End of a Saga

We are sitting at the airport and Chasity is about to be off for Baltimore. How to sum up the last two days and the trip? 

Yesterday, we were in a friggin hurricane. For real. Chasity was all 'did this damn hurricane follow me?!?' As she drove up this endlessly ascending mountain on our way back to Reykjavik. With the ascent continuing, the fog rolled in and dropped visibility to maybe twenty feet. This is a country that doesn't believe in guardrails and usually there are steep drop offs. So she is curving and going and hell we don't know where we end up if we go off the edge because... fog. The weather wasn't done! Winds reached over 40 mph and at one point we were blowing and hydroplaning and there was wheel gripping. Luckily we made it to the city. The car rental people told us an SUV was blown off the road and rolled yesterday so... I'm not exercising hyperbole here. 

We got to the hotel and decided not to venture into Reykjavik in the crap weather. We took advantage of a happy happy hour, fantastic restaurant (Satt) and a beer tasting led by Snorri, our new buddy who gave us lessons in Icelandic history, the sagas (folktales)  and mythology as told thru beer. 

 

This morning we headed into town and had a great breakfast at the Laudromat Cafe and shopped to get rid of our Icelandic money. We said goodbye to the gastropub we loved on our first day. 

 

Summing this trip up... epic diva road trip. Excellent vacation. 

Chasity top highlights: walk behind the Selandjafoss waterfall and hiking to the top of Skogafoss waterfall 

Tanisha top highlights: blue lagoon and hike through Thingvellir park

Meghan top highlights: midnight at Gerdi stargazing (Tanisha wants in on this one too), cottage stay 

Best meals ranked : 1) Hofn lobster was out of this world 2) gastropub in Reykjavik 3) meal in Vik 4) all our hot dogs (first was the best!)  5) dinner at the art bistro 

One word from each of us to describe Iceland

Chasity-  breathtaking 

Tanisha- singular 

Meghan- extraordinary 

 

The people are friendly, accommodating and super honest!! For example, we paid for the hot tub cottage by leaving money in a kitchen drawer! 

We just said bye to Chasity and she said we can do this in another decade since it was last 2005 in law school we were all together. 

 

Lots of laughter on the trip, an evil gps system, a radio station that played the most bizarre mix of music, amazing hotels, food that is a foodie dream world, and just a fantastic trip with friends. 

Diva Tips

1. Do not get a gps. Roads are well signed, use a map. In winter, get a mifi and use your phone. 

2. Learn the Vinbudin hours and locations. Don't be like us, about to be stuck way east with no wine. As it is, we overestimated, and left four bottles with the car people. :(

3. Get a top quality hotel. In bad weather, you will thank us. Good restaurants and good bars can save you. 

4. One lane bridges are no joke. 

5. Sheep crossings happen. Don't speed. And stop- wait them out. 

6. You might need change for bathrooms at national parks. 

7. It's expensive. Save. The food is worth the money. We ate plenty of hot dogs but we ate some amazing meals. As one waitress said 'the Icelandic people love their food!'

8. You can't see everyone thing you thought you could see. We had an aggressive first day and still had to leave things off. Unless you plan to see and go without stopping to explore or enjoy or climb, you just can't cran it all in. 

9. Do NOT press fill the tank as an option at gas stations. They will hold two hundred plus dollars on your card until actual amount clears through. Can take up to 8 days. Get prepaid cards! 

10. At the blue lagoon, there are private showers, there is a lovely blow dry area, and key point... to be the popular person... know that the bar is 'to the right!' 

11. You pay at the register everywhere including restaurants. Oh, and no one will ever bag your food or anything for you at any type of store. 

12. Do not be the ass who pulls over to see horses on a road that has no room for that crap! 

13. We didn't see the northern lights, but we did have some beautiful nights. Also this shoulder season and it was still busy so beware the summer crowds. 

14. There are no sheets. Just duvets. And the rooms are hot. Pack a summer nightie. Trust us. 

15. You might want to pack toilet paper if you are going east or north. Just saying. God knows where you go that everyone can't see but there it is....

Signing off....

The Divas in Iceland. 

Intensity

Today in Iceland intense discussions on the road to Vik led to intense winds on the black beach at Reynisfjara. Stunning views that were difficult to capture without being blown over by gale force winds.

 

 

We are well into our stay at the most luxurious hotel stay to date. Picturesque views of the ocean and an adorable town filled with a whopping 275 humans. That's right folks. Prepare yourselves for tales from the bustling metropolis of Vik.

We watched (well we tried to watch) the sunset from the parking lot of the town church, set on a high hill overlooking the town. We then attempted to have dinner at one of 4 restaurants in town...closed for winter 😔  After discovering that another restaurant was so popular there was literally nowhere to park unless you were willing to go off-roading we decided dinner at the hotel restaurant was an amazing plan.  Meg and I gussied up a bit so we could be on par with Diva Tanisha who rocked a sleek long dress all day. I was finally able to rock my ankle boots which were otherwise a poor use of suitcase space.   Lesson learned. No need for heels in Iceland.

 

Dinner was, as always Amazing. It was also fancy. We splurged (which is saying a lot when a hamburger generally runs you almost 20 bucks).  Also the restaurant played an amazing selection of R&B classics spanning several decades. It was heavenly (and a welcome respite from the Phil Collins loving radio DJ).

After dinner Tanisha boldly requested the use of 3 wine glasses from the bar for our Vinbudin wine purchases. After all we are classy and deserve more than the standard bathroom water glasses for our in room beverages.

We now just continue solving the worlds problems over wine.

Until tomorrow folks...

The other Blonde Diva

Divas Under The Cosmos

The details of our fourth day were already chronicled by birthday Diva, Meghan.  I won't duplicate that effort here.  However, last night...  was too incredible not to be chronicled in its own right.

We arrived at the Guesthouse Gerdi this afternoon, a rustic and idyllic complex situated between an imposing mountain and the majestic Atlantic Ocean.  Once we returned from our wine and seafood run in Hofn, we settled into our accommodations, pouring glasses of now plentiful wine (thanks Vinbudin!).  Craving some human interaction outside of ourselves, we migrated to the cozy dining room in the main house for dessert and wine.  Our waitress was good-natured.  When Meghan asked her about our likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights, she offered a rule of thumb:  if we can see stars out, it's likely that the Northern Lights will be visible.

We returned to the room, satiated with our evening snack.  Meghan, monitoring aurora borealis alerts on her iPhone with the intensity of a meteorologist tracking an epic storm, told us that the likelihood of a northern lights sighting was as high as its ever been since our arrival - I wasn't so convinced.  We'd been fooled before.  Nevertheless, we got dressed - mixing sleepwear and outwear for a chic fashion statement - and ventured outside.

Initially, clouds blanketed the sky.  Slowly, the curtains parted, revealing an awe-inspiring view of the celestial bodies.  The moon shone brightly, dancing upon the Atlantic Ocean, its relative calm providing the perfect backdrop for the moon's shimmering display.

Meghan obviously paid attention to astronomy in high school - she was able to spot constellations in the sky with relative ease.  She called my attention from the Moondance on the ocean to look at an equally impressive show going on behind us.  The large, imposing mountain - verdant green by day, dramatic and black silhouette by night - allowed us to see the Big Dipper with even more intensity.  It was a sight to behold.

Meanwhile, Chasity is coming along quite nicely as a neophyte photographer.  She captured some beautiful shots of the celestial show, including a beautiful shot of a glacier off in the distant west. Her progress is even more commendable considering her tripod wasn't overly cooperative in this effort!

 

We returned to our room to find respite in our cute little twin beds.  I left the window slightly open to allow the roll of the ocean to lull us to sleep.  No aurora borealis, but who's complaining?  I'm somewhat convinced that this trip will inspire Meghan to become a Northern Lights Chaser, though.

I awakened at 6:30 this morning.  Shortly thereafter, Meghan whispered, beckoning me to the bathroom.  I followed and looked out the window at her command.  We had a neighbor!  A little sheep was grazing at the edge of the pasture adjacent.  Right outside our room.  I am legit in nature, y'all! As I write this post, I am watching the sunrise over the ocean, as it has before me and as it will long after me.  I'm just blessed to observe it do its thing.

 

 
We can't pronounce the name of this little town worth a damn, but if anyone asks where we're at, you can tell them under the stars...

No place for Divas but here we are...

We said goodbye to our cottage this morning and started the great trek to East Iceland. After discovering we could not stock up on wine for our super rustic cabin tonight we amended our itinerary to include Hofn later. 

Along the way to Vik, we had a sheep stoppage. Farmers were herding sheep from one field across route 1 to another field. The oldest, cutest grandpa with a tilted hat was holding up traffic on one side. The sheep were somewhat disorderly but the last group had their act together and ran uniformly across the road. Chasity couldn't decide if she loved them

for their cute bouncing run or if she hated them for holding her up for her elevensies. 

 

We stopped for hot dogs and gas in Vik (elevensies) and I bought a figurine of the Christmas Cat.

East of Vik we drove through vast lava fields in the rain that are mound after mound of moss covered lava. Chasity said they looked like drip sand castles. I thought green chocolate chip cookies. 

One radio station works. We just heard the following three songs in a row, an angry Icelandic rap song, followed by Phil Collins, and then son heavy metal. Diverse.  We are now up to random waterfalls every hundred to two hundred yards. Jokularson is still a ways off. 

We are now 3 hours into travel. We are in Oaerifi, aka the wasteland (for real that's what the word means) surround by the desolate devastation of an old flood from an eruption. We just crossed over the worst one lane bridge so far on the trip. It was long, pieced together with metal grates and on a hill. Thus you cannot use the rule of 'he who gets there first goes'. Because you can't see the other side of the bridge. No worries, instead of creating lanes they made two 'chicken spots' on the bridge for oncoming cars to squeeze by. This confirms our ongoing discussion on the need for improved civil engineering in this country,

Glacier fingers on our left. Grey waste to our right. Where's the bathroom?!?!? 

I spoke too soon. We just went over the absolute worst one lane bridge. Six chicken stops. And another car was on the bridge! We emerged on the other side unscathed with the radio blaring Icelandic easy  listening complete with harmonica. We also were rewarded with our first rainbow! 

 

Still no bathroom. Maybe in the next hour. It's 12:47 now. 

We found a bathroom. It's 1:18. It's a petrol station with a lounge for hikers and a small bathroom with no toilet paper. Improvise. Use napkins from the coffee stand. On we go! Wait! Get Chasity's chocolate milk off the roof of the car first... now we go. 

We are passing black sand beaches where the water is the color of light seaglass. Almost tropical, but not. 

It's 2:20 and we just finished visiting Jokularson. Wow! A lagoon where ice bergs are cracking off the glacier into a lagoon, flowing under a bridge to the ocean. On the other side ice is washed up on a black sand beach. We now know the color 'ice blue.' It is an otherworldly sight. The ice sits like glass sculptures on the black sand with the ocean crashing into it.

 

 

It's 3 and we have arrived at Gerdi in East Iceland. The trek is over until we head out to the Vinbudin in a Hofn in a few minutes. One hour until lobster harbor! 

Timing is everything...

It's 7:30 am, we are drinking coffee and waiting for the sun to rise as we set out on the three hour plus trek to nowhere that goes through a desert... when we discover that the Vinbudin (wine store... and only Icelandic word I know) is only open weekdays from either 2-6 or 4-6 pm!!! What??? We will be well past any of the towns (2) that have one by those times and then stuck in the middle of nowhere in a cabin with no wifi!  Chasity solves our problem by amending our late lunch plans to include Hofn, with a vinbudin and tons of lobster... so headed further east than originally planned! We gotta do what we gotta do. Plus side, we are going to the lobster capital and seeing glaciers today. 

 

Hot Tub Time Machine

After dinner it was time to take full advantage of all this cabin has to offer. Hot tub time. We gathered all the lights and all the wine, put on our suits and headed out into cold dark night. I promptly fell off the landing and busted my ass, broke my wine glass, and threw my phone into the hot tub. Luckily, Tanisha (and the waterproof case) saved my phone. Jury's still out on how my butt makes out but nothing broken so I'll consider that a win.

Once all made it safely into the tub the selfies were on full blast. We experimented with the jets and lighting and polished off the sparkling wine.

Then came the Brennivin. Oh lord. The Brennivin. It didn't go well. We did capture the before and after nicely. I'd like to note that I took a full shot (hence my much more distressed face). The other two bitches drank sips after watching my reaction. Wusses.

I think we are leaving the remainder of the original Icelandic liquor as a "gift."

Now it's time to stalk the night skies for the Aurora....

The Other Blonde Diva

Random thoughts

As Tanisha and I sit sipping hot cocoa in a quaint bistro with cows jaunting by the window, waiting for Chasity to complete her mountain waterfall hike (wtf?!?! The steps she is taking are like Great Wall of China height! 27 floors!) we are recalling some funny moments.

Things said or seen while driving:

1) Chasity has an entire philosophical viewpoint on what kind of sheep she would be. She has this thought out. In a warm environment, like Greece, she would be a white sheep to keep the sun away. But in a cold climate like Iceland, she definitely votes black sheep to stay warmer. 

Tanisha and I just thought the black sheep were cuter. 

2) Chasity believes she has found the fat round sheep that are the source of the sheep emoji. She also thinks they are cute runners. Whereas, I just want to know how they escape their fences to the main road. 

3) There are signposts that display your speed, much like in the US, but one we saw actually had a light up frowny face if you were over the limit and then made a smiley face if you complied. We have only seen one of these. 

4) There is serious horse and sheep segregation here. They don't seem to mix. We did however see one sheep and horse friend pair today. Breaking the mold!

5) Roadsigns are hysterical. They fit every bit of info they can and all you can see are consonants (many k) and odd vowels. These signs also randomly display the temperature in towns. 

6) while we are nowhere, we have passed ten restaurants. What we haven't seen is a gas station. In fact yesterday we drove two plus hours and never saw one. There were actual towns without one. Not sure what people do? 

'I want to see pretty shit' - Chasity Simpson 2016

We started the morning with a political discussion breakfast at the Hilton. We solved world problems, over eggs. Then starting later than expected, we headed for the Golden Circle under the guidance of dear 'Evilyn,' or our GPS who is of no help. 

First stop was Thingvellir, site of the olden days Viking general assemblies. The Law Rock was where the head chieftain read the laws of the land to all assembled. Men were beheaded and women humanely drowned. We also walked... miles. Hiking happened people. 18 flights of stairs climbed today. Hiking boots not broken in are now broken in. One of the spots we climbed to was Oxarafoss, a very cool smaller waterfall. 

 

Next stop, Geysir. We saw Strokkur which is the Geysir that still erupts as the original 'geysir' got old and just bubbles now. The geothermal fields were pretty cool.

 

 

We drove a lot today. We stopped for scenic views and selfies taken after hiking through brush, it was dangerous people-- Tanisha's hair got caught in a tree!!! But the view... 

We ended our stops at Gullfoss waterfall. Immense. We also realized once again today that there are magic and secret roads. Several times, including here, we climbed and walked miles to get somewhere only to find a parking lot and road right at the spot, thanks Evilyn. 

 

Finally, we headed for the 80km to the hot tub cottage. Chasity was in her element on the 'road' which is a loose definition for the gravel with no shoulder and some definition lined with pot holes. She became Princess Peach of the pot holes. She giggled and I gasped. We all were thankful I wasn't driving over the one lane bridge that was so narrow even Chasity had anxiety (and promptly got out to take pictures). 

The cottage is lovely and remote. Good thing we found it on the second try. Cause it's good to follow directions based on 'turn at the electrical box' and end up at someone else's house. Chasity says 'almost charged with burglary in Iceland good thing Meghan looked at the picture and could see the right house. Go trespass!'

We arrived too late to hit up the one grocery store. But we found the Eldsto Art Cafe run by a volcanic ceramic artist and had a fantastic dinner that was chill and surprisingly good. Bonus- they had muffins! So now we are set for breakfast. (Tanisha sat on Chasity's though... just saying)  Well, first we stopped at the Petrol station for Nish to get a hot dog (go crunchy stuff!) and coffee for tomorrow. We saw a 'copper' so miss public defender was happy she drank water and didn't violate the .05 drunk driving limit. ( not a lie she looked it up of course). We also picked up the 'american' Doritos , aka cool ranch. 

 

Now we are chilling out in Jammies at the cottage, drinking wine, and helping Chasity practice photography in case the aurora shows up. 

 

Epic day. 

W & M Law '05 Reunited

Sometime this morning, not at the time the airline told us, we all arrived in Iceland. Chasity arrived first and wisely used her free time to stock up on alcohol. As she said 'why was the store there if not to buy things?'

Things we learned upon arrival- transportation in Iceland  is sketchy. Really, no road shoulders and you could easily dive off the road. We figure after a week we might understand the signs. But not yet. 

First stop, in the first hour, was the Blue Lagoon. Nothing like reuniting with ladies you haven't seen in 11 yrs together by getting naked together communally! This is an ultimate tourist spot and it requires work! 

But before we left the car to go to the lagoon we hit snafu number one. Tanisha couldn't find her bathing suit. And thus the entire contents of one suitcase were strewn in a trunk. This happens. She got a rental. I will say she was pleased when the customer service last indicated she was the smallest size! 'For rent only' a new motto:) 

The lagoon is pretty amazing. We became the experts on answering 'where is the bar?' Which we sniffed out immediately despite it being 5:30 am EST. lol  Wealso learned Tanisha would sacrifice her hair to save her prosecco. #priorities 

Next, our sleep deprived selves drove to Reykjavik. I should say I did and thank god my mom taught me the drive with your window down to stay awake trick. The lunaresque landscape was accentuated by a wall/ring of clouds that seems to barrier the island on the horizon. Have never seen anything like it. 

The Hilton in Reykjavik is sublime. In fact we are enjoying the lounge now as we pen this entry. Fancy fancy. 

We napped. We needed to. Then we headed into town and walked around til we found a gastropub we cannot pronounce (recurring theme here) to eat at. We all ordered the catch of the day-- wolf fish. Apparently, a very ugly (and smelly) fish. But it was super nummy! So good! And the presentation excellent. We all did separate flights of Icelandic beer. Then we stayed. Because that 23 year old waiter was insanely nice/ flirty. In fact, he gave us a list of all his fav places to go. Highly recommend this place we can't pronounce! 

 

 
 

 

After having a couple of hours of fun at the gastropub we headed for the famous hot dogs. 

This is what we have to say: 

' What is that awesome crunchy shit?'

We got dogs with the works and there is a crunchy element. We suspect fried onion but it's crunchy, delicious, and magical. 

So now, we are back enjoying the fireplace at the Hilton and plotting out our trip into nature tomorrow. Btw, the tv is showing Icelandic basketball that seriously looks like it's being filmed in a high school gym. It's real. It's on tv. See ya tomorrow. 

 

 

t minus ...,

It is on. A day spent traveling and this trip is happening. Tanisha was off first from Pittsburgh and I went into Boston early to hang with her over wine. She had a rough day in the Air France Lounge drinking Prosecco. Let's all take a moment and feel bad. 

Chasity hiked up to Baltimore and after an hour delay filled with political facebook rants, she has boarded her flight and in the air. Tanisha and I are boarding soon and will see her in just under six hours for this William and Mary Law '05 mini reunion icecapade:) 

We do know Chasity packed pen lights for us to night hike with for the northern lights. And a metal water bottle that she tested and it holds an entire bottle of wine. So here we go!

J

 

 
 

 

Practice....makes perfect:)

Less than 48 hours is left before travel commences! Tanisha, who starts the journey first from Pittsburgh, is thinking she might pack soon.

We weathered two minor hiccups today. We forgot to book the blue lagoon and apparently they frown on you just 'showing up'! That and apparently I didn't have the car rented for long enough on the final day. Customer service in Iceland is super friendly, though, and in a few hours everything was sorted. In fact, I was a bit blown away with how nice they were to me! 

So Tanisha isn't packed (Chasity is and I am... mostly), and I got some money in advance. It's pretty and we are screwed because the exchange is insane.  For instance, the 81,000 Krona car rental makes me think we have a BMW.  Now, trust me...we do not.  We are in some econo car with a weird european name.  As long as it isn't stick we should be ok.

And this past weekend, Chasity bought some Icelandic vodka. Why? She was going to practice drink with Bloody Mary's  on Sunday. So that's what you need to know about this trip. Other people break in hiking shoes, plan trails to go on, and hunt down great nature spots to explore. We practice drink. It will be epic!

'Rustic Chic(ks)'

We are officially in the one week countdown to Iceland. At least one of us has an European adapter, one has a map, and we all have ankle boots and flannel shirts. The flannel is a total joke. It's not like a single one of us owned flannel prior to this trip. But we thought that since we are going all rustic travel we needed rustic chic wear. There will be at least one flannel wearing picture we assure you! In the meantime you can try to guess which of us goes with which shirt:)

 

We really are headed to some remote locations. I think I broke in my hiking boots! So far weather looks like 45 degrees for the week, 50 percent chance of rain daily. Typical weather for October. Thank god we are packing swimwear! 

That's Vik. We will be going there!