So, feeling like I could splurge, I went to get a wine and coffee--very nice, hanging out, bikes, Vespas going by, cars honking, the Tramway ringing its bell at everyone :)
I'm a lucky guy...apparently money I moved from one bank to another is now in both. Hmmm, maybe this is how I'll get rich ! :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
29 June 2009, Paris, bis
I'm in the money !!!
It took long enough.
So I went this AM to get it, and I needed a person's name on the form rather than the bank name. I didn't know the last name of the guy who had helped me, nor if it had been done in his name. So I headed back to try and use my calling card to make the calls I needed to make. To no avail. Even with the operator helping, they wouldn't go through. I know, I'll buy a télécarte (phone card). The woman in the reception downstairs kindly suggested that I get a certain kind, because it's easier to use, and off I went. The tobacconist's where she suggested I go was closed. I look and next door there's a sign in the window for "télécartes." Stupid me, I walk in and ask how much a 50 unit card would cost. "For what?" "For 50 units." "For what? I have cards to call overseas." "But your window... mumble, mumble. Merci. Au revoir." This was the same shop where the guy wouldn't let me use the internet because I only had a credit card.
Next tobacconist's. Can't help me b/c they don't have a machine. Next one, won't help me for a measly 21€50 ($30.23). So I give up. With nothing left to do, I called the Credit Union again, got the info I needed and decided to try to get the money. It could have gone more smoothly. The credit union told me to put my name in as the sender...but, of course, that's not what the guy who helped me did. Plus, when he looked at the amount, he said that he couldn't help me because of their limit. Thankfully he miscacalculated and he was able to give me all of it.
So I went to get a glass of wine and celebrate. Did some work at the same café, got some groceries and...finally...a baguette.
In defense of those who won't accept cc, it's SUPER expensive in France to accept them.
OK, back to work :)
It took long enough.
So I went this AM to get it, and I needed a person's name on the form rather than the bank name. I didn't know the last name of the guy who had helped me, nor if it had been done in his name. So I headed back to try and use my calling card to make the calls I needed to make. To no avail. Even with the operator helping, they wouldn't go through. I know, I'll buy a télécarte (phone card). The woman in the reception downstairs kindly suggested that I get a certain kind, because it's easier to use, and off I went. The tobacconist's where she suggested I go was closed. I look and next door there's a sign in the window for "télécartes." Stupid me, I walk in and ask how much a 50 unit card would cost. "For what?" "For 50 units." "For what? I have cards to call overseas." "But your window... mumble, mumble. Merci. Au revoir." This was the same shop where the guy wouldn't let me use the internet because I only had a credit card.
Next tobacconist's. Can't help me b/c they don't have a machine. Next one, won't help me for a measly 21€50 ($30.23). So I give up. With nothing left to do, I called the Credit Union again, got the info I needed and decided to try to get the money. It could have gone more smoothly. The credit union told me to put my name in as the sender...but, of course, that's not what the guy who helped me did. Plus, when he looked at the amount, he said that he couldn't help me because of their limit. Thankfully he miscacalculated and he was able to give me all of it.
So I went to get a glass of wine and celebrate. Did some work at the same café, got some groceries and...finally...a baguette.
In defense of those who won't accept cc, it's SUPER expensive in France to accept them.
OK, back to work :)
29 June 2009, Paris
Overslept because I was kept awake by a bunch of dumb$*# Americans cooking and partying in the kitchen one floor below for their last night in Paris. I actually got out of bed, traipsed down there opened the door and yelled at them. It took another 20 mins for things to break up. The two bad parts of the experience are that 1) I think their program director was with them--way to go !! and 2) they were playing some good music. I was getting ready to go back down, comment on their good taste in music, but ask them to shut up!
OK, so still no €. I walked down to the PTT to get Western Union funds, but I wasn't given all the info I need by the people in the US. Now I have an email into them. We'll see. Glad I went to Iceland...the saga continues
Phone's working--two perfectly stereotypical cleaning ladies came into my room. One about 4'5" and gruff, family's been here a while, and the other, whose family has probably been here a generation or two. Guesses...but that's why I said stereotypical. 4'5"'s pushing every button imaginable, not understanding that it won't work, because the phone's talking to her. The other comes in takes control and resolves it with some quick words to the reception desk. The woman there had been giving the first woman a hard time...now 4'5"'s staring at the phone saying she's going to kill her.
Finally have Internet down. It's a combo of their system here and UMM's webmail. Met with the guy today and we should be good to go. Nice guy and knows his stuff.
So without € I can't make any calls out of my room, so I need to go stand out in the callbox.
I love France!!
OK, so still no €. I walked down to the PTT to get Western Union funds, but I wasn't given all the info I need by the people in the US. Now I have an email into them. We'll see. Glad I went to Iceland...the saga continues
Phone's working--two perfectly stereotypical cleaning ladies came into my room. One about 4'5" and gruff, family's been here a while, and the other, whose family has probably been here a generation or two. Guesses...but that's why I said stereotypical. 4'5"'s pushing every button imaginable, not understanding that it won't work, because the phone's talking to her. The other comes in takes control and resolves it with some quick words to the reception desk. The woman there had been giving the first woman a hard time...now 4'5"'s staring at the phone saying she's going to kill her.
Finally have Internet down. It's a combo of their system here and UMM's webmail. Met with the guy today and we should be good to go. Nice guy and knows his stuff.
So without € I can't make any calls out of my room, so I need to go stand out in the callbox.
I love France!!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
25 June 2009...More of Iceland
Iceland June 25
I was wiped out from sleeping only about 2 hours before leaving for Europe, and sleeping fitfully on the plane, so I ended up sleeping in--missed breakfast, and booked an excursion trip. Could only do an excursion or go to the Blue Lagoon, because of airport bus schedules. I figured that seeing more than one thing was my best bet. Got picked up at hotel for no extra charge, taken to sales office near the wharf
where I paid, got on the bus and we headed out in the rain. We had to pick up some other people at the Laxness horse farm.
Icelandic horses are of a shorter stock. They are, quite possibly, more like medieval horses than any others, since we know that they were shorter in stature, stocky, hardy and fast. That would complement the fact that Icelandic is probably more similar in pronunciation to it's medieval ancestor, Old Icelandic, than any other standard European language. Halldór Laxness, Iceland's only Nobel Laureate for literature lived 1902-1998 right up the road, and his beautiful what Jag was sitting there. He's known for Independent People, Paradise Reclaimed and The Atom Station
First stop is þingvellir National Park where the first Alþingi, or Parliament, was ever held in Western Civilization.
Shot from atop Law Rock (see below)
þingvellir National Park contains Iceland's largest lake, þingvellir Lake
Chosen representatives would come once a year to the Lögberg, or Law Rock, to mete out justice. This was the only government for 300 some years--no laws besides what this group decided, no taxes, nothin'. It's all lava!
Lögberg
Going down behind the Law Rock
After looking at the park and þingvellir Lake from atop the Law Rock, we went down near the white church to look at one of the rifts filled with ice cold water. It's a steady 35°. Calm though it looks, the current beneath is so strong that it never freezes, despite how cold the air temp is.
The water's so clear, you can see up to 110 meters, or just over 120 yards. BTW--don't have a photo of it because we were back on the bus--but the air's so clear, we could see a mountain 75 miles away, and it looked only a few miles away. Forgot to mention that the river the feeds the lake is five times smaller (less wide) than the one that drains it. How is this possible, I hear you ask? Why, that is not logical, said a Trekkie. Ah, but 'tis, Spock. The FLOW in is so much greater than the flow out, despite the relative size, that Iceland's largest lake is maintained. Area reminds me a lot of Scotland!
Not sure of route, but somewhere along this trip, we saw a bit of Langjökull, the largest glacier in Europe at 1021 km squared.
Next, we went to the double waterfall at Gullfoss.
Shot from above the falls.
Canyon through which the water passes after the falls.
It's incredible force led people to want to harness it. Farmers resisted, and one woman in particular, Sigríður Tómasson, used to walk the 45 kilometers to Reykjavik across the lava fields several times a year in the 1930's. No roads. Her efforts before the modern government--Norwegian in reality, since Iceland didn't have its independence until 1944--paid off. A compromise was made to maintain the falls and to allow some power to be harnessed. Now it's a national park. Crystal clear water is in abundance in Iceland. So much so, that one pays only for access. Each household pays the same per year, whether they use 10 gallons or 10,000.
Next stop, a geothermal field where there's the geyser called Geysir, that gives us the word geyser. The only regularly active geyser, below, blows every 5-8 minutes. Water heats beneath the shaft, the cooler water above in the shaft acts as stopper, pressure builds and it blows. Ground around them is more than 100° F, so invariably they have a couple accidents every year where people get burned by stepping inside the ropes.
Mmmm...sulphur
Shot of a geyser shaft.
Every 5-8 minutes, this happens.
There's a geothermal field like this in Iceland, two in the US, one in New Zealand and one in Chile. During the Middle Ages, only the one in Iceland was known to Europeans and so that's part of the reason the name has stuck. My guess is that what is considered the "field" is much larger than what I have here, since even several kilometers away there were cordoned off areas near farms with steam coming out of the ground.
Anyone got an idea about this flower? They are EVERYWHERE in the lava fields--all around the airport too. This one was at the geothermal fields.
Newer lava fields (under 10,000 years old or so) only have moss on them.
Because we had all been good little tourists, and generally showed up on time at the bus, we had some extra time, so we went to these falls too.
Got back to the hotel to find that they had kindly taken the liberty to book me a shuttle to the airport--pick up at the hotel. Yep, just generally that very nice. Some kid forgot his camera on the trip, they called back to where it was, the next tour bus was going to pick it up and drop it off at the central tourist bureau. Still had some time, so I went down to a vegetarian café for a humus sandwich, latte and coconut pie that was amazing !! A striped yellow house ! No personal photos but, here's a photo from the Reykjavik Grapevine, and a map:
Agrandir le plan
Got the airport and saw a rainbow...at around 23:30:
So, what I saw was was much better than what I heard. While checking in, a group in front of me was having difficulty finding their dog. They saw it be put on the plane at their departure, but now they were checking in to fly to Paris and there was no dog to be found. The plane they had come in on was still on the ground, so they were going to look again...hmm. Speaking of the airline. Very nice staff and great service otherwise--first airline I've ever been on that boards in the middle of the plane. Stewardesses only and all in pumps or heels. Smacks of the 50's?
I must say that I didn't appreciate the insinuation that airport security outside of Iceland sucks. The only thing that was different was that everyone was either patted or wanded down. Would that be practical at JFK or O'Hare? The whole country of Iceland has fewer people than Pittsburgh, PA or Bakersfield CA proper
A geologist at UMM has suggested that Iceland has more attractive women per capita than anywhere else. An exaggeration, but perhaps not too far off, for those of you who like mostly blondes :)
I'm so glad I came here! Takk fyrir to all who made it such a wonderful stay, even if you never read this :)
I was wiped out from sleeping only about 2 hours before leaving for Europe, and sleeping fitfully on the plane, so I ended up sleeping in--missed breakfast, and booked an excursion trip. Could only do an excursion or go to the Blue Lagoon, because of airport bus schedules. I figured that seeing more than one thing was my best bet. Got picked up at hotel for no extra charge, taken to sales office near the wharf
where I paid, got on the bus and we headed out in the rain. We had to pick up some other people at the Laxness horse farm.
Icelandic horses are of a shorter stock. They are, quite possibly, more like medieval horses than any others, since we know that they were shorter in stature, stocky, hardy and fast. That would complement the fact that Icelandic is probably more similar in pronunciation to it's medieval ancestor, Old Icelandic, than any other standard European language. Halldór Laxness, Iceland's only Nobel Laureate for literature lived 1902-1998 right up the road, and his beautiful what Jag was sitting there. He's known for Independent People, Paradise Reclaimed and The Atom Station
First stop is þingvellir National Park where the first Alþingi, or Parliament, was ever held in Western Civilization.
Shot from atop Law Rock (see below)
þingvellir National Park contains Iceland's largest lake, þingvellir Lake
Chosen representatives would come once a year to the Lögberg, or Law Rock, to mete out justice. This was the only government for 300 some years--no laws besides what this group decided, no taxes, nothin'. It's all lava!
Lögberg
Going down behind the Law Rock
After looking at the park and þingvellir Lake from atop the Law Rock, we went down near the white church to look at one of the rifts filled with ice cold water. It's a steady 35°. Calm though it looks, the current beneath is so strong that it never freezes, despite how cold the air temp is.
The water's so clear, you can see up to 110 meters, or just over 120 yards. BTW--don't have a photo of it because we were back on the bus--but the air's so clear, we could see a mountain 75 miles away, and it looked only a few miles away. Forgot to mention that the river the feeds the lake is five times smaller (less wide) than the one that drains it. How is this possible, I hear you ask? Why, that is not logical, said a Trekkie. Ah, but 'tis, Spock. The FLOW in is so much greater than the flow out, despite the relative size, that Iceland's largest lake is maintained. Area reminds me a lot of Scotland!
Not sure of route, but somewhere along this trip, we saw a bit of Langjökull, the largest glacier in Europe at 1021 km squared.
Next, we went to the double waterfall at Gullfoss.
Shot from above the falls.
Canyon through which the water passes after the falls.
It's incredible force led people to want to harness it. Farmers resisted, and one woman in particular, Sigríður Tómasson, used to walk the 45 kilometers to Reykjavik across the lava fields several times a year in the 1930's. No roads. Her efforts before the modern government--Norwegian in reality, since Iceland didn't have its independence until 1944--paid off. A compromise was made to maintain the falls and to allow some power to be harnessed. Now it's a national park. Crystal clear water is in abundance in Iceland. So much so, that one pays only for access. Each household pays the same per year, whether they use 10 gallons or 10,000.
Next stop, a geothermal field where there's the geyser called Geysir, that gives us the word geyser. The only regularly active geyser, below, blows every 5-8 minutes. Water heats beneath the shaft, the cooler water above in the shaft acts as stopper, pressure builds and it blows. Ground around them is more than 100° F, so invariably they have a couple accidents every year where people get burned by stepping inside the ropes.
Mmmm...sulphur
Shot of a geyser shaft.
Every 5-8 minutes, this happens.
There's a geothermal field like this in Iceland, two in the US, one in New Zealand and one in Chile. During the Middle Ages, only the one in Iceland was known to Europeans and so that's part of the reason the name has stuck. My guess is that what is considered the "field" is much larger than what I have here, since even several kilometers away there were cordoned off areas near farms with steam coming out of the ground.
Anyone got an idea about this flower? They are EVERYWHERE in the lava fields--all around the airport too. This one was at the geothermal fields.
Newer lava fields (under 10,000 years old or so) only have moss on them.
Because we had all been good little tourists, and generally showed up on time at the bus, we had some extra time, so we went to these falls too.
Got back to the hotel to find that they had kindly taken the liberty to book me a shuttle to the airport--pick up at the hotel. Yep, just generally that very nice. Some kid forgot his camera on the trip, they called back to where it was, the next tour bus was going to pick it up and drop it off at the central tourist bureau. Still had some time, so I went down to a vegetarian café for a humus sandwich, latte and coconut pie that was amazing !! A striped yellow house ! No personal photos but, here's a photo from the Reykjavik Grapevine, and a map:
Agrandir le plan
Got the airport and saw a rainbow...at around 23:30:
So, what I saw was was much better than what I heard. While checking in, a group in front of me was having difficulty finding their dog. They saw it be put on the plane at their departure, but now they were checking in to fly to Paris and there was no dog to be found. The plane they had come in on was still on the ground, so they were going to look again...hmm. Speaking of the airline. Very nice staff and great service otherwise--first airline I've ever been on that boards in the middle of the plane. Stewardesses only and all in pumps or heels. Smacks of the 50's?
I must say that I didn't appreciate the insinuation that airport security outside of Iceland sucks. The only thing that was different was that everyone was either patted or wanded down. Would that be practical at JFK or O'Hare? The whole country of Iceland has fewer people than Pittsburgh, PA or Bakersfield CA proper
A geologist at UMM has suggested that Iceland has more attractive women per capita than anywhere else. An exaggeration, but perhaps not too far off, for those of you who like mostly blondes :)
I'm so glad I came here! Takk fyrir to all who made it such a wonderful stay, even if you never read this :)
28 June 2009, Paris bis
OK, so I'm still without cash until I can hit Western Union tomorrow AM. Long story!!!
So no vino or cerveza this PM. But I do get to have Camembert !!
and to play solitaire...alone :)
I want me the bedcover!!!
Here's what it looked like last night with the moon over the tower.
G'night for now.
So no vino or cerveza this PM. But I do get to have Camembert !!
and to play solitaire...alone :)
I want me the bedcover!!!
Here's what it looked like last night with the moon over the tower.
G'night for now.
28 June 2009 : Paris
Still catching up on the sleep thing. Was up early and fell back to sleep. Got up for a walk and had a nice time exploring the "quartier." Not a lot of "night life" spots, but several brasseries and café down near the rue d'Alésia:
Here's more or less my route, without taking into account my ramblings. Tried to stay in the park as much as possible--joggers, baby and dog walkers, sailboats in the pond, couples all over, picnic groups, older folk doing crosswords or debating the morning's shenanigans in the neighborhood, ping pong, frisbee, Razor-type scooters beyond belief, cafés/brasseries in the parc and a Guignol theater. Gonna have to go two Sundays from now for photos. Probably more people in park than in all of Morris :)
View Larger Map
Came out by this little brasserie where I had dinner last night--right on the corner of the park, and down the road from me. A croque-monsieur, b/c I didn't see the dinner menu behind me, a couple of beers and an espress while reading outside.
View Larger Map
Crossed the street in front of the brasserie and walked behind the University--more of a park. Two gravel soccer games going on, tennis, badminton, sunbathing, and I saw my first real magpie right behind our building. Back now and stripped down to shorts--the heat's a killer !!!!
NB Jogging is SO IN over here. During my last visit it wasn't nearly as big. Everyone's doing it...of course the run in the parks--fewer on the streets.
Internet access still wacky, and no phone line yet. I will have voicemail so I'll be able to get it when you leave a message.
French word of the day: guignol = marionnette
Here's more or less my route, without taking into account my ramblings. Tried to stay in the park as much as possible--joggers, baby and dog walkers, sailboats in the pond, couples all over, picnic groups, older folk doing crosswords or debating the morning's shenanigans in the neighborhood, ping pong, frisbee, Razor-type scooters beyond belief, cafés/brasseries in the parc and a Guignol theater. Gonna have to go two Sundays from now for photos. Probably more people in park than in all of Morris :)
View Larger Map
Came out by this little brasserie where I had dinner last night--right on the corner of the park, and down the road from me. A croque-monsieur, b/c I didn't see the dinner menu behind me, a couple of beers and an espress while reading outside.
View Larger Map
Crossed the street in front of the brasserie and walked behind the University--more of a park. Two gravel soccer games going on, tennis, badminton, sunbathing, and I saw my first real magpie right behind our building. Back now and stripped down to shorts--the heat's a killer !!!!
NB Jogging is SO IN over here. During my last visit it wasn't nearly as big. Everyone's doing it...of course the run in the parks--fewer on the streets.
Internet access still wacky, and no phone line yet. I will have voicemail so I'll be able to get it when you leave a message.
French word of the day: guignol = marionnette
Thursday, June 25, 2009
25 June 2009, Reykjavik
Iceland June 24
OK, so I'm writing this on the 26th in my room in Paris...in WORD. They forgot to set up my internet connection, and the place down the street won't let me use a credit card, and I can't get cash, since I can't get to the Internet to deal with some crap.
Anyway, Iceland ! Gorgeous. Definitely going back. Got in early the first day, caught the bus to the bus terminal, walked from their to the info desk to ask for a hotel. MAP & PHOTO You'd think that I had asked for contraband. She couldn't believe I didn't have a hotel. Found me a room at the Leifur Eíricksson
see my Flickr images for shots of the room
View Larger Map
which is opposite the Hallgrimskirkja Church, whose architect, Samúelsson (1870-1950), has done many buildings in town.
Here's what it's supposed to look like without the scaffolding.
images by Danny Zee (http://danny.oz.au/travel/iceland/architecture.html)
Finally found the place after getting turned around with the curvy streets.
Grabbed a bit of sleep before heading into town. Note the double flush toilet: low or high water depending on the need :) Falling in love with the language, which with its 'th' sounds resembles Castillian combined with something Slavic...of course it's neither but still. Figured out what it was reminding me of...this video, which is in Danish, so go figure.
Just took time to walk around--didn't want to try and squeeze into an excursion--money access started here. Thankfully everyone speaks English and takes Visa. I didn't use Kronurs once, and I have no change to bring back with me. Just went walking.
Just liked the garden on this one
Went down to the park along the bay.
Hung out at Kaffitar for a couple of hours having some good European coffee and some food.
View Larger Map
Went to the Culture House for to see some Medieval manuscripts--eddas and sagas--pleasant but a bit of a bummer, since it was only an exhibition of facsimile's and copies. I had asked about where tourists DON'T go :)
Decided to do some more walking and went through town to the Western side of the docks on Örfirisey.
Passed through the skateboarders in the little square in front of the Tourist Info bureau, where later there were bikers.
Also went around the top part of the Tjörnin.
I loved the little girl's head tube.
Also some cool water birds that hover--never saw one dive after a meal, but they worked methodically in 15-20 foot sections, checking the water out and then moving along.
All that walking brings about a thirst, so I stopped for a beer at Vegamót. Realized here that it's a bummer not to have cash, since I couldn't give the extra little tip with "service" being included in the bill. Thus there's no place to add anything on on the receipt
So when and where does he eat?! Knowing how much I like food, you can guess that I asked where I could get some good eats. Twice the place highlighted by Andrew Zimmern's show (link) was p'shawed, so I went with "the best seafood place in town." OK, so the girl at the tourist bureau had recommended the Sjávarkjallarinn or "Seafood Cellar" and given me a coupon for it. So I'm thinking that it probably wouldn't be that good...had to be some connection on the recommendation / coupon, and the woman at the hotel recommended it." I couldn't have been happier, wrote draft texts so I'd be able to later put the info here. The coupon was for a free glass of wine and an appetizer. Tried the Spanish wine by the glass, received a plate of sliced baguette on the diagonal of long, thin plate. In opposite corners were a ginger, passion fruit dressing and crushed peanuts with wasabi. Get the bread wet with the sauce and the nuts go crazy for it. All presented on a banana leaf. WOW !
I ordered the lobster (North Atlantic variety, so smaller and no claws, and you only eat the tail) appetizer and the lamb ribs for dinner. Because of the coupon, I first received a piece of salmon sushi topped with honey, anise and vinegar served on something like a poppadam. I'm so glad I came here !!
Then the real appetizer arrived. Imagine, if you will, the gastronomical twilight zone: finely chopped cauliflower on which are laid small lobster tails, topped with a truffle and all of this steamed in a foie gras reduction. It came in a little cannister--clamped lid--and that's how it was cooked. Yet another thing I've put on my list to have God make available in heaven. You should be drooling by now !!!! Then comes the rack of lamb chops, served on purréed potatoes and julienne zuchini. All of this topped with a mint and watercress salad. Two sauces came with this: good ole barbecue and a vanilla sour cream. Alone. Together. and/or both. Plate is two feet long and one half full. The other half's for the rib bones. Eat 'em, clean 'em and put them on the baked palm frond.
Finished with a doppo and asian crême brulée : served with vanilla ice cream and ginger shoots.
Had 6 different people serve me. I asked one waitress whose English was flawless, where I could hit a non touristy place for a beer, and she recommended Club Rosenberg, a club that locals like. Went and heard nary a word of English except in response to me (although I did say thank you in Icelandic--more on language later) and in songs. First guy had a nice voice, but every song sounded the same. This guy was great--played the yukelele and guitar, had a great voice and sang some interesting songs. Sat alone, smiled and laughed at the jokes that I couldn't even begin to understand, but I got to try Thule beer.
En route, I went back down to the bay and walked around more for some photos.
Note time...this is PM
OK, so I'm writing this on the 26th in my room in Paris...in WORD. They forgot to set up my internet connection, and the place down the street won't let me use a credit card, and I can't get cash, since I can't get to the Internet to deal with some crap.
Anyway, Iceland ! Gorgeous. Definitely going back. Got in early the first day, caught the bus to the bus terminal, walked from their to the info desk to ask for a hotel. MAP & PHOTO You'd think that I had asked for contraband. She couldn't believe I didn't have a hotel. Found me a room at the Leifur Eíricksson
see my Flickr images for shots of the room
View Larger Map
which is opposite the Hallgrimskirkja Church, whose architect, Samúelsson (1870-1950), has done many buildings in town.
Here's what it's supposed to look like without the scaffolding.
images by Danny Zee (http://danny.oz.au/travel/iceland/architecture.html)
Finally found the place after getting turned around with the curvy streets.
Grabbed a bit of sleep before heading into town. Note the double flush toilet: low or high water depending on the need :) Falling in love with the language, which with its 'th' sounds resembles Castillian combined with something Slavic...of course it's neither but still. Figured out what it was reminding me of...this video, which is in Danish, so go figure.
Just took time to walk around--didn't want to try and squeeze into an excursion--money access started here. Thankfully everyone speaks English and takes Visa. I didn't use Kronurs once, and I have no change to bring back with me. Just went walking.
Just liked the garden on this one
Went down to the park along the bay.
Hung out at Kaffitar for a couple of hours having some good European coffee and some food.
View Larger Map
Went to the Culture House for to see some Medieval manuscripts--eddas and sagas--pleasant but a bit of a bummer, since it was only an exhibition of facsimile's and copies. I had asked about where tourists DON'T go :)
Decided to do some more walking and went through town to the Western side of the docks on Örfirisey.
Passed through the skateboarders in the little square in front of the Tourist Info bureau, where later there were bikers.
Also went around the top part of the Tjörnin.
I loved the little girl's head tube.
Also some cool water birds that hover--never saw one dive after a meal, but they worked methodically in 15-20 foot sections, checking the water out and then moving along.
All that walking brings about a thirst, so I stopped for a beer at Vegamót. Realized here that it's a bummer not to have cash, since I couldn't give the extra little tip with "service" being included in the bill. Thus there's no place to add anything on on the receipt
So when and where does he eat?! Knowing how much I like food, you can guess that I asked where I could get some good eats. Twice the place highlighted by Andrew Zimmern's show (link) was p'shawed, so I went with "the best seafood place in town." OK, so the girl at the tourist bureau had recommended the Sjávarkjallarinn or "Seafood Cellar" and given me a coupon for it. So I'm thinking that it probably wouldn't be that good...had to be some connection on the recommendation / coupon, and the woman at the hotel recommended it." I couldn't have been happier, wrote draft texts so I'd be able to later put the info here. The coupon was for a free glass of wine and an appetizer. Tried the Spanish wine by the glass, received a plate of sliced baguette on the diagonal of long, thin plate. In opposite corners were a ginger, passion fruit dressing and crushed peanuts with wasabi. Get the bread wet with the sauce and the nuts go crazy for it. All presented on a banana leaf. WOW !
I ordered the lobster (North Atlantic variety, so smaller and no claws, and you only eat the tail) appetizer and the lamb ribs for dinner. Because of the coupon, I first received a piece of salmon sushi topped with honey, anise and vinegar served on something like a poppadam. I'm so glad I came here !!
Then the real appetizer arrived. Imagine, if you will, the gastronomical twilight zone: finely chopped cauliflower on which are laid small lobster tails, topped with a truffle and all of this steamed in a foie gras reduction. It came in a little cannister--clamped lid--and that's how it was cooked. Yet another thing I've put on my list to have God make available in heaven. You should be drooling by now !!!! Then comes the rack of lamb chops, served on purréed potatoes and julienne zuchini. All of this topped with a mint and watercress salad. Two sauces came with this: good ole barbecue and a vanilla sour cream. Alone. Together. and/or both. Plate is two feet long and one half full. The other half's for the rib bones. Eat 'em, clean 'em and put them on the baked palm frond.
Finished with a doppo and asian crême brulée : served with vanilla ice cream and ginger shoots.
Had 6 different people serve me. I asked one waitress whose English was flawless, where I could hit a non touristy place for a beer, and she recommended Club Rosenberg, a club that locals like. Went and heard nary a word of English except in response to me (although I did say thank you in Icelandic--more on language later) and in songs. First guy had a nice voice, but every song sounded the same. This guy was great--played the yukelele and guitar, had a great voice and sang some interesting songs. Sat alone, smiled and laughed at the jokes that I couldn't even begin to understand, but I got to try Thule beer.
En route, I went back down to the bay and walked around more for some photos.
Note time...this is PM
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