Let's get out before we melt away/Train: Heave on to Euston
Or Paddington, rather. Long day of travelling, yesterday was. But it began well and it ended well. And that's the most important thing, isn't it? Not the journey, but the destination!
Amazingly, Sunday began without a hangover, but very tired and after very little sleep. With only a store purchased cinnamon roll and some of the Domus Hostel coffee for breakfast (despite all of the circumstances, I am still trying to save money), I was picked up by a bus and taken to the Blue Lagoon, Iceland's most popular tourist spot.. Along the way, I chatted with two Spanish girls from Barcelona who had just completed a mountain bike tour of Iceland. I was pleased to practice my Spanish. And they were very nice.
But what is the Blue Lagoon, eh? About 50 kilometers from Reykjavik, a factory heats water. The water is transported by a pipe to a large pool in the middle of a lava field. This pool is full of silca mud and foreign tourists enjoying a hot bath on a cold day. This is the Blue Lagoon. Supposedly it is healthy and relaxing. You rub white mud on your face that exfoliates.
I changed into my bathing suit, took the required pre-lagoon shower, and walked the 30 feet of freezing Reykjavik morning into the man made and faux-geothermally heated lake. As advertised, it was relaxing. The guests were mostly tourists, often British or German and I went a long time wandering around, enjoying the water until I ran again into the Spaniards. I chatted with them for another 30 minutes (first long chat I've had with strangers in a swimming pool in many, many years), and then rushed out to shower and pack up so I could make my bus to the airport.
The bus, despite the advice of the travel advisor in Reykjavik, got me to the airport with far from enough time to make my plane. After being allowed to cut in line, I sprinted through the airport and made my flight on time, although a bit sweaty. I feel asleep almost immediately.
Iceland was a great country to visit. I loved the landscape. I loved Reykjavik. I liked most of the people I met (I especially liked Eva, her boyfriend and their friends). Except for the cost, I would recommend travel there. While the weather is not exactly warm, a light jacket and scarf were sufficient for all but the windiest nights. I have travelled through much of the United States and a small amount internationally and I have never been as visually enamoured with a country.
There are ways, however, that the trip could have been easier and better:
1. Not going alone. I realized that renting a car, at least for a few days, is a necessity in Iceland. The buses are expensive and run infrequently and given the nature of travelling it is best to be able to stop where you want to stop and for however long. However, at 120 dollars a day plus gas, the price put a big dent in my travel account. With 3 friends to travel with me, the cost of the car and gas would have been relatively negligible.
2. Bringing lots of Trader Joe's food with me. While I was happy with the taste of the food I purchased in Icelandic supermarkets and gas stations (much better than gas station food in the U.S.), it was neither as cheap, as good nor as varied as food in a Trader Joe's. Given that I would be unable financially to afford much food in restaurants, it would have made sense to provide myself with a wider variety of snacks.
3. Bring a sleeping bag. I wasted at least 20 or 30 dollars paying for "linens" at the hostels. For the rest of the nights I decided to sleep without them in my clothes. This was not as comfortable as I would have liked. I didn't have to carry my "big bag" around all that much, and having a sleeping bag with me would not have been so inconvenient. It would have saved me money and I would have slept better.
4. Brought good hiking shoes with me. It is hard to fully enjoy Iceland without hiking shoes. While I did not take any of the more challening treks, nor walk for more than a few hours, it would have been nice to have the opportunity to do so with good hiking shoes. I ended up having to purchase mediocre hiking shoes in Reykjavik, just to be able to do some of the most basic outdoorsy Icelandic activities.
5. Planned for the Lannmanalaugur Trek to Thorsmork. Supposedly it rivals the Inca Trail in terms of being scenic. 3-4 days in the wilderness, sleeping in huts. I think I would have gotten a lot out of that trip, and camping for 3-4 days would have been relatively cheap. It would have been unwise with the relatively light clothing I have, without any other companions and without a sleeping bag. I hope to go to Iceland again, expressly for the purpose of completing this walk. Anyone up for a long weekend?
I think travelling alone for the rest of the trip will be perfectly fine. Because of the expense and isolation of Iceland, it think it is peculiarly suited for travel with others. However, it was relatively easy for meet people once outside of Reykjavik who were also travelling alone, and doing so made the trip much, much better.
I arrived in London at around 9 last night. I dealt with a long complicated mess of trains, tube stations, buses, and hot dog stands before arriving at Eve and Jesse's apartment in Stoke-Newington. It was a relief to see them. Eve and I talked for a few hours about my trip to Iceland (most of my stories were redundant, as she had been reading this blog), but I felt a rush merely talking to an old friend rather than strangers.
Amazingly, Sunday began without a hangover, but very tired and after very little sleep. With only a store purchased cinnamon roll and some of the Domus Hostel coffee for breakfast (despite all of the circumstances, I am still trying to save money), I was picked up by a bus and taken to the Blue Lagoon, Iceland's most popular tourist spot.. Along the way, I chatted with two Spanish girls from Barcelona who had just completed a mountain bike tour of Iceland. I was pleased to practice my Spanish. And they were very nice.
But what is the Blue Lagoon, eh? About 50 kilometers from Reykjavik, a factory heats water. The water is transported by a pipe to a large pool in the middle of a lava field. This pool is full of silca mud and foreign tourists enjoying a hot bath on a cold day. This is the Blue Lagoon. Supposedly it is healthy and relaxing. You rub white mud on your face that exfoliates.
I changed into my bathing suit, took the required pre-lagoon shower, and walked the 30 feet of freezing Reykjavik morning into the man made and faux-geothermally heated lake. As advertised, it was relaxing. The guests were mostly tourists, often British or German and I went a long time wandering around, enjoying the water until I ran again into the Spaniards. I chatted with them for another 30 minutes (first long chat I've had with strangers in a swimming pool in many, many years), and then rushed out to shower and pack up so I could make my bus to the airport.
The bus, despite the advice of the travel advisor in Reykjavik, got me to the airport with far from enough time to make my plane. After being allowed to cut in line, I sprinted through the airport and made my flight on time, although a bit sweaty. I feel asleep almost immediately.
Iceland was a great country to visit. I loved the landscape. I loved Reykjavik. I liked most of the people I met (I especially liked Eva, her boyfriend and their friends). Except for the cost, I would recommend travel there. While the weather is not exactly warm, a light jacket and scarf were sufficient for all but the windiest nights. I have travelled through much of the United States and a small amount internationally and I have never been as visually enamoured with a country.
There are ways, however, that the trip could have been easier and better:
1. Not going alone. I realized that renting a car, at least for a few days, is a necessity in Iceland. The buses are expensive and run infrequently and given the nature of travelling it is best to be able to stop where you want to stop and for however long. However, at 120 dollars a day plus gas, the price put a big dent in my travel account. With 3 friends to travel with me, the cost of the car and gas would have been relatively negligible.
2. Bringing lots of Trader Joe's food with me. While I was happy with the taste of the food I purchased in Icelandic supermarkets and gas stations (much better than gas station food in the U.S.), it was neither as cheap, as good nor as varied as food in a Trader Joe's. Given that I would be unable financially to afford much food in restaurants, it would have made sense to provide myself with a wider variety of snacks.
3. Bring a sleeping bag. I wasted at least 20 or 30 dollars paying for "linens" at the hostels. For the rest of the nights I decided to sleep without them in my clothes. This was not as comfortable as I would have liked. I didn't have to carry my "big bag" around all that much, and having a sleeping bag with me would not have been so inconvenient. It would have saved me money and I would have slept better.
4. Brought good hiking shoes with me. It is hard to fully enjoy Iceland without hiking shoes. While I did not take any of the more challening treks, nor walk for more than a few hours, it would have been nice to have the opportunity to do so with good hiking shoes. I ended up having to purchase mediocre hiking shoes in Reykjavik, just to be able to do some of the most basic outdoorsy Icelandic activities.
5. Planned for the Lannmanalaugur Trek to Thorsmork. Supposedly it rivals the Inca Trail in terms of being scenic. 3-4 days in the wilderness, sleeping in huts. I think I would have gotten a lot out of that trip, and camping for 3-4 days would have been relatively cheap. It would have been unwise with the relatively light clothing I have, without any other companions and without a sleeping bag. I hope to go to Iceland again, expressly for the purpose of completing this walk. Anyone up for a long weekend?
I think travelling alone for the rest of the trip will be perfectly fine. Because of the expense and isolation of Iceland, it think it is peculiarly suited for travel with others. However, it was relatively easy for meet people once outside of Reykjavik who were also travelling alone, and doing so made the trip much, much better.
I arrived in London at around 9 last night. I dealt with a long complicated mess of trains, tube stations, buses, and hot dog stands before arriving at Eve and Jesse's apartment in Stoke-Newington. It was a relief to see them. Eve and I talked for a few hours about my trip to Iceland (most of my stories were redundant, as she had been reading this blog), but I felt a rush merely talking to an old friend rather than strangers.
posted by Jed at 10:43 AM
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