Iceland Pictures

Beginning of the hike towards the pool

Part of the hike leading up to the pool below

A pool inside a narrow crevice which supposedly has healing powers.

The water tanks that supply Reykjavik (Perlan)

One of the big trucks that I love so dearly

Glacier and glacial pool

View from the hill we climbed...it was sweet

One of the taller waterfalls in Iceland

Gullfoss (Golden Waterfall)...the picture doesn't do it justice

Gullfoss part 2

Blue Lagoon (before my camera died)

Geysir (go figure, eh?)

A random crater we stopped at

Part of Thingvellir

Thingvellir

Lake near Thingvellir...I just really like the picture

Pipe organ in the big concrete church

Ducks in the lake outside of City Hall...I couldn't resist

Iceland, home of the Vikings. And big freakin' trucks :)

Finally, a little vacation time and a chance to see a good friend of mine again, all in scenic Iceland. This will give me a chance to unwind before I head back to Italy again in a few weeks, right?

The trip to Iceland was thankfully the worst part of my entire trip, and it wasn’t even that bad. Hell, if you like rollercoasters, I’m sure you would have enjoyed the flight into Newark and Baltimore. Thanks to the wonderful timing of my trip, I had the exciting experience of flying into the remnants of hurricane Ernesto, which meant some minor delays (thankfully I had a lot of free time in my schedule) and a bit of a bumpy ride. Oh, and thanks to the ground crew’s attentive service, my backpack got soaked, as did a good chunk of my clothes. Meh, I made it to Reykjavik in one piece, and on time, so I’m happy. On the ground through customs (complete with metal detectors for some reason), buy some kroner, and off to catch a bus for the city center.

At the central bus station, the driver stops and starts asking everyone where they are going. Problem is, I left the directions to Jay’s hotel in my backpack. Underneath the bus. So I have no idea, and am told to get off and wait for the “min-ee boose”, which I failed to translate to mini bus. I wait a few minutes, then head inside and ask someone at the desk what’s going on. They explain the mini bus (the other bus is too big to get around the downtown core), and tell me to wait outside. A half hour later, I go back inside ask again, and am told that maybe they can arrange something in 20 minutes. All told, I wait about an hour, and almost get left behind again. When I finally get to the Metropolitan hotel, Jay is just on his way out, so it was rather fortunate timing. We head back up to his room, grab his stuff, and head off in search of our new hotel (supposedly just down the street). After about 45 minutes of wandering and checking maps, we finally get the right street, find the hotel, and are told that we can’t check in until 2 (it’s around 10:30AM). Off with the bags, and out exploring we go.

We mainly just wandered around the downtown area, checking out some shops and the big church (big mess of concrete, but sweet view from the bell tower). Unfortunately, we were up said bell tower at 1PM, so I can tell you exactly how loud those bells are. We both got some nice pictures of the city there, which I hope to post later. More aimless wandering, and it’s back to the hotel to check in. I wasn’t paying attention when we booked the room, but thankfully Jay was. Problem is, twin room and double room are two different things, so rather than two separate beds, we had a single double bed. Nice and cozy. After a bit of explanation, the staff kindly changed the beds for us, and we were back to a good 3 feet of separation. As an aside, if anyone is in Reykjavik, I highly recommend the Hotel Phoenix, as the staff there was just incredible. Then it was off for some more exploring, some more pictures, a quick dinner (I also recommend the restaurant Red Hot for a taste of home, and a hell of a server named Frank), and off to sleep.

The next day (Sunday) was the “Golden Circle” tour, which hits the major highlights of the area around Reykjavik, such as Gullfoss (The Golden Waterfall), Thingvellir (ancient parliament site in a national park…also where the rift between the tectonic plates is) and Geysir, which are geysers. It meant 8 hours on a bus, but it was well worth it as Gullfoss is beyond explanation. I can’t wait to go back and check out some of the more remote falls. Then back to the hotel for a quiet night of vodka and gummy candy. Mmmm…alcoholic gummy candy.

Monday was our walking day, where we checked out everything we could think of around Reykjavik. We took in a few museums (whose names I forget), as well as a volcano show (which I also recommend, although only stay for the 1st hour) and the Blue Lagoon. Not much more I can say about the Blue Lagoon other than it was awesome, especially on a cooler day with the mist rising from the hot water. Just awesome. Tuesday, it was another tour, this time of the southern shore with it’s extremely inhospitable terrain. There were some more beautiful waterfalls, a nice hike up a little hill for some scenic pictures, and a great view of a glacier, all combined with a great commentary from our Icelandic driver. He rocked. Oh, and another short hike up a ravine to a waterfall/well combo that was unbelievable. It’s also where my companion/sidekick Jay hit his head and temporarily knocked his brand new camera out of commission. Not good. We also made a new friend in Dana from Brooklyn, who was more than happy to drink free vodka with us, and show us some sights we hadn’t seen around town (the cemetery is spooky at night).

Wednesday, it was early to rise, packing up, and heading off to the airport for our flights. Jay left much earlier than I, so he was back in Sweden before I even left the ground, but it also meant that I got to check out the water tanks (called Perlen), which offered a different, but much clearer, view of the city than the church tower did. Well worth the ½ hour trek each way. And had I known the bus schedule a little better, I would have also made time to take a swim in the ocean, but things didn’t quite work out L

The flight back to Ottawa was as smooth as it could be, with a minor delay in Boston, which meant my flight from Toronto to Ottawa was held. But I made it home, safe and sound, and even managed to get into work the next morning without incident.

One awesome trip.

Nice (as in France, not the adjective)

Up at 6AM to catch my 7AM cab to the train station. I’ve had the front desk arrange for the taxi in advance, so there should be no problems, right? Not for me, never for me…the driver starts driving me to Gambro. Which is in the wrong direction…takes me a few minutes to explain that I want to go to the train station, not the office. So I finally get to the train station around ten after seven, which still gives me plenty of time. I leave Mirandola at 7:30, transfer at Bologna (without incident for once) and get to Milan, albeit a half hour late, wiping out the time I had there for lunch. My stomach really isn’t liking me now. A quick stop to grab a chocolate bar and a Coke. Back on the train, and I finally get to Nice around 5PM after a longer than expected 7 hour train ride (just this last leg). All in all, a long day without, especially without air conditioning on the last train (keep in mind that I'm in a suit in preparation for the casino in Monte Carlo, and I don't want it wrinkled) and food (no stop long enough to eat). So by the time I get there, I'm ready to drop. I get a map, find the hotel after a bit of searching (who knew the damn sign would be that small), check in and look for a restaurant. As per usual, my style of restaurant finding is a bit random…I walk around until I find either a) a place with hot waitresses or b) a menu with fries. So when I walked out of the hotel, I had my eyes open, looking around. I made it about 20 feet, and what do I see? A giant comic book shop, complete with action figures displayed in the windows. And not just a small shop, this sucker had 2 floors (that I could see). I swear, these places find me, not the other way around. I finally find a place (good potatoes), grab a bite, and go to get a train ticket to Monaco. Problems, though, are that the automatic ticket window doesn’t accept any of my credit cards, nor does it give out enough change for any of the bills I’m carrying (ie. I have a 20 and the most change it gives on a 7 euro ticket is 5 euro). After waiting a while in line to see a ticket agent, I find out that they are all sold out for Friday night. Damn. So I pick up a return ticket for Saturday, just to get some use out of the trip. Back to the hotel, out of the suit, into shorts, and off to see Nice.

All I can say of the rest of the night was that I’m glad the train was full. Wow, what a beach (all pebbly though, which sucked), lots of hot chicks wearing next to nothing, and a huge boardwalk to rollerblade on. Talk about awesome. I'm not looking for a huge adventure this first night, just going to walk around a bit (my foot was sore from something, not sure what), so I head off down the beach. Problem is, the beach keeps going, and the town gets more and more fun the further I get (more bars, more people). I finally make it down to a point where the shore curls around, and on top of a cliff is this cool waterfall. Damn it, it looked awesome, and I knew I was going to have to climb the thing the next day. I end up spending a little more time wandering around the coast, then down head into a market/downtown area. Bars everywhere, hot chicks everywhere...talk about heaven. All sorts of stores that are still open too, offering plenty to distract and drain the wallet. I wander into a neat little pub (they had this cool traffic light on the ceiling - green = bar open, yellow = last call, red = bar closed), order potato skins (best meal I've had in Europe) and a vodka. The waitress even spoke English and chatted it up with me. Made me wish I didn't look like a bum, and that I wasn't dead tired and needing sleep. I should have stayed, but really did need to get back to the hotel (loser speak, I know). For trips like this, I really do need to bring someone to help draw out the social side in me.

Next day, more of the same. All day is wandering around town, swimming in the sea, and getting a good sunburn. I manage to see the waterfall thing (cool view of the town), take some pictures, and have a good time. That evening, off to Monaco. More sweating, more standing around in the suit, and finally I get to Monaco. My entire reason for going to Monaco is to check out the casino, and pick up a deck of cards for Jenn's mom (she loves gambling, so I thought it would be a neat gift). Problem is, it turns out that the casino doesn't give out cards, they all get destroyed. Wow, what a waste of time. And I couldn't even play any games as the only casino game I play is blackjack, and with a 200 euro minimum, I can't quite afford it. So I wander around downtown Monaco for a bit, then catch a train back to Nice. Wander around Nice for a bit (sweating my nuts off in this damn suit the entire time), and head back to the hotel. Only to find out that the hotel has been having power troubles all day, and that the a/c is out. I finally manage to fall asleep around 1, get up at 8, and head back to Italy, after another 10 hours on trains.

My Weekend in Rome (alternate title: Is That Guy Giving Me The Eye?)

So this weekend, the plan is Rome. You know, ancient Rome, full of history, romance, and tourists. Oh, and money hungry businesses out to suck you dry, but that's another story. It's Friday, I'm all packed (after another night of 6 hours sleep), and ready to go. I get Mike to call me a cab for 5PM so I can make my 5:30 train to Bologna (where I transfer). We call the cab early, and I get out of work at 4:45. When does the cab actually show up? 5:10, at which point I have to run to the hotel (I forgot my passport, which apparently I should bring), then hit the train station. I make it with 5 minutes to spare, so things are still good. I can only get a ticket in Mirandola to Bologna, then have to buy the next leg in Bologna proper. I find an automatic ticket machine, find a train to Rome, and try to buy a ticket. First class only, 50 euro. Okay, I can pay that, it's Rome. Put in the old credit card (it's getting quite the workout, let me tell you), and let's get on with it. Next thing I know, I see the message "Printing error" and no ticket comes out. What the hell? The machine ran out of paper I guess, so here I am with a 50 euro charge on my CC and no ticket. I try to find someone to get a refund, but "me no parlo Italiano" which makes things kinda hard. Three attempts and 20 minutes later, I finally get my refund, and a ticket on a later train. That will take 2 hours longer to get there. As in I arrive at midnight. I'm a little ticked now, but hey, it's Rome. Not quite Vegas, but still.

The train ride there is uneventful aside from me being incredibly hungry. We pull in at 11:30, I find a map, try to locate the hotel, and start walking. Little did I realize that I booked a hotel in the worst part of town. Most people won't try anything with me (nice thing about being 6'2" and surly looking), but it's still not all that nice. The hotel, though, is a nice surprise. It's back from the street, and gated, so it's secure and a good place to stay. I recommend it for someone going to Rome if they don't mind walking (the location sucks). By now it's midnight, so off to bed with a 7:30 wake up call...after all, I gotta make the Sistine Chapel, right? Little did I know how painful that decision would be.

Alarm goes off, up I get, shower, and head down to check out the breakfast buffet. No surprise, nothing there I can eat, so a glass of water and off I go. All I know about the Sistine Chapel is that it's part of the Vatican, which is where I go. The only part listed on my map is St. Peter Basilica, and that's where I end up. After about an hour of walking, that is. Past every cop in the city...I swear, you would think Rome was under siege. I also managed to see almost every other sight in Rome on the way...the ruins, the Panthenon, Venezia Square. Upon arriving, I look for a sign, any sign, telling me where the SC is. Could I find one? No. So into the church I go, thinking maybe there will be signs in there. FYI, St. Peter's Cathedral is worth the price of a stay in Rome...just awesome. And I'm not a religous guy, so when I say this, it must be something. I ended up asking two more people, who pointed me somewhere (just to the left, one kilometer, whatever that means), then said to hell with it and checked out the information center. There I got another small map of the Vatican, and was off to find the Chapel. Or more correctly, the hour and a half long line to get into the Chapel. At least I got to meet two awesome Canadians in line, Frank and his sister who's name I regretfully forget. And as promised, "Hey Ottawa, Frank Washington says hi!". They had to be at the port to catch their ship (heading off on a cruise), so they had a quick run through the museum. I don't know if they got to see everything they wanted (they had about 15 minutes, where as I rushed (kinda) and still took 2 hours) or if they made the ship, but I really do hope so. In my opinion, shared by pretty much no one else, the Chapel itself was so-so...I wasn't quite so impressed. But that's just me, go and form your own opinion on how wrong I am.

By the time I'm out of there, it's 12:30, and I need food. Across the street to this restaurant I go...big mistake. I paid 28 euro for a salad, potatoes (microwaved none the less), a coke and 2 water. Ridiculous. If I hadn't have been so hungry, I would have left everything there and walked away, but much more time without food and I wouldn't have been able to walk away. Semi-satisfied by lunch, it's off to explore the tourist traps of Rome. I headed north along the river, and hit up most of the places marked on my map as I headed south, finally ending up at a pyramid of all things (go figure). Good thing about that was I managed to find a monument to the Devil's Brigade right next to said pyramid. Tres cool. Back north to the Colussem, where I find out it's 11.50 (all in euro) to go inside. I'm a cheap bugger, so to hell with it. I start walking away, and realize, I'm only going to be in Rome once, maybe twice, why not spend the money. So I sign up for a guided tour of both the Colussem and the ruins nearby, and hear some neat stories about the time. All in all, well worth it. By now, it's starting to rain, so I grab the metro back to the train station, walk to the hotel, shower, change, and head out to dinner (it's 8PM by now, I've condensed the hell out of the day).

Finding a good restaurant, not so easy...I walked by about 6-7 on my way to the train station (I wanted to pick up my ticket for the next day early, so I would get a seat), and even stopped in at a supermarket to pick up a pop and some chips for breakfast. I get my train ticket for Sunday and head back to find a place. On the way, I find a strip club, my first in Europe. If I hadn't have been so broke, I would have given it a look, but I had about 8 euro to my name by this point, so no. Dinner was okay, more pototoes, some cheese, and a coke. This time a little more reasonable at 16 euro. Back to the hotel and another nights sleep.

Sunday, the day of relaxation. Which for me meant waking up at 8:30 (so late!) and spending only 4 hours walking around rather than the 14 of the previous day. I head back to the Vatican, and walk down the river lazily, checking out the sights. I randomly pick a street in the southern part, end up back at Piazza Venezia and the ruins...a good place to be. Unfortunately, it also happens to be the place that I get eyed up by the strangest guy I've met: he's staring at me, smiling, and fondling himself. Can you say creepy? I sure can. Thankfully you're never alone in Rome, so within seconds I was in a crowd and out of his sight. I spend a half hour touring the ruins, take a few more pics, then head back to the terminal. Oddly enough, I had misread the ticket (I thought I had booked one for 2pm-ish, and really had, but I read it as leaving at 16:07, which was actually the date, July 16th). Thankfully I happened to be eating lunch at the train station, around 2PM, when I figured this out, giving me 1/2 hour to finish eating and make my way to the train. Worked out perfectly. Trip back was uneventful, much faster, and a good time. Back to Mirandola, walk back to town, shower (again), and head out to dinner. Back to the hotel, talk to Jenn, and off to bed. All in all, a good weekend.

It's been asked for...

...so here it is. I'll do my best to post all the crap from the last year here, then start chronicling the new adventures that await me.

Until then......