Iceland Day 3

Sept 13, 10 pm

Where to begin? Today was another awe-inspiring day. First we stopped at Seljalandfoss waterfall. We walked behind the small, but wonderfully enchanting falls, where spray fills the air and the roaring sound of the water is dramatically magnified. It was the most magical natural location I’ve ever been to and it was just lovely! I left there completely enchanted.


Seljalandfoss


Moi behind the falls


Behind the falls


Next stop was Skógafoss waterfall, which looked ordinary from a distance but was amazing up close; you can walk basically directly up to the base of the waterfall (of course I didn’t get too close due to the possibility of death by water pressure) but got quite close. The sound, spray, and refracting light are enveloping. And even better, supposedly a troll hid his treasure behind it! Which is actually quite believable.


Definitely looks like a treasure trove waterfall, yes?


So much mist!!



Speaking of that- on a side note and I know that I mentioned this in my previous post but I am going to again- this place is like Middle Earth meets Harry Potter meets all things magical and whimsical. So great! Neither words nor pictures could ever do justice to the myriad sights, sounds, and experiences Iceland has to offer, but it is definitely a magical place and is so completely fitting to envision trolls, elves, and gnomes, which legends say still exist!

Anyway, after the two waterfalls we took a somewhat precarious gravel road for about 40 minutes to the base of the 4th largest glacier in Iceland, Mýradlsjökull; the specific projectile of the glacier that we drove up to was call Sólheimajökull. We literally walked right up to the glacier- I even touched it! It was a very powerful and quite unreal experience. The glacier was simply massive and overwhelming in it’s majesty; black sand leading up to this glacier that near its base is mostly covered with black dirt, but upon close inspection one can see that this is no snow or mix of snow and dirt, etc., but true crystalline ice. Truly awesome! So yeah, glaciers are pretty nifty.


Glacier!



The last stop today was to a black pebble and sand beach called Reynisfjara. The beach was beautiful- black with white foam coming up from the crashing Atlantic ocean, but even better was the phenomenal basal sea cave and rock formations just off the coast. One of the rock formations totally reminds me of what Harry and Dumbledore are standing on in the most recent Harry Potter movie- so fun.




Some rather large basalt rock formations

Black pebble beaches+crashing white water makes for a beautiful effect

The beauty and mysticism of this enigmatic site made it my favorite spot so far in Iceland, with the first waterfall we went to today, a close second place. The combination of a huge cliff side meeting a black beach meeting the white Atlantic Ocean, plus a cave and two really cool rock formations, made it just brilliant.

To take in all of this endless extreme beauty is quite overwhelming; in three days I’ve seen a capital city, a continental rift, a crater, two geysers, a volcano, a glacier, multiple waterfalls, a black sand beach, hobbit homes in the earth (pics of this to come later), and just overall the most extreme and amazing beauty I’ve ever witnessed in my life.

Oh and I almost forgot! Kenan and I went for a run today and it was probably my favorite run that I’ve ever had. We went down a desolate gravel road from the farmhouse lodging into the mountainside, towards the mountains and up a trail into them. I felt like I could have ran forever, but sadly the further we went the closer we got to a sheep farm, and after about 20 minutes of running down this road we were encircled by about 200 scattered sheep along the field and mountainside, all of whom were baaing and staring at us, which was really quite bazaar and frightening, so we sadly opted to turn around. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic run.

Iceland Day 2

Sept 12, midnight

Today was just amazing. We started around the Golden Circle, first visiting Lake Thingvallavatn, which is situated on the Icelandic rift zone (the mid-Atlantic ridge, which is mostly under the ocean, goes through Iceland). After enjoying a little picnic at the lake, we continued to drive and happened upon a stunning view of the rift; It was indescribably beautiful! Kenan and I mustered some adventurism and climbed up to the top to take a peak into it.


Me on the rift


After that we went to the Geyser Hot Spring area, which has multiple geysers, one of which faithfully erupts every 5 minutes or so- we saw erupt about 5 times during the 45 minutes or so that we were there! Also an interesting little tid bit is that geysers got their name from this specific one- the original geyser if you will.



The geysir!


We then visiting Gullfoss Waterfall, or the Golden Falls, which many believe to be the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland because of its dual-folding formation.






me and mama at Gullfoss


Then we saw Kerið crater, which was super eery but beautiful. According to Frommer's, this is a small but shapely scoria crater, formed 6,500 years ago by a collapsing magma chamber at the end of a volcanic eruption. The crater is 180 ft. deep, with stagnant water at the bottom. The sides are streaked in red, black, and ochre. Björk actually once held a concert from there, with her stage floating in the middle.





September is actually the sheep herding month in Iceland and we’ve witnessed this a bunch so far, which is pretty cool to see. The Icelanders ride on their horses, herding hundreds of sheep back to the farm. It’s a simple but unexpected part of Icelandic life that we happened upon as a pleasant surprise. By the end of the trip, oh really by like day 2 of the trip, we came to the conclusion that sheep are EVERYWHERE... lava fields, mountains, plains, glaciers, the middle of the road... freaking everywhere!





Another silly tid bit is that there are piles of stones all over Iceland, even in super desolate spots. They are obviously done on purpose, but I don't know the reason behind them. It is also general belief that mythical creatures such as elves and trolls live in Iceland (only 20% of Icelanders will admit to not believing in this) and I am convinced that elves are behind these rock piles...



elven mischief


Our farm house lodging for that night was actually at the base of the most active volcano in Iceland, Mt. Hekla, with the last eruption in 2000. Upon arrival in the evening it was super cloudy so we had no idea where the volcano was, but when I woke up in the morning and looked out the window, low and behold, we were literally at the base of a volcano! Pretty neat.


The weather today was basically constant rain. It does add a certain element of mysticism to the land, which is fitting indeed, but I felt like we were missing a lot of beautiful scenery that was hidden behind the thick, low clouds. The notion was verified the next morning with seeing the volcano and while driving and seeing mountains and such that were hidden by the thick cloud cover. Hopefully the weather will improve a bit.

Iceland Day 1

Iceland!
Sept 11, 9:50 pm
I arrived in Iceland at 3:20 pm this afternoon with my mom and brother. We took a road through the desolate, moon-like yet fantastically beautiful terrain from Kevlavik to Reykjavik. After dropping our stuff at the hotel, we made it into Reykjavik, having a pleasant stroll through town and then a fantastic Icelandic dinner! I had a dish of plait fish with a shrimp gratin on top- delicious! Other interesting Icelandic specialties on the menu included puffin and whale. Reykjavik seems like an interesting city of quirkiness and nordic atmosphere that mesh into a dynamic, if a bit small, capital city. Tomorrow we hit the road early to go around the Golden Circle.

Much to come about Iceland

Iceland is just absolutely spectacular. It is so wonderful in its uniqueness, austere beauty, extremism in every form, and just all around wonder. We have three more days here, and I can't wait to see what is next; everyday involves many surprises! A very long post about my 9 days here is on the way, but probably not until I get back to London. To give you a little teaser, so far I have seen: lakes, glaciers, geysers, craters, volcanoes, ancient and kinda new lava fields, a continental rift, lots o' mountains, fjords along the Atlantic Ocean, multiple waterfalls, a glacial lagoon, a highland desert, bubbling mud pits, steaming fissures, and last but not least took a dip in a geothermal pool.

A week in Newcastle

Newcastle has been great! It has a reputation of being a friendly, young, and fun city that enjoys its shopping and nightlife, and it has indeed lived up to that reputation! I've done some lovely shopping, only for necessities of course :) , but also had a great time walking around the charming town during the day, and having a good time in some pubs and clubs at night.

The train ride from London to Newcastle was absolutely perfect. I kept attempting to read my book, but the scenery was just so beautiful I didn't want to miss anything! ... Very good feeling upon arrival in my home for the next year. The English countryside is so beautiful and picturesque, it was a very enjoyable introduction to England.


Newcastle

The week in Newcastle has consisted of day trips to nearby castles, walking around the city center, enjoying a few pints in some pubs, and other similar activities. Some highlights include: visiting Alnwick Castle, where Harry Potter 1&2 were filmed and stopping on the way home from Alnwick at a known-to-be-delicious fish & chips place (and my goodness, it was the most delicious thing ever! No fish and chips I've ever had in the US even compares, it's like a completely different food! So fresh and flaky and just amazing!).


Alnwick Castle- Hargrid's hut was built where I was standing while taking the picture!

Saturday was a really fun day. Two of Pete's best friends from Leeds, Nick and Claire, came and we went bowling during the day, had a delicious dinner at a nice pizza parlor, and went out to a club called the Academy at night. It was indie night at the Academy, and the dance floor was gigantic, making for a fun night.

Claire, me and Jenny at the Academy

Jenny and I went to the coast near to Newcastle on Monday, the only non-rainy day while I was here. It was beautiful!

The Beach at Tynemouth


Climbing on the rocks!


Really cool rocks

Newcastle has been great! It's been good fun hanging out with Jenny and Pete and I look forward to coming up to Newcastle to visit them again! They're having a Halloween party that I am going to try to make it up for, which would probably be great fun; their apartment is perfect for a Halloween party.

Off to London tomorrow!

Ich bin kein Berliner

Berlin is a little bit of an enigma to me. It is not aesthetically beautiful in any way at all, yet has this dynamism that gives the city a feeling of life and freedom. It is a no frills city- ugly buildings, people dress horribly for the most part, the German language is harsh, there is not much of a cafe culture, and the people are not exactly warm, yet the true Berliners seem to be very content with making their own frills, in terms of experimentation and hedonism. In its austerity, it becomes bold and beautiful. I read in a travel book that Berlin is the most avant-garde city in Europe, and I believe that to be true, at least in mentality.
Berlin has a "live and let live" attitude about it, which is great in some ways, but for whatever reason seemed discomforting to me; Berlin makes me feel like a conservative person, which I do not consider myself to be, and that makes me uncomfortable. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but there's something about their austerity that just doesn't fit with my personality I suppose. I like my frills- Europe brings pictures of chic outfits, romantic castles, beautiful gardens, sensual languages, quaint towns, delicious food, and a general joie de vivre that Berlin simply does not fit in to.
Berlin does have its cool aspects though, and I enjoyed my visit. There is graffiti everywhere, similar to NYC in the 1980s, and it fits into the city so well. I really enjoyed the East Side Gallery, which is artwork done about peace and whatnot done along a portion of the Berlin wall that is still standing. I think part of why Berlin is such an ugly city is due to the time that the Berlin wall fell and the city started getting rebuilt; the 80s was not exactly the height of architectural beauty. However there is some very modern architecture, especially around die Reichstag, that is fantastic.


Great Architecture



Other things I enjoyed were the nightlife, which was quite an experience, and visits to the Brandenburg Tor and Reichstag at sunset.

Brandenburg Tor


Taken inside die Reichstag

So, Berlin was an interesting stop in my travels. I enjoyed my time there and all, even if I don't plan on heading back there too soon (this was my second time there anyway). Berlin did make me really think about who I am and who I am not, which I suppose is a good thing, even if the city made me feel kinda uncomfortable yet aware of myself? I don't know, hard to explain, but needless to say, I am happy to now be in England :) .