Arrived, Jeep waiting for me. Did all running around to get it out of VPC (insurance, registration, etc). Hooked up phone, got room squared away, met some coworkers, set up HHG delivery,
20 Feb (1st Sunday): Drove to Urriðafoss falls; one house “village”; dog in village.
26 Feb (Sat): Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið); drive through Kef and to lighthouses/church (Garðskagi, Ásgarður & Stafnes/Hvalsneskirkja)
27 Feb (Sun): Glymur Falls hike; kitten in engine; Akranes for pizza dinner. Tunnel back (1000 isk)
3 Mar (Thurs): Tour to Reykjavík with Einar; Grimshallkirkja / President’s House / Walking Mall / Kringla Mall
4 Mar (Fri): Band at the Privateer Pub (Missing Stateside)
5 Mar (Sat): Tour of Reykjavík (solo); going away dinner for Disa; night shots (Einar Jonsson museum); movie – Constantine.
6 Mar (Sun): Hike up Mt. Keiler; Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið)
7 Mar (Mon): Started Icelandic Class
10 Mar (Thurs): Checked out the Northern Lights (Hafnir)
11 Mar (Fri): Going Away at TGIFs; Icelandic Idol; Pub (Reykjavík)
12 Mar (Sat): Rode Icelandic Horse (Grindavík) Windy! Cold… One guy fell off horse.
13 Mar (Sun): Golden Circle Tour: Þingvellir; Geiser; Gullfoss; Crater.
16 Mar (Wed): SAV: Dinner in Kef at Kaffi Duus.
17 Mar (Thur): SAV; New Job at Windbreaker; Sudha’s visit; Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið) (hail/wind storm); SOHO; Reykjavík
18 Mar (Fri): Mediathon (telephone answerer); Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders; John Pauper harmonicas.
19 Mar (Sat): First day at work (Windbreaker) – trip to Akureyri: Youth Hostel, Tour of town, Dinner at Italian restaurant (South African wine; pasta; cheesecake), movie: The Ring Two, brewski at Sports Bar. Stupid jokes before sleep (“ya know when you try to hint that the conversation is over, but the other person just doesn’t get it?”) Jennifer Wilder. “Yeah, I do!”
20 Mar (Sun): Check out of Hostel; Bakery; Goðafoss falls; Lake Myvatn; Sludge Pools; lunch back in Akureyri; roadtrip home.
24 Mar (Thu): Tour guide for local site seeing (very windy and raining); bridge across the continental plates (Europe/North America); lighthouse; crashing waves; Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið) (dinner); hatchroof houses
25 Mar (Fri): 3-Day Weekend with Paul Erickson; Höfn; near Skógafoss waterfalls; fog; rain; Easter holiday closures; Youth Hostel; Polish girls; hotel for pizza and beer – beer was really good; well, so was the pizza.
26 Mar (Sat): Early return; Vík; gas; Jökulsárlón icebergs; Skaftafell; Seljalandsfoss? (walk behind the falls); Laufskálavarða rocks; Dinner (hotdog/icecream) [“Best subs in town!”] at Hveragerði
1 Apr (Fri): April Fools! Sent message around about COLA going down – many people pissed off. Privateer’s Pub / Paddy’s: fat chick on the floor and all over everyone / dance club next door; 4 glasses!
3 Apr (Sun): Tour driver for Golden Circle: Þingvellir; Geiser; Gullfoss; Icelandic version of Stone Henge. Tried out the refilling of the gas cans at NAS Keflavík’s beach. Sunset shots.
7 Apr (Thur): Hike up Grindavík mountain for PT
8 Apr (Fri): Reykjavík with Paul: found port of car ferry; cemetary; geothermal beach. Down to Keflavík town: Olsen Olsen; washed car; photos of anchors. Privateers Pub – finally has Guinness again!
9 Apr (Sat): Tour guide for ATV 4-wheelin’ trip. Near Borgarnes – through mud, rivers, snow, fields, more. 2 hours. High winds pelting rain/sleet in our faces. Fell asleep around 7; woke up by phone 10PM – thought it was the next day, and that I was late!
10 Apr (Sun): Glymur hike tour guide; 3 people showed up. 1 1/2 hours to top. Kept loosing trail; Cross or don’t Cross?; Hard Rock in Reykjavík on return.
16/17 Apr (Sat/Sun): Snæfellsnes Weekend. Guide to the peninsula. Flat Tire. Rain/Wind gusts to 70mph. Stykkishólmur; Grundurfjörður; Ólifsvík pizza; Free Glasses. Lighthouse. Hellnar; Arnastapi; Búðir Hotel (wedding)
23 Apr (Sat): Keflavík Harbor – took group out for boating trip; half the folks per van trip; cleaned car; talked with Icelandics, Iceland’s Olympic Swimteam coach; Out to the Garðsskagi lighthouse, and Sandvík church; back to Keflavík for night shots
24 Apr (Sun): Tour Guide for South Shore Trip – Seljalandsfoss; Skógafoss; Dyrhólaey arch, Reynisfjall and beach; Vík; Reynir Caves and Water Trolls; Hveragerði (Ice Cream) Downpour/Sunshine=Horses;
25-28 Apr (Mon-Thur): Star Service class
28 Apr (Thur): Reykjanesviti lighthouse and coast
6 May (Fri): Concert in Reykjavík – Fílharmónískt Rokkkvöld (Philharmonic Rock Concert) Symphony playing: Deep Purple (Women from Toyko; Smoke on the Water; Fireball); Pink Floyd (Echoes; Eclipse; Brain Damage; Shine on your crazy diamonds); Queen (Who wants to live forever; ); Page/Plant; Beethoven; Mussorgskij. Hot singers from Czech Republic. The conductor wore a suit jacket with long back tails, but also wore blue jeans.
7 May (Sat): My first weekend off – free to do what I want. The ATV trip I was suppose to guide was cancelled (folks dropped out last minute), so I took the day by myself to go up to Húsafell, where, situated not far west, are some magical falls, Hraunfosser, that were created by underground lava streams and burst out from side of a hill into a river. Further up the river Hrítí is the Barnafoss falls (Children’s Waterfall), named for the fateful event that took 2 kids’ lives. Hotel Reykholt with Norse religion artifacts, such as old scripture from Snorri’s Sagas; descriptions of ancient runes; even Thor comic books, Norse stamps and an old calendar. Also saw the hotspring of Snorri; with tunnel leading to his house.
It used to be that the year started with March (Spring) and ended with Winter (February). Notice that October starts with “Octo” meaning 8, November “Nove” meaning 9 and December “Dece” meaning 10. September “Sept” meaning 7. These were all pre-Catholic calendar months that are still used today, but are resequenced.
8 May (Sun): South roads on Reykjasbaer (Church: Krisuvikurkirkja)
13 May (Fri): “A Greek, an Italian and a Belgian walk into a bar, and the bartender says, ‘What? Is this a joke?'” Actually, this is really how the weekend started – I met Stefano, Lucio and Georgios at the bar on base; these guys were out here on a training mission for NATO, and one of my friends introduce me to them. We talked throughout the night while having some beers, and I offered to take them out to see some of the local sites the next day. We didn’t leave out of the pub until around 2AM, but we were all ready to roll the next morning at 9AM.
14 May (Sat): We met up at Wendy’s, where next door the rental car agency was located. Soon the four of us were on the road. I took them out to see Geysir and Gullfoss, and to Reykjavík to see downtown. Georgios really enjoyed the people watching, as is evident from his photos. We met the president of Iceland, and went to several Art Festival events in town. We had some great discussions about the differences in all our cultures. We ended the daytime trip with a visit to Hard Rock Cafe, per request from Lucio. After a full belly and a brewski chaser, we rolled back to the base for a quick recharge before the evening festivities.
A wise man told me, “when a person reaches a certain age – not a specific age, but an appropriate age – when he has lived alone for too long, he reaches a point of no return. If you become used to not sharing your life with someone else, you will find it extremely difficult to learn to share again. Yes, you will find love at first, but without sharing, the relationship will not last.” So where does that leave me? I’ve been alone for 31 years. Aside from a few friends, roommates, and of course, my family, I’ve never really shared my life with anyone else. Have I reached that point long ago? That point of no return? Does that further put things into perspective? Have I been looking at life the wrong way? By deciding not to act on a relationship so as not to get into one, thus allowing me to enjoy my military time by traveling and see new places, and meeting new people; has that cinched the addage above? Time will tell. I know that here I will not make a change, but there’s still Germany, and at whatever point retirement takes hold. Will that be too late?
One thing that I’ve noticed at this assignment over all others is that the allure of being somewhere new, somewhere not many people have ever been, the feeling is not the same. Not the same as Korea or England, not the same feeling of a place that can be home, as in Italy. Even the normal excursions don’t have the same draw of excitement as they once held. So, what’s different here than anywhere else? Why is it that the thought of going to take photographs isn’t as appealing, and taking a weekend off to explore not so exotic? What am I missing here? Is it the act of sharing??? Did I already know this, that which the wise man told me, that being alone, in effect, is not natural? That we MUST share our experiences to truly be happy? If I were to die today, what would be remembered of me? Who would really cherish the memory of Daniel Rea? (That’s my selfish question of the day.) The answer really can only be that since I held no real ties to anyone, aside from the “yeah, that Dan was really a traveler; he wasn’t afraid to try somewhere new or explore,” was I really afraid deep down? Maybe not the act of moving, but more-so, the act of letting others into my life? Of not trying to do something difficult because it was “too hard”? Not taking real chances? That could be. No, in fact, it is… I can follow rules and do a damn good job at it. If it’s in black-and-white, I can make it happen. But what about all those “grey areas” in life? The things you cannot control by set rules? Hell, life is the absence of rules. Death and taxes, right?
Damn wisemen…
So, anyway, what a beautiful day it was today: the sun blaring enough to give my shiny head a sunburn, the winds calm enough to enjoy sitting in one place. Feeding the birds, doing some people-watching, having brunch in the outdoors of a small street-side café. I even photographed people’s feet strolling through the Walking Mall. I think I should make a collage of the shoe collection. Could be a best seller! Oh yeah, it’s Sunday, 15 May. After getting back from Reykjavík, I went to see the movie, “Hostage”. Damn, what a great movie.
27-30 May (Fri-Mon) (Memorial Day Weekend) – just a couple points of note. Went to Glacier Bay for the 4-day weekend, and stayed at a semi-completed Guesthouse. Went to Glacier Lagoon (Jökulsárlón, Svartifoss, Black Sands Beach near Vík. But the interesting points are: there was a gas station where no one attended it. A sign in the window said, “if no one is here, please come to the house for assistance.” Well, the house was inside a small farming area, with sheep, dogs, horses, etc, and, at first, we could not find who it was that would help us at the pumps. Since we were seriously low on fuel, this had to be our stop. Soon, and for no reason, out comes the lady who will help us (it appeared she had just finished sheering some sheep). She pumped the gas, while we entertained her dogs. Interesting…
Second note, the company providing Glacier Snowmobiling. We were told to check out this company who was located down a road off Highway 1, easily found by the big sign in front. Only 15 minutes from Glacier Lagoon. We drove and drove, and it seemed more like a half hour when we happened upon the alluded-to sign. Well, hte road referred to was an “F” road, meaning only four-wheel drive vehicles. The Windbreaker van was only 2-wheel drive, and had poor suspension. But, the office told us it was just up the road at the restaurant, so we took the challenge. But, shortly UP the BIG hill, we noticed that the dirt road was stretched across the mountain, with no restaurant in sight. So, we turned around, for fear of, oh I don’t, a flat tire or something, and returned to where we saw some lakes in the upper mountain near the dirt road. After a brief picture stop, we headed back down and went back the national park.
Third note, the accommodations. We did receive a warm welcome, but found that the lodging area was not yet complete. They were still putting up and constructing many areas of the house, but they were more than ready to rent out the rooms anyway. We loaded up the fridge in the kitchen with the few supplies we brought and chose our rooms. The next day, the owner asked if we could move our stuff from the kitchen, because he had another family coming in. Turns out that he gave the entire lower floor their privacy, for whatever reason, and we had to take up the kitchen in his house. Then we had to share THAT kitchen with yet another family. In fact, we were told at one point, that because the other family was in there, we couldn’t go in. So we were stuck without either kitchen for preparing our breakfast. Somehow that made perfect sense to Björn, but no one in our group appreciated it.
One thing I did like about the place was that it was on a farm. There were sheep running around, it was very quite, and early in morning, before the gang awoke, I could sit outside and listen to the stillness, and the occasional “baahing” of the sheep. Relaxing…
3 June… ya know, I think I just figured out why I’m just not feeling like I’m fitting in here in Iceland. Having spent so much time in Europe, I think I’ve lost that “this is an exotic place” feeling. There’s nothing that sparks the imagination here for me. I have a feeling it’ll be the same going to Germany. Maybe it’s time to find another adventure… Africa, South America, Australia, Middle East, more of Asia… ?
4 June – Went to check out the Fishermen’s Festival in Grindavík and Reykjavík. Not much to see…
5 June – South Shore Tour Guide. Saw puffins for the first time. Small creatures they are.
9 June – Botanical Gardens Tour. Yeah, flowers.
10-12 June – Camping trip with Joe to Snæfellsnes. Camped. Hiked from Arnarstapi to Hellnar; had cappucino at the infamous coffee house. Saw motorcycle BMX competion.
16 June – No Master stripe
17 June BDay and Iceland Independence Day. Joe was DD, and we celebrated in Reykjavík. Around 2AM, got lost on way to next bar; found Jeep, though. Slept in passenger seat with car running for heat. Joe found me.
18 Jun – drive thru Vogar – birds in the road.
19 Jun (Sun) – Viking Festival in Hafnirfjörður
25 Jun (Sun) – Caving expedition near Reykjavík with Jamie Guttadauro.
4th of July Weekend Akureyri – Camping.
See notes from trip and pictures for reminders PC1!
Dalvík, Olafsfjörður, one lane tunnel, museum of the 7 foot man, Dettifoss
Owl attacking smaller birds
Drunk man at 0900 in coffee bar, drinking more beer. “I am proud to be an American, an American, an American”
9 Jul – WB Snæfellsnes trip. Seals; Arnarstapi – lunch at small diner (snitzel, arranged glacier tour for several people, and hike for the rest. Long horrible road, had to take everyone up to the top in the van (no shuttles to the start point). Back down to get the hikers, and back up again to get the glacier-trekkers. The glacier trip was only an hour, but the web said 2 hours. Doah! Had coffee at the Hellnar coffee shop.
17 July (Sun) – WB – Took a group out to hike Glymur. Mosquitoes everywhere – horrible! But great view at the top. Figured out how to get green in the pictures by changing ISO to 200 from 400. What a difference. Hike didn’t last long because of the bugs, but walked through water barefoot to other side of the waterfalls edge. Great view. Made direct tracks back the van. Went to the mall (Smarlin). Ate Burgerking and wandered. There was a carneval going on outside the mall.
22 Jul (Fri) – Awesome weather! Temps got up to 65*F. After meeting with WB Staff, took book up to Keflavik, went on cliff trail and relaxed and read in the sun.
23 Jul (Sat) – Back to Húsafell. Temps up to 76*F. This time took “F” road (F550). Awesome four-by-fouring. Cautious at first, but on the way back, went fast and tore up those rocks. Waterfalls Barnafoss and the lavatube falls Hraunfosser. Stopped on way back along F550 to read for an hour. Again, nice day, high 60s! For some reason I woke up at 5AM. Couldn’t sleep so I went out on this trip. Left before nature knew that today was supposed to be as nice as yesterday. Cruised in fog most of the way up.
27 Jul (Thurs) – took a small group out on a local sightseeing tour.
28 Jul (Fri) – After work, fell asleep, then took a group out to do some Whale Watching.
29 Jul (Sat) – Another weekend off; went out to find some less known (more obscure) waterfalls: Gjarfoss and Hjálparfoss. Took road 32, somewhere northeast of Selfoss, and followed it around to an airport, then took an “F” road north to little known 1100’s farmhouse Stöng. Found abandoned truck near Brautarholt (route 30).
30 Jul (Sun) – Watched the rest of Band of Brothers and went to see Fantastic Four. Learned how to B&W a pic and put back in color in certain areas. Gotta find a subject with blue eyes to test it on.
Tired…
You know what else I realized (consider it an appifany)? We entertain ourselves way too much. Think about it: every waking hour, if we’re not working, we’re either watching television, movies, games, something to “occupy” our time. Seems that we should be bored occasionally so we have time to conjure new thoughts, or at least appreciate the entertainment when we don’t have it for a while. Same goes with snacks/junk food. Boredom generates/spawns new thought and ideas.
6th of Aug – supposed to take a group out for ATVing in Vík’s black sands beach, but only one person signed up. Canceled. Instead, Joe and I went cruising on some off-roads south of Urriðafoss.
Saw the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Uhhh… interesting?
7 Aug 05
Fifty Thousand Mile Email
It happened this weekend.
On my way to a possible aerial adventure.
Some point along Highway 1.
I look down and notice the light emitting diodes from the instrument panel of my Jeep are reading 50010. After driving the Jeep through numerous countries, it’s in Iceland that the milestone (no pun intended) was crossed. I don’t know why it seems like 50K should be such a special number, but to me, it signifies more than just a time to change the oil and get a tune-up. It’s more like a birthday or anniversary. A time to reflect on the last fifty thousand miles; where I’ve been and what I’ve put my Jeep through.
The Jeep has seen many places through Italy. It’s been to Bavaria, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Spain, France, England and Wales. And now it’s traversed the lava-stricken roads of Iceland. Soon it will be on it’s way to the more friendly Autobahn systems, but that’s jumping ahead a bit. Still 6 months left to go here.
Anyway, yeah, so Saturday a buddy and I planned to try out some gliding. We saw this place from just off Highway 1 as we were coming back from a road trip on Friday (it was a down-day for us). Being pulled into the air was an engineless, long-winged glider plane. Once it was airborn, the pull-cable was released and the glider was on it’s own, soaring above the mountain ranges. Now THAT looked kewl. So we drove down to ask about getting on one these, and to see if we could sign up for a flight tomorrow. We were told that no reservation
11 Aug – Jazz Concert
13 Aug – Saturday, Mt Hekla Hike; Iceland’s 2nd most active volcano.
all imagination, desires, cravings… seemed to have died away. All that seems to exist is life in general. Even beer, or frequent trips to the pub are now non existent.
20-22 Aug Weekend Camping WB – Husafell. Lava Tube caves, winds/rain. Reykholt. Falls. Interesting wood tents.
22 Aug – Festival of the Sacred Arts concert at Hallgrimskirkja. 4 hours; 4000kr.
25 Aug – Snuck onto set of Flags of our Fathers (Clint Eastwood/Steven Speilberg film). Need to find out significance of Tom’s Joy.
One more fry, I didn’t know you ordered Chili
One more fry, I didn’t know you wanted cheese
I didn’t mean to throw that fry at you
It’s only ’cause you didn’t say please
1 Sep – Thursday; finished out work and went home to pack for the 4-day Labor Day weekend. Heading to West Fjords. Drove up and found youth hostel in town of Reykhólur. Only tenant this night, and after speaking with the manager, decided to use this as a base camp for the weekend’s excursions. Bed around 11 or 12.
2 Sep – To the westernmost point of Europe: Lágarbarg. LONG ass trip! Winding roads, pot holes, and frequent stops for waterfall photos. Rained at the cliffs, but great bird watching. Cliffs amazing. Stopped at kaffi shop, had museum inside. Painter was in charge; friend of owner watching the place for the week. On return trip, had another cup of coffee, and checked out the mariner’s museum and old US Navy plane and Russian cargo plane; dedication to lost ships (egg-shaped cross unit for memorial). Old abandoned sod-roof home – late night, scary! Back at the hostel, new tenants: icelander and two germans. Stayed up talking about trips and where else to see… 2AM bed
3 Sep – Locked out of room; went north/east to Djarfjörður? (South of Nordurfjörður) Another long day; roads on the edge of cliffs with warnings of falling rocks. gorgeous views. Stopped at Hólmavík Sorcerers and Witchcraft museum. Stopped in Djúpavík for coffee break (Lady made 2 great cups; kids entertained by my ole wacky antics). Old town with abandoned factory. On return to hostel, sunsetting, nice long shadows, orange hughes. In Reykhólur took pics of night; steam from geothermal waters; swim in hot pot (feet burning!). Talked more with Germans.
4 Sep – returned to Kef. Before depart, took pics on small Reykh peninsula; ALong highway on return, saw old volcanoes near BiFrost. Accidentally took key from hostel.
HOME ON LEAVE – 7 – 21 Sep. Into Boston for one night; stayed with Matt (Michael called!). 8th – Flew up to Detroit, stopped in at Ma Pam’s; met with George; went out on pre-planning for wedding (Mall, taylors, etc). Went to Church for the dry-run. Party at George’s afterwards – practice Greek dancing. 9th spent day with Michael; went to Detroit Zoo and back to Mike’s friend’s place. Watched movie; BBQd – Great Dinner! 10th-George’s wedding. Met at Rob’s; to church in limo; wedding; cruise down Jefferson in limo; photo ops; reception. 11th – drive out to Dave and Janes. Birthday party; day at beach; took kids out for ice cream; fun night out at local bar (dykes baseball championship); 12th – drove kids to school; checked out area with Dave; forest, overlook, awesome! left around 4; arrived UP at mom’s around 9:30 – BIG surprise (she thought I was in Carribean). 13th – 17th – spent time with mom Andy, Herbie, Mike and Karen, Ma Barabe. 4-wheeled with Uncle Mike; Andy and I hiked Sugarloaf; mom and I drove around and walked through Presque Isle park. Dinner at Italian restaurant (Mike, Karen, Ma, Andy and Herbie). 17th – drove back to Detroit; missed meeting uncle Nick, stayed with Ma Pam. 18th flew to Boston. AJ’s blessing, Matt to NCOA, visit to aquarium.
I can’t believe I let something like a “boyfriend” stand in my way of asking you out… I’ve liked you a lot since the first time I met you at the Windbreaker, watching The Terminal on the Wednesday night movie show. You are so outgoing, so energenic, I can feel it, and you rejuvinate me. I feel like a little kid around you; young, full of spirit. I wish we had more time together here, what with you leaving in December, and my going to the Academy in November. YOu are so special. I’m afraid to ask you if you’d like to “go out”, since you just broke up and, well, with all the guys after you, I don’t want to assume whether you want to be more than friends? I guess I could just get that out of the way by asking you what you think, huh? That’s the good easy route! I like that… straight forward with it, then? … we’ll see how big the kahones are tomorrow.
I came into adulthood at the age of Bill Clinton’s political correctness. So much as to ask a girl out could send you on the verge of sexual harrassment. Touch a woman, and it’s RAPE! So, what do we do? So unsure from day to day whether to be daring or stay safe and not offend – or make headway on a date – who know… eventually, things will either resolve to be as they were, knowing that society did well for many thousands of years with coexistence of man and woman, and not to be separated as man vs woman. But, will that be a SLOW process, to be realized in my lifetime? That is the real question, ain’t it?
Get rid of it… a ponderous statement, but with old ties. To be “rid” of something means to not have it around. If something is gone for the better, you can say “Good Riddance”. To get something is to obtain it. So, so get rid of something, means to obtain absence of that thing.
8 Oct (Sat) – Went to a movie marathon of independent films down in Reyk. Saw “Where is my friend’s house?”, “Next Door” and “Strings” (at “Strings” we met the master puppetteer who designed and operated the marionettes). That evening after the films, while driving home, I spotted the northern lights. I stopped at a point of interest place, and as I was taking my first shot, where a lit house was in the foreground, I pushed the shutter and looked up to see that the northern lights had started swirling almost exactly over the house. Amazing!!
16 Oct (Sun) – Heiðmörk Nature Preserve and Recreation Area. Spotted this attraction in the local newspaper, so had to go see the elusive trees of Iceland.
23 Oct (Sat) – Golden Circle Tour (Jamie and the Hines’ went)
28 Oct (Fri) – Snow storm blew through, but planned a 4X4 trip with a bunch of Jeep owners. Jenn dropped out, but Blake and his wife went. Several things I consider very lucky about the accident: hitting a light pole (had we not hit the lightpole the way we did, we would have instead slid into the lava field and flipped – in our case, we were able to still drive and get home); being close to base (since no one was stopping anyway to help, we simply drove up to the base gate not but several hundred meters away); most important – Blake’s wife, Jennifer, being safe and unharmed by glass (she was sitting right next to the window that imploded); and I guess going to the Academy next week for 6 weeks helps since the insurance company will have plenty of time to fix it, and I won’t be car-free. So, what happened you ask? Well, from what I gather, a strong gust of wind hit the backside of the Jeep pushing the direction of the car from a 12 o’clock to more like 10 o’clock on the road, thanks to some well-placed black ice. After I was able to correct out of that, the black ice had me going completely the other way (2, then 3, then 4 o’clock). From there, we simply slid into the light pole.
Jenn stopped by to stay with me a bit while my nerves calmed down.
3 Nov – 16 Dec – NCO Academy – Germany
1 Jan (NEW YEARS) with Tim Jones and Gummi; met Melissa and Liliana. Fireworks. Club until 7AM.
Headed down to Gummi’s in Reykjavik around 7PM
Looked for place to eat – nothing open, save the bus-stop diner (4 burgers/2 hotdogs = ISK 3150)
Relax at Gummi’s til 11:30; headed to Pearl (perlan) for fireworks show
Met gorgeous Canadian women (Liliana and Melissa) from London (Liliana has dog named junkyard); offered $55 bottle of champaign to them; enjoyed show through 12:20
Asked them to join us at the club
Took them back so they could change (rapid 6.32 minutes!)
Went back to Gummi’s to change and wait for Gummi
~2AM, headed to Broadway club for party … live band, great music, dancing, etc
Back to Gummi’s by 7AM
12 Jan (Sat) – WB Trip to Blue Mountain (Bláfjoll) – went to Reyk while others skied.
13 Jan (Sun) – WB Trip to Reyk for Iceskating. Also toured city.
18 Jan (Thurs) – Manny Ducot and I went to see the band “Kings of Hell” in Reyk. Played “rock around the clock” style music (had huge bass guitar)
26 Jan (Thurs) – Going away at Mozart’s 250th Anniversary Concert with the Iceland Philharmonic Orchestra: Opera and Instruments. 26 people went. Started with Dinner at TGI Fridays; arrived late to the concert, almost didn’t get in.
27-29 Jan (Fri-Sun) – Took Liz, Coombs and Gina out to Snaefellsnes for tour. Hot tub; northern lights; monopoly (Star Wars) – close to loosing, then came back to win; cabin.
4 Feb (Sat) – Took Gina, Wes and Allison out to hidden waterfalls (Gjarfoss)
10 Feb (Fri) – Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið) – Gina, Brian, Wes, Jason, Mike
11 Feb (Sat) – Took Brian Mailloux, Manny Ducot and Malda to Reyk (Drunk guy at 3PM)
12 Feb (Sun) – Golden Circle (Brian, Manny and Malda): Þingvellir (Öxarárfoss), Geysir, Gullfoss, Faxafoss, Kerið Crater, Garden of Eden (Hveragerði)
18 Feb (Sat) – 7 hours of pool tourney; Brian played through championships, they lost in the last match, best of 8. Were up 4-1, then 7-7, then lost. Doah! In the evening went out to Paddy’s downtown Kef with Brian and Tim JOnes. Rachel Gardner came out. Polish people having fun. Brian spilled beer on one guy, it drenched the seat. Another Pole came over and sat in the seat! Everyone laughed (including the Pole’s friends). Went to Traffic.
19 Feb (Sun) – South Shore with Loretta, James (Senior) Garrett, Brian and Roz. Golf at the Black Sands Beach; hike past Skogafoss and many waterfalls along river; Seljalandsfoss; Reykjavik: Dinner at Opera’s (had the pepper steak without peppers?, and Creme Brulle with Baileys); walk along docks; cat almost jumping from 2nd floor window; “Ar!” “No, Que!” “ELEMENO YE MATEY!”
Seyðisfjörður
============================================
Some notes from the PCS
Arrived to Torshavn at 1100; by the time I got off the boat and to the ticket agent, I had my new tickets by 1200. (I changed the room so I would have my own space.) From there, I drove to Westmanna. Along the way, I stopped at several small towns and villages. When I finally got to Westmanna, after going through a mountain tunnel and many winding roads, I quickly noted how quaint the village was. Just a small boating town, really. Most of the streets were small, one-way roads, barely wide enough for the Jeep to scrape through. I went to a nice diner on the edge of town and had an awesome meatloaf-type meat dish with a bacon topping, some sort of gravy sause, potatoes and a mix salad. Time was limited, so I headed back towards Torshavn, taking an alternate route home over the mountains (instead of through them). Inside Torshavn, I had enough time to check out the local lighthouse.
Onwards to the Shetlands. The boatride was extremely bumpy, but after a few beers, I managed to get a couple hours of sleep, arriving to the Shetlands at 6AM. The next ferry wasn’t until the late afternoon, so I headed from Lerwick south to see the Sumburgh lighthouse, the Guendale Watermill, and several Shetland ponies. The I drove north of the capital to see the highland areas. Finally, I made it to the ancient capital of ??????????, checking out the castle and old boating town. Back in Lerwick, I visited the walking market, Fort Charlotte, and several shops. For lunch, I dined at the local Indian Restaurant, enjoying some spicy Vindaloo Chicken with rice. Mmmmm
Finally departed the Shetlands en route to the Orkney Islands. This ride was only about 4 hours, so just enjoyed the ride by watching a movie (Chicken Little) and investing in some more foreign beer. We arrived late to the Orkney Isles, where I had reservations in Kirkwall for the night. The hostess hooked me up with my room, and though it was close to midnight, she asked if I wanted to partake in some beverage before the hotel bar closed. I was tough twisting my arm for a pint of Guinness, so I dropped off my bags and meandered into the bar. The hostess’s father started talking me up with some gibberish drunk language I couldn’t understand, and I could tell his daughter was getting frustrated and embarassed. She had called a taxi for him (at his request), but when he started chatting with me, he told his daughter to send it away. As it was already closing time, I tried to persuade him to take the taxi, and he finally succumbed. I helped him out and his daughter told me where the taxi would be. As we went down the stairs, I looked outside and didn’t see a taxi. “Dad” said it was just up the street, so I helped him walk down the road a bit. The further we got though, I started questioning if he knew where he was going. Oh yeah, just up here a bit. I assumed he was just walking home instead of hailing a cab, but he instead lured me down to his other watering hole, a Texas style bar that served until 2AM. I told him I wasn’t up for it, and left him to piss away his evening and went back to the hotel to talk with his daughter instead. When I got back, she asked if everything was okay, and I told her the story. She apologized, but explained that he’d be alright. She gave me another pint before closing down the bar.
In the morning, the staff had prepared breakfast, and I had the Orkney Haggis, British Bacon, Sausage, Egg and Fried Tomato. After eating my fill, and chatting with some other visitors (who were in town for a presentation of classical music in the local church), I headed out to see the sights. I went by foot through Kirkwall, spying out the old castle ruins. Across the street in St. Magnus’ church, I heard some music, so I meandered over to see what the deal was. Inside, the choir and orchestra were practicing for the evening’s concert. Kewl, I thought, I get to see a free pre-show! I sat in the back and enjoyed several overatures of strings and winds, and a delightful rendition of some songs I’ve heard before, but can’t name right off. Anyway, I didn’t steal too much time there, and eventually made my way out to investigate other towns on the islands. Along the way, I came across the small island of Lamb Holm, where I found a WWII POW bunker where captured Italians were held. The Italians, being very religious, asked their captors if they could have a church in which to pray. The Orcadians allowed the Italians to convert the bunker into a church. The art and architecture involved was amazing, and it still stands proud today. From there, I roamed around several other small islands, and discovered some earlier versions of Stone Henge, called ????????????. The hotel folks recommended I also see the view from Scarradale Hill, from where you could see many of the other islands and even The Old Man of Hoy rock formation. I followed the road up the hill, but found that I also had to hike up quite a bit to actually reach the top. Since this seemed worth it, I traversed up the high-wind plagued trail, having quite the rough time climbing over many of the large moss piles. Getting to the top, I looked about, but couldn’t get the view I was promised. Because of the weather, I could barely make out the towns below, let alone see the views of the other islands. I know, it’s probably awesome in the summertime. Anyway, I finally made it down to Stromness, from where I’d embark on the final ferry going to Scotland. I drove about the town for a while, and explored on foot some small shops and a tiny diner.
The final leg was a ferry of just over an hour’s journey. I got to see The Old Man of Hoy along the way, and the evening lit town of Scrabster. Hotel FOrss, other Americans, Scots at dinner, Anne the hostess, Watermill houses, Scotch, dinner (Gnocchi). Next day, pics of waterfalls and mill, began driving journey down Scotland to Eilean Donan Castle, then down to Loch Lomond via the Highland mountain passes. Road closed due to snow and downed trees, alternate route via Stirling (McDonalds). Road to Youth Hostel (Castle) snowed in, but Jeep made it through. Trapped for 3 days. Washed clothes, checked email, sleep.
Cereal in morning, rolled out south for LONG journey to Birmingham. Finally got into Shire Oak around 3PM, met up with Mosedales. Many beers later … tequila, after shock, parrot, evening at pub, darts, etc. Lichfield Cathedral.
To Denver. Darren on leave from RAF; St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Drinks at Jennin’s Arm. Dinner with Dunthornes. Magic tricks. At base, bought new stereo.
Drove down to Folkestone area for hotel stay awaiting chunnel to France. Posh hotel, arrived to wedding departure via helicopter from the hotel’s launchpad on their lawn. Rolls Royce limo at entrance. Walked around town and along Waterfront. Enjoyed a kebab before heading back to the hotel for some much needed recovery. 😉
The next morning. drove out to the Chunnel and headed out on the train to France. Once in Calais, I began the final leg to Spangdahlem, via Belgium. So, 15 days, 2200 miles and 9 countries later, I made it to my new assignment. And this journey’s tale comes to a close.
=======================================================
Special Characters in Icelandic
Þ þ Ð ð Æ æ Á á É é Í í Ó ó Ö ö Ú ú Ü ü Ý ý
Goðen daginn (good day) (Hello)
Kvað Sejur Gott? (How you doin?)
Uth fint (Fine)
E Þu? (You?)
Shámst a morgen (see you tomorrow)
Bless (Good bye)
Takk Fyrir (Thanks)
-vatn = Lake (Mývatn = Mý Lake)
-foss = Waterfalls (Skógafoss = Skóga Falls)
-vík = Bay (Reykjavík = Reykja Bay)
-fjörður = fjords (Hafnarfjörður = Hafnar Fjords)
-jökull = Glacier (Mýrdalsjökull = Mýrdal’s Glacier)
-kirkja = Church (Grimhallskirkja = Grimhall’s Church)
-gerði = ??? (Hveragerði = Hvera ?)
-dalur = valley
Well, I sat back and thought about the things we use to do; it really meant a lot to me… you mean a lot to me. (I really mean that much to you?) Girl, you know it’s true.
-Milli Vanilli (1989)
Ahhh It’s time to relax, and you know what that means: A glass of wine, your favorite easy chair, and of course, this compact disc playing on your home stereo. So go on and indulge yourself; that’s right, kick off your shoes, put your feet up. Lean back and just enjoy the melodies… after all, music soothes even the savage beast.
-Offspring (1994)
Journal of Daniel Rea Photography 