God and Hotdogs? Ok!

The national religion of Iceland is Lutheran. Before heading into Reykjavik to worship with a small group, I went to the Lutheran church that my host attends. Today was their family day, so it was mainly geared towards the children. I recognized "I'm in the Lord's Army" as the children sang it in Icelandic, while acting out all the motions. It reminded me of VBS back home :)

Worship with the group of Christians in Reykjavik didn't start until noon, which was such an odd feeling for me. Upon my arrival, I was greeted with many handshakes and hugs. The group consists of 6 members. Today, there were two visitors (myself and a Swedish woman). It was great worshipping in such a small group, as it is so intimate compared to the corporate worship we are all accustomed to these days. They did use a guitar with the singing, which is different from what I am used to. I knew most of the songs we sang, and was excited to sing "Unto thee O Lord" in Icelandic. Since the women repeat words sang by the men in that song, I was able to pronounce the words correctly, and I knew exactly what I was singing!

I looked down at my class ring and saw that it has turned from silver to gold. Apparently, the sulfur in the water caused it... Oops!

After worship, I went downtown to: Bæjarins beztu pylsur, which translates as "The Best Hot Dog in Town." This place was deemed the best hotdog stand in Europe by The Guardian. There is ALWAYS a line. People line up in the biting wind just to wait for a dog! A hot dog costs 350 krona and condiments include ketchup, sweet mustard, fried onion, raw onion and remolaði, a mayonnaise-based sauce with sweet relish. Hot dogs are often ordered with "the works," or in Icelandic, "eina með öllu". It was tasty! This is another food item I found out about from Andrew Zimmern's show, "Bizarre Foods." It wasn't bizarre, but it was yummy!

Golden Circle

The Golden Circle tour allows visitors to get in touch with some of Iceland’s most famous and exciting natural phenomena. Our first stop was at the Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park. Þingvellir is one of Iceland’s most historic sites as it was here that Iceland’s first parliament was founded in the year 930 AD.

From Þingvellir we headed toward the world-renowned geothermal area around the Geysir hot spring. This is the one spouting hot spring that all the other's have been named after. It rarely erupts, but it's neighbor "Strokkur" erupts every 4-7 minutes. There were many springs in the area, and it was neat seeing the steam rising from the ground. My video of the eruption didn't turn out well, but I found this video online that shows exactly what Strokkur looks like as it erupts! It was amazing!!

From there we continued on to Gullfoss (“the Golden waterfall”) where your proximity to its edge is so close you can feel the spray of the glacial water on your face. Personally, it was a bit too cold to have icy crystals pelting you, but the view was worth it! 

And then... What we'd all been waiting for... A snowmobiling tour on Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier! This was such a cool experience. You haven't lived until you've sped around on a glacier at 55 km/h. It was amazing! The sun was shining down on a blanket of snow. It was so beautiful!

Langjokull Glacier

When I got home, Benjamin and I went to Subway, and then to the store for some candy. In Iceland, all candy is 50% off on Saturdays. There was a horde of children, dragging their parents into the store to get bags of candy! I got some gummy worms, sour gummys, skittles, and a few weird looking pieces, that ended up actually tasting pretty good!

Saddle Up!

Today, the jet lag, and the diving, just hit me right in the face. I was knocked out most of the day, just sleeping away the beautiful sunlight. Yesterday and today have shown me the true beauty of Iceland with the perfect weather. It's still chilly, but I went to the post office in shorts, a t shirt, and my Vibrams. Haha those sure earned me some weird looks from the locals! 

After a long day of doing absolutely NOTHING, I finally took advantage of the sun. Carina's daughter took me out to her friend's stables, where we rode some Icelandic horses. These horses were beautiful, but strong willed. Instead of being broken, I was told that the riders work with the horses, so that they are never truly in submission. They really have a mind of their own!

It took me a short while to get comfortable, since it's been a long time since I rode a horse... I knew the basics though, and proved that I wasn't a complete idiot! Haha Hannah said that I did way better than her boyfriend, but I'm not sure how much of a compliment that was! I had so much fun just getting out into the fresh air and riding, while talking about different things with Hannah. The horses usually want to be ridden, and were excited to be out in the nice weather. They were eager to get out and run! My horse (don't ask me how to pronounce his name) kept wanting to compete with the other horse, but I was able to keep him in control. It was quite fun!!!

When I got home from riding, Carina's son Benjamin took me into the city for a bit of sight seeing. We went to "The Pearl," which is Perlan in Icelandic. The base of The Pearl consists of four tanks, which are used as hot water tanks. A dome was built on top of the tanks, and has restaurants and shops inside. There is a viewing deck along the exterior of the dome, providing a superb view of not only Reykjavik, but all the surrounding cities. I could see Garðabær, the city I am staying in, as well as across the cities, into the mountains. The view is like nothing else!

After visiting Perlan, Benjamin and I went to see "The Avengers." It was a great movie! It was in English, with Icelandic subtitles. The only problem was when there were other languages being spoken in the movie... I heard the other language, and the subtitles were still in Icelandic! I was stuck, not knowing what was going on. Halfway through the movie, it just turned off, and everyone started to leave. I was confused, and Benjamin explained that it was intermission. With movies being so long these days, they should all have intermissions! 

Liquid Crystal

My day began with a delicious Icelandic breakfast of skyr, and lamb/cheese on bread. Skyr was on "Bizarre Foods" as one of the important dishes to try while traveling in Iceland. It is a very creamy substance, somewhat like yogurt! With milk, blueberries, and sugar added to it, it was quite delicious!

Carina's son Benjamin had a test to take at 9:30 in Reykjavik, which was perfect since I had to meet with my diving instructor at that time as well. I arrived just in time to hop in the bus and begin the journey that I've been planning for. I've spent the past month or so getting my dive certification, specifically for this trip. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is visible above water only in Iceland. There is a crack between the two continents, named "Silfra." With the required certification, one can go diving IN this crack. You are literally between the North American and the Eurasian plates. I read of this and just knew that I had to experience it. The water was 2°C, but felt a little warmer with the dry suit on. It took a little while to get used to the suit, as the method of bouyancy control is completely different that what I had learned. Even with that, the dive was amazing. The water is the cleanest and clearest water I will ever see. It melts off a glacier 50 kilometers away, and travels through the mountains for a few hundred years before ending up in Silfra. That entire time, it is just being filtered constantly. Drinking it was pure pleasure! 

Standing in front of "the crack."

After a long, tiring day, I met back up with Carina and we went to the grocery store. Her son Benjamin wanted to have pizza for dinner, so she needed to grab a few ingredients. It was awesome being in a grocery store in a country where a different language is spoken! New Zealand and Australia's grocery stores were rather normal. I enjoyed reading (trying to, I should say) the different labels, and seeing some of the food that both Iceland and America sell. 

In Iceland, people have to buy the plastic bags they use to carry groceries to their car. What a simple way to GO GREEN!


We got back to the house, and began making pizza. Carina surprised me when she laid out a big thing of dough and said, "Here's yours!" Apparently the family each has a pizza, and all the fixings sit in the middle of the table. Then, everyone commences to creating their own masterpiece! This was a fun experience for me, as the ham, cheese, and vegetables mostly looked/tasted a bit different than what I am used to. Luckily, tomatoes will never fail me! The pizza was delicious!!

Stuffed Crust!

Dinner conversation went like this... "So you go to Auburn? How are Toomer's trees doing?" Yea... Iceland people know about our trees. BOOM. WAR EAGLE BABY!!!!

Oh and by the way, the apple pie I brought for Carina was a huge success. She LOVED it, and was so excited that I brought it. I had a small piece and it was YUMMMMY! I'm glad it held up on all the flights, and that it survived being left in the D.C. airport (A stewardess walked through the plane asking who's it was...). 

Fire and Ice

A barren landscape smothered in black rock that can only be the remnant of past volcanic activity. This is the land of fire. A misting snow falls, as we make our way into the suburbs of Reykjavik, creating a fog that hides the snow covered mountains in the distance. This is the land of ice. This, my friends... is the land of fire and ice. The low, rolling hills tease the eye into believing more is to come, yet as far as it can see, the rugged land is stifled by moss as it pushes towards the sky, taking over any area where it can gain a foothold. This is Iceland. This is the simplistic beauty that comes with unaltered landscape.

I was eagerly greeted when I arrived to Iceland by my host "mother." My bewilderment at this new place, where everyone is speaking a different language, just faded away when she embraced me in a welcoming hug. We got back to her house, which is gorgeous, and had a bite to eat before braving the chilly mist of the outside. She gave me a brief tour of Reykjavik's city center, before dropping me off and going to work. With that, I decided to go to the tallest building in the city, to get my bearings. It is called the Hallgrímskirkja church. (Say that ten times) I pulled out the camera to snap some cool shots of the amazing architecture, and... I hadn't put a memory card in the camera. Epic fail. With that disappointment, I tried to get some pictures with my phone. I hadn't charged my phone since I have my mom's fancy camera for pictures! I ended up in a new, beautiful city, with no camera. I mentally marked plenty of places I want pictures of, and will just have to get them another day!

You can take an elevator to the top

Being in a city for the first day means you have to run errands. I had to cancel my reservations at my hostel, since I have a lovely family to stay with instead. I had to get a SIM card for my international phone so that my mother wouldn't kill one of my dogs (she threatened to kill them if I didn't keep in touch). I went ahead and got my basic tourist shopping out of the way (the silly things I buy wherever I go). After that, all that was left to do was explore! The street names are kind of hard to remember, unlike in Australia where you had "George" and "Broadway." Here, it's... Langavabueilir. Ok, I made that one up, but that's really what they all look like!! Luckily, most of the locals like speaking English, so it was easy enough to just ask for directions.

Ugh I haven't slept in awhile!

The family pet, Rufus :)

I ended my day of sight seeing a bit early due to fatigue. I came "home," took a much needed nap, and woke up to an amazing dinner of pork, salad, and a medley of vegetables. Now I think I'll go take a shower, and relax in the sauna... Yea, I said it.
There's a sauna IN their house.

Couch Surfing

In Brisbane, Australia, there was a local pub/restaurant next to our dorm rooms. We spent many hours there, enjoying discussion's with the locals (Yes, some of the guys were cute!) and eating 50 cent wings. On more than one occasion, we were asked, "Are you couch surfers?" Well, I don't know about you guys, but it's pretty fun to throw a mattress on the stairs and surf down them... Wait, they said couch surfing, not mattress surfing! What is couch surfing?

I looked it up, and was amazed at what I found. Couch Surfing is made up of a community of travelers, who host people who are visiting their city, or are hosted while traveling to other cities. At first, I admit... it sounded a bit sketchy, and unsafe. I thought, "So you just sleep on random people's couches?" After further research, I learned that it is much more than that. You post your travel plans, and hosts read your profile. They read what you like, dislike, hate, or love. Through thoughtfully filling out your profile, you can provide your hosts a glimpse into your life and personality. If they feel like you'd be a good fit to stay with them, they will invite you to come stay with them.

After all I've read of Couch Surfing, I see more positive than negative aspects. Upon my arrival in Iceland, I will have someone that already knows a bit about me, and who will be able to help me experience the Icelandic culture. I get to skip the touristy locations, and dive straight into the "local" scene. My host, Carina, and her family, will show me around their city, instead of a tour bus, or tour guide. I will immediately become a part of the Reykjavik community, instead of some outsider walking around aimlessly. I will experience home cooked Icelandic cuisine. I will develop relationships that will last the test of time. I will save money on lodging, and possibly on food. I will have specific people in this foreign area, who know my name, my parent's phone numbers, and who are aware of my location throughout my stay. I do not see couch surfing as a way to stay with strangers... I see it as a way to extend my family tree, from the east, to the west; from the north to south.

Do yourself a favor, whether you want to travel or not, and become a couch surfer. Host travelers in your home, and experience part of their country, even while staying in your own city. Surf the world, one couch at a time.

Homecoming

My 2 girls, the husky and beagle, were quite excited for Mom to be home, but there was someone else I needed to see... Jared missed me almost as much as I missed him! This is probably the longest hug I've received from him, ever.

Since I got home, I can't go to the grocery store without him asking, "Home? Home? Emmy?" He thinks I'm leaving again, for 40 days. He can't stand to be away from his big sister!!

And the credits roll...

That's it folks. The trip is over, it's our last day, it's done.

That just means today has to be awesome!! It's still raining here in Sydney, but not too bad, so I braved the weather and went in search of a gift for my lovely mother. She's an amazing woman, and deserves something awesome from Australia, so I couldn't really settle with just ANY souvenir. After awhile of searching I found the perfect gift, and my quest was over. Unfortunately, that meant I had nothing to do for the rest of the day. The rain made everything so dreary and uninviting, so I just went back to "Hogwarts" for lunch and a nap. I decided to go ahead and pack all my stuff so that I wouldn't have to do it late tonight or early in the morning. The evening is quickly approaching, and with it, comes an event that is a perfect way to end our stay in the land down under.

Dinner Cruise! Our wonderful leader, Anoop Sattineni, has scheduled a dinner cruise to end our 40 day journey down under in style. Luckily, there weren't too many other people on the cruise, so our limited wardrobes weren't a problem. I mean, when I'm told to dress nice on this trip, there's only so much I can do. We met down at Darling Harbour, where we awaited the arrival of our boat. We departed from the harbour, and the sun was setting behind the opera house and the bridge. Due to the rainy day we had, the sky was all shades of purple, and was just magnificent. 

The evening was full of good food, good company, and was just an overall good time. It was such a perfect way to finish this trip.