Logistics, Questions, Concerns... and more!

Now, some of you might look at my announcement last week in wonder and awe, wishing you could embark on such an incredible journey, yet realizing it might never happen. Others might look at my itinerary and wonder realistically - how can you even afford such a trek, in addition to many other questions. Today, I'll try to address some of those questions I know are all thinking.

Living

I will be drastically consolidating my belongings to the bare necessities and will be moving back in with my parents before I leave. If/when I return, I would also continue staying with them to save - especially since I don't know when/if or for how long that might be. While they are some of the biggest "realistic" questioners and spent a good bit of time already asking me what most of what you might be thinking, they also acknowledge that this is what I want to do next and will do what they can to support me, even if it's just providing a bed to sleep in if/when I return. I will take with me a large backpack and my knapsack, filled with the essentials, and join the well established caravan of backpackers traveling the world. I will keep some of my stuff and put that in storage (at my parents preferably), but many of the other things will either be thrown out, donated, given away, or sold (the extra money will help too!)

I generally do not plan to stay in hotels (many are too pricey and not my style of traveling), but will instead grace the domains of hostels, short-term rentals, and even going back to CouchSurfing again depending what I deem best for the city I'm in. This will also help keep the costs down for those worrying about that! I have stayed in all of these types of domains before and each one provides a different perspective of the culture to visit. I am even already accustomed to "living out of a suitcase" for when I decide to settle in somewhere for a longer stay. That is exactly what I did for the 5 months I studied abroad and lived in Lille, France - two suitcases, my laptop bag, and my carry on were all that I could take (and frankly was still a lot!).

Work

While I will naturally leave my current jobs, they will not be that far behind me. I just finished renewing all of my Medic certifications, and I do not have to renew them now for another two years. I have already looked into ways I can renew either online or within a short trek back to the states to renew. This allots me a solid year to a year-and-a-half of taking a step back to travel or pursue other options, without drastically curtailing all the hard work I have put in getting my certifications. So long as I remain certified, I can return to the US and find a job working as a medic almost anywhere. [THAT is my "fail safe" for those of you who are wondering.]

I also would love to continue working as a medic or providing patient care in some capacity while living abroad which, while potentially a much larger hassle than other options, has not entirely been ruled out quite yet. Over the last year, I have looked into the options of transitioning abroad including New Zealand. There are also programs out there to volunteer, if I wish to go that route.

Safety

You might be thinking: why Russia when we are amid what is potentially the beginning of something messy. And why, being gay, would I willing want to travel in a country where it is not only looked down upon but can have actual legal repercussions? Well, to address the first - I want to visit before it becomes unavailable. While I do not foresee things changing that drastically before I leave, I cannot say the same for a year from now or later. In addition, there is a particular draw to Russia - I'd call it a mix of Anastasia lore, knowing others who have been there so it's not entirely foreign, and a desire to experience the "real" Russia and not just what we hear on the biased news outlets.

As to the second: yes, it is a concern but not impossible or necessarily dangerous. As with anywhere, knowing the local laws and public mindset makes a significant difference. As of today, there is no warnings from the State Department regarding travel in Russia other than their general advice for travelers. Nor would I do anything to intentionally (and hopefully unintentionally) risk my stay or more while in Russia. This would go for any other country I might eventual visit (and yes, I have a desire to visit some "worse" countries as well down the road.)

As for possible "terrorism" threats or concerns, our State Department has much of the world under a general terrorism warning - but that does not mean they advise against travel. There are also no specific limits to any of the countries I am currently planning to visit. In addition, taking standard precautions can prevent many things - or at least those that are within my power to prevent. Don't forget that I was in Paris not even three months after the tragic November attack, even staying just a block away from the cafe. At no point did I feel unsafe during those travels. In addition, I will be registering with each US Embassy where I travel as a precaution. Beyond that, what happens is fated to happen. Lastly, I'm trained to help save lives so long as my live itself is not in danger. IF something would happen, I would do what I can to help others.

Finances

The question many might be having in regards to this trip is: how can I afford such travel? While I could write a diatribe on this topic alone, the best answer comes down to assessing what you are considering expenses or what might make the trip expensive. Yes, it will cost money to take the trip - duh! And yes, I do have some money saved aside in savings for miscellaneous things, including a travel budget. I plan to continue putting as much extra money into that fund as possible before I leave. Whenever possible, I will also try to earn money as I travel. (Not as difficulty as it sounds, especially in today's modern connected digital world!) Lastly, I have a final safety net that I could tap into if direly needed - without resorting to begging for money.

But take a moment to think of how much money you spend in a month on essentials (rent, utilities, transportation, food, etc). I will be cutting most of those expenses here in the states and instead, that same amount of money will go towards my travel costs. By moving home and not having to pay rent or utilities, that same cost will go towards housing options during my travels. By shopping at the store and making food instead of eating out all the time (like you do at home), will save me money. I will either be selling my car and paying off the loan balance, or making other arrangements where I will not have a car payment or gas expenses - which will instead transfer to costs of transportation instead. Factor in the currency exchange difference (all of the countries have either a similar exchange rate and cost of living as here in the States or better, thus the dollar gets more "bang for your buck" - hah!) When you break it all down, one month of normal US expenses can easily fund a month, or more, abroad.

I also have a decent balance of frequent flyer miles left, with which I can cash in for a return flight home with a drastically low cost fee. Right now, that is my "fail safe" for returning back home if needed. In addition, I plan to get a second credit card and, by taking advantage of sign up bonuses, get even more miles before leaving. (aka travel hacking!)

Thus while it is a valid concern, it really is not as huge of a challenge as it seems.



While I could keep going or go into more detail, I think this addresses most of what people are thinking. If you have a specific question, don't hesitate to ask me and I will try to answer.

... pation!

First off - kudos if you got the reference! Time for the big reveal - but first, a review of the teasers and the answer to their respective locations (for those of you who couldn't figure out them all):  

1. The fountains of Peterhof Palace outside Saint Petersburg, Russia

 2. The Red Square with the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

3. A yurt in the wilds of Mongolia

4. The Forbidden Palace in Beijing, China

Now, while some people have correctly guessed one or two of the individual pictures - I have not yet seen anyone mention the actual overall trip that ties them all together!

THAT is major clue to my next adventure, which is....                                                      





























 ... Russia and the Trans-Siberian Railroad!  

Used from: http://www.frontiersoftravel.com/

Ok - technically, I will be traversing the Trans-Mongolian section, not the true Trans-Siberian route - but it will still be quite an endeavor! I am starting with Saint Petersburg, despite the route officially beginning in Moscow. If I traveled this line in one solid stretch, it would take 6 non-stop days aboard the train and travel over 8,000 miles, crossing 6 time zones! However due to visa restrictions, I can only stay in Russia for 28 days, so my overall time is limited. I aim to use every day! After hitting St. Petersburg and Moscow for short stays in each, I plan to slowly make my way along the entire route.

As of now, I'm still sorting out which cities/destinations I will make as stopover points and for how long, but so long as I exit Russia into Mongolia before my visa expires, I am safe. In Mongolia, I plan to make at least one major stop to explore the unique nomadic culture and landscape, but again, that section of the trek is still being laid out. Lastly, I will cross into China with the current end point being Beijing - since that's where the train line ends! Naturally, I'll explore Beijing and some of China before leaving.

And that is where my options split in so many directions that I'm still not sure of the next step. As of now, some of the options include:

• accepting service in the Peace Corps with a possible fall or winter embarkment (working on that application currently)
• slowly continuing my travels from China into Southeast Asia, finding a place to call home for a period of time and finding work as I go (such as teaching English, or possible digital nomadic means of income)
• travel through China into former Tibet, flying over the Himalayas into Nepal and continuing that direction
• rather than stop in Southeast Asia for work, I'd continue traveling down to Australia or New Zealand to stop and take a working holiday for a year
• ??? 

As you can see, the options are about as endless as the world is full of destinations! Sadly though, I might need to make a stop back home for a brief period before continuing for a few reasons. If I am offered and accept a Peace Corps placement for example, I would need to undergo their training and preparations here in the US before departing for that placement. I might also have some dental issues to resolve - UGH! And if I make the trek back home, I would take advantage of the time to go back to work briefly and bank up more money.

My date of departure and the one-way plane ticket is already purchased, at a cost of $5.60

Yes, you read that correctly! $5.60 total - granted that is also using 30,000 of my built up frequent flyer miles too (of which I did not spend a single extra penny earning - thus I'm not really counting that in the cost). I will be flying from New York City en route to Saint Petersburg on my 31st birthday, June 8. While not quite a "mid-life, getting old crisis," I felt it fitting and one of the best presents I could give myself. For those of you already thinking: but you live in Pittsburg, not New York City... I will be taking the overnight Megabus to NYC the night before. Not as glorious as saying goodbye at the airport, but I was unable to wrangle leaving from Pittsburgh's airport on my birthday.

Now that the cat's out of the bag, I have a ton of planning, preparation, and work to get done. But the avalanche has begun and what has been a flight of my imagination for at least a solid year, is now a reality. I am leaving. Sure, I still have many questions and concerns, but I cannot let those hold me back. I hope that as you follow me on this adventure, many of those will be answered. And welcome aboard the experience!


P.S. - Earlier this week, one of those extra options jumped to the front of the line (the additional awesome news I hinted about!) I received word that my application for a working holiday visa in New Zealand was APPROVED! YAY! Unlike a regular 90 day tourist visa, I will be able to stay for up to 1 whole year AND I will be allowed to work and thus, earn money to fund my stay there and further travels. And if that news alone cannot be bested, I have until next March to enter New Zealand, upon which my 1 year stay begins. As of now, I feel that only a Peace Corps acceptance and placement would challenge this option but we'll see!

Iceland: Day 3 - South Coast, Take 1

View of the BSÍ Terminal, in front of Reykjavik Airport

Today was the first full day excursion we booked, going to the South Coast for waterfalls and glaciers, which meant an early start too since we had to be at the BSÌ Terminal before 8 to be picked up. Ugh! But we got up and by lucks chance, the first bus of the day got us there in time for a quick coffee and breakfast pastry. Except, while waiting for the almost half hour to be picked up, it became clear there was an issue - no cars or vans with our company's tour logo came by! Once looked like it might have been for us, but despite standing directly in front of the guy and trying to asking him who he was here for, we were ignored and/overlooked. After about 20 min, I finally buckled down and called the company - and was told we were marked as a "No Show," that they sat there for a good 5-8 min! After quickly correcting the, saying we've been outside freezing our asses off waiting the entire last 40 min, they finally said there wS nothing they could do as the actual bus would be leaving heir terminal shortly. After some lovely words, the agent finally said he could check on putting us on the tour for another day. Thankfully, not only did we have tomorrow open for general Reykjavik city sightseeing (thus could swap days) but they had the room on tomorrow's tour. And, after they switched me to a different booking agent to set up tomorrow's trip, they were actually able to pick us up at the Hamraborg bus stop instead of the busy BSÌ Terminal. (The stop near our guesthouse.)

By now, it was just after 9 with the entire day to now explore Reykjavik. As I go for the glacier and waterfall excursion, I actually rented a small day locker to keep a few things and lighten my bag. While sipping another round of coffee (was needed!), we roughed out our day. Reykjavik does have a City Hop On Hop Off bus which we had been considering for a simple overview of the highlights - but not only was it pricier than all other city hop on/hop off busses, but the reviews actually weren't so great. Plus, out 3-day bus pass meant we didn't need that aspect to get around. We finally opted to head downtown to the Tourism Office, to check if there was another simple city excursion that wouldn't take up our whole day. As Reykjavik is quite small, it is actually easy to walk as things aren't far apart (and the buses don't always go everywhere you want.) We hopped off the same stop as last night and walked the few blocks to the City Hall, which also houses the Tourism Office. Naturally, we passed by Tjörnin, a large lake in the middle of the city that they've built around. Here, there were ducks and more! Much of the lake was frozen on the surface, so it was neat to watch the birds try to land on the ice and slide around. Hehe!

Tjörnin, with the City Hall across the lake

Geese and ducks on the ice!

We finally separated ourselves from the birds and got to the City Hall. There, the desk worker from the Tourism Office tried helping us, finally  convincing us to get the single day City pass so we could save getting into the National Museum and saving on a few others we were eyeing. So our initial goal then was to go check out the National Museum, head to the Old Harbour for lunch while stopping at the Settlement Exhibition on the way, hit up the Kolaportid flea market, and then head to either the Saga Museum, the Whales of Iceland Experience, or both - Quite an active day. Again, as things were close, we walked the few blocks along the other side of the Tjörnin, getting to the museum just as the sun was rising - about 11 am!

Actual sunrise in front of the National Museum

City Hall, with Tourism Office inside

The actual museum was neat and we ended up spending a bit longer there than initially planned, despite it being rather small - just two exhibit floors. The entryway itself was quite architecturally stunning, concentric circular steps into the doorway and continuing upward to the first exhibit floor. Packed into this museum was the history and excavation findings of Iceland, which is actually relatively newly settled. My fascination was on the second floor where they had examples of the national costumes (yes, I took many detailed pictures of those!) After a quick perusal of the gift shop, we left to catch the bus over to the Old Harbour to grab lunch and continue exploring.

Wooden spade with runes, 12th century

Copy of Guðbrandur's Bible, printed c. 1584 AD

Ingjaldur, 4 man fishing boat build in 1898

Circular stair entrance to National Museum

Old style national dress, faldbúningur

Old Harbour

Our hosts had advised us of a small little restaurant in a seafarer's harbour home that was now rather iconic, both for food and atmosphere of Iceland. After a short walk along the harbour, we found it, Sægreifinn, or The Sea Baron. It's actually was man's home that he opened his kitchen up to the harbour workers, there's even a wax statue of him inside under the stairs. Now, it's just the restaurant but unique in that the kitchen is in the middle and you walk right trough it to get to the rear and upstairs dining area. Known for the best lobster soup, and as that was the usual daily special, that's what we both ordered!

Old Harbour, other view point

Inside Sœgreifinn, the kitchen is through the door in the middle
going through to the other seating area

They also offered a very unique flavor to Icelandic fare - Minke Whale. Now, as an avid lover of whales, I was torn between sampling such a unique meal and adding to the commercialized hunting of whales. I finally settled on just the smaller Minke Whale sample, not a while steak as my thoughts were that they had already hunted the Whale and it was more economical to have the sample and be conservative as well. [For those still uncertain, Minke Whale is one of the least concerned whale species currently; the IWC has approved of small scale commercialized Minke Whale hunting; and Iceland itself did studies to determine if hunting Minke whale again would have a detrimental impact on the species, which they concluded it would not - similar to our own deer hunting concepts.]

My lunch - Lobster soup, bread, Minke, and a porter

Anyways, the lobster soup was utterly delicious and the Icelandic Porter was equally good! The Minke was different. I'm not sure of it was seasoned of flavored any, but it was quite dark yet also rather tender, I'd say it was cooked at medium rare. The initial taste was almost a teriyaki flavor but it then change into a strong iron aftertaste, much like liver. While it was good for the small sample, I'm not sure I could've finished a whole steak. Even Vic had a small bite!

After lunch, we headed to the Kolaportid weekend indoor flea market. I LOVE markets while traveling, and after finding out about this one, it definitely made it onto the list of things to do. Plus, many sites noted that if you wanted to find a Lopapeysa, the iconic Icelandic sweater with the circular yoke pattern made of Lopi wool, at a great price then the market was where to go. Vic got pulled onto the first sweater stall and bought a few, before I was finally coerced into buying one at the second sweater stall. (FYI, if you're doing Iceland on a budget, you don't want to look at even these discounted prices!) But I cannot pass up a nice sweater, especially when supporting locally made and sourced goods!

Kolaportið flea market, with Lopayeysa (photo borrowed)

The market has a food area which utterly fascinated me with many authentic food goods at good prices, but sadly, I was limited due to feasible logistics. I still managed to pick up a few things, and had my first sampling of Hákarl, we'll chat on that later! I eventually bought some Icelandic flavored salts - it was tough to pick but I settled on a mushroom flavored, a rhubarb flavored, a spicy lava black salt, and a licorice flavored. Yum! I nabbed a can of fermented cod liver pate, though passed up in the fermented cod liver oil (an excellent supplement and fresh in Iceland but I don't do supplements consistently.) The last food items I grabbed were some Harðfiskur (dried fish), another Icelandic food staple: Steinbítur (Catfish,) and Ýsa (Haddock.)

We explored more of the market as Vic was looking for souvenirs, though many stalls had various knickknacks you'd expect at a flea market but aren't quit souvenirs. Again, we spent a bit longer than we aimed but much of that was my fault - aside from the sweater we bought right off the bat, I didn't actually buy anything else until after perusing around first. My last souvenir was the most troublesome. I wanted something jewelry-wise with lava stone - except I already wear my watch, my Fitbit, my hematite, and my quartz! Everything for men were bracelets or large stone necklaces. I finally found a vendor who had a flat circular stone that she put on a choker for me - sold! After that, we wrapped up at the market to continue onward.

Saga Museum

Our initial plan was that after the market we would try and hit both the Whale of Iceland Experience and the Saga Museum - however, since we meandered our day at our other stops (which was fully worth it and enjoyable), we had to pick just one. Unfortunately for me, that was the Saga Museum, especially since they closed later than the Whale's. Due to our much needed naps yesterday, I had already resigned to the fact that we probably wouldn't be able to grab a Whale Watching tour as they only run one in the afternoon during winter. The Whale Experience was my concession, but even then  it only is a huge warehouse filled with life-sized model replicas of the whales. Whereas the Saga Museum had full displays regarding all of the Icelandic Sagas - which are ingrained in Icelandic culture and heritage. So, it actually made more sense to get there anyways (and give me another reason to return back to Iceland for the whales another trip!). It was a brief walk back up past the harbour to the Saga Museum.

Saga 4. Ingólfur Arnarson, founding of Reykjavik

The actual museum was rather cool to experience, but not much to talk about. It's set up to walk though the displays, with one display per Saga using wax mannequins. You're given an audio headset which talks you through each of the displays. It's rather short, about 30 min to slowly walk through them all. It was really interesting to learn visually about the sagas, not knowing anything about them. Afterwards, they had a small area you can try on some classic viking garb including actual chain mail, but we passed. After grabbing a few things at the gift shop, we started working our way back to the bus stop. It was 
already dark as the sun set while we were in the
Museum.

As we still had much of the evening left, we though that we'd grab some dinner on the way to the bus stop, swing back to the guesthouse to grab our suits and check out the Laugardalslaug swimming pool, the largest in Reykjavik and quite a common activity for locals! Plus, it was still rather cold and the hot water would be nice to relax in. Since we passed it on the way up to the Saga Museum, we stopped at Reykjavik Fish Restaurant for some fish & chips! I had the typical Cod & Chips, the Viking Lagar (quite yummy and light!), and since they were offering it - Hákarl (fermented shark) with a small bottle of Brennivín, which is a schnapps of potatoes and caraway. Hákarl is cured uniquely - burying it in the ground then hanging for 4-5 months till it dries. It has a unique smell though which Agnes told me lingers, thus the tradition is to eat as much of the shark bites as you can stomach before chasing it down with the bottle of Brennivín. It has a strong flavor for sure, but I had no problem eating all the bites in the small cup, though felt that the Brennivín was even stronger tasting! It didn't go the best with the Cod, but as they were both delicious and I was hungry, I was able to eat all but some of the chips. 

Fish & chips, lagar, and traditional Hákarl and Brennivín

After our dinner, we meandered though some of the side streets to the MR bus stop so we could get back to the guesthouse. In doing so, we happened to stumble into the actual downtown square or Reykjavik! As we had already eaten, we weren't hungry for the hot dog stand but stopped at two of the souvenir shops to grab a few things. Well, we only went to the second one across the street because the first one didn't have a shot glass that I liked! By the time we wrapped that up though, it became clear that we wouldn't have enough time to get back to the guesthouse, grab our suits, and then grab the bus to the pool before they closed - even though they were open until 10pm. Well, that seemed to be part of our trip but hey, we WERE on vacation! Instead we just went back to the guesthouse to relax, after a quick stop at the neighborhood grocery store to grab some things to snack on and for breakfast in the morning.

We actually had some time to relax and talk with our hosts, about our day, the mishap, and more. Agnes actually offered to call the company with the delay, but I explained we already had it resolved and were doing the trek tomorrow. It was sometime in there that I realized I forgot about the few things I stashed in a locker at the terminal so I started to figure out how to grab the bus there and back - except Agnes offered to drive me there and back, which ended up being much quicker. Agnes also told us that there were two girls arriving tonight to stay in the other room, but that we'll have to share the bathroom.

After we got back and we were going through our day with our hosts, and after I mentioned having the shark, our hosts got intrigued and asked me if I wanted some more "traditional Icelandic fare."  So they got out their bucket of Blandadur Súrmatur - selections of meat and fish products cured in the traditional manner or whey acid and gave me a small sampler plate! Vic, politely, turned them down as she wasn't feeling THAT adventurous. Except they didn't tell me what each was until afterwards. 

Þorramatur
Left (from top to bottom, left to right): Hangikjöt, Hrútspungar, Lifrarpylsa, Blóðmör, Hákarl, Svið. Right: Rúgbrauð(dark brown in color), Flatbrauð

Quick background, January and February is the Nordic month of Þorri which is highlighted by the midwinter feast of Þorrablót (which nowadays is really any gather where Þorramatur is served!) Anyways, our hosts served me a small bit of the things. After I sampled each, they told us both what it actually was. First were two types of slátur, blóðmör or "blood pudding" and lifrarpylsa ("liver sausage"). Neither were too bad actually, though a bit sharp in taste because of the soured aspect. They apparently are actually made very similar to Haggis, perhaps why I didn't have too much of an issue with them. The other item they served me was some Hrútspungar, which looked quite unique with a bunch of ovals pressed into gelatin. Well, low and behold it's ram's testicles that are thrown into a pan, gelled, then soured in whey. Again, the taste was a tad bland for the actual testicles themselves but the gelatin was natural like most true gelatin. Overall, the strong aroma of the souring liquid was a bit much but otherwise they were alright to eat. I did pass up on seconds however!

Not too long after sampling the Þorramatur, our other guesthouse guests arrived. Both girls were from Australia and came in with an odd story of their own - they had rented a car in Iceland but when got to the airport after the whole day of traveling, the driver discovered that her license was expired and she couldn't drive! Thankfully they got into the city, but after a brief bit of chatting, they settled into their room to figure out their newly discovered obstacle. After that, Vic and I ended up just relaxing in our room, getting things ready for tomorrow's big adventure and busy day. I spent a good while copying photos off my cameras before finally crashing.

Iceland: Day 1 & 2

Today’s the day we travel - yay! Vic already picked me up and we’re on our way driving to Toronto. Toronto? in Canada? but you’re going to Iceland….?  Yes, we are flying out of Toronto direct to Reykjavik because the flights were cheaper and it’s a relatively short drive. (Plus, why not add a third country to our trip?!)

US - Canada border on bridge

Crossing the border was a bit confusing as I’ve never driven across, nor has Vic, but there was almost no line and we had no hassles driving over. We got to the Toronto-Pearson Airport in good time, including the shuttle for the off-campus parking. After getting checked in and bags dropped off, security in Toronto was a breeze, taking no more than 20 min total. While waiting for our flight to start boarding, we grabbed some dinner at Caplansky’s Deli for some good Canadian cuisine, noted for their smoked meat. I kicked off the culinary delight trip with Meat Poutine, one of their Knishes, and their own Stout - all of it was utterly delicious! Vic had the meatloaf, which she also enjoyed.

Meat Poutine, Knish, and a stout beer!

The flight actually ended up leaving almost a 
half hour before scheduled departure, and ended up being a tad shorter than initially allotted! The downside to this, in addition to the fact that the flight itself was only about 5 and half hours, was that for an overnight international flight where we lose time - it was not very conducive to getting decent sleep. I might’ve dozed off for about a half hour at most, though Vic got a little bit more. The awesome thing was that while we were over Greenland, I happened to look out the window and caught something odd. After pulling out my camera and taking a test shot I had my answer - the Northern Lights!

Aurora Borealis from the airplane

So I spent a good bit taking pics of the Northern Lights from the air (and continuing to test out my camera settings!) They were faint and very slow moving compared to what I was expecting. The rest of the flight went well, though the trouble was that when we landed, it was still dark but around 06:00 with the whole day now ahead of us. Oi! I think we both napped for a bit on the 45-50 min bus ride into Reykjavik.

Reykjavik with snow covered mountains in backg

Once at the bus terminal, of which we got to know very well over the course of our trip, we then had to figure out how to get to our Guesthouse - which meant using the local bus network as it was actually just outside Reykjavik in Kopravogur (the immediately southern “suburb”). We aimed to get the 3-Day City Pass, not only to have full access to the buses, but for the museum admissions and discounts to use today and on Sunday (we’d lose out on the perks Saturday due to our daylong South Coast tour - but was still worth it). The trouble was, we couldn’t buy that pass at the bus terminal! After debating options, I finally got some cash out of the ATM (retrospectively much more than I needed or wanted… oops!) and got some exact change we needed from the guy at the cafe/restaurant at the bus terminal. From there, it was actually a very short bus ride to our stop, maybe 10 min at most. After getting off, it was then another 12-15 min walk to our Guesthouse but overall the access was quite easy for staying outside of the actual city area.

Back view of the Hamraborg area in Kópavogur

I had booked the Guesthouse Grima off AirB&B - it was amazing and definitely made our trip enjoyable! Our hosts were able to quickly meet us when we arrived to let us in, get us our key, and quickly show us around before having to go their ways but that evening and throughout our stay, we got to know them a bit better. Both Agnes and her husband, along with the brief meeting of their daughter and son, were friendly and willing to help out with tips and advice.

After settling down from our long journey and a quick shower, we decided that rather than push through the entire day (of which we both were beyond the 24 hour mark already…), we’d grab a short 1-2 hour nap. Then, the plan was to wake up and head out to grab lunch and check out Reykjavik. Yeah…. that didn’t quite happen as we were both exhausted! We ended up waking up around 16:30 - oops! After chatting some more with our hosts, we grabbed our stuff and headed back for the bus trip into downtown to grab some dinner and possibly check out a Northern Lights tour. I had already noted on the Aurora forecast that it was our highest chance while here at a 4/10, so my goal was to make an attempted to see them from the city without having to go on a tour and thus be out late since we had a full day’s tour planned with our pickup from the bus terminal at 08:00. Agnes and her husband though noted that they were very hard to see from the city, and to best grab a tour. So our first stop in town was back at the bus terminal where we booked the 2100 tour. 

We ended up grabbing dinner at Hressó who’s dinner specials posted on placard outside caught our eye - after walking around a couple places and eyeing the prices too! I had a Viking Stout, which was delicious, along with Reindeer meatballs, blue cheese mashed potatoes, and a variety salad. The reindeer was delicious, tasting gamey like I expected, though there were also some spices mixed in for the meatballs. Either way, I loved it! Vic had the lamb filet dinner with wine, which she enjoyed. Afterwards, we made our way back to the BSI terminal for our tour, grabbing some coffee and snacks before boarding.

Downtown Reykjavik

Downtown Reykjavik, near Hressó

For the Northern Lights tour, they ended up taking us towards the airport to the lava fields. After the drive, they found a spot and we all unloaded. I saw a concrete block and pounced to set up the tripod! Overall, the northern lights were pretty decent but definitely nowhere near as great or impressive as any photos make them seem. But though my nice new camera, lenses, and playing around with the settings, I think I captured quite a decent set! After a bit, we all loaded back up and returned back to the city. They actually let us off before the city at our bus stop, which was neat. Then it was a short time to relax after such a long day to prep for the next day.

Northern Lights from Lava f