Day 20 - Giant's Causeway

Up at 0515, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm actually on holiday, taxi to the city to get a coach to the Giant's Causeway which is actually in Northern Ireland. The drive took about 3 hours and the driver was one of those people who thinks he is funny because foreigners laugh at his jokes just because they think they should. He also insisted on not only talking all the way there but also burst into the odd song, and regaled us with a couple of verses of traditional Irish songs a couple of times. I half expected him to stop and perform Riverdance. Consequently I didn't get much of a chance to sleep.
We stopped off at an avenue of trees called the dark bushes which featured in Game of Thrones, although I can't remember it.
We stopped for lunch at a cafe that was probably paying kickbacks to the coach company so Song and I were a bit dubious but the food was surprisingly good and reasonably priced. I had beef and Guinness pie and Song had leek and potato soup.
The coach carried on and stopped at an old rope bridge which we walked across to a small island, then onto the Giant's Causeway. The weather was pretty awful - cold, a light rain, windy and about 5C. Wandered around the thing, taking pictures and trying not to get blown into the sea, then went and sat in a pub to wait for the coach. It was interesting, and I think I would have enjoyed it more had the weather been better and my cold gone.
Back on the coach, a quick look at an ancient castle and then a stop off in Belfast which as far as I could tell had no redeeming features and the hour we spent there is an hour of my life I'll never get back. We just sat in a cafe, watched the rain and miserable people and waited for the coach to leave.
On the way back the driver decided to play some traditional Irish music which was bad enough, but then he insisted on singing along. What was a long day seemed to go on forever.
Got back, it was still raining, walked to the bus stop then crashed in the hotel once again, neither of us fancied eating.
The icing on the cake for the day was the flight to Belgium in a few days had been changed from 0640 to 1830, which stuffed up our plans a bit but could have been worse, at least we didn't have a connecting flight. We'd have to call the airline to see if they could get us on an earlier one.
Tomorrow we pick up the hire car and drive around Ireland for a few days.

Day 19 - Dublin

Up early again, still battling the cold and cough. Taxi then train to the airport then the shortest flight I think I've ever been on, about 30 minutes.
Taxi to the hotel which was very impressive - an old castle (I don't think there are any new ones actually).
The room wasn't ready so we dumped the bags and took a bus into Dublin and wandered around trying to find something to eat, most places seemed to serve fried breakfasts or pub food but we found a cafe that did rolls and bagels. The weather was cold and a bit overcast, around 7C.
Every second shop is a pub - drinking appears to be the national pastime.
The weather got worse and started to rain heavily and I'd decided to leave the umbrella at the hotel so got a bit wet, not doing my cold any good. Walked over the Ha'penny Bridge and into the main part of Dublin, through some alleys and back streets heading to Dublin Castle. It wasn't that impressive to be honest, so we carried on to St Patrick's Cathedral. Paid our 6 Euro to get in and heard what I thought was recorded music but it turned out to be a choir of teenagers performing, so we sat and listened for a while. Very pleasant and relaxing. Wandered around inside, found out that Jonathan Swift was buried there and took some photos of the inside of the cathedral.
Left to go to another church but when we got there it was shut so continued back to the main part of the city. We were both tired from the early start so stopped off for a coffee, then found ourselves outside The Temple Bar which Song said was famous. Unable to resist any longer, we went in for a beer. I was going to have a Guinness for appearance, but I don't really like it so had a Murphy's, and Song had a Beamish - both stout. Song had a couple of mouthfuls and told me to finish it - gee, the things I have to do.
We were still tired and debated whether to go back to the hotel and come back later  or to keep going and eat, although I wasn't hungry. We decided to keep going and found a restaurant serving traditional Irish food. I like to try the local food, although I drew the line in Iceland because theirs consisted of shark, whale, puffin and horse. I had a beef and Guinness stew, Song had corned beef. Mine was ok, not great. Song said hers was not bad. Struggling to keep awake, got the bus back to the hotel and crashed. Another early day tomorrow, heading to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, taking a coach tour that leaves at 0630. Oh joy. Still, we can sleep on the bus.

Day 18 - Manchester

Got the flight time wrong, it was 0800, not  0640, that's the flight from Dublin, so we only had to get up at 0530 instead of 0330.
Flight was uneventful although the landing was a bit bumpy.
Got the train to the main station then a cab to the hotel, then went out to eat. The weather was worse than Iceland - overcast, rainy, windy and about 5C. It's grim up north. Song decided we needed new walking shoes so we bought some.
Later found out they only charged us for 1 pair. Free shoes!
Just had a pizza for dinner, relieved to be paying less than $100 for a meal.
Went back to the hotel and crashed, another early start tomorrow to get the flight to Dublin.

Impressions of Iceland

Iceland, or Land of Ice as I like to call it, is truly spectacular. You quickly run out of superlatives when trying to describe the landscape. Song and I both agree it's the best scenery we have seen. The photos don't do it justice - the vistas are too wide to capture on camera, and I tried using the panorama setting but it just doesn't show it as it is in reality.
Reykjavik is where you need to stay - it has all the best restaurants, all the tours,  and is within easy reach of the Golden Circle.
One bad thing about Iceland is that most things are expensive - coffee was between $5 and $7, a decent meal (and an average one) costs around $30-$50 a head. The bus to the Blue Lagoon was about $85 for 2. So if you go, be prepared.
Another bad thing is that the drivers are rubbish - most of them never signal and cut across lanes and in front of you without warning. Half of them drive 20 kmh above the speed limit and the other half 20 kmh below the limit. So you are either being tail-gated or have to drive too close to the car in front or drop to a crawl. However, because the landscape is generally flat where the roads are, you can see for miles and can overtake. Sometimes we drove for ages without seeing another car.
Song wants to come back, so we're thinking about when - we didn't explore South of Reykjavik so maybe we'll do that next time.
If you are travelling to Europe, I'd highly recommend adding Iceland to the itinerary - it's less than 3 hours from London. We spent 6 days and we felt that was enough time to see everything and not be rushed. I'd also recommend hiring a car - it gives you flexibility and isn't too much more expensive than taking the coaches.

Day 17 - The Blue Lagoon again

We got up in the middle of the night, around midnight, to see if we could see the Northern Lights again, but although the sky was clear we didn’t spot them so went back to sleep.
Halfway through the Europe trip, still got Ireland and France to go.
Woke up around 0800, still not feeling 100%, had breakfast and went into the city.
Wandered around a bit, into the cathedral  where someone was playing the organ, and it was very peaceful. Then down to the waterfront and stopped off in a cafe for what I think is the most expensive coffee we've ever had, about $7.
Walked back to the car and then headed out to the Blue Lagoon again, stopping on the way to visit a Viking village but it was just a hotel so carried on to the Blue Lagoon. It was Song's idea to go twice and what a great idea it was. We spent another 2.5 hours there just floating in the hot water, standing under a waterfall that was like having a massage, and visiting the not too hot sauna, the hotter steam room and the 'holy crap I can hardly breath this is hot' steam room.
I've put on a bit of weight because of all the eating out, but I didn't realise how much until I went back to the Blue Lagoon. A whale watching bus stopped and people took photos, and some people from Greenpeace tried to drag me back into the water.
The steam and saunas did me the world of good, I felt a lot better.
Drove straight to the restaurant, the French one, where I had baked salmon with spinach and asparagus and Song had mussels, continuing her unbroken run of eating seafood. I didn't have alcohol because I had a thought - the drink driving laws might be different here. Turns out I was right, you can't have any alcohol and drive.
Went back to the hotel and packed up, we have an early flight and have to get up at 0330. We're flying to Manchester, staying overnight then onto Dublin.

Day 16 - The Golden Circle (Part 2)

Had a restless night and woke up feeling rough but felt better after breakfast. Pottered around the hotel for a while then hit the road at around 1115, heading back to the waterfall via the tectonic plates we skipped yesterday.
Sun was shining, temperature around 10c, almost perfect. Once again we were in awe of the landscape.
Got to the tectonic plates and parked, no signs around but soon found a small trail up a hill. Got to the top, and yet another amazing view - a small gorge with vertical walls. One side Europe, the other America.
The lack of safety was again apparent - we were hopping across fissures in the rock to get photos, and a slip into one would mean serious injury. On one hand it's good to be able to get so close, but on the other I wonder if anyone has fallen in.
Took lots of photos and then decided to stop off at the geyser again on the way to the waterfall. It was just as well because some idiot forgot to charge the camera battery yesterday and it packed up half way through.
Got more good photos, but Song's were better, she seemed to know when it was about to erupt.
Took off again for the waterfall and this time decided not to go down to the edge because despite the sun it was very cold and windy.
Drove back, deciding to head straight to the city and go back to the French restaurant we went to before but it was full of painters and decoraters - not eating, but renovating. We found it difficult to park, and as we were walking looking for somewhere else to eat noticed the city was full of people, all going in the opposite direction. We found a restaurant and asked what was happening - it was a protest against the government, because it had just been revealed that there was corruption and a lot of the cabinet had offshore accounts.
I had a burger, Song had fish, which meant she had eaten fish every day so far.
I was still feeling a bit under the weather so we just went back to the hotel. The sky was clear and the chance of Northern Light activity was moderate so we may get up to have another look.

Day 15 - The Golden Circle (Part 1)

Woke up around 0700 despite the late night and watched a movie while Song continued to sleep, then attacked the breakfast. Left the hotel at about 1045 and set off for The Golden Circle - a route that goes past the major Icelandic sights. These are the Geyser, the Gullfoss  waterfall and the tectonic plates. Once again the scenery was amazing - driving through snow fields surrounded by the mountains. The landscape changes as you go - volcanic rocks covered in snow slowly gives way to grassy fields. After about an hour we saw a full car park and decided to pull in to see what all the fuss was about. It was Kerid, a place I had read about that was on the way - an extinct volcano which has a lake in the crater. Pictures were taken.
Hopped back in the car then pushed on to the Geyser. It erupts to about 20 metres about every 10 minutes but you don't get much warning, so everyone is standing around pointing cameras and trying to anticipate when it will go. Song was much better than me and got some great photos.
As we drove along I noticed my throat was a bit sore, and later on began to cough - obviously standing by the waterfall in the rain and snow and outside looking at the Northern Lights was going to take its toll - I was going to be ill soon.
Next stop was Gullfoss, the waterfall.
It didn't disappoint - magnificent. I won't try to describe it, look at the photos.
One thing I have noticed is that the Icelandic people are not very health and safety conscious - the crater had no ropes or guides, you just walk around the rim, and are free to fall 50 metres into the freezing water below. Likewise the Geyser area - it did have ropes but they were knee high and you were welcome to hop over and play in the 100c bubbling superheated water and steam.
Same with the huge, powerful Gullfoss waterfall. A thin rope separated us from certain death were we to slip or try to get a closer look. The path down to the edge of the waterfall was closed off with a chain that said there were falling rocks so it was closed. But everyone simply hopped over the chain and happily wandered along the path to get better photos. Including us.
We decided to skip the tectonic plates and  visit the waterfall again tomorrow and call in on the way.
Drove back into Reykjavik and went back to the Icelandic restaurant we visited before. We decided that if we were going to have to spend a lot on dinner we'd go somewhere we liked and not spend it on something like fish and chips.
I had cured Icelandic beef with mushrooms and cranberry on toast, Song had a seafood soup. Both were good. I then had confit of goose leg on mash, Song had char, which the waiter said was like salmon, and he wasn't wrong, it was indistinguishable from salmon.
Again, both meals were good. I decided to forgo the beer and went for a gin and tonic for a change.
Throat and cough getting worse, went back to the hotel to await the inevitable cold.

Day 14 - Akureyri to Reykjavik

The hotel booking had the magic words 'breakfast included', so filled up on toast, cereal, yoghurt and coffee, then went on a walk around town to take photos. Grabbed a map of the area and saw there was a waterfall nearby and the receptionist said it was about 30 minutes away so headed out. After about 10 minutes we hit snow and limited visibility, but it didn't last long, and carried on. Came across a frozen lake and stopped to take photos, then continued on and found the waterfall. Parked and walked about 200 meters in the snow and it was spectacular - again took lots of photos, the camera is getting a good workout. The weather wasn't great, cold and wet, but this is Iceland, not Sunnyland. The viewing platform was very close to the waterfall with no barriers, a recipe for disaster if you ask me.
We had a very expensive coffee in the cafe nearby then started back to Reykjavik.
The drive back was probably the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen - it was raining on the way up, but now the sun came out and the mountains looked incredible. The wide plains and valleys were flat with rivers running through them with snow and ice all around, and mountains on either side. We wanted to stop every couple of minutes to take photos, around every corner was an amazing sight.
Arrived at the hotel, unpacked and then went out to eat. Lots of places to eat and there were loads of people around, we saw a place that was packed and had Icelandic fish and chips so decided on that. I think they must have been caught by Iceland's best fisherman because it cost $60 for 2.
Went back to the hotel then decided to go and look for the Northern Lights. It was cloudy and raining in Reykjavik so we checked a website that tells the chance of seeing the lights and where the cloud cover is.
I drove for about an hour, through the rain, in the dark, after already having driven for 8 hours back from Akureyri. But the chance was high and it was worth a try.
Pulled off the road where there were no street lights and away from the highway and stood outside in the freezing cold. The sky was clear except for a thin band of cloud. Song said that was the Northern Lights, I said it was a cloud. Song said it was the Northern Lights, I said it was a cloud. Song said it was the Northern Lights, I said she was right, it was the Northern Lights. I have to admit, it wasn't as spectacular as I had hoped. It was like a ribbon or curtain of greyish cloud that moved and shimmered, and occasionally there were tinges of green. We watched for about 20 minutes then they disappeared. I set the camera up on the heavy tripod I carried all the way from Australia for this specific purpose and took loads of photos, none of which came out, unless you consider a black square to be a true representation.
Feeling cold and tired, but very happy that we got to see them, drove back to the hotel and arrived at around 0100. This was a long, but excellent day.

Day 13 - Reykjavik to Akureyri

Had another smelly shower and packed up, then waited in the rain for 30 minutes for the bus to pick us up and take us to the hire car. I'd made a bit of a mistake when booking the car and picked a manual - I can drive one but haven't for ages and would have preferred an auto but to change would cost 30 Euro a day extra so we decided against it. I told Song to be prepared to kangaroo along the road for a while till I got used to it. Got in the car and there was no steering wheel or pedals - Iceland has driverless cars! Then Song pointed out it was a left hand drive. It also turned out it was an auto, so the guy either gave us the wrong car or they didn't have the one we booked.
We did pay for the gps - I had pre loaded Google maps but wasn't sure to trust it and didn't want to be lost in the middle of Iceland - even though there is basically one main road.
We headed out, the weather was not great - about 6c, raining and very windy, and it wasn't long before we pulled over to take photos, the scenery was amazing. Carried on for a while but had to stop again, and I could see us stopping every 5 minutes, it is spectacular. Photos will be uploaded.
We stopped off for a coffee at a roadside cafe chain and tried some of the local cakes and I think it's the last time - very sweet.
Continued on, stopping frequently to take photos, the scenery is spectacular. There are also fields with the famous Icelandic horses, which I'd never heard of. Song took some photos, including a selfie.
Drove up a hill that turned into a mountain and it started to snow as the temperature dropped to 0, and the road was covered in snow and visibility dropped dramatically. I was glad the car had heated seats. After about 10 minutes we started to go downhill, visibility improved and the snow turned to rain. Arrived at the hotel at about 16:45, the drive took about 7.5 hours.
Headed out to the town centre, walked for 10 minutes and came out the other side - it's not a big place. Looked around for something to eat but it was mostly fast food. Found a place and happened upon the 3rd best restaurant in Akureyri - not our intention and to be honest we would rather have had a cheap meal but they didn't have the menu outside and it wasn't until we sat down that we saw the prices - about 30-40 aud for a main. I was prepared to get up and leave, it's unlikely we'll be back and it wouldn't have bothered me but Song didn’t fancy going out into the cold and rain again so we ordered. I had a hamburger and Song had tempura prawns. I also ordered a beer (again). Both meals were very good, cost about $70.
Went back to the hotel - the Northern Lights activity was supposed to be good but it was cloudy so unsure if we would see them.
We kept an eye on the sky but it was completely cloudy so went to sleep.

Day 12 - The Blue Lagoon

Slept well, had a shower in water that smells slightly of sulphur because it's geothermally heated.
Got picked up by the bus to take us to the Blue Lagoon, a large heated lake about 45 minutes outside Reykjavik.
The landscape is amazing - the ground is covered with volcanic rocks which are green with lichen. There are mountains covered in snow in the distance but the land is flat. It really looks like an alien planet.
The Blue Lagoon is a man made lake heated by geothermal power. It was quite busy and you had to go out of a door into the cold wind and down a ramp into the lake. The short distance between the door and the lake seemed like miles because it was freezing. Once in the lake it was wonderful, heated mineral water at about 35c. We spent about 3 hours in the water with a short break for a drink. They also had saunas and steam rooms which we used. There was also a place where you could get some silica mud to plaster over your face and naturally we did that, photos will be uploaded.
It was relaxing and great fun, and we've also booked it again for our last day.
Took the coach back and rested for a while before heading out for dinner.
Went to a French restaurant called Snaps. We ordered a charcuterie plate (meats, cheese, pickles etc) to share which was very good. Song ordered a Bouillabaisse - a seafood stew, and I ordered the beef bourguignon. It was fabulous. Beef chunks on mash with onions, bacon and mushrooms in a beautiful gravy. I also had the obligatory beer. The meal cost about $140. Eating out in Iceland is expensive.
Tomorrow we pick up a hire car and drive to Akuyeri in the North, it should take about 4 hours but we'll be stopping on the way to take photos. We hope to see the Northern Lights, the chances are better up there. We're only staying one night, then driving back to Reykjavik, but keeping the car to drive around The Golden Circle.

Day 11 - London and Iceland

Didn't sleep very well, got up at about 0800 and went walking towards a Paul's bakery at about 0900. Weather was decent, some cloud but mostly sunny but a bit cold. After about 10 minutes decided we might not make it to the Paul's to get back in time to check out so stopped at a Pret a Manger - a chain of bakeries that are everywhere in London. Had a coffee and croissant and picked up a couple of rolls for the journey.
Got to the station to go to the airport, got the wrong train ticket - I meant to get the express but got the commuter train instead. It turns out that the express takes 30 minutes but the normal train took 35, and is £5 less. So we did well in the end.
The airport wasn't busy and we got through security pretty quickly considering it was very thorough - pockets emptied, laptop out, through a metal detector, shoes off, stand in the scanner, physical body search and another scan with a hand held metal detector. I suspect it's been beefed up since last week. Luckily he didn't put on a rubber glove.
Got to the gate and it was packed - I didn't realise Iceland was so popular. Got on the plane - wifi! First plane I've been on with internet. 3 hours of youtube cat videos to enjoy. Actually it cost 7 euro and because I'm a tight arse didn't use it.
Sat on the tarmac for about 30 minutes with no explanation then finally took off. We were surrounded by a bunch of teenage school kids and had to listen to lots of 'Oh my God's and 'She was so like totally's but I put my noise cancelling earphones on and watched tv.
Coming into land, the pilot announced it was 3 degrees which wasn't too bad. We broke through the clouds and saw some steam rising from the landscape which was black and flat, with no vegetation to be seen. Got the bus to the hotel and the scenery was bleak - rocky, very flat except for mountains in the distance. No trees at all and very little vegetation, just lichen on the rocks and some brown grass. There was a light covering of snow on the ground.
Got to the hotel, and Song had done a fantastic job again. It was a small apartment with a sitting room, queen size bed with an ensuite and a separate kitchen. We unpacked and headed out, and it was bloody cold. I picked a couple of restaurants from Tripadvisor and we settled on Ostabudin - the number 2 restaurant in Reykjavik. I had lamb on mash with beetroot and mushrooms, and hazelnuts, Song had plaice and we shared a cheesecake for dessert. I also had a local beer. The meal was superb. My lamb was cooked to perfection and the texture was amazing. However, it wasn't cheap - $110. But Iceland is expensive. We went walking again and found the main street and there were lots of places to eat so we have a lot of choice. Took some photos and went back to the hotel. Song was tired and went to bed, and I thought about going into the freezing cold again to see if I could see the Northern Lights, but read the best time was between 23:00 and 01:00 and frankly I wasn't too keen, so went to bed.
Tomorrow we're going to the Blue Lagoon, a thermal bath spa.