Day: May 16, 2018

where am I? outskirts of Akureyri

I woke with that moment of disorientation but I’m at

Countryhotel Sveinbjarnargerdi

All of us laughed when she said it slow. We’re still not going to get it to be able to say it.

I mean to post pics of the south end of the fjord from the west and then the east.

Oh shit that means I have to get out of bed and find the camera blerg.

120 degree panorama, front of restaurant in Akureyri

There was blue in the sky – it was 10 degrees and still and quite nice for Northern Iceland.

Am I evil for missing my musical instruments more than brO and grandsOn. I miss Rowena and Otto so much my breastbone hurt just thinking about it.

I finished and posted another fic today (of course I’m going to post fanfic if the bus has wifi I ain’t missin’ that opportunity)  and it already has more than 300 hits and it has 33 kudos and people even commented for once.

Nice, and ferociously expensive dinner last night in Akureyri, the miniature Reykjavik.

Folks on the tour are nice. AND YOUNG, LIKE THEY’RE ALL KEITH’S AGE. There’s one older Canadian woman. The only person of colour is an Indian travel agent. He described with a straight face not being allowed to book his family into a resort someplace in the Pacific because they CHECK THE MEDIA PROFILE OF VISITORS and he wasn’t high tone enough. He didn’t have to tick the racism box, none of us were that stupid. I merely said, “An educated global traveller is somebody they don’t want? What a hell hole it must be.” We gave each other pained smiles but I could tell he was genuinely pissed but not wanting to ‘go’. He said that being an Indian global tour travel agent is the art of finding the first ten people willing to go. He says you struggle; Indians are herd animals, he said. But once ten people are willing to go the other 45 seats immediately sell out. He said it happens time and again.

I allowed myself a Viking brand beer with about half the tour in the lounge last night and we talked about the impact of Iceland volcanoes on global history IT WAS AWESOME. Also no lie that beer helped me sleep.

Well, as much as the prospect appalls, I should get dressed and slip out for a walk since it doesn’t appear to be raining. Apparently our hotel tonight is in an elf village, and we’re going to see a big ass waterfall today.

Of course I really don’t want to get up. This bed and comforter are making plans for me to stay.

 

 

amazing fish soup in Dalvik

mulligatawneyish, plus salad plus really decent coffee and cream *not like this morning **** me*

The restaurant is really cute, all barn boards and home made fishing gaffs. It’s named after three brothers who lived and died in Dalvik and were regarded by the locals as the holy trinity of village idiots.

They decorate with baleen in Iceland. Just ponder that for a mo.

Jeff & mOm, forgot to mention that the crosswalks in Iceland have …. *a green man*. We’re so used to the orange man that to see a green one is kinda cool and weird.  I am now going to add that in to Jesse’s part of Honey on the Moon.

 

this bus got wifi

I have seen my first ptarmigan. There are pairs of snow geese everywhere. I believe I’ve seen barnacle geese. Ravens are common you see them once in a while at the side of the road. I’ve seen arctic terns and a kind of duck that I think was a scaup of some description. I apparently won’t have to be too lucky to see an arctic fox, which I am looking forward to.

The roads farther away from R. are crappier, but to be candid large chunks of it wash out when the rivers on either side of it come up in the spring and with any sudden melts.

Many sheeps, mostly white but some black.

 

Posting from the road while watching mountains crosshatched with snow roll by under a lowering sky. Soon, fish soup and a hot tub in a traditional Icelandic village public swimming pool sauna.

I’m the oldest frickin’ person on the bus. (later – possibly not, but she’s tougher than I am) everyone else is under 40.. The tour leader is named Saga, which is a little feckin’ on the nose if’n y’ask me.

There are hardly any parapets or railings on the ring road, which makes the roads FEEL unsafe. Saga’s a good driver, and her Icelandic anecdotes have been quite amusing.

wakeup call

at 6, brekky at 7.

the coffee tastes like all of its bitterness was beaten into it

marinated herring and tuna on the breakfast buffet

I had tuna with my oatmeal. They don’t salt the oatmeal.

Still have no fucking clue where the tour meets, or when.

Slept okay. Now to re-pack.