Do you enjoy tramping through spectacular terrains, like an array of glaciers, waterfalls, and active volcanoes? If so, head for the land of fire and ice. I suggest that destination with great enthusiasm because I recently spent eight days exploring Iceland, a truly amazing island. One thrilling adventure led to another, time after time again, and the combined impact made me glow brighter than most travels ever have. And, as long term readers know, I’ve nosed around quite a few spots on this earth (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15).
To come back to Iceland (see here), my impressions of that sizeable island have been formed mainly by my recent trip. Admittedly, I knew little about the place before visiting it, although I had watched its weather closely during my three years of Air Force duty in Europe many decades ago. My recent visit was a gift from my daughter, Anne, for my birthday. I had reached 90 earlier this year, and she 50, but we delayed the trip until August, thinking that would be a fine month to venture northward.
Anne and I boarded an Icelandic Airlines flight in Chicago late one Friday evening and flew to Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, in just over 6 hours, arriving shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday local time (Icelandic clocks are set five hours earlier than those in Chicago). Reykjavik has the distinction of being the world’s northernmost capital of a sovereign state, and the upper edge of Iceland lies just below the Arctic Circle.
It was misting when we arrived, but fortunately rain held off for most of the day, and we managed to complete the Reykjavik food walk Anne had planned for that afternoon. Not a single drop spattered us during the 2 1/2 hour walk led by Thor, a native Icelander who spoke perfect English with an American accent. He took us to five different eateries, some fancy, some not, and provided a nice introduction to the streets of downtown Reykjavik. Our first stop on the tour was at the Forretta Barin where Anne and I had a beer and the best lamb we ever tasted. It was so good that I would eat lamb at least every week if it were always so delicious.
I’ll now jump to our last stop of the walk because we finished at a well-established bakery, one first opened in 1932, some 90 years ago. Since I was an early January, 1932, baby myself, and probably even a few months older than that ancient bakery, Anne took my photo in front of the place. Note the hiking pants and boots, all waterproof and soon to be tested.
Our food walk group included an interesting mix of individuals, among them were three dentists who had graduated from the University of Michigan dental school, a retired professor from California, and four sisters, Ireland born, but now living not far from Anne in Chicago; one had just graduated from law school, another was a medical student, and a third had recently set a number of Illinois state high school records for weight lifting. A most impressive and delightful set of siblings.
This looks like a wonderful trip! Good to see you and Anne on an adventure. My dad just turned 87 and I think a trip like this would be good for him, too. I am a friend to Anne and John and enjoy following you here. Happy birthday to you both. skál!
It was a wonderful trip, Mary. I think your dad would enjoy the trip as much as I did. At times Anne and I walked over uneven ground strewn with rocks, some of them slick, as those behind a waterfall, making Anne a bit nervous about my safety, but I survived the long week without a slip and in good shape. Thanks for your birthday wishes, and skál.
Enjoyed this post and look forward to reading the next. I traveled to Iceland in May with my niece. Never did a good tour but something I will do on a future trip! Glad you and Anne celebrated milestone birthdays in style!
Sharon (Amy Leroux’s friend)
Did you have much rain in May, Sharon? We had a good share of it on our trip, but truthfully that didn’t matter as I’ll try to explain in a later post. I’m guessing that your “good tour” is a typo for food tour. I just went on line and looked at reviews of various food tours in Reykjavik. Although one site listed over 5,000 reviews and showed them to be a 5-star average, when I went to the individual reviews, the scores were much lower, knocked down by two recurring complaints: 1) the servings were very small, and 2) some dishes were ordinary and less than tasty. And the price is not cheap: over $100 per person, the exact price determined by the prevailing exchange rate (Reykjavik is a very expensive city, as I’m sure you discovered in May.) Anne and I enjoyed our tour, but the complaints I read weren’t off target. On the third stop of our tour we had lamb soup, which was indeed “gamey” and not to our taste. We also had at the same place a toothpick-sized (the size of a small bean) piece of Greenland shark. It was fatty and salty, but how often does one have the opportunity to taste a creature that apparently can live for over 500 years?
What a wonderful trip, Ken.
Best,
Michael Berlau
Yes, Michael, and it kept us on our toes the entire time. Anne and the Nordic travel agency she worked with set up a fantastic program for us.
You likely will visit lots of places around the globe as time goes by, Megan. I read recently that National Merit Scholars tend to be frequent international travelers after graduation.
I’m so jealous! Looking forward to the next post and hearing more about your trip (:
Granddaughter Megan
Dad, Iceland was such an ADVENTURE! I’m still smiling about it, and can’t believe all we saw and did in the land of Fire and Ice. Especially YOU, at age 90. Every day, throughout the day, you astonished people with your age and all you were doing. Inspiring.
It was a smile-producing adventure, Anne, one that still brings grins every time I think of the exciting exploits we took a crack at. Such fun!
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