buses, boats and helpful people

You've got to love the way that plans never quite come together the way you'd expected. Sometimes it just makes for something so much better than you could have imagined.

So I was in Ólafsvik, sitting outside the bus stop, looking at the bus timetables and trying to get my head around which ones I needed to catch. Realising that I still had 4 hours to go before I could get to Stykkishólmur I was about to try and find something else to look at, when a couple offered me a lift instead. Bargain! So I got a lift to Stykkishólmur with Jose and Maria, a couple of Venezulans from Canada who were on a whistle stop tour of West Iceland. Really lovely people and I managed to catch these sights from the car window on the way.

It was definitely one of those parts of Iceland that made me want to stop every 5 yards, the scenery was just screaming out "photograph me".

So once in Stykkishólmur I decided to stay over and camp, the weather was pretty nice and I needed to wait until the Saturday to catch the ferry to Brjansaelur. With the evening to pass I had a good look around and Stykkishólmur is actually a really pretty little village/town.

completely loved the harbour area and also the church. It's pretty funky and looks like it should be used by a Bond villain.

Just looking at it makes me want to buy a big white fluffy cat! Pity the inside isn't as purty as the outside. Anyway it was more of a relax and enjoy the evening kind of day, so I booked in at the local campsite and just chilled out for the evening.

Which also brings me to a quick point. Lindsey if you're reading this, THANK YOU for the totally cool last minute pressie of the sleeping mask. Without which I would have been completely screwed. Camping in the summer is fine, as long as the sun has the decency to go down at some point. If it doesn't you'll be stuck in a warm,  glowing tent that seems to suck up the sunlight and redirect it directly into your eyes...

Oh and another thing. Iceland doesn't have that much in the way of wildlife, but they sure make up for it with the birds, really noisy birds...

Saturday morning a bit tired and looking at the grey clouds that were again blanketing the sky, I should have been a bit down but actually I'm feeling pretty chipper.

No really I am. It was probably the best crossing I've had. Usually I get so seasick that I'm just hanging onto a rail looking pathetic.  This one I was quite happily listing to Depeche Mode and hanging out on deck. It might have been grey but it was still very pretty.

The ferry stops at the island of Flatey on the way and you can either pass by or stop off until the next ferry. I thought it would be a bit of a shame to miss a good nose around, and the island isn't more than a couple of miles round.

I love the different colours you find on icelandic buildings. I think they paint them because it's not exactly the prettiest thing when your house is covered in corrugated iron (its to help protect it from the elements).

Most of the buildings are pretty old, and you have to be careful with your water useage as there's only one well on the island.

When I was walking around the island and being divebombed by the Arctic Terns I found these cool shipwreck remains.

They just happened to be on one of the nicest parts of the island, very peaceful and bizzarely enough even with the cloud cover it was pleasantly warm, the perfect excuse to sit down and relax for a while. 6 hours in fact. I didn't realise the wait in between ferries would be so long! At least it gave me a chance to take even more photos...

Ok this is turning into another long post! I'll finish it off tomorrow, and hopefully manage to get you to Isafjórdur where I am at the moment!

Ciao

Way oop north!

So. Before I begin with all the endless waffling that won't surprise you (if you know me well), there are a couple of things to mention.

1. When traveling to a other countries, don't assume that your mobile will allow you to use other SIM cards just because you've had it for 3 years plus. That is unless you want to spend days searching for a mobile phone shop that can a) unlock the bloody thing, or b) sell you the cheapest phone going (£42.50).

2. When planning fun bus journeys to unknown places and days of hiking, don't forget to check the timetables properly. This will ensure that a) they have actually started running in the area you want, and that b) you can plan your timetable around the 3 journeys they make per week.

3. Feel free to remain in awe of, and eternally grateful for the generosity of strangers. Remember that back home you would probably run screaming from someone like yourself, so their ability to welcome you with open arms is something to be cherished (and hopefully emulated in future).

All done. Good, now where had we got to? Borgarnes? Cool. So here is the 'stunning view' I promised you before.

Pretty good I think, this is from the back garden of the place I stayed, with the awesome Elisábet. I say awesome because it brings me to Lesson 4 for the inexperienced traveller.

4. When your host or fellow traveller says 'shall we go out for a bit?' Don't assume that you're going to a pub (or similar) and TAKE. YOUR. CAMERA! Otherwise you WILL miss some of the most amazing sights ever.

Which essentially is what happened to me when Elisábet took me out for a bit on the Wednesday.  We took in all the main sights such as Reykholt.

which had some greenhouses and the start of the hot water system for the local area.  It's all nestled in a mahousive valley, that made me think equally of the wild west and the Lake District. There's also a huge white building a little way out that sits next to the geothermally heated pool used by Snorri Sturluson in the 1100's. Snorri was writer of saga's and accounts of Norse Mythology. It's a stunning location.

We also made it to Húsafell which a hiking area with birchwoods and the cutest wooden tent structures I've ever seen. Elisábet also took me to Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, two waterfalls that are right next to each other.

They're just amazing (I'm going to be saying that a lot you know) Incidentally the last 3 photos are 'donated' by various internet sights. Just because I forgot my camera, doesn't mean you should miss out!

So after Borgarnes I took the bus to Ólafsvik on the northern side  of the Snaefellsnes penninsula with the idea of then camping that night and taking the bus the following day to Arnastappi. This would have given me time to do a costal walk and relax before heading to Stikkishólmur to catch the ferry to the Westfjords. It wasn't until I got to Ólafsvik that I found out the bus I needed to get to Arnastappi doesn't start till the 20th June, and the buses that I need to catch whilst in the Westfjords only run on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Arrgh!

So whilst eating my not so very interesting lunch

and looking out at this

I decided to change plans slightly and head to Stykkishólmur instead, I'd rather spend a few days traveling on the bus than stuck in one place for 3 days! Oh and in case you're thinking that Ólafsvik is just a harbour, I found this as well.

I love the focus on angles!

Ok so I'll write some more tomorrow or risk giving you all blog fatigue ;)
Ciao

Reykjavik

So a great 'nights' sleep and a ridiculously early morning.  I was convinced (through some poor skim reading of wiki) that Iceland was on the same time zone as the UK, but its actually an hour behind. This shouldn't be a problem, after all who'd complain about an extra hour in bed? The only hiccup with that is waking up at what you think is 6am, only to find out half way through the day that actually it was 5am! Right now I'm soooo tired it's unbelievable, and looking out at a sky filled with 'day'light isn't making it any easier. Anyway enough of the whinging (but check out the picture I took close to midnight below)....

Where was I? Oh yeah, this morning. So this morning I decided to get to Reykjavik and have a look around. The accepted way of getting in to Reykjavik (apart from using the bus) from Keflavik appears to be to hitchhike.

Will someone get my mum/dad/brother a doctor?

Before you start worrying about it too much (and don’t think I wasn’t a little concerned myself) This is apparently how canny icelanders (who don’t have cars or don’t want to pay the 1600kr (that’s about £8) to get Reykjavik) get around. It’s an accepted way to travel and one that I’ve been told is very reliable and safe. You’ll be glad to know that my experience was pretty much as above. Apart from it took me 30 mins to get a ride (yes I DID have my thumb out, albeit possibly in a self-conscious kind of way) when usually it takes 5 mins (apparently). So I managed to speed my way to Mjödd, on the outskirts of Reykjavik in the company of a mildly confused man, who had been to Grimsby on a fishing boat and who’s son of his son had worked briefly in Coventry. I think the confusion was caused by my poor pronunciation of the phonetically spelt  parts of my icelandic phrase book which even I find hard to understand! Hopefully I will improve in time or spend my entire time feeling terribly British.

Figures by the side of the road outside of Keflavik

I have to admit that I’m not entirely sure what I did in Reykjavik on Wednesday to pass the time. I was successful in catching a bus from Mjödd to the city centre and also managed not to stare weirdly at the middle aged, short and largely built lady who was cuddling a teddy bear whilst pretending to feed it her hotdog...

I did manage to check out the Settlement Centre, which has the remains of an old farmhouse, it's a really good exhibition, loads of information on the time when it was built, a cool interactive 'rebuilding' video that shows you how the house would have looked (think grassy hill with door, small chimmney and what looks like a low wall holding it up. Minus the hobbits). Well worth the money (600kr) then walked around the centre, up the hill to see the Hallgrímskirkja. Seriously impressive church that looks a little like the challenger space shuttle!

Apparently it took ages to build, due to only one man and his son doing the job. That's pretty cool! It's very austere inside but doesn't feel cold, just beautifully minimalist. Fantastic organ too (which I got to hear). Outside there's a statue of Leifur Eriksson (the one that discovered America) which points out over Reykjavik. You can also take a lift (500kr) to the top of the church and it gives some really lovely views of Reykjavik. Luckily for those of us that get a bit wobbly at heights (yup that's me) the viewing platforms are pretty well enclosed. Even if they are right under the bells...

I also found the Parliment House and Dómkirkjan, both of which are right off the tiny square I had lunch in (very small sandwich with a sliver of lamb and some weird bean version of coleslaw. Oh and chocolate with liqourice pieces in. Both sound vile but were actually really tasty) Didn't make it into the Parliment House, however (as you'll come to realise) I find it pretty hard to pass up a church.

It's Lutheran, so neo-classical in style and doesn't look much from outside. Inside though it's well designed and not overly ornate. For some reason it's a style that makes me think quaker meeting hall...

Then more walking, more buildings, more people watching and the docks. It's was a pretty overcast day so not much going on with the camera. I also realised that I'd forgotten to charge both my batteries (argh!) and was rewarded by them both dying on me as I was trying to get a dark and brooding picture of the viking ship sculpture against the sea, cue mini internal tantrum before going to get the bus back to Keflavik.

So tonnes still to see in Reykjavik and I've not experienced any of the night life yet,  I'm thinking its worth saving till after I've done the rest of the island.

This morning I took the bus (no more hitchhiking as I needed to meet a connection) to Borgarnes. It's pretty tiny and sits on a spit of land that, according to the rough guide, has 'stunning' views. They are however currently hiding behind a thick veil of cloud and rain. It does mean however that I've managed to get a good test in for my waterproofs and currently I think they rock! The pregnancy style rucksack however is a little on the wet side. Thankfully in my anal packing everything in there ended up in various waterproof bags! Yay!

I've just been to the Settlement Centre here though and have 'done' the two exhibitions. One is pretty brief and all about how the Vikings settled Iceland. The other is more in depth about Egils saga (it's pronounced Ale's Saga if that helps). This one is pretty cool, you can't beat a saga for blood, guts, glory and intrigue. Definitely recommend it, and its not that expensive (2000kr or £10).

I'm going to take a little walk around in a bit and will hopefully be meeting up with a couchsurfer called Elisabet tonight for drinks (although I've yet to see a bar/pub) then it's on to Bú∂ir tomorrow and some (hopefully) nice walking along the coast before going on to Ólafsvík and Stykkishólmur by the 14th to catch the ferry to the Westfjords on the 15th.  I'm not sure if I'll get connection again until Ólafsvik and still haven't managed to sort out a phone (why is it so hard to find a mobile phone shop?).

If the weather clears up I'll try and catch some of those 'stunning views'.
See you all soon x

Icebreaker

Yay! I'm finally here in Iceland.

After a couple of manic weeks trying to catch up with everyone before I left it feels like I'm in a bit of a weird dream. It's 11:30 ish at night and still as light as it would be at around 8pm UK time. I know that it should be like this but for some reason didn't think it actually would.

Anyway, not a huge amount to tell you so far. I tried really hard not to take too much with me, however somehow still ended up with two bags (and currently a slightly sore shoulder). Before you ask. I don't know why I'm holding the front one like a baby bump, it just felt like I should!

The flight was late due to birds in the engine. Apparently this is nothing like the 'wrong kind of leaves on the track'.  So instead of getting here at 3ish, I finally landed at 7pm.  Great little airport, very few people there and definitely cheaper beer (than is normal in iceland) from the duty free. Thanks to a lovely guy called Phil who missed his flight to Canada (due to our flight being so tardy) I also managed to get a lift to the couchsurfers (Ko-leen and Daví∂) in Keflavik where I'm now safely ensconced. It would appear that I've lucked out and they're thoroughly lovely people.

So tomorrow is Reykjavik and a serious attempt to use up the entire card in my camera. Hopefully by then I'll also be able to write something more lucid. 2 beers, all that waiting and all the 'oh my god I'm finally doing this' adrenaline has left me wired and tired!