Ok ok... I know. I am an awful person. I have really been slacking off on posting about what I have been up to this past month. I have been writing it down though, so I will post as I can (like the one I just posted on Day 4 in Iceland).
It's just proof that we picked all the right places to go, because I only seem to find time to blog when we're on a train, or a quick bulleted list at night before bed.
All in due time... :)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Copenhagen: Day One
Off to Copenhagen. Thankfully, the FlyBus took my bike in its box with no issues. Keflavik is a very cute airport. Like so many things in Iceland, it is efficient and well thought out.
Made it to Copenhagen on time, thanks Icelandair. Also, all my bags and my bike arrived fairly unscathed. I assembled my bike in the airport while waiting for Mitchel. It went pretty easy. Definitely no complaints. I mean, I wish the bike box could have been smaller, but that's ok. I was a little worried about what to do with the box once Beyonce was assembled, but an airport worker just dragged it off.
Oh yes, for those that don't know, my bike is named Beyonce.
Mitchel arrived on time as well, but his connection in Chicago weas tight and he thought maybe his bag and bike wouldn't make the flight. He spent probably an hour running around trying to confirm that his bags didn't make the flight.
He was right.
We waited and waited in the airport, but nothing. So finally we headed out of the airport to the hostel. Copenhagen is the land of bikes. If Copenhagen is like this, I can't even imagine what Amsterdam is like. Bikes everywhere, they have their own little road between the sidewalk and the street. Very impressive. Lots of junky bikes, but nearly everyone bikes. Certainly, there is nothing like this in any US city I have been to. About the closest I have seen is Portland, and still they pale in comparison. The rate of helmet wearing between Copenhagen and Portland is about the same: ZERO. I would love to see injury/fatality statistics.
We checked in - somehow Mitchel is able to navigate a foreign city, with just a tourist map, as if he's a local. It's impressive. The hostel was very much a European hostel as anyone would imagine. But it's ok, just one night. Hopefully. If Mitchel's bags don't make it, we will have to stay another night.
We had dinner and walked around. Stuff in Copenhagen is expensive, but not too different than Seattle. Had some shawarma, was tasty. So far, Copenhagen isn't too impressive, just a bunch of old buildings, not a lot of charm.
After dinner, we went back to the hostel and pulled ourselves together. We went out and checked out a few bars, nothing too impressive. Especially since they smoke in bars here, a lot. Gross. Apparently it's illegal, but they don't care. It was fun anyway. We met a couple Danish homos, Peter and Kim.
Was a good night overall, even if we stunk.
Made it to Copenhagen on time, thanks Icelandair. Also, all my bags and my bike arrived fairly unscathed. I assembled my bike in the airport while waiting for Mitchel. It went pretty easy. Definitely no complaints. I mean, I wish the bike box could have been smaller, but that's ok. I was a little worried about what to do with the box once Beyonce was assembled, but an airport worker just dragged it off.
Oh yes, for those that don't know, my bike is named Beyonce.
Mitchel arrived on time as well, but his connection in Chicago weas tight and he thought maybe his bag and bike wouldn't make the flight. He spent probably an hour running around trying to confirm that his bags didn't make the flight.
He was right.
We waited and waited in the airport, but nothing. So finally we headed out of the airport to the hostel. Copenhagen is the land of bikes. If Copenhagen is like this, I can't even imagine what Amsterdam is like. Bikes everywhere, they have their own little road between the sidewalk and the street. Very impressive. Lots of junky bikes, but nearly everyone bikes. Certainly, there is nothing like this in any US city I have been to. About the closest I have seen is Portland, and still they pale in comparison. The rate of helmet wearing between Copenhagen and Portland is about the same: ZERO. I would love to see injury/fatality statistics.
We checked in - somehow Mitchel is able to navigate a foreign city, with just a tourist map, as if he's a local. It's impressive. The hostel was very much a European hostel as anyone would imagine. But it's ok, just one night. Hopefully. If Mitchel's bags don't make it, we will have to stay another night.
We had dinner and walked around. Stuff in Copenhagen is expensive, but not too different than Seattle. Had some shawarma, was tasty. So far, Copenhagen isn't too impressive, just a bunch of old buildings, not a lot of charm.
After dinner, we went back to the hostel and pulled ourselves together. We went out and checked out a few bars, nothing too impressive. Especially since they smoke in bars here, a lot. Gross. Apparently it's illegal, but they don't care. It was fun anyway. We met a couple Danish homos, Peter and Kim.
Was a good night overall, even if we stunk.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Iceland: Day Six
Today I was supposed to go to the Vestmannaeyjar, but I missed my flight. Sort of on purpose. Because I didn't return the rental car last night, I have to do it today as early as possible. I've already resigned myself to the fact that I have to come back to Iceland again and, because this isn't tourist season, I thought maybe I would postpone the islands trip. The tickets were very cheap, so it wasn't too much of a loss.
I dropped the rental off around 10am. Dagur, the same guy I rented it from, was there and was a friendly as ever. There was no extra charge for returning half a day late and totally dirty. And he drove me downtown!
Since I missed the islands, I decided I would just check and see if there were any other afternoon tours I could do last minute. I didn't want to spend my last day in Iceland shopping and in an internet cafe. Thankfully, it turns out there were a few options. Whale Watching or Horse Riding.
Score! I had wanted to ride an Icelandic horse, but I read on one of the sites that I was too heavy for them. The lady at the tourist office assured me I was well underweight. I booked the tour, and still had an hour to kill downtown so I did more souvenir and postcard shopping :)
Icelandic horses, to most people, look like large ponies. But apparently they are actually proper horses, just smaller and much much hairier. They have these beautiful long manes and, during the winter, much longer hair on their bodies. These are the horses of the Vikings. Iceland protects their lineage as much as they protect their language. Icelandic horses are best known for their unique gait called tölt. This is really want I wanted to experience. Apparently standard horses can be trained to do tölt, but it comes native to almost all Icelandic horses.
I am by no means an experienced rider, but I love horses. I have ridden several times, but never such a small horse. I felt like I was going to break it, but I didn't. They are tough! And the tölt is cool. Just search YouTube for "icelandic horse tolt" and you will find it... you don't need the fancy ö.
After riding the horse for a few hours, I came back to the hostel and began packing to leave Iceland and meet Mitchel in Denmark. I am definitely not looking forward to leaving Iceland, but I am looking forward to starting the trip with Mitchel.
I dropped the rental off around 10am. Dagur, the same guy I rented it from, was there and was a friendly as ever. There was no extra charge for returning half a day late and totally dirty. And he drove me downtown!
Since I missed the islands, I decided I would just check and see if there were any other afternoon tours I could do last minute. I didn't want to spend my last day in Iceland shopping and in an internet cafe. Thankfully, it turns out there were a few options. Whale Watching or Horse Riding.
Score! I had wanted to ride an Icelandic horse, but I read on one of the sites that I was too heavy for them. The lady at the tourist office assured me I was well underweight. I booked the tour, and still had an hour to kill downtown so I did more souvenir and postcard shopping :)
Icelandic horses, to most people, look like large ponies. But apparently they are actually proper horses, just smaller and much much hairier. They have these beautiful long manes and, during the winter, much longer hair on their bodies. These are the horses of the Vikings. Iceland protects their lineage as much as they protect their language. Icelandic horses are best known for their unique gait called tölt. This is really want I wanted to experience. Apparently standard horses can be trained to do tölt, but it comes native to almost all Icelandic horses.
I am by no means an experienced rider, but I love horses. I have ridden several times, but never such a small horse. I felt like I was going to break it, but I didn't. They are tough! And the tölt is cool. Just search YouTube for "icelandic horse tolt" and you will find it... you don't need the fancy ö.
After riding the horse for a few hours, I came back to the hostel and began packing to leave Iceland and meet Mitchel in Denmark. I am definitely not looking forward to leaving Iceland, but I am looking forward to starting the trip with Mitchel.
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