The trip of our lifetime

So, we kind of eloped. We didn’t tell anyone and for months had made plans (Since January). Anna and I reviewed many places for consideration. We felt staying in Canada made the most sense as we love our country (wooo happy 150^th!) and haven’t had a chance to explore it as much as we’d like. We looked at many both out east and west as well as going up north. The one place that jumped out right away was Fogo Island. The idea of getting married in one of the four corners of the world made so much sense, plus it’s beauty is both unique and breathtaking! Everything else felt like a compromise in comparison. By getting married in Fogo Island, we would be the middle point between Ukraine (Anna’s Family) and Calgary (Ali’s Family). (Well almost middle…. 4100km from Calgary, 6100km from Ukraine.. but there is this big ocean in the middle :P)

Fogo Island is located is the most eastern part of Canada, hence why it’s called “the corner of the world” by the Flat Earth Society. It is in Newfoundland and is home to only 2500 residents. It is a place of rugged nature, unique architecture, the friendliest people, and lots of fish. What you won’t find here is fast internet, traffic jams, an abundance of vegetables, or people staring at their phones.

Getting here is no mean feat, but for travellers like us, it’s kind of expected that we’d take an arduous journey to reach our unique and adventurous destination. Over the course of 36 hours we took 3 flights through 4 provinces. Than drove over 2 hours in our rental car, then had to take another 90-minute ferry ride until we finally arrived at our destination.

Our First Night

Once we arrived we made our way to Aunt Gladys’s place. This is one of 3 houses set up by The Old Saltbox Company. They have several more in other parts of the province. The idea is to live in a Saltbox, which is a type of home that is common in Newfoundland fishing towns where the ground is mostly rock and they need to be close to the water to fish every day. They’re small a-frame style homes that sit on either stilts or wood foundations. These homes date back to the late 1800’s and most of the are still standing today. We stayed here our first night. The next morning, we enjoyed the view of the ocean from the inlet we were sitting in as the waves brought icebergs to our yard.

The Inn on Fogo Island

We then proceeded to check into our main destination, The Fogo Island Inn. There is so much that could be said about the inn. It is one of the top hotels in the world. It only has 29 rooms, but the architecture is both modern, yet homey with the materials and touches that make a maritime destination. Each room faces the ocean and our room was fitted with a wood burning stove. Upon arriving we were greeted by the staff who took care of our every need. They were the friendliest and most helpful staff of any hotel we’ve ever been to. It’s true what they say, you arrive as guests, but leave as family, and that couldn’t have been truer for us.

The amazing thing about the inn is that it really takes environmental and ethical stewardship to the next level. All the furniture and linens they use are all made on the island. You see a nice chair, table cloth, or basket that you like at the inn, they will make it for you down the road employing a great many local artisans and craftspeople.

The Ceremony

We had everything arranged. After spending time with the staff and our photographer, we found the perfect place to hold the ceremony. The issue was having is that the weather was typical of Newfoundland, i.e. very windy with a touch of rain. With our hotel staff witnesses ready to go, we were ushered down to be married. The ceremony (commissioner, 2 hotel staff, photographer and us) went off beautifully on the rocks with the serenading ocean behind us. Afterwards we went on a roaming photo shoot of the island. The wind at this point really started hammering us, but it was so worth it! Upon our return, we were treated to a wonderful 7 course meal with wine pairing by their chef by the fire in the library.

Seeing the Island with Locals

We were lucky enough to have a tour of the island with a local. He explained how many of the people living on the island have been there most of their lives, and so have their predecessors. Our guide showed us the house he was born in, and still lives in today. I should point out our guide is definitely in his mid 70’s. He was full of life and took immense pleasure in showing us his home. He took us to lookout points, docks, and explained the process of fishing cod back in the old days when the cod was salted before the days of refrigeration. There are many small sheds that are on stilts that look like they’re floating over the water. They’re called cutting sheds. This is where the fish were brought from the boats to be prepared for consumption.

Little known fact, Fogo island is the only place in the world where almost every type of rock formation can be found in one place. The beauty of the land here is epic and awe inspiring. Rugged and lush, yet stark in it’s texture. We haven’t explored the rest of the Maritimes, but we haven’t seen anything else like it.

Living Like Locals

After our magical stay at the inn we went to another Saltbox called Mary’s place. Mary’s is in a different part of the island. Where Gladys’s was down in an inlet near Brimstone National Park, Mary’s is located up high overlooking another national park. The living space is intentionally moved to the 2^nd floor where we can watch the waves crash against the rocks. Shopping here is not as abundant as shopping in a large city. We had to plan well though, because of the long weekend and being in a small town the stores were all on reduced hours over the course of the Monday and Sunday, plus the weather was frankly crap. It was so windy (50km/hr + 110km gusts) the whistling kept us up at night, and it rained for a day straight. But none the less it was a very quiet and peaceful time.

Fogo Island is so unique and so Canadian, and I swear the reason we have a stereotype of being nice and kind is because of the Newfoundland folks. #happy150th

Until the next flight... in Italy, Greece and Ukraine!

- Mr & Mrs

- A&A

Wedding photos are provided to us by our fantastic photographer Heather! (http://heathernolanphotography.com). The rest are by us :)

As we board our long-haul flight (and Anna finally realizes that the flight is not a gruelling 11 hours but a mercifully short 9.5) it finally kicks that we are going to Japan!! We have wanted to go for a while now, but haven’t quite made it there with all our travels. A seed was planted in our minds a while back that we should only go if we go with our friends from down under. This seed started the time we all met in Melbourne a short 4 years ago, Our friend Bryce is madly in love with Japan and has visited over 10 times (no I am not exaggerating), he has also been learning Japanese for many years. Also, owns and operates the japlanning.com travel blog regarding, you guessed it Japan. So, our seed was masterfully planted. Who doesn't want to go to Japan with Aussie guides?

Once we landed here we were in Tokyo and our friends waiting for us at the airport with signs in hand, time to adventure. Here is the map of the areas we travelled to:

First two days in Tokyo was a crazy insane blur! All the buildings, all the colors, all the food, all the people… ALL THE PEOPLE! (38 million to be exact). We walked over to the famous Shibuya Crosswalk (the super famous one from all the movies?) and just watched all the people walking across. It is totally unreal. You feel so little (well not Ali, he is a giant in Japan). Of course we tried Sushi, and of course a robot like machine served it to us on a hoverboard , and of course we ordered everything electronically. Because how else do you do it in Japan? ;). Oh! And in a classic turn of events that could only happen in Japan, we were approached by a robot theatre troop parading down the street while Godzilla watched from the top of his newly built luxury hotel to celebrate his greatness. I could not make this up if I tried.

2. Sapporo, Japan

After two days in Tokyo, we were off to Sapporo! (north island of Japan ) Sapporo is what Christmas fairytales are made of, 5 meters of snow, German Christmas markets, festively lit displays, peaceful & serene parks, frosty mornings, snowman making, ice walks, hot chocolate, and hot ramen. We were not sure what to expect since even Bryce (our official Japan guide) hasn't been here yet. The truth is we really fell in love with it. For our friends Sam and Bryce, this was their first ever winter wonderland experience as snow coverage in Melbourne ranges from rare to nonexistent (#snowvirgins). The winter initiation started with a snowball fight, continued through to ice walking, and finished off with snowman building. Sapporo is a place I got to cross off yet another bucket list item, to be in Sapporo and drink Sapporo beer! Thanks to the Sapporo beer museum!

Some new things we learned about our new country, breakfast is hard to find, unless it's 11am and it's hot soup. High heels and 4 inches of ice is a completely acceptable pairing, and why aren't you wearing heels?! It will make you look less like a slob! Smoking is still very much acceptable in bars, which was not the loveliest surprise. Also table tax is the funniest interaction you can have with waiters that don't speak English. Table tax is actually a dish of food you didn't order but because you only ordered drinks, they must serve you something. This particular tax came in the form of a big bowl consisting of a large fish and clams. Good luck telling them you never ordered it! Ah the memories.

One thing that was amazing was having hand made gyoza and Japanese baked goods from the market. Some of the best we ever tried

After our winter adventure we arrived back to Tokyo for one night to pick up Sam and Bryce’s friends (Lucy and Richard) from the airport. They will join us for the rest of the trip. Once they were safely on the ground we took another bullet train to Kyoto, down south!

3. & 4. Kyoto & Osaka, Japan

The bullet trains in Japan are something for all of us to marvel on. Simply put, you travel a distance of 513 km (which normally takes 6hrs of driving by car) in roughly 2 hours. Talk about saving time! Not to mention the first class service, legroom and quiet serene views (Mt. Fuji).

Our week in Kyoto was an incredible feat! As there were 6 of us now, no hotel can accommodate us without breaking the bank, so what do we do? Airbnb of course! A tiny house in the middle of a residential area and next to a school, living like the locals do! This house was everything we needed to accomplish some great game nights and watching J-pop concerts on TV.

The south of Japan was definitely our biggest cultural adventure. Here is just a snip bit of all the activities we explored:

Nijo-jo Castle: (1603 -1868, home of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu) which had special squeaky floors (nightingale floors) so ninjas couldn’t kill people at night!
Kinkaku-ji: The famous Golden Pavillion, Buddhist Temple built near the end of the 14th century and a featured wallpaper on every Apple computer for the past several years.
Osaka - Universal Studios: Hellllloooo Hogwarts! Even with butterbeer in hand (just don’t drink it unless you like melted toffee in a cup) we explored the town of Hogsmeade recreated in stunning detail.
Fushimi-Inari Taisha: The famous shrine, established in 711 AD, includes 4 km of “torii” (iconic japanese gates/arches) to walk through.
Suntory Yamazaki Distillery: One of the most gorgeous distilleries and tastings ever, but sadly most of the product is sold out due to the popularity among locals.
Kyoto Hyatt Hotel for Christmas Brunch: This was an amazing experience. We all dressed up in our ugly Christmas sweaters and went down to the Kyoto Hyatt for Christmas Brunch, which included amazing carollers as well
Kiyomizu-Dera: This Buddhist temple founded in 733 AD and rebuilt in 1633 AD was constructed without a single nail! This holy place is located halfway up Mt. Otowa.
Miyajima Island, Itsukushima: An immensely beautiful and serene island where deer run free and I wanted to explore the whole island by foot, or move in and grow roots. Tomayto tomahto.
Hiroshima, and the Atomic Bomb Dome: Where we went to the Peace museum and couldn’t deal with our emotions for a while.

The whole time we were going back and through the central train station. This station has all the architectural grandeur of any station you're likely to come across. The central plaza is nearly 20 stories high of glass and steel with multiple levels of trains, shopping, and glass catwalks from up on high for superheroes to survey the people and swoop down and save us in case of aliens, or super villains attack. Ali was constantly impressed with this structure every time we came through.

Last Leg in Tokyo

After our cultural awakening and appreciation for tradition we moved onto the crazy fast paced life in Tokyo where we also stayed at an Airbnb, but this time it was half of a house, affording us a little more space. We explored, ate and shopped pretty much the whole week. Here are some of the highlights from the areas we explored:

Ginza: If you thought you have been to a luxury, high end street, than you are mistaken, because Ginza is so large and has so many varieties of luxury stores it's mind boggling. Not to mention the amount of people. It included a Sony museum and a Yamaha concert hall located 7 stories above the street, and a music school on the 10th story above that. Ali was saddened when he found out a pair of drumsticks would cost $40! Sadly, he had to let them go.
Gotokuji Temple: This buddhist temple is where the legend of the original beckoning cat (maneki neko) comes from, or as my ma loves calling it, the “Graveyard of Kitties”.
Odaiba: A large island that was built (you read that right) in 1853 for the purpose of defence against naval ships, this seaside neighbourhood is now bustling hub full of shopping and entertainment. Did we mention we took a self driving train to get there?
Harajuku: Where fashion is hopped up on steroids. This is a great place to people watch and/or shop for the latest in everything
Hamarikyu Gardens: A peaceful park right in the middle of a commercial district in the downtown core.
Arcades: Being a child of the 80s, Ali wanted to explore the arcades here. Japanese arcades are nothing like North American ones! For one thing, they're much larger (7 stories on average), and 10 times louder! The games are far more advanced and creative here than anywhere else with everything from music instrument games with real instruments, vintage games dating back to the 80s, 90s, and beyond, smoking, arcade carnies, highly sophisticated photo booths where you and your friends can publish a pro quality magazine complete with special effects, and games that will only ever exist in Japan like testing your strength against a sumo wrestling machine, and games where you have to dance the zombies away with J-pop music. Ali's childhood bucket list item was finally crossed off.

As this was our second time ringing in the new year with our Aussie friends, we decided the only way to do it was the real Japanese way…..Karaoke! We rented a karaoke room; (part of 10 story building dedicated to karaoke by the way) drank and sang out hearts out for 5 hours. Sometimes you just have to be that cliché! It was a wonderful time and a great way to cap off our time in Japan!

Anna & Ali

Mr. Moo here. I have taken over writing duties for this blog. Ali & Anna need a break and I’m sure my perspective will be more interesting than theirs.

Brussels is the capitol of Belgium. They have the best fries, chocolates, waffles, and beer in all of Europe! I think Ali and Anna are on a mission to eat all the countries specialities without thinking about calories, or weight. Boy will they be in trouble once they land back in Canada. Ha Ha!

As we were travelling on the train Ali and Anna were nice enough to let me ride in the seat next to them and enjoy the view of the countryside when we arrived in Brussels. We arrived at the train station in the early evening and had to take the subway. Ali was the poor sucker dragging the 34kg suitcase all over the subway station and for another 10 blocks to the hotel! It pays to be plush, small, and cute.

We arrived at the hotel and checked in. Right away they went in search of food. (I only need air for my life). They eventually found the restaurant square (apparently they have trouble navigating during dark hours) and noticed that most of them weren’t open….yet. It just so happens it was Saturday night and most of these places don’t waste time opening during the day. They open typically right at 7pm, and they were full! We found a place called “Au Vieux Bruxelles. Le roi des moules-frites et des plats bruxellois!!!” That’s exactly what it says on the card. Kings of fries, mussels, and any Brussels dish. The place was small, wood clad, and very much in the style of an 1800’s home. Ali had the Waterzooi del Volaille and Anna the Carbonade a la Geuze. These dishes are specific to Brussels and according to the faces and moaning sounds they were making while eating, I’m assuming it was very tasty. Waterzooi is a stewed chicken dish that smelled incredible. Anna’s dish was the same idea, but with beef. I personally took issue with her choice (poor past Mr. Moos). I should note that both Ali and Anna are still struggling with jet lag. Suckers!! Being a plush toy has its advantages, like never having to eat, or need any luggage besides my nifty hat, or never sleeping. Who needs to sleep? There is so much to see.. Stupid humans.

The next day the 3 of us ventured forth unto the main square in town where great Christmas Market is. It was a bit of a journey, but we managed to find a Belgian waffle hut that sold them fresh made waffles for 1 euro. Ali and Anna seemed to disagree on the volume of waffles they should eat. Anna I think won since they only had 1 each and not the 3 each Ali wanted. As they ate their waffles they made those faces and moaning sounds again. Clearly they were enjoying themselves. As we got closer to the market we realized quickly that waffles are everywhere! There was never a shortage of places to get them. It just depended on the cost. Ali was a little obsessed and wouldn’t stop talking about it. We stopped for a photo shoot (my favourite part of our trips) and moved on to the Grand Palace. This place is more than just a palace. It was once the great market square back in the 1400’s. The palace, the guild halls, church, market, were all here. Now it’s a gathering place and where the most people will be found. A central point from which to explore the rest of old downtown. The square is anchored by a 30’ tall Christmas tree right in the middle.

We wandered for a bit marvelling at the market and all the activity bustling everywhere from the artisan stands, street food, and activities for all. We made our way back to the Grand Palace to start the walking tour. Our guide, James, was very informative and funny for a human. He gave us a great history of Belgium and told great stories about many of the sites and the cultural background of Belgium. Everything from the “eating of the chickens” to Tintin and the Smurfs (all from Belgium). The best story is of the most famous statue in the world, the Manekin Piss. This statue of a baby boy pissing is everywhere. There’s many stories about it. Some say he was 2 and commanded a troop of Wallonia soldiers to victory by pissing on them. The others are about how many times the statue’s been stolen. The best is when Louie the 14^th knighted the statue and dressed him in uniform. For a long time the soldiers were forced to stop and salute the statue (peeing or not) every time they passed by. Take the tour! Sandemann’s Walking Tour. You won’t regret it. All the other humans were enjoying themselves as well.

As the day went on the crowds got busier and busier. By 8pm or so it was packed everywhere! We followed the path of the Christmas market and visited all the stops. There was even a tribute to Quebec City, or as they called it, “the land of the caribou”. The maple syrup treats were there. From the Swiss Chalet, to the many artisan kiosks and even the grand 57 foot high Ferris wheel, the market was something to behold. The highlight was the grand sound and light show in the Grand Palace square. They had all the buildings of the square lit up and dancing to the sounds of Christmas orchestral soundtrack. It was a truly magical show! If I was able to show emotion, I would have. J

Our final day, we did a walking tour of the areas we didn’t get to see the first time. We decided to check out the heart of the EU’s power and see the government buildings. There are a LOT of buildings, and all of them are worthy of any architect’s attention. We learned a fair bit about how the EU commission and Parliament ended up in Brussels and how it was between them and Luxemburg. It made me really hope that Canada would join the EU someday. Cafes, treats, and Belgian chocolate were all sampled and loved by Ali and Anna while I watched. I may not have to eat, but I’d sure like to try! MMmmmmmm chocolate.

The people were very friendly and most everyone knows a bit of English, but you’d be better off knowing some French. As we learned, not every place will have an English menu, or English translation for everything. It keeps the humans hopping while I watch and smile, as always, since I was stitched this way. Someday I’ll be able to change that, but for now, no one can beat me at poker! We all had a great time and enjoyed the culture, food, food, food. Next stop. Paris!!

Hullo again!

It has been 283 days since we last embarked on a grand trip. (insert a giant shocked face here). This summer was full of adventures in Alberta instead of faraway lands. Unless you are Anna of course, who sailed away to a quick 4 day weekend to Washington DC and didn’t even take me with her. But I got over it pretty quickly as our European Trip was fast approaching.

I feel like we should explain a little bit of the background for our European trip. After we came back from Iceland and California, we moved into our new condo and began living the, what people call, “normal” life. Then one day Sam & Bryce (from Australia) messaged Anna and all it said was… “Christmas in Paris?”.. Anna looked at me and said… Christmas in Paris? It took me about a half a second to respond with a gentle.. Yes.. Anna quickly responded to Sam and said yes of course. A week later, after some expanded dreaming, the tickets were booked to Europe. This was in April by the way.

So guess what, April came and went and now we are in December and on our European Adventure, who would have thought time actually moved?

We have three legs on this trip: Amsterdam, Brussels, and grand finale Paris.

Welcome to the first leg, Amsterdam.

We heard a lot about this city from our friends. Beautiful canals, incredible and unique architecture, and a world of rich culture that isn’t found anywhere else. We arrived and realized all the talk was actually true.

Our first day we arrived we were truly exhausted. We were in transit for a solid 26 hours easy. We arrived and needed food and our first recommendation was the fries! (Thanks Ainslie!) Each batch of fresh, hand cut potatoes has to be deep fried twice to get the flavor. Than the secret ingredient is to have them with special mayonnaise, and some ketchup for flavor. The place to get them is called Manneken Pis. They were the best fries we’ve ever had! Thanks Belgium Fries in Holland!

The next thing we noticed is that there are cyclists everywhere! In volumes that you really can’t fathom until you arrive here. As in when you leave the train station you see literally thousands parked along the rails! In truth if you’re a car person in Amsterdam, it’s better you just not, well, be in Amsterdam! Driving sucks!! You’re better off on a bicycle. Day and night every one of every age gets around on a bicycle.

There are also loads of canals. Anyone who’s seen the pictures knows this. They’re everywhere and quite beautiful alongside the architecture of all the buildings here. We decided to take a canal tour. It just so happens we arrived during the 3^rd Annual Festival of Lights. (woot!). The tour is at night and the temperature is a balmy 5 degrees above 0. Along the canals we rode enjoying the many light exhibits from around the world. House of Cards, mystical ghost ships, light exhibits that respond to your smart phone. All kinds! With our hot coco and mulled wine, the tour was very romantic (I can just hear Anna’s eye rolling here) and very memorable.

If you’re looking for food you’ll notice that the quality of food is definitely not lacking. Bread is always fresh and soft, veggies fresh, and the cheese. CHEEESE!!! The best! If you ever need cheese, there’s a cheese shop every block. The flavours and variety is amazing and so worth it! The cheese is incredible! Leave extra room in your luggage is all I’m going to say. Try the cafes as much as you can also. You should also have some coffee. People here love coffee and it shows! If you can, order it black. The flavor really comes out than. You can have it with milk, but it’s not recommended. Last thing on the food. Have dutch pancakes. And beer. And beer. And pancakes. And fries. And fries. Okay I’m done. MAYONAISE!!

Now I’m sure you’re all wondering, “Hey! What about the Red Light District?” Well we didn’t leave that out! Truth be told it was within a couple of blocks from our hotel so we couldn’t miss it. Here it is. It’s lively and bustling….at night time. During the day it’s almost dead. The ladies like to show themselves to passersby in little glass doors with red lights on them, hence the name. Let’s just say the selection is a lot better at night than during the day. Everyone is also aware of Amsterdam’s relaxed policy of smoking weed. There are places you can have it with your coffee, aka coffee shops. Since you’re in the red light district, you should visit the Sex Museum. There’s a veritable array of pictures, sculptures, exhibits, and even some interactive displays!

Well that’s our few days in Amsterdam, which turned out to be around 39.34 km for 4 days we were there (Thanks Fitbit). We had a great time and are still feeling jet lagged, and don’t worry, Mr. Moo is having a great time too!

See you in Brussels!

A&A & Mr. Moo

After a long absence we are finally back! (some condo buying, reno’ing, decorating, got in the way). We last blogged about life in Reykjavik. Only a certain part of our visit was in Reykjavik the rest of the time we spent on the road exploring the island. We realized that the more we explored, the more we wanted to explore, hence our strong desire to return and do a proper road trip. Many of Iceland’s treasures are located all over the island. Some of them can be somewhat elusive to find, making find them almost like a treasure hunt, and who doesn’t love hunting for treasure! If you answered no, you can stop reading now ;).

On our first day on the road we went looking for the big sites. Our first stop was Pingvellir National Park. It’s a beautiful place! When we set out the weather was not exactly cooperative. We were driving in small roads in white out conditions. The weather forecast called for “heavy ass winds propelling hard ass rain”. As we walked along the path to the information center at the top of the hill we stopped (briefly) along the way and witnessed the beautiful river valley where Iceland’s oldest church resides. This is where Iceland’s, and the world’s, democracy was first formed back in 930 AD. As we took in the sights we tried to take pictures. The rain ruined any chance of that happening! Not to mention that the park sensed our want to photograph it, so it sent extra hard winds at us. At this point we decided to make a run for it. We got to the car just in time to realize that both our jackets were soaked through and through. Anna’s is still drying in our closet as we speak. I think it will be dry in time for the next Olympics.

Did this ruin our exploratory spirit? Hell yeah!! We went back and hit the mall after that. As the wind grabbed the store door nearly ripping it off its hinges the man working there looked at us and said, “Welcome to Iceland”.

Next day we hit up a popular route called the Golden Circle. We meant to hit it up the day before, but the weather totally beat us down. This may have worked to our advantage as our new travelling companion was ready to travel with us. Introducing The Master of foreign accents himself, Baron Matthias Von Lundheardt Von Lichtenstein….! A worldly man of many titles. From our pictures you can see that we found some breathtaking views and had to photograph them. Mattie (as we in the royal congregation are allowed to call him) helped us up the ante significantly with our jump shots! We saw mountains & valleys, met some short and hairy Icelandic horses that tried to eat my sweater, and even explored Geyser Park, where a few active geysers are active. Some bigger than others. All the geysers are named and the main Geyser is called “Strukkor”. Every couple of minutes this one would give us a real show! We got it on video. Like in New Zealand, where there’s sulfur and volcanic activity, there’s the natural smell of mother earth cutting some serious cheese. No different here.

Next stop was the Gulfoss Falls. It translates to “Golden Falls”. These falls were breathtaking! In winter they wind through ice ever so gracefully making for such a beautiful shot. Can’t see it like this when the snow’s gone.

After the falls we went hunting for craters in search for aliens. We didn’t find the aliens, but we did find a huge crater called Kerið.

Disclaimer: On the hunt for this crater we almost died a horrible cold death! Not to be dramatic or anything. Our handy-dandy GPS took us off the beaten path and our tiny Yaris. This was a gravel path covered in fresh snow, with huge drops on either side of the path. As we were driving …the darkness was approaching, there was no human in site for miles, and what cell phone signal? Our car decided to skid off the path and gave us all a “tiny” panic attack. Not to worry tho, Anna and Matty mustered the strength of 10 men and got us out! Practically lifted the car out of the snow!

Anyway.. the crater, right that’s what we were talking about…

Kerið is a 3000 year old volcanic crater that is approximately 55 m (180 ft) deep, 170 m (560 ft) wide, and 270 m (890 ft) across. All this means it’s freaking huge! Easily a good size apartment building can fit in there and then some. All the rocks around it are bright red, not black like the rest of the island. If ever in Iceland make sure to go see it, and feel free to climb down to the bottom…if you dare!

We spent a full day venturing out along the South Coast. Along here is where we found some of the numerous waterfalls we’ve been reading about ever since we arrived. Getting there was a treacherous journey in and of itself. We had to weather sleet, snow, and blizzard conditions as we headed over the mountain pass driving in white out conditions. As we descended down the other side the weather rewarded us with blue skies and fields of gold and black stone. The journey over the mountains took about an hour or two. So to be clear, it was in those 2 hours we experienced the equivalent of 4 completely different weather systems! You know the saying in Calgary, “Don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes”, well Iceland beats that by a mile! We Calgarians are wusses compare to what Iceland has in store.

Our first stop was the waterfall called Seljalandsfoss. This is a very high waterfall with a path that runs up and behind it. Arriving there is very dramatic as you see the long cliff extending on either side of the falls with birds flying around. As you get closer, you get wet, and very wet. Taking pictures wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it! Once we got behind the waterfall and up on the other side of the path half way up the cliff the views were quite nice.

Once we took it all in and froze through the bone in cold cliff water, we warmed up in the car and drove on. The next waterfall was 90 minutes away and it awaited us! It’s called Skogafoss. This one was equally inspiring as the last one. In arriving you walk across a threshold of black sand that looks as if it’s crushed from coal and silica. In the distance the waterfall roar with the sun beaming down creating a bold rainbow. It was quite picturesque. These falls were easily 50 meters high.

After enjoying the beautiful waterfalls our next stop was the ocean. The place is called Dyrholaey. It’s where the black sand beaches meet the ocean waves. Huge black cliffs shoot up from the edge of the beach easily 50-75 meters high. The crazy part is that the rocks look almost alien in nature. They look like tall rectangular cubic formations like they came out of a mould for the first 15 metres or so. We couldn’t make it to the other side of the road for this one, as the ocean just washed away the road. But that didn’t stop us from getting in some of our jumping shots.

After beholding the black sand we headed to Vik. A small town of about 600 people on the coast. A nice little café called Halldorskafi served some great sandwiches. Just so you know, they cost the same here as they did in Reykjavik, but they were so tasty! Best lamb sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Finally got my share of Icelandic lamb! Victory is mine!!

Today was much shorter in drive time. We drove along the southern peninsula just south of Reykjavik. Our first stop was the Viking museum in Reykjaenesbaer. The building looks like a 5 story high glass cube in the middle of a Viking playground when approaching. In the glass section is the Viking Explorer ship. This ship was built authentically with old world methods to sale along Erik The Red’s route to Scotland, Greenland, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Newfoundland, Labrador (called Vineland) and back. They did this in 2000 and now the same ship is here. The rest of the museum is dedicated to the Vikings history replete with artifacts, historic documents and models showing their lives back in the day as well as how Christianity influenced their culture. There’s also a whole section on Norse mythology. Here’s the website to learn more:

http://www.vikingaheimar.is/en/

We later went exploring and looking for the tectonic plates where the Europe and North American plates meet. We went to Europe and back in a matter of seconds! That’s what the brochure said and I’m not going to argue. There was a disclaimer we read claiming that the area could erupt in a torrent of fire and brimstone at any given moment without notice. Once you get past that little detail, you’re well on your way to enjoying the great rift!

Summary

All in all here’s our list of accomplishments on this trip:

·         We drove 1162 km’s over 6 days
·         Almost killed our rental car twice, once with Matty’s help and once on our own off roading the harsh landscape looking for outlooks over the ocean. Thankfully the rental company hasn’t read this J
·         We ate all kinds of Icelandic foods and drank Icelandic beer
·         3 waterfalls and 4 black sandy beaches with crashing waves
·         Enjoyed the ever so famous Blue Lagoon Hot Springs, with clay masks all over our faces
·         Partied like true Icelandars with jackets in tow
·         Wore all kinds of Icelandic sweaters, hats, and gloves.

Overall, Iceland is one of the most unique countries we’ve been to. The people are very warm, and resistant to cold, and the food and sights were out of this world! We are definitely planning on going back and doing a full on road trip around the whole perimeter. Who wants to come? Until next time vertu sæll!