he thinking with this rotten shark? On the show, he described the smell as reminding him of "some of the most horrific things I've ever breathed in my life" He noted that Hákarl is "hardcore food" and "not for beginners." Why didn't I just listen to him? Either way, I am proud of holding in there for as long as I did... I also tried Sheep Head. It actually tasted OK. I had three bites... the first and third weren't great, but the second one was better.

The video is little for some reason, but you can
make it full screen. Enjoy!

The World Is My Book. Turn the Page.

6:15 A.M... Walk 2 kilometers to the bus stop

6:43 A.M... Take the bus to the bus station

7:30 A.M... Get picked up by tour group

8:00 A.M... Begin an epic journey across Iceland.

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.
The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

This tour goes along the beautiful south shore of Iceland to the extraordinary glacial lagoon, Jökulsárlón. We passed some charming villages as well as Skaftafell National Park and we visited Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Skógafoss waterfall. Just before we arrived at the lagoon we passed Iceland’s biggest volcano, Öræfajökull glacier. 

2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull are still evident

As you can see, there are many amazing blocks of ice that have broken off Europe’s biggest glacier, Vatnajökull, as they sail slowly towards the ocean which is only a kilometer away.

Injured Eye

Lava Field

Hot Spots steam rising as the temperature drops

About 30 minutes outside of Reykjavik, it started to snow. The sun was beginning to set, as a heavy fog settled over the countryside. I have never seen such thick snowflakes! They were enormous, but still fluffy as they were tossed to and fro by the wind. I watched them spin around, up and down, side to side, before finally landing on the cold ground. It was a perfect way to end the long day traveling across Iceland.