London January 2019

We arrive in London early evening and by the time we arrived at our accommodation in Camden Gardens it was quite late. We were staying near St. Pancreas, Kings Cross which was very convenient. We ended up at a nearby pizza restaurant.

Our first impression of London was a bit of a cultural shock after spending three weeks in Europe and Scandinavia.

Our first full day in London we explored along the Thames then we caught up with a friend at Greenwich, travelling via the river, it’s always a great place to spend time as there is always so much to see. That night we ended up having dinner at the local pub which was just around the corner from our accommodation.

We were very luck as the British Library was close to where we were staying and they had a fabulous exhibition called ‘Anglo-Saxon Kingdom – War, Art and Word’. It had original documents, like the Doomsday Book and many others which was extremely interesting as well as looking around at other aspects of the library. We spent the whole morning there ending up with lunch.

In the afternoon we went to Leicester Square walking around enjoying looking in second-hand bookshops and tacky souvenir shops. We decided to book a play, then found a place for dinner.

The next day we went out to visit my cousin in Dagenham, she has often said she would like to see me again and it was the main reason for going to London. Later that day we walked the length Oxford Street. We love walking around cities as you see more and can take in the atmosphere of an area.

The following morning, we caught the train from Paddington station to Exeter (note even the cheapest tickets were very expensive). We went to meet another friend there for lunch. Exeter is a really pleasant university town, with an interesting Cathedral, and archaeological ruins, and very charming shops.

Exeter Cathedral

On our 4^th day we went to Tower Bridge and the exhibition of the original Engine Room which is now obsolete as the opening and closing of the bridge is now computerised, very informative. We then walked to Borough Market and enjoyed lunch there. We then went to the Tate Modern Gallery our full day was finished off by going to ‘The Play Goes Wrong’ in the evening.

There is always heaps to do and see in London and as it had been ages since our last visit there was always things to explore. We first had to go to the Bank of England to exchange some old pound notes we had for new ones we could use. We then walked to St. Martins in the Field for lunch and stayed for the free

Tower Bridge

concert, but also booked for a recital that evening and ended up having an early dinner at the Silver Cross Pub.

On our last day we went to the Tate Gallery for a Pre-Raphaelite Exhibition of the artist Edward Burne-Jones. We then walked back to Leicester Square and ended up at Foyles Bookshop and of course bought some books and DVDs. I checked out the travel books and they had my book Pieces of China in stock which was gratifying. Our last night we had dinner at an Indian Restaurant close to our accommodation, then packed up our cases ready for the trip back home.

The Tate Gallery

Iceland Intrepid Tour January 2019

 Our first stop was Ꝧingvellir National Park is Iceland’s most important spot as it was where the Viking settlers established the world’s first democratic parliament It was blanketed by snow but had a

Icelandic Horses

stark beauty. Then we visited the geo-thermal area and witnessed the geysir (an Icelandic word), very impressive then to the Golden waterfall, one of many waterfalls we would see on the trip. A little side trip to see the Icelandic horses which a very cute and quite small and not surprisingly have thick coats. We then arrived at a working farm to stay the night (Hotel Fljotshliᵭ).

Ꝧingvellir National Park

The next day we were on the move to and visited Skogafloss waterfall on the Skoga River in the Skaftafell National Park. On the way to the glacier lagoon we stopped at Dyrhόlaey which is a rocky plateau on the coast with a spectacular view of the sunrise. It was extremely windy that I felt that I could have been blown off the cliff. We then travelled through the Eldhraun lava field of the 1783 eruption of the volcano Laki which had a devastating effect across the countryside. We visited the Fjadrargljufur canyon. We then stopped at Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon with its many huge lumps of blue tinged ice broken off from the glacier at the coast. We then headed back to Vik I Mydral where we would stay the night, but on the way stopped at a small village church.

The following morning, we went to the black beach south shore and enjoyed another great sunrise over the Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks, then off to two more waterfalls one being Seijalandsfoss.

Glacial Lagoon

We then travelled to the Blue Lagoon a famous thermal pool to enjoy a relaxing time in the pools, though they were very crowded. From there we headed back to Reykjavik for an overnight stay.

In the morning we had a drive around the city, though we had explored on our first few days there. In the afternoon we flew to Akureyi, capital of the North, which was a charming town, the prominent Lutheran church is located at the centre of the city on a hill dominating the surrounds. It has 3200 pipe-organ, and a suspended ship hanging from the ceiling reflecting the old Nordic tradition giving offerings for the protection of their seafarers. There are many interesting features but the similarities in design to that of the Reykjavik cathedral are due to the fact it was the same designer for each. On our way to our hotel we stopped at the beautiful Goᵭafoss or waterfall of the Gods to fight with the wind. Before checking into our hotel, we walked around Skutustadir pseudo craters which resemble a true volcanic crater but has no actual vent from which lava has erupted.

Next morning, we explored Myvatn Lake area, walked in the Dimmuborgir lava field and Namaskard

Geo-thermal area

geo-thermal area which was extraordinary. In the afternoon we visited the small town of Husavik we decided not to go and wallow in another thermal pool. The town was extremely small and not much seemed open even though it was Thursday. We visited the Whale Museum which turned out to be extremely interesting.

The last day of the tour we drove back to Akureyri where we visited the Christmas Garden, the complex includes a building like a gingerbread house selling innumerable lollies and Christmas decorations, plus another building that sells handicrafts and local products. We flew back to Reykjavik in the afternoon and in the evening we all met again for our last dinner together.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and our guide Jurate was excellent.

Iceland January 2019

We arrived in Reykjavik at 3.40 pm it was already dark. After we settled into our hotel, we went to explore down town. We just checked the layout and as it was getting late, we started looking for a place to eat and found a Thai restaurant and decided to eat there.

The next day we were out and about quite early ready to explore the city. Our first mission was to find an ATM to get some Icelandic money and when we found one it was right next to a bookshop, which is always a favourite place for us no matter where we are. Of course, we went in and as they had a café, we had our morning coffee fix and enjoyed looking at the books. Wherever I go I like to by book by a local author of the country often a novel as I feel they if an insight into the society, though non-fiction can also be on the list. Iceland has the most authors per population than any other country, maybe because it’s so bleak and dark during winter so huddled at home one can let imagination run riot.

Typical Building

We tore ourselves away from the cosy bookshop and went up to the cathedral which dominates the city. Being a Lutheran church, the interior is plain compared to the Gothic churches in mainland Europe, but its architecture drew ideas from that making its structure a simple ‘Gothic’. The main feature is the amazing 5275 pipe organ which was installed in 1992, individuals sponsored each of the pipes and their names are inscribed on them. We then went to the Settlement Museum which is built around a 10^th century Viking longhouse. The exhibitions give a glimpse into early Icelandic life and is well worth a visit. Then off to the Modern Art Museum with ever changing exhibitions. Then off to Volcano House shows films every hour about the Vestmannaeyjar volcanoes and Eyjafjallajőkull which were very informative. 

Reykjavik Cathedral

In the evening we went to the Loftid Bar, there we had the local drinks of Brennivin a caraway flavoured spirit and Snorri pale ale. Later we went to the Uppsalir for dinner.

I was determined to taste more Icelandic food, we bought pylsur, hotdogs supposedly very special, not a fan of hotdogs anyway, so probably not a good person to judge their uniqueness or quality, we then went to the market, which was OK had a range of goods, antiques, clothes, jewellery and food. It’s here we tasted the famous or infamous hᾱkarl fermented shark, it is definitely an acquired taste and not one I would want to pursue acquiring, in a word it was disgusting and the taste seems to last in your mouth for a long time.

We walked to the cathedral again on the following day hoping there would be an organ recital but it mainly takes place in summer. There is a hand knitters association, and being a knitter myself I decided to check it out. About the only thing that is cheap in Iceland is knitting wool, I bought some as well as a pattern which I plan to knit when I get home. And near this shop we went into a bakery and bought the last Icelandic thing on my tasting list, vinarbrauᵭ a rolled pastry laced with custard and jam. Extremely yummy and definitely recommended. We also bought a CD of modern Icelandic music, which is quite haunting.

One of the Main Streets

Then off to the National Gallery and Museum both extremely interesting and well worth the visit.

We would be meeting up with our tour group the following day but had the whole day for further exploration of Reykjavik we just basically wandered around down to the coast and just enjoyed the day, another venture into the book shop from which I bought the book Independent People by Halldόr Laxness. Iceland has the most writers per population than anywhere else, maybe it’s the unforgiving weather during winter makes writing one of the few activities one can do huddled in doors during the cold and dark.

In the evening we met our tour guide plus our fellow companions. Then we had dinner and were rushed off to a Northern Lights hunt which unfortunately did not appear.

Up early for the start of the tour.