Three Days in Iceland

Aug 31, 13 Three Days in Iceland

Posted by in Featured, Travel

We had an opportunity to add a stop in Iceland on our way to Paris.  Travel tip:  If you book on Iceland Air, you can make a stop in Iceland at no additional charge. Iceland can be both wildly expensive or strangely inexpensive depending on how you travel. Almost all of the amazing geological sites are free.  Because the country is an island, most of the consumer goods are imports, so if you stay away from shopping you can avoid high costs. Renting a car was interesting given that much of the country is impassable in a passenger car.  We kept worrying that we were going to drive into a forbidden area but it never happened.  We did see some giant SUVs that take people into the interior of the island.  Next time, I want to go in there! We found an amazing Bed and Breakfast called Minna-Mosfell.  They are near the Golden Circle and about 45 minutes from Kevflavik airport.  The  hosts Gudrun and Valur are warm and inviting. Their reviews on Trip Advisor are the best I have ever seen. They have a place with 3 rooms with a shared bath. Their set up is a lovely shared space with a sitting area and a table as well as a small self-catering kitchen. They have fresh home-made bread each morning as well as homegrown eggs, cheese, and tasty treats. We were able to make some sandwiches to take out on our day-trips which made our visit in Iceland so amazingly kid friendly.  They provided a picnic backpack and a thermos for each room.  This allowed for considerable savings and we ended up eating out for one simple meal each day.  Their hospitality was unbelievable. The landscape in Iceland is fantastic.  It looks like a moonscape when you fly into to town with all the lava.  There are very few trees and when we were there in the summer, it was green everywhere with purple Lupines blooming all over the place.  Driving around Iceland...

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Dear Diary, It’s Hard to Come Home…

Aug 25, 13 Dear Diary, It’s Hard to Come Home…

Posted by in Dear Diary, Travel

4 countries 6 currencies 38 days 4 backpacks 3 rental cars 1 car loaned by friends 2 ferries old friends new friends 2 amusement parks 3 medieval villages 1 mountain climb to a chateau daily scrapbooks fresh baked bread old cheese, salami, french wine, Danish snaps, Danish beer, bubbles, 4 swimming pools, 2 hot springs, 2 beaches, and a whole lot of sunshine… It has been a week since we returned from our 5 week trip to Iceland, France, Denmark, and Sweden.  I have had a hard time reintegrating  back into my life.  I have had difficulty writing.  Not because I don’t have anything to say but because I have been on some kind of sensory overload for several weeks now and I have had a hard time forming a thought of my own.  I have been awash in varied and intense emotions. I have had my fill of beautiful places and interesting visual stimulation.  I have had my fill of re-connection and connection with people I have known, and people I have gotten to meet in the last month.  I am physically spent.  I can feel the physical exhaustion hanging on even though I have taken it easy this week and haven’t tried to do too much. I am sated by the time on vacation with my family and have been enjoying some time alone this week.  Being in close quarters with my family was so warm and we have shared a real sense of connection that was sweet and special.  Now we are all disconnecting just a bit so we can go on with our individual lives. People want to hear about our trip and I am not ready to talk about it much yet.  It is like a new lover, something to savor that is greater than words.  If I talk about it, I tie it down, I accidentally commit to giving it a meaning instead of letting my feelings exist on their own in a land without words.  I want...

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