LAST FULL DAY BEFORE RETURNING TO MY FAVORITE CITY

Can I trade in?

Wednesday in Reykjavik

   

I slept a good 10 hours , woke , showered, shaved and booked my tour on the Internet then ran out the door around 11:30 but just as I reached the downtown area and the departure point...I had pains in my legs!  Why?  Then I remembered I forgot my Meds...I "shuffled" back, took the Meds and "shuffled" into the Greyline Tour office at Noon.  Ticket was issued along with recommendation for Breakfast across the street. 

 
         I entered the Jordundur, a very nice pleasant small restaurant with candles lit in the window and the chef greeted me.  I told him I had hoped to get breakfast if it wasn't too late.  He inquired as to where I was from and when I said Arizona,  he replied he could prepare some bacon and eggs if I liked.  Great, I haven't had them since I left.  How do you want them.  Anyway you care to prepare them.  NO I asked , how do YOU want them...OK never argue with a Chef..Over light would be fine.

     He returned with the frying pan on a platter with Bacon and Eggs over light, Tomatoes, Country Fried Potatoes and fresh sliced marinated Cucumbers.  The waitress gave me OJ with Coffee and a small loaf of fresh bread with butter.  I was in Heaven.  Ate all, thanked all and ran back in time to book my ride to the airport the next day and board my Tour bus to see some of Iceland.

     The bus had already stopped by the different hotels and picked up others so my seating was limited but managed a window seat.  It was a bus built for short legged people!  A gentleman joined me and we were off.  After the first stop, I re boarded the bus and another man joined me explaining he was sitting with the girlfriend of the gentleman that had sat next to me and they arranged to swap places so they could be together.  His name was Noel Broderick, 47 years of age, another construction engineer, from Galway Bay in Ireland and was living in London on vacation in Iceland.  We hit it off.  

      It was an hour's drive to our first stop.  The trip went by dairy, sheep and horse farms and through lava fields covered in moss.  You could see crevices where the earth had moved and split open and an occasional rainbow in the mist.  

     When we arrived our guide explained there is a Riff that runs through Iceland where two Continental plates separate and are drifting apart.  The North American and the Euro Asian plates are gradually moving apart and expanding the Riff Valley.  Trust me..I may not have explained this well or accurately.  

     We then moved on to the Geyser...well a bunch of them.  They vent steam from below the earth's surface and appear to be all around Iceland...along with 160 volcanoes.  That was a short fun stop.

      The last stop was Gossfalls?  Something like that.  The weather had quickly changed to COLD and WINDY.  We had to walk down to see both the upper and lower falls.  Those that had rain gear ventured closer to the mist....I peeked and returned as quick as possible.  It was very impressive.  Take it from someone who grew up visiting Niagara Falls almost every year.

Time to Go

      When we returned that evening Noel suggested we get a bite to eat...famous Hot Dogs...and a Pint or two at the local Pub or Pubs.

 We hit the Dubliner for a couple Pints then moved on to the English Pub where a shot of Black Death, Iceland's Snapps left me motionless on the bar stool.

 

Then along came Siggy an Icelander that explained how the IPA beer was made by smoking the barley in Peat Moss.  Of course I had to have a pint...not so good...so now I had to have another IPA that wasn't smoked in Peat Moss to wash out the taste of the first.  When the clock started toward the Midnight hour and my Mexican bartender and I finished our life stories

Only Mexican in Iceland..from Guatanato

...I bid Noel goodbye and took a taxi back to an empty house.  I loaded my photos on the Internet and finally retired around 2 am after packing for the trip to Amsterdam on 9/11..Thursday...today.

Myself and Noel from Galway