Three years ago, we had to say a tearful goodbye to our beloved exchange student, Maria, as we passed her back to her wonderful parents, Kristin and Bjørn in Seattle. We threatened promised to visit them in Norway at some point, and yet, following through on that seemed impossible for so many years. Continue reading “16 Hours in Bergen: A Lifetime of Memories”
Day 3 began with my eternal quest for good coffee, but sadly, Iceland fell a bit short here. Granted, the hotel coffee is decent, as long as you like it simple, but it’s no 16-ounce, triple shot tiramisu latte from my favorite coffee stand back home in the PNW.
Following breakfast, we hopped a giant, well-appointed bus headed for the south coast, staffed by the most wonderful tour guide, who seemed as intrigued by our culture as we were with hers. The day held MUCH rain in store for us (more than Seattle and northern England combined, actually), but despite the dampness, our first stop at Skogafoss was awe-inspiring. Continue reading “Skogafoss, Reynisfjara, and Seljalandsfoss: Iceland, Day 3”
Day 2 was off to a significantly better start than Day 1. After a full night’s sleep, we woke up to a reasonably decent hotel breakfast before hitting the road in a bus, headed for Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon (pictured above).
Donning our volcanic silica mud masks and helping ourselves to some complimentary beverages, we allowed our tension and worries to effortlessly melt away into the volcanic hot spring water. Yes, the water really IS that blue, and the pool was expansive enough for us to go find our own little niche for some peace and quiet.
On the way back to our hotel, however, our bus took a detour through downtown Reykjavik, where we noticed the following curiosity: Continue reading “Mud Masks, Rotten Shark, and Giant Schlongs: Iceland, Day 2”
They say the journey is more important than the destination.
Nope.
After a tearful goodbye with the diva dog on Thursday morning in Spokane Valley, followed by a failed test fit of our luggage into a mid-sized SUV, followed by a quick upgrade and a successful repeat of that same test in a Dodge minivan (unfortunately), we were on the road. Continue reading “Iceland, Day 1”
48 hours from now, I’ll be in a rental car, family in tow, all our possessions for four months crammed into a handful of 40-pound suitcases, headed for Seattle, where we’ll board a plane headed for the land of Vikings and hot springs.
Today, we’re finishing packing, moving the rest of our lives into our 10×20 storage unit, and filling up the empty spaces with all the uncertainty that will fit. Continue reading “Two Days Out.”
