yeah yeah yeah

I Eat for Two, Walk for Two, Breathe for Two Now

Thirty-Two Weeks Down and Eight to Go
After the first 12 weeks of hell, endless vomiting, unexplainable allergies and a loss of 25 pounds, I'm happy to say that these past 20 weeks have sailed smoothly. Knock on wood, I have yet to experience swollen feet or hands and my only complaint thus far is trying to find a comfortable way to sleep. I completely want to just sleep the entire night on my back, which is way against the rules. (But the other morning, while I was trying to sneak a few minutes of laying on my back before Lance says "roll over" -- baby girl tried to punch, kick or elbow her way through my belly and a little tent popped up in the middle of my stomach for about half a second. I'm guessing an elbow or foot but not so sure. It was crazy cool).

Not only is the laying flat on your back out, it is totally impossible to lay on your stomach too. Which makes events like laying out by the pool and tanning your front and backside a bit of a challenge. Frankly, it is ridiculously hard to get your backside tan when you have this giant protruding belly to deal with. I need/want a beach chair that has a huge hole cut out of it in the center that allows me to lay face down and even out my tan. Or maybe a lounge chair with a net in the middle that expends when needed? Seriously, my front legs are tan and my back legs are white. A bit freakish but what else is a pregnant girl to do in the summer but lay by the pool and eat Sprees? And the whole laying on your side as a way to tan your back method is way awkward at the public pool, tried it.

Speaking of spending the summer at the pool: no better place to people watch and observe parenting skills then the public pool. It is a great way to learn what not to do as a parent. So what have I learned so far this summer? Well, here is my list of what I/we will not do as parents based on the fine examples set at the Old Town Public Pool.

What I/We Will NOT Do When I/We Have Kids (Part One - The Pool)

1. Just because your three year old is cute does not give you the right to own the stairs. The stairs are there for all of us to access our way into and out of the pool. Stairs are not a safety net or play toy for your kids.
2. When your kid cuts in line on the diving board, the appropriate response is not to chuckle "Aw Sport". Your kid is a cutter and needs timeout. 
3. Just because lifeguards are teenagers it does not mean that parents have the right to ignore their whistles. How about you set an example for your kid and not hang on the lap lane rope and when the lifeguard asks you get off don't roll your eyes and continue to let your kid hang on the rope? Go to the kiddie pool if your kid can't swim.
4. When the lifeguards make the decision to close the pool due to obvious lightning, don't yell at the staff in anger for their decision to protect you and your kids from harm. And you look like an idiot as you continue to vent your anger to your six year-old. Cut your loss and call it a day. The pool only costs $2.00. Come back tomorrow.
5. The sign says don't run and that means your kid too. When your kid runs tell him to stop running. Just because the lifeguard didn't blow the whistle doesn't make it okay. Those stitches in your kid's chin are going to hurt like hell and it isn't the pool's fault, it is your fault for not making your kid follow safety rules.
6. You bring a football to the pool, expect other kids to want to play with it too. Just saying, don't be a jackass if others want to join in on the fun.

Okay, I'm putting these out there in print and in public so you can call me out on it later when I do each of these (I so hope I don't). Next up... parenting skills we learned at IKEA.

It's the Song About Love Between My Brothers and My Sisters All Over This Land

Today I watched history take place. Unfortunately not in DC but instead at the Market Square in Old Town where George Washington so often strolled. Just across the river from DC, TL and I watched the Inauguration on a Jumbo Tron, cold and huddled with a mass of people cheering OBAMA and waving flags. 

As I was listening to President Obama's (makes me grin ear to ear to type those two sweet words) Inauguration speech and watching the pan views of the millions of people in the Mall area I started thinking about how proud, at the very moment, how proud I was to call the USA my country. It was the sort of feeling I had when I was little kid, before I was jaded by the spirit of America. I remember when I was in the third or fourth grade and I thought I was truly lucky to live in America. We were doing reports on various countries in the world (I had Poland) and I remember thinking how sad it was for all those kids my same age living in a world outside of America. I thought these kids had to have a horrible life since they were not Americans and I thought how they all must envy us that were. I also wondered if they even had McDonald's or knew what SweetTarts tasted like. 

But then I grew up, read often and took some great history classes in college. Thanks to some good professors and good friends I opened my mind to the real American in which we live. The one that goes to war for no reason, does not treat its people with equality and refuses to recognize its own failures. I started to understand the impacts of slavery and the Trail of Tears and how it shaped the bitterness and anger within our nation. I took classes that focused on the unsung successes of women in history and found myself rejecting the traditional great American dream and all the consumerism that accompanies it. And these past eight years, wow. America, thanks to the leadership of Bush, turned into this mean, wa-hungry country hated by the rest of the world. At the end of 2007 the Fulbright Global Peace Index, ranked the US as the 97th most peaceful nation. Iraq bottomed the list, ranked 140th.

But today is a new day. I feel the hope in the air. I can feel the love and happiness sweeping this country. Watching President Obama (smiling again) addressing the country and asking for the help of the American people reminded me that we are a strong nation full of smart, innovated people and together we can make America a place of envy once again. We don't have to do this by flaunting our power or forcing our beliefs on other nations. We can do this instead with peace and by listening to the voices of all people from all races and religions across this country and around the world.  

So today I was bit disappointed that it wasn't in the cards for me to travel into DC but I was happy to share the energy overflowing across the Potomac into Old Town. And although the energy couldn't compare to that of the Mall, it was beautiful to share this joy with several hundred others as we anxiously and proudly watched history in the making. I just wish I could give all my friends that feel my same joy a great big huge victory hug. We did it!

Day Five: Takk

Day Five
Grindavík, The Blue Lagoon
November 27, 2008 - Thanksgiving Day

The Blue Lagoon is without a doubt the most touristy spot in all of Iceland. Bus loads of tourists pile out of excursion shuttles hourly and even on a cold November Thursday the place was busy. Busy, but not crowded. But not going to the Blue Lagoon while in Iceland would be like not going into a casino when in Vegas. It might be touristy, but it is amazingly beautiful, warm, relaxing and very different then any other place I'd been to in life.

The Showers
When we first entered the Blue Lagoon we paid the entrance fee and had to decide if we wanted to rent a robe or not. The Northern Light Inn had towels available for us to take to the Lagoon so we didn't need to rent a towel but we did rent a robe. Which was a smart decision. It is quite a bit more but well worth it. This is Iceland, it is freaking cold and just a towel isn't enough and a gigantic soft robe is very inviting in the freezing cold. So after paying the fees we were handed an electronic bracelet that operates the lockers and can be used at the snack bar to buy food and drinks which meant we didn't have to carry around money in our robes...quite handy, especially since every robe is exactly the same.

Then comes the locker rooms, showers, and changing area. Oh the rumors I'd heard about the showers. Because, unlike the US, the sign saying to take a shower before entering the pool actually means to take a shower before entering the pool. But this wasn't quite as traumatizing as blogs and rumors would lead one to believe. It is true that everyone is required to take this shower nude, no swimsuit. And it is also true that the showers are open but they aren't communal and each shower head is in its own door-less stall. And contrary to popular belief, a woman (a shower Nazi of sorts) does not walk around the stalls checking and verifying that people scrubbed their privates and it wasn't as bad as the horror stories I'd read. It was really no big deal. Each stall comes supplied with both body soap and conditioner. (I should have put the conditioner on my hair before even entering the Blue Lagoon and left it on for the day. But I didn't and consequently had straw hair for a few days). I brought my swimsuit into the shower with me so I could put it on afterward without having to do the nude walk to the towel racks, especially nice if you have a stall at the end, far from the racks. Being the only modest American in the area, I was the only one who seemed worried about getting a swimsuit on quickly... most others preferred to air dry as they casually walked to their clothes and towels.

Freezing Cold. Nice and Warm
After the shower I met up with TL. The men and women's locker rooms both ended in a small lounge and snack area. Off to the side was the enclosed entrance to the Lagoon but it only seemed right for us to go for it the hard way -- off with the robe and a careful run a few feet in the freezing cold before entering the water. And it was freezing outside -- literally freezing. Cold, windy and freezing. Twenty seconds in only a swimsuit outside in the cold was brutal. But oh so worth it once my feet stepped into the hot geothermal waters of about 102°F. Very similar to a hot tub, but a huge hot tub. A 53,850 square foot hot tub. And the water was the most beautiful blue. A sort of milky, light aqua blue. We couldn’t see more the a few inches below the surface because it was so milky but it was such a beautiful color. It looked like a blue sports drink mixed with part milk.

Much to our surprise, the water isn't deep at all. Around the edges of the lava rocks it is very shallow but for the most part is is about four or so feet deep throughout the entire pool. Perfect for me. TL had to bend his knees to walk around on his knees so he didn't expose more then just his face out of the water. and with the cold wind blowing - our hair, eyebrows and eyelashes would freeze if you didn't go under every few minutes or at least splash water on our faces. We could feel your face freezing and I think my sinuses actually froze a time or two.

So imagine doing in an hour long in-water massage on this cold day... annnh, it wasn't so bad. The massage therapist laid a huge towel over us that covered our entire bodies so the only thing not warm was our face and he would dunk our bodies in the water every five minutes to warm up the wet towel and the massage was relaxing and nice. I would however recommend doing an indoor massage if it is freezing outside but since we had made our appointment weeks in advanced we couldn't change it. Oh, and I didn't laugh as she massaged my toes, which is huge for me.

After the massages we spent a few more hours hanging out in the water and saunas. As recommended by everyone at the Blue Lagoon, we put handfuls of silica on our face and lounged in water looking like freaks with white masks all over our faces, but everyone else looked like too. When we finally got out of the water, we were pruned, sleepy and hungry.

The Free Show
Too bad TL couldn't use the girls changing area... he could have seen quite a show. I will explain...
The changing areas in the locker rooms are very accommodating with plenty of hair dryers and mirrors so basically everyone visiting the Lagoon is using the changing area and getting ready before leaving. Which is great, it is too cold to go outside with wet hair. But, what I didn't understand was why, why in the hell did the 10 or so women changing in my area feel the need to blow dry their hair and put on their make-up with only their pants on? Seriously, why couldn't they at least put on their bra before prancing around the changing area getting ready? So annoying. Everywhere you turned you had someone's boobs all up in your face. I'm just saying, put on the bra before fixing the hair. Please!

Thanksgiving Dinner
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Lance and I had a special dinner at the Blue Lagoon restaurant, Lava, and we couldn't have picked a better place to eat and celebrate Thanksgiving as a family. First off, we lucked out with a table right by the water with an amazing view that overlooked the Blue Lagoon. And since I'm obsessed now with Icelandic lobster, we ordered an appetizer of lobsters. They are smaller then that of a Maine lobster and they are oh so good. I think they just might be my absolute favorite of seafood. For dinner I had more Icelandic lobster, beef fillet, portabella mushrooms and potatoes all covered in a pepper sauce. Lance ordered the fillet of lamb with potatoes and both dinners were better then average and the best meal we ate in Iceland.

This was a photo of my dinner from Lava. It might not looks so appealing because I'm not very good at taking food photos but you get an idea of just how small the lobsters are. I could eat those lobsters everyday. Seriously, everyday. But the rest of meal was just good but not outstanding. I think TL and I are slightly spoiled with all the amazing places to eat in DC and Old Town. So although the dinner didn't blow us away, they were really good. Dessert, different story. The dessert that night was typical of all Icelandic dessert we experienced, not so good. Such a bummer to not find really good dessert in Iceland. But their candy bars, especially the Nizza with the candy chocolates in the chocolate, are freaking awesome. If you ever see a Nizza candy bar, buy it. 

Night Four - Never Ever Saw the Stars So Bright In the Farmhouse Things Will be Alright

Night Four
Grindavík, the Northern Light Inn
November 26, 2008

Why Iceland?
Okay, many have asked the question, "Why Iceland?" So here is the answer:
We started thinking about a trip to Iceland about three years ago after we saw an ad in the Washington Post Express promoting cheap flights from BWI to Reykjavík. Iceland really wasn't in our radar as a future travel destination but we started doing some minimal research and discovered several appealing things about Iceland.

1. Iceland is only a five hour flight from BWI or JFK - not much different then a flight to LA or Vegas.
2. Northern lights are common in Iceland outside of the major cities between Nov - March. Iceland is directly below the strongest concentration of the Aurora Borealis annulus – The Green Belt – an oval of cosmic light that circles the earth off axis.
3. Compared to mainland Europe, Iceland is less touristy.
4. The Blue Lagoon.

And from there our obsession grew. The only problem, Iceland was also one of the most expensive countries in the world to visit. Basically the US dollar did not get you far. One beer = 10 USD. For that reason we put the Iceland trip on hold waiting to safe lots of money. But of course we spent our money on other things and the Iceland trip seemed just a passing thought. But I had this annoying, nagging obsession to see the Northern Lights. So jump forward to August 2008 and I'm sitting outside having a few drinks with a very close friend and she said, "Hey idiot, why haven't you and Lance gone to Iceland like you want.  It isn't like you have kids to worry about. Don't your really want to go to Iceland?" And you know what, she was right. I really did want to go to Iceland and why the hell didn't we go? So that week I started looking for flights, hotels and bam... we were going to Iceland.

Not surprisingly, I was pretty focused on planning a trip that allowed us the best opportunity to see the Northern Lights, which is why we chose Thanksgiving weekend. Now we needed a location away from the city lights and google searching our options I found the Northern Light Inn - a small inn located close to the middle of nowhere of Iceland and a mile from the Blue Lagoon. It was the perfect focal point for the trip and everything else just started to fall into place. We especially got a big break when the Icelandic krona took a huge hit and plummeted virtually overnight. (And I don't want to sound like we were happy for our luck based on Iceland's HUGE economic crisis. It was a break on our pocketbook but I'm sorry to the Icelandic people that they are in such devastation right now. It's real bad.) 

Right Place, Right Time
Like I said before, seeing the Northern Lights takes a little planning and a lot of luck. We placed ourselves in the right location by staying a couple of nights at the Northern Light Inn and we planned our trip in late November during a peak time for the lights. We were also not competing with a full moon and the weather report called for clear skies toward the end of that week, pretty much the perfect setting for Lights.

Luck
Wednesday night we ate dinner at the inn's panoramic restaurant where they had a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance. The whole dinner we kept asking each other, "Do you think we will see anything tonight?" After dinner we walked outside a few times noticing every single clear patch or break in the clouds. Just a few minutes past nine the sky cleared and we could see our first glimpse of green squiggly, dancing light. We rushed to put on layers and layers of clothes and ran outside to see what else was in the sky.

Okay, here is the hard part, describing the lights. Because first off they are like nothing I've seen. They started off very small and then suddenly a large green rainbow like line was going over our head. That line would move and small green waves would dance far off in the north then suddenly green would stretch across the sky for a second. All this carried on for about an hour and then it stopped. Most people outside with us watching the sky packed up their cameras and tripods and went in to warm up by the fire. At that point, probably 11:15 or so, TL and I were the only ones actually outside. He didn't want to go in because he saw something "suspicious" off to the north and thought more were to come. He was right. Directly in the spot he called, light started growing and taking shape and covering the north and it looked like small green flames were emerging out of the green band of light and then suddenly the light started getting more vivid and twirling. It created an S shaped funnel until it looked like the "Hatch" (a building up on the hill and to our north - named by the UK couple we met - it is a reference from Lost) was about to get sucked up into another dimension and then, in less then a minute, and it was gone and back to a light green glowing sky of lights. No, we weren't high and we weren't tripping. It was freaking crazy, celestial. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Once the sky went back to a little more normalcy we couldn't talk ourselves into going inside. We just wanted to see more - to chase that dragon.

We had no way of getting any pictures of that nights sky. You have to have a major high dollar camera, tripod and experience - but we met a very nice couple from the UK and they were kind enough to send us a picture they captured on Friday, after we had already left Iceland. The lights that night were not as bright as what we saw on Wednesday but you can see in the picture the shade of green that was lighting up the sky and you can see the "Hatch" building in the background. Wednesday night it looked like the "Hatch" would be sucked up from Earth and the green was much more vivid then what you see in the pic.

If you hadn't guessed it, I was pretty damn happy to see the Lights, especially while wearing my awesome "Northern Lights" mittens that BFF made me. I'm pretty sure the mittens brought me the needed luck to get such a clear night in Iceland to see the lights. And you know, that night felt about as surreal as the night BFF, my dear M and I found a full living room set-up and arranged in the KD apartment parking lot. The crazy green lights in the sky reminded me of that strange night in college - a dreamlike feeling in a truly bizarre moment...I couldn't help but think how much they would both love the lights I was seeing in Iceland.

Awww, the Northern Light Inn. We love this place. Cozy, clean and new. Helpful, nice staff always ready to shuttle you where you needed or wanted to be. Great restaurant and the views were amazing. But most importantly, the view was perfect for the lights. I feel like the luckiest girl that got to see the Northern Lights on her first try. But again, I did have the mittens and that worked in my favor. And guess what... I now, no longer can say, "I never ever saw the Northern Lights."

Day Three and Day Four - I Keep Calm Admiring Your Lava I Keep Calm

Day Three and Day Four
Reykjavík - Hafnarfjörður - Grindavík
November 25, 2008

Museum Day
Tuesday was the day we were suppose to travel to Akureyri and spend an evening in the bitter cold of North Iceland but the weather wasn't going to cooperate and our 10:30 domestic flight was canceled. We were a little bummed at first but once we realized that we would get a full refund on both our plane tickets and our hotel in Akureyri we were ready to make plans for one more day in Reykjavík. The airport in itself was entertaining. Very small. It reminded me of the airport in the early 90s sitcom Wings but the building looked a lot like the Ballston Center of MU (but only a couple of stories tall).

Finding a place to stay another night in Reykjavík was easy and we got a room right in the middle of city center at Hotel Klopp. Klopp was very accommodating and even allowed us to check-in at 10 am, which we were grateful for but not surprised. That is the thing with Iceland, everyone is laid back and easy going and everything just seems like no big deal. I guess the weather keeps the Icelandic people flexible. The weather changes by the minute, no matter the season, so a plan is never a guarantee. Speaking of weather, Tuesday was definitely a cold, wet, windy Icelandic day. Brrrrrr.

Not a lot to do outside on day like that so Tuesday became a museum day. TL loved museum day, especially the Sagamuseum in the Perlan. I'm not quite into the viking scene as much as TL but the Sagamuseum was pretty impressive. It is made up of 17 exhibits that highlight sagas in Icelandic history by using plaster figures. They were very life like and one statue was moving and I really thought it was a person at first. Here are three of the scenes depicted.

After Saga we took a long, very long, walk to city center to regroup and figure out a game plan for the day. We decided to finish up touring the cities' museums and hit both the art museum and the National Museum of Iceland. Oh it was so cold that day walking along the pond with the wind whipping through my three layers of clothing. Not going to lie, I wasn't so tough and was ready to throw in the towel and forget sightseeing but some chocolate cake at the National Museum helped and the tears were short lived. 

Reykjavík Pubs
So not knowing what to do with our unplanned night in Reykjavík we decided to grab a pizza and bring it back to the hotel so we could save a little money on our dinner expenses. Reykjavík isn't known for its pizza so it was as good as to be expected. After our short food break we hit the town yet again but this time for pub fun. We started off at Cafe Oliver (where we went on day one) and watched some Icelandic Karaoke. Or at least I just watched. After several Gull's (popular Icelandic beer) TL provided some good ol' American humor as he karaoked to Tenacious D's "Tribute". Being the ham he is, TL gave the locals a laugh. But unlike the karaoke I've seen in the US, there wasn't a machine or a computer teleprompter - it was just a guy playing a guitar, two mics and a stand for the sheet music. Very cool. The guitar player looked like a blonde Christian from Project Runway. Fierce!

After TL satisfied his "I need attention needs" on stage, we headed to a quint Irish Pub where we enjoyed conservation with some locals and the bartender. Our bartender had not heard of Budweiser or Miller Lite. Crazy, but I like that fact that Iceland hasn't experienced an American invasion. Yeah, they know Coca Cola, KFC and McDonald's but that is really about it. No Walmart. Isn't that a beautiful thing? 

Day Four
Icelandic Horse Riding
We rode Icelandic horses through lava fields on Wednesday. The excursion bus picked up at our hotel before 9 am and drove us to the horse ranch outside of Reykjavík near the town of Hafnarfjörður. As soon as we got to the ranch we were picking out our safety hats and bundling up in our winter gear and loading up on our horses. Icelandic horses are different from horses in America in the fact that they are much smaller. But they are sturdy and stout and very gentle. They don't kick and you can even walk behind one with no worries of getting kicked. 

My horse, Kubbur, was a very short and stout guy and his name in Icelandic was the same as what they call the bottom fat pieces of Lego sets. He was a good horse.

 

TL on the other hand got the craziest horse in the lot. That is what you get when you tell the guides that you are an experienced horse rider. Ditta was a wild hair and had her own agenda. TL had to hold tight to her reins to keep her in line on the path. The trail took us two hours to ride and it wound around craggy old lava fields with miles of huge black lava rocks covered in lichen. The landscape was so unusual. Beautiful yet something creepy existed in its raw rustic setting.

Neither one of us had ridden a horse since we were kids. It was a ton of fun. We weren't sure if the horse ride would be worth the money, but it was well worth it. We loved it. What we didn't love was whatever TL was allergic too at the ranch. By the time we checked into the Northern Light Inn Grindavik,TL's eyeballs were swollen. Poor guy. Swollen eyeballs in a foreign country would only happen to TL.

Surprises and/or Iceland Fact
No cleaning ingredients are added to Icelandic tap water. If want, you can just grab a handful of water straight from a stream and it is safe to drink. In my opinion, you could taste the difference and the water really tasted better in Iceland.

Day Two Iceland - Something is Painted in the Snow That You'd Like

Day Two
Reykjavik - Golden Circle - Reykjavik
November 24, 2008

Skifan
So we had big plans of getting up early and starting our day with a big breakfast at the hotel but it isn't so easy to get up when the sun doesn't even rise before 10 am. We did finally get up by 9 or so and that is when I discovered that TL cannot function with music videos on TV. TL and I both like to have music in our background pretty much at all times so one of the first things we did when got into our hotel on Sunday was plug in the iPod player using our little iPod speakers and our handy European AC adapter. But, we used the wrong AC adapter and fried the iPod plug in, blew a hotel fuse thus leaving us with no music in the room and looking like dumb American tourists thanks to our rather dumb error. Luckily our music withdraw was saved with one of the four available TV channels, Skifan. Skifan is what MTV use to be... it plays videos! I never knew that music videos mesmerized TL so much. Put that kid in front of a music video and he can't do anything else, like getting ready to go out for day. But thanks to Skifan we were introduced to one of Iceland's favorite pop star Páll Óskar, or shall I say gayest pop star? Check out this video that was played constantly on Skifan - "Sama Hvar Þú Ert". I don't think our trip would have been quite the same without our daily dose of Skifan. 

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
I did finally pull TL away from the great Páll and we headed out to buy some Icelandic wool, some hats and a world famous Icelandic hot dog - Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is a famous hot dog stand in downtown Reykjavik. Bill Clinton ate one a few weeks before his heart attack and they say no trip to Iceland is complete without one. We were told to order it "ein með öllu" which means with all the works but we chickened out. Since I hate raw onions it wasn't an option for me so I just got mustard and the sweet relish, I'm not sure what was TL's excuse. As far as hot dogs go, I have had better but we can at least say we gave it a try and uh, let's hope we don't suffer the same fate as my man Bill.

 

GOLDEN CIRCLE
When visiting Iceland you absolutely have to go on a tour of the Golden Circle. This is what Iceland is all about, nature like I'd never seen. We did the express tour but our tour guide was nice enough to expand the trip so we go to see three breathtaking sights - Þingvellir National Park, Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall. No need to describe too much about these, I think the pictures tell the story fine on their own.

Þingvellir National Park
This is the original site of the oldest existing parliament in the world. The Great Atlantic rift is clearly visible so geographically speaking, at the park you have North America to your West and Europe to your East.

 

 

Geysirs
Geysir is the oldest known geyser in the world and when it goes off it can go up to 60 meters. We weren't lucky enough to see Geysir erupt but we did witness Strokkur's eruption a couple of times and it surprised me every time causing a shout of "Oh shit" a few times. All around Geysir were smaller geysers and hot pockets of boiling water. According to our tour guide if you fell into a hot pocket you would boil alive in less then three minutes.

 

 

 

Gullfoss
Gullsfoss waterfall is by far one of the most awesome things I have seen in life. I found it amazing how close we were allowed to climb around the waterfall with barely any barriers. Although you can't see it in the pictures, in the far off horizon is a glacier called Langjokull. 

 

 

 

An Icelandic Dinner
What better way to follow up a day of exploring the natural wonders of Iceland then with an authentic Icelandic dinner in Reykjavik. But finding a place to eat dinner took us forever. The trouble, we had reached that point of tired/hungry mixed with jet-lag and we were very indecisive on where to eat so it felt like forever until we finally saw the perfect menu. The Hereford's Steakhouse menu caught our eye with their featured dinner special of whale and potatoes. TL thought that sounded intriguing and I was happy to see Icelandic lobster on the menu. At least TL can now say he's tried whale, but I don't think he was all that impressed. He ordered it med rare but it was still a little dry and tasted like liver. I think that was his first and final attempt at eating whale. I however was the big dinner winner with my order of lobster tails. The lobster in Iceland is different then a Maine lobster. The tail is quite a bit smaller and it tastes more like shrimp and crayfish rather then a traditional lobster. And since shrimp and crayfish are my favorites, I was happy happy. I could actually eat them every night which is a problem since I don't think I'll have much success finding any here in the US. 

Surprises and/or Iceland Facts
Trees in Iceland do not grow tall at all. If you find yourself lost in an Icelandic forest, stand up and you will find your way.

Day One Iceland -- Holding Hands The Whole World a Blur

Day One
Reykjavik
November 23, 2008

We arrived at the Keflavík airport early at 6 am Sunday morning and took a FlyBus directly to our hotel in Reykjavik, CenterHotel Arnarhvoll. The room was small but very modern and functional. A great flat screen TV but a bit of waste since their satellite reception only got four channels: CNN World, BBC News, a channel that I would describe as the C-Span of Great Britain and Skifan (which was great fun and I will elaborate on later). The bed was super cozy and made up with two separate down blanket and we took the invitation to jump in and get some much needed sleep since in our minds it was then 3 am EST. And darn it, the beds were so damn comfortable we slept much longer then our planned hour nap but we were out the door exploring Reykjavik by 1 pm.

Our hotel was located just a block from the City Center and the "Main Shopping Street" Laugavegur. Laugavegur reminded us of King Street in Old Town Alexandria - lined with small boutiques, a ton of restaurants and bars and a few tourist information stops and gift stores. But much unlike King street and little more Bourbon Street, mixed in were a handful of strip bars and a couple of slot machine casinos. But oddly, these places didn't degrade the area or make it trashy. We were also just a few blocks from the water and the shipping port, which we had a great view of from the Panorama restaurant on the top level of the hotel.

 

Walking the fairly quite streets (it was Sunday and rumor has it that most of Reykjavik is hungover and staying home on Sunday) we noticed that the majority of Icelandic ad designs, which were very good, were heavily photo driven. Very little text but instead big, bold, beautiful photos. They even created a photo mosaic of toddler photos and we are still not sure if it was functional and hiding construction or if it was created just to view - but it was my favorite corner to walk by in Reykjavik. Most of the babies looked like blond little Hill babies. Pretty sure I saw several that looked like a baby Z or a baby Shel.

 

Not wanting to miss any of the famous Reykjavik sites, we wandered our way to Reykjavik's biggest landmark - Hallgrímskirkja Church. Hallgrimskirkja is located in the center of Reykjavik and the view surrounding the structure is unbelievable - mountains, ocean and city all in sight. But sadly and much to TL's disappointment, the majority of the huge art-deco structure was covered in scaffolding so we couldn't take a trip to its top observation deck. But at least we got to see the statue of Leifur Eriksson outside the church.

 

 

Cold, with tired feet, we headed inside for some warmth and food. We ate Tapas at a place called Cafe Oliver on Laugavegur St. While working on getting our core heat back up with a few beers, we looked at a local guide for events going on in the city for November. We discovered that the famous Icelandic band Sigur Rós was playing in Reykjavik that night and the bartenders said we could easily get tickets down the street at Skifan, a music store similar to our own Virgin Records. We bought two floor tickets for less then $20 a piece and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the big show.

Okay, so I will admit it - Sigur Rós was not in my iPod, nor was I all that familiar with their music. I had heard them once or twice, I knew they were Icelandic, that all their songs were sung in Icelandic and that people compared their music to that of Radiohead. I'm officially now a fan of Sigur Rós. What an amazing show. First off, the venue was small. The show was in a multi-functional gymnasium that held about 3,000 or so people, not nearly the size of even old Gallagher Iba Arena. So I was rather surprised by their impressive light show and special effects that included rain pouring down in front of the stage and then later snow.

And talk about great people watching, so many beautiful people. Beautiful, but trying hard not to be so pretty. Funky hair and a sort of grungy euro-trash mix of fashions. Very European and very hip. And watching the Icelandic people react to their favorite native sons was one of the highlights of my trip. It was absolutely fascinating. First off, Iceland's total population is less then 300,000 which is smaller then Tulsa and Reykjavik is only 200,000. So you would think since everyone at the show basically lived, worked and went to school in Reykjavik they would pretty much all know each other. It isn't like a ton of people are moving in and out of the country. But it didn't feel like we were in a small inside the show. Instead it felt like a small venue inside a large city like NYC or even DC. No one really seemed to know any one other then the small group they were with and everyone kept very much to themselves. We later discovered that this is the Iceland way. Icelanders like to give each other their space. This isn't to say they are not friendly, but they don't tend to socialize much outside of their immediate circle which in turn keeps the country from seeming quite so small. A little bit of knowledge I learned watching the fascinating documentary by Sigur Rós, Heima.

So the show was a perfect end to our first day in Iceland - where we got to see a huge majority of the capital city, eat some good food and take part in a true Icelandic experience by watching an amazing band play to their home crowd.

Surprises and/or Iceland Fact
TL was rather shocked to see a girl at the sink in the "water closet" then realizing it was a unisex bathroom.

I'm Walking on Sunshine, Woooah, and Don't it Feel Good

So is it just me or have you noticed too? I think we woke up to a new America on 11/5 and I keep waiting for this blissful feeling to fade, but it hasn't yet. At any moment, while I'm walking down the street, I'm expecting traffic cops to blow their whistles, wave their arms in joy as the pedestrians and drivers stop right their tracks and start dancing in sync while singing Broadway musical style. Handsome men will dance and jump from one car hood to another while looking down at the beautiful women turning gracefully in circles around the stopped traffic. Can you picture it? It is very 1950s style musical but the clothes are pure 80/08... leggings, bright over-sized sweaters, you can picture it now? They are singing Katrina and the Waves' "I'm Walking on Sunshine".

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it does feel like this country is already in a better state of mind since the election was final. In the past week, I have traveled up through MD, DE, NJ and NY and everyone I've encountered seems to have a little extra kick in their step. They hold the door open for you. They are more patient in the coffee line. I spent a few days in Western PA and noticed it there too. People just seem happier. As if the country and its people found its happy place and can see a bright future on the horizon after suffering from years under a hateful and corrupt administration. Seriously, people have been so much nicer since the Obama election, toll booth attendants on the Jersey Turnpike smiling and asking about your day. The stack of cars behind you not blasting on the horn because it is taking longer for cars to pass through the toll booth gates. Random folks stopping to say Hi and How are you? It feels like a time warp or another dimension, but it is freaking awesome. 

1/20/09. It is going to be a great day. I will be walking on sunshine with millions of others who are gathered in DC (including my awesome neice/friend and her awesome BFF roomie/friend) and maybe, just maybe, we will bust out a musical number on K Street.

Fired Up, Ready to Go! Fired Up, Ready to Go! Fired Up, Ready to Go!

Finally, November 4, 2009 is here. First off, I voted today at 6:15 am. Got in line at 5:45 and didn't have to wait too long in line, where I was about 60 back when the doors opened promptly at six. I choose a paper ballot over the computer ballot and I'm proud to say that today I voted for Barak Obama. I say, the GOP is out and the Dems are back in! Obama will win and win big! 

Yes, I realize it isn't over but the finish line seems so very close in view with the McCalin team so far behind and basically out of the race. I mean hell, Obama is now a contender in Arizona. Arizona, how is that even possible? I will tell you how, the man is amazing and has managed to inspire a nation in a time where inspiration is desperately needed. We need both inspiration and hope. Last night I got to witness that inspiration. That hope. Along with 85 thousand people, TL and I attended Obama's final rally of the campaign in Manassas, VA. On a school night, 85 thousand trekked to Manassas, sat in their cars for hours slowly inching to the fairground parking lots and then stood for hours in a field, all for a chance to hear a message of hope from our future president... what a night. What a night. Looking around the gigantic fair grounds area you could see people of all colors, ages, races and sexual orientations. A field of democrats, independents and republicans ready to vote and change the course of history in America. The energy in the air. The love in the air. The excitement in the air. I can see why Obama is compared to a rock star. He was a rock star last night. And what is wrong with having a president that has rock star qualities? NOTHING. I say bring it on. It is time for America to have a president that can inspire, bring change and help unite this nation that currently faces so much turmoil thanks to the irresponsible ways of the Bush administration. But those days are over soon.

I left those fairgrounds late last night inspired by his message of hope and ready, ready to get out there and make his presidency a reality. Take a look/listen to Obamas final section of his final rally speech of his 2008 campaign. If this doesn't get you motivated to get out there and help Obama win, then I don't know what will. -- Obama in Manassas 11/3/2008. Fired up, ready to go!

You know what, I think we got this. I don't think there is anything the GOP can do to keep this win from us. The support I'm seeing for Obama in Northern VA is mind blowing. I've spent several hours so far today on the corner of a major intersection in Arlington waving my Obama sign and the honks and screams we are getting, the cheers and shouts for Obama. People putting their head out the window to shout Obama. Or pumping their fist out the window to show their support. Others pulling up their "I Voted" sticker to show us, proud to have cast their vote of Obama. So much honking that the police is getting call after call complaining about the noise but the police say they can't do anything to control peoples excitement. Wow. What a day! I'd say nine out of ten cars are showing some love for my boy. Nine out of ten. Very very few thumbs down. Very very few boos. Such positive response out there. So many people ready for a change, not scared to put their trust in a man that is ready to take on the task of moving America back into a path of greatness.

So the day is finally here, today we make history and elect Barak Obama as President of the United States of America. And I do think, without a doubt, a win is going to happen early tomorrow morning. Today I'm living in the oh so red state of Virginia, a state with a huge republican history, but come tomorrow morning I think it will be a state of blue. And a blue Virginia will give Obama the needed electoral votes to win. Early morning tomorrow....Obama wins! I bet they call it by 12:30 am -- The 44th President of the United States of America is Barak Obama.

FIRED UP, READY TO GO! FIRED UP, READY TO GO! FIRED UP, READY TO GO.
GO OBAMA. GO DEMS. GO OBAMA. GO DEMS. WHOOOOOO--HOOOOOO!

We Could Hide Away in My Little Corner of the World

Let me introduce you to Woodstock, VT. I don't know if it qualifies as pro-America (I didn't see any gun shops) and I don't know if Mrs. Palin would classify it as real-America (it looked fairly artsy) but I call it my dream-America, aka my own Stars Hollow. I loved Woodstock right when pulled into town. Or actually right before we pulled into town and stopped off at the Woodstock Farmer's Market, The moment I stepped out of the van I knew I had found dream-America. The farmers market was about the size of a Quik Trip/Wawa and fully stocked with only fresh, organic local foods. Meats, syrups, fruits, veggies, seafoods, artesianal cheeses, sweets, breads - oh the place was beautiful. But the meat really caught my eye. Especially the bright red and white marbled steak with a tag reading North Hollow Farm, Rochester, VT. Vermont raised beef. Yummy! A vegetarian I am not. But actually, all the food was beautiful, I think it shines brighter since it isn't tainted by the Corporate Man. So I played a little game in my head as I walked around the store, I planned my perfect meal. My if-I-could-really-shop-for-dinner-today-and-bring-it-home-to-cook-now dream-meal. Here is what I came up with: first off, the steak strips, then some long leaf salad greens, one Brianna's Blue Cheese dressing, fresh bacon, local blue cheese block, a couple winter squashes (for a soup) and a few potatoes. Oh and a couple of tomatoes for the salad, some fresh bread and four cookies from the bakery. Ahhhh, dream-meal in dream-America. 

After the Market, we drove a couple miles into the downtown Woodstock. And it was so much like Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girl's reference - Google it if you aren't familiar). Streets lined with all LOCAL businesses. Yarn shop, bookstores, clothing boutiques, bait shop, deli, butcher shop, restaurant, drug store, art museum...everything you could possibly need is all right there in the center of town. Just in case you needed to know anything of importance, a big chalk board told the upcoming town events. And I kid you not, the PTA was selling lunch for a fund raiser under a big white tent in the town center lawn - homemade chili, soup, baked goods, caramel apples, hot dogs and more. Damn good chili, I might add. What a perfect day... sitting on a park bench eating hot corn chowder, chili and a brownie while people watching and dog watching. Did I mention that it was a very dog friendly town? Everyone had a dog and dogs in shops was okay too.

And if all that isn't enough, the town has three covered bridges. I tell you, it is dream-America. Beautiful babbling brooks running through town, covered bridges crossing over the water, hills, trees, mountains... the place is pretty much great. Actually it is better then great, skiing is close by, so it is perfect.

But I don't know if I should really be sharing this information with anyone. Woodstock is small, only 2000 in population. A place not yet tarnished by corporate America. A town still strong enough to say no to Wal-Mart, Starbucks and McDonald's and thriving with their own local stores. But I don't think it is the sort of place that just everyone should get to know about so it doesn't lose its quaintness and charm, visit and you will see what I mean. I know I can't wait to go back again with TL and Ari, maybe spend a week in the summer in a cabin with a kitchen, fixing fresh organic meals and reading books outside on a green lawn. Finally, I found my very own Stars Hollow, a place to hide away in my little corner of the world.