Well, everyone, this is the end. Not of my adventure, and hopefully not for this blog, but I'm breaking up with Blogger.
On my devices I have had nothing but headaches. I can't post writing with ease from either my elderly ipad or my stupid stupid Samsung galaxy avant.
You can tell I'm still bitter. But I'm going to leave this struggle behind!
Read more, and see more, of my adventure at Wandering Ash
See you all on the other side!
Love, Ash
Monday, October 24, 2016
Thursday, October 20, 2016
The Uncapturable Beauty
I keep trying to take the perfect photo. It eludes me, as I drive through the painfully exquisite beauty of Iceland. There are no turns to stop when my eye catches sight of a rainbow arching over a field of nibbling sheep, rustic red roof building set before a snow capped mountain. Every 5 minutes I weep because there is something new and beautiful. Unending waterfalls and mountains and colorful moss and flowers covering rolling lava fields. And when I do stop, finally pulling breathless into a farmers lane and seizing my camera, the picture doesn't quite capture what my eye sees.
So, this blog is my attempt to surmise my experience in Iceland. Where I went, would go again, and wish I could have gone. And of course the imperfect journey continues. After about a week in Reykjavik it was time to get out to the country. We first started with the plan to drive the Ring Road, also known as Highway 1, but could find no cheap places on the east side of the island. Driving, and just driving, would take about 3 days. We had 7 days before we were booked to leave for Ireland, so we modified our plan. Do the Golden Circle, a popular route taken that hits many interesting and beautiful stops, and then that same day drive south to our Airbnb a little past Selfoss. After 2 nights in the south we would then retrace our tire tracks back west and north to the Snæfellness Peninsula, and spend the night in Ólafsvik. The next day would be a long 5 hour drive north to the second biggest city of Iceland Aukureri, where we would spend 3 nights. On the 27th, drive back south to Rekjavik and stay one night, in preparation for our all-nighter at the airport on the 28th before flying off.
Simple, right? So we acquired our car, a white Nissan mini about the size of a roller skate that we named Sheepish, and headed off to the Golden Circle. The three main stops to do are Thingvellier National Park ( the th looks like a modified p in Icelandic), Gullfoss, and the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. There are other places to stop off along the way, but these are the most spectacular. Since the National Park in itself can take at least 2 hours, possibly 3, to walk around, give yourself plenty of time for the circle.
The Golden Circle
It is a very special area, and I think it really is a must see in Iceland. I'm not sure what a tour bus would be like, but with a car it was easier to leisurely view it. The Thingvellier park was filled with pretty walks, a waterfall, and many points of information on signs of the founding of Icelandic parliament. Details of history from the law rock to places of execution. Parking was 500 krona, but no entrance fees.
When we got to the geysers we discovered that Geysir was no longer going, but Strokkur was, about every 5 min. And it gave quite a good show! The park surrounding the geysers had many walks and eerily steaming geo pools. We could have stayed much longer, but needed to get on our way before the light was gone. Gulfoss was amazing experience! After you park you walk up this wooden pathway to a gorgeous view point, getting the whole majesty of the pounding water and mist rising up. Then we took a long staircase down to a lower viewing level, and from there a path takes you right to the waterfall. By this time it was dark, and after getting lost we finally found our Airbnb somewhere between Selfoss and Hella.
That night we got lucky and on some good advice went outside at midnight found the Northern Lights right on the doorstep. Slithering and undulating like ghost snakes, they appeared and disappeared after a short 10 min. And even though I had heard so much of their beauty, I was still awe inspired.
The South
We awoke to a day more cloudy than sunny, but decided to brave it anyway. Our destination was Vík, a harbor town about 2 hours drive East along the 1. Along the way was several stops, such as the waterfall in Skógar, plus many interesting stops right off the road. One of the coolest was a natural cave with a wooden gate that seemed very closed, but was open. Once inside we discovered a medium sized cave overgrown with ferns. This was once used by farmers to hold their sheep in when the weather was stormy. One waterfall that was pretty amazing to walk around was Seljalandsfoss, and is a short way off the road. Another stop that I highly recommend is old grass houses on the way to Vík on the side of the one, and a house built into a giant rock. It's very unusual, and will be pretty easy to see. Vík itself was ok in the rainy downpour, I'm sure much prettier in nice weather, but we didn't stay long. We did, however, walk along the very dark sands of the beach, and admire the rugged beauty of the area. Cold and wet and tired, we headed back to our home, ready to face the trip back West and North.
The West- the Snæfellness Peninsula
To the west we drove, and unfortunately came up against a toll as we passed Reykjavik. Be warned, it's 1000 krona, which is about $10. But soon after we stopped off in Borgarnes, and over there is a cafe/bakery that was the filming location for Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. In the movie it's a Papa Johns and Ben Stiller stands on the pier in the parking lot. It's pretty cool, and the pasteries are to die for. Check out the Kaffihús. Onward we drove, our goal being Ólafsvik, the location of our next Airbnb. The drive was fantastic, gorgeous, one spectacular view after the next. We ended up coming over a mountain road, entirely made up of gravel for miles. Sheepish was not pleased. Be warned, the 54 coming into Ólafsvik can be scary. If you pass through Grundarfjördur, which is not spelled completely right, on the 54, there is a much better road I think. Anyway. Ólafsvik! What a cute little village. We arrived in rain, but when it finally abetted in the evening we went for a walk. A couple of beach access points, and farther into the town center we discovered a lit waterfall and a path up the side of the local mountain, which gives a lovely view of the city. Magical at night. The next day our Airbnb hosts put us onto a nice drive to take along the edge of the peninsula, the 574, which also passes through a national park. This park had many old volcanoes to stop off and explore. Another stop we made was Djúpalónssandur, a beach that has remains from a tragic British shipwreck from the 1950's, as well as information about Viking tests of strength. Lifting certain size rocks would see if you were ready to be an oarsman. Just past that is a road up to a mountains peak where you can go touch a glacier.
Unfortunately, Sheepish could not make such a drive. 4 wheel would be necessary to get to the edge of Snæfellsjökull, along the 570 Jökulhálsleid. Since we couldn't go see a glacier, we opted to do a cliff walk between Arnarstapi and Hellnar. It's a fantastic walk with unbelievable cliffs, bird life, and a mountain deity sculpture.
The entire drive was beyond belief in terms of photogenic views. Rainbows around every turn, with towering mountains to one side and sparkling ocean to the other. This was the place I wanted to stop every 5 min. At one point I was brought to tears when a full rainbow appeared above a bucolic scene with sheep and a rough red and white farmhouse. I was powerless to capture it to digital memory, so could only store in in my little grey cells. But there was a long drive ahead of us, 5 hours of twisting roads to the North. To Aukureri!
The North- Aukureri and the Diamond Circle
A gorgeous place to go and see, but perhaps not in winter. We heard tales from a Airbnb roommate that houses would disappear under snow drifts up in the far North. There are two options for our 3 full days in this area. One direction takes us to some picturesque towns and to a possible sheep or horse round up. We found online information informing us that during the summer the farmers let their livestock roam free, grazing to their heart's content. By fall it's time to round them all up, a lot of hard work but with a great deal of festivities. We head toward Dalvík with hope in our hearts. We don't end up experiencing a round up, but do have coffee in a lovely cafe in the town. Dalkvík is also home to Hvoll- Dalvík Folk Museum, dedicated to the tallest man in Iceland, who stood at 7'7". The next day the weather is too bad to go out into, so we take a day off. Watch some Steven Universe and drink some wine. The next day is better, so we head out on the North's version of the Golden Circle- beautifully named the Diamond Circle. This is such a gorgeous area, filled with the beautiful and the unusual. I would say the Diamond Circle has more sights than the Golden circle, and it takes longer to drive too, at least twice as long. Our first stop was Godafoss, a very lovely waterfall that legand has it was the sight where a chieftain deciding for the Icelandic people whether to stay with their Norsegods or accept the new Christian religion, made the choice for change and tossed the idols of their gods into the water. Thus the falls are known as the god falls. Continuing along the Ring Road we took a slight turn off towards Lake Myvatn. We did a 30 min walk at the South tip of this lake, surrounded by extinct volcanoes and sheep and piercing blue water. Going farther along the way is the Myvatn Nature Baths, the slightly less expensive version of the Blue Lagoon. We opted not to spend money and went exploring for a cave near the baths. Maps.me had put us onto it, and so we went for a short hike down into a canyon and found Stóragjá, a cave with a pool of geo thermal water. It is recommended not to swim there since there is reported to be E. coli in the water, but we still found evidence of abandoned underwear. Another walk near that took us 30 min through a grove of metallic looking trees, and to a fantastic view. A sea of silver bark and flaming golden leaves set before a sunset of orange and dark cloud. Beyond that was a stretch of lava rock, and a cave entrance beneath a long stretch of earth ripped apart, and here we found Grjótagjá. A larger underground cave with thermal waters, it was quite impressive. Another 30 min walk would take you to the foot of a massive cinder one the size of a small city. Since the light was dwindling we opted to walk back and drive to Viti, an extinct volcano with a lake in the center. Along the way we stumbled onto Hverir, a large steam vent in a thermal park right off the road. Then a short drive off the road we got to Viti, and watched the sun go down. This is such a gorgeous area, with even more to see, such as Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe.
It's has been impossible to capture the perfect moment, in a land of perfect gorgeous moments. And it was a hard thing to realize that we wouldn't be able to see everything. So, in Iceland I had to learn to relax my grip, on my camera and on my expectations for myself. What I have left are memory moments of wonder; the glittering trees, mountains cuddling against oceans, red-roofed houses standing in the middle of raw beauty. The sound of the wind whistling against the car. Imperfectly and spontaneously found, and mine.
So, this blog is my attempt to surmise my experience in Iceland. Where I went, would go again, and wish I could have gone. And of course the imperfect journey continues. After about a week in Reykjavik it was time to get out to the country. We first started with the plan to drive the Ring Road, also known as Highway 1, but could find no cheap places on the east side of the island. Driving, and just driving, would take about 3 days. We had 7 days before we were booked to leave for Ireland, so we modified our plan. Do the Golden Circle, a popular route taken that hits many interesting and beautiful stops, and then that same day drive south to our Airbnb a little past Selfoss. After 2 nights in the south we would then retrace our tire tracks back west and north to the Snæfellness Peninsula, and spend the night in Ólafsvik. The next day would be a long 5 hour drive north to the second biggest city of Iceland Aukureri, where we would spend 3 nights. On the 27th, drive back south to Rekjavik and stay one night, in preparation for our all-nighter at the airport on the 28th before flying off.
Simple, right? So we acquired our car, a white Nissan mini about the size of a roller skate that we named Sheepish, and headed off to the Golden Circle. The three main stops to do are Thingvellier National Park ( the th looks like a modified p in Icelandic), Gullfoss, and the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. There are other places to stop off along the way, but these are the most spectacular. Since the National Park in itself can take at least 2 hours, possibly 3, to walk around, give yourself plenty of time for the circle.
The Golden Circle
It is a very special area, and I think it really is a must see in Iceland. I'm not sure what a tour bus would be like, but with a car it was easier to leisurely view it. The Thingvellier park was filled with pretty walks, a waterfall, and many points of information on signs of the founding of Icelandic parliament. Details of history from the law rock to places of execution. Parking was 500 krona, but no entrance fees.
When we got to the geysers we discovered that Geysir was no longer going, but Strokkur was, about every 5 min. And it gave quite a good show! The park surrounding the geysers had many walks and eerily steaming geo pools. We could have stayed much longer, but needed to get on our way before the light was gone. Gulfoss was amazing experience! After you park you walk up this wooden pathway to a gorgeous view point, getting the whole majesty of the pounding water and mist rising up. Then we took a long staircase down to a lower viewing level, and from there a path takes you right to the waterfall. By this time it was dark, and after getting lost we finally found our Airbnb somewhere between Selfoss and Hella.
That night we got lucky and on some good advice went outside at midnight found the Northern Lights right on the doorstep. Slithering and undulating like ghost snakes, they appeared and disappeared after a short 10 min. And even though I had heard so much of their beauty, I was still awe inspired.
The South
We awoke to a day more cloudy than sunny, but decided to brave it anyway. Our destination was Vík, a harbor town about 2 hours drive East along the 1. Along the way was several stops, such as the waterfall in Skógar, plus many interesting stops right off the road. One of the coolest was a natural cave with a wooden gate that seemed very closed, but was open. Once inside we discovered a medium sized cave overgrown with ferns. This was once used by farmers to hold their sheep in when the weather was stormy. One waterfall that was pretty amazing to walk around was Seljalandsfoss, and is a short way off the road. Another stop that I highly recommend is old grass houses on the way to Vík on the side of the one, and a house built into a giant rock. It's very unusual, and will be pretty easy to see. Vík itself was ok in the rainy downpour, I'm sure much prettier in nice weather, but we didn't stay long. We did, however, walk along the very dark sands of the beach, and admire the rugged beauty of the area. Cold and wet and tired, we headed back to our home, ready to face the trip back West and North.
The West- the Snæfellness Peninsula
To the west we drove, and unfortunately came up against a toll as we passed Reykjavik. Be warned, it's 1000 krona, which is about $10. But soon after we stopped off in Borgarnes, and over there is a cafe/bakery that was the filming location for Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. In the movie it's a Papa Johns and Ben Stiller stands on the pier in the parking lot. It's pretty cool, and the pasteries are to die for. Check out the Kaffihús. Onward we drove, our goal being Ólafsvik, the location of our next Airbnb. The drive was fantastic, gorgeous, one spectacular view after the next. We ended up coming over a mountain road, entirely made up of gravel for miles. Sheepish was not pleased. Be warned, the 54 coming into Ólafsvik can be scary. If you pass through Grundarfjördur, which is not spelled completely right, on the 54, there is a much better road I think. Anyway. Ólafsvik! What a cute little village. We arrived in rain, but when it finally abetted in the evening we went for a walk. A couple of beach access points, and farther into the town center we discovered a lit waterfall and a path up the side of the local mountain, which gives a lovely view of the city. Magical at night. The next day our Airbnb hosts put us onto a nice drive to take along the edge of the peninsula, the 574, which also passes through a national park. This park had many old volcanoes to stop off and explore. Another stop we made was Djúpalónssandur, a beach that has remains from a tragic British shipwreck from the 1950's, as well as information about Viking tests of strength. Lifting certain size rocks would see if you were ready to be an oarsman. Just past that is a road up to a mountains peak where you can go touch a glacier.
Unfortunately, Sheepish could not make such a drive. 4 wheel would be necessary to get to the edge of Snæfellsjökull, along the 570 Jökulhálsleid. Since we couldn't go see a glacier, we opted to do a cliff walk between Arnarstapi and Hellnar. It's a fantastic walk with unbelievable cliffs, bird life, and a mountain deity sculpture.
The entire drive was beyond belief in terms of photogenic views. Rainbows around every turn, with towering mountains to one side and sparkling ocean to the other. This was the place I wanted to stop every 5 min. At one point I was brought to tears when a full rainbow appeared above a bucolic scene with sheep and a rough red and white farmhouse. I was powerless to capture it to digital memory, so could only store in in my little grey cells. But there was a long drive ahead of us, 5 hours of twisting roads to the North. To Aukureri!
The North- Aukureri and the Diamond Circle
A gorgeous place to go and see, but perhaps not in winter. We heard tales from a Airbnb roommate that houses would disappear under snow drifts up in the far North. There are two options for our 3 full days in this area. One direction takes us to some picturesque towns and to a possible sheep or horse round up. We found online information informing us that during the summer the farmers let their livestock roam free, grazing to their heart's content. By fall it's time to round them all up, a lot of hard work but with a great deal of festivities. We head toward Dalvík with hope in our hearts. We don't end up experiencing a round up, but do have coffee in a lovely cafe in the town. Dalkvík is also home to Hvoll- Dalvík Folk Museum, dedicated to the tallest man in Iceland, who stood at 7'7". The next day the weather is too bad to go out into, so we take a day off. Watch some Steven Universe and drink some wine. The next day is better, so we head out on the North's version of the Golden Circle- beautifully named the Diamond Circle. This is such a gorgeous area, filled with the beautiful and the unusual. I would say the Diamond Circle has more sights than the Golden circle, and it takes longer to drive too, at least twice as long. Our first stop was Godafoss, a very lovely waterfall that legand has it was the sight where a chieftain deciding for the Icelandic people whether to stay with their Norsegods or accept the new Christian religion, made the choice for change and tossed the idols of their gods into the water. Thus the falls are known as the god falls. Continuing along the Ring Road we took a slight turn off towards Lake Myvatn. We did a 30 min walk at the South tip of this lake, surrounded by extinct volcanoes and sheep and piercing blue water. Going farther along the way is the Myvatn Nature Baths, the slightly less expensive version of the Blue Lagoon. We opted not to spend money and went exploring for a cave near the baths. Maps.me had put us onto it, and so we went for a short hike down into a canyon and found Stóragjá, a cave with a pool of geo thermal water. It is recommended not to swim there since there is reported to be E. coli in the water, but we still found evidence of abandoned underwear. Another walk near that took us 30 min through a grove of metallic looking trees, and to a fantastic view. A sea of silver bark and flaming golden leaves set before a sunset of orange and dark cloud. Beyond that was a stretch of lava rock, and a cave entrance beneath a long stretch of earth ripped apart, and here we found Grjótagjá. A larger underground cave with thermal waters, it was quite impressive. Another 30 min walk would take you to the foot of a massive cinder one the size of a small city. Since the light was dwindling we opted to walk back and drive to Viti, an extinct volcano with a lake in the center. Along the way we stumbled onto Hverir, a large steam vent in a thermal park right off the road. Then a short drive off the road we got to Viti, and watched the sun go down. This is such a gorgeous area, with even more to see, such as Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe.
It's has been impossible to capture the perfect moment, in a land of perfect gorgeous moments. And it was a hard thing to realize that we wouldn't be able to see everything. So, in Iceland I had to learn to relax my grip, on my camera and on my expectations for myself. What I have left are memory moments of wonder; the glittering trees, mountains cuddling against oceans, red-roofed houses standing in the middle of raw beauty. The sound of the wind whistling against the car. Imperfectly and spontaneously found, and mine.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Wonders of Rekjavik, for cheap or free!
Reykjavik
We stumbled off the plane into gusting winds and scatters of rainfall. In the weeks that followed we soon discovered that every 5 minutes would bring new weather, but in those early morning hours it was a rude awakening.
> The Street Artwork: Everywhere and eye popping. Just walk down one of the main streets, Laugavegur, and see the strange and the colorful, the odd and the grand.
>Perlan: One of the coolest sights, also great for a view of the city and for miles around. This impressive structure has a mirror dome at the top, and a 360 observation deck, as well as hiking trails nearby. Zach and I followed one trail down to a beach with a thermal pool open during the summer. You can walk to it from Harpa, and it takes about 40 min, or take a bus.
View from the top of the Perlan
Our walk through the forest behind Perlan held elven houses.
View from the beach Nauthólsvík we walked down to a WWII remnant nearby.
>Harpa: This gorgeous building is the Reykjavik concert hall right near the water, and is super fun to wander around in. Zach and I ended up stumbling across a fashion shoot! That's for free, but they also have some other very interesting things to see and do if you don't mind plunking down a bit of cash.
Inside Harpa. Beware, it feels like an Escher drawing
>Hallgrímskirkja Church: This Lutheran church is easy to find and is a must see. Inside is a place to light a candle and place in this orb candelabra, and in the afternoon during the week we stumbled upon choir practice. Ethereal voices, and I'm sure there are other events happening during the week.
A nearby bakery to the church offers a chance to try Happy Marriage Cake
>Laugardalslaug Public Thermal Pool: Such a wonderful way to end a day! This was one of my favorite places. There were multiple hot pools, a cold dip, a steam room, two large swimming pools, a fantastic water slide. Only for about $8 an adult. A pretty cool place to take in local life and meet other travelers.
>Icelandic hotdog: Get it with all of the toppings, which include this gravy mustard and fried onion bits. Suuuuper tasty.
> Weekend Flea Market: After a few days of being disenchanted with the price of everything, we were told about a market that happens on Saturday and Sunday between 10 and 5pm. So with a hankering to find some seriously thrifty clothing and oddities, we set off. It was a bit hard to find, but eventually we found it in the old harbor area, a short 10 min walk North West of Harpa. It was in a large white building, and inside we found the cheapest coffee in all of Reykjavik. I also found all of the 90's clothing, numerous volcanic rock jewelry, and Icelandic turn of the century pin up girl post cards. And more! In another section is a fish market, where you can purchase whale meat and blubber, as well as puffin breast and many different kinds of fish, as well as tasty breads.
>Bontanical Gardens: These are nearby the pool and a camping site, also where the HI Reykjavik hostel is. Free to enter, and it's quite extensive with a cute cafe and a friendly cat. In a nearby park there is a hotsprings that was used as a place for washing women to go since at least the turn of the century. Pictures and information up everywhere.
Flowers in the gardens
The cafe in the gardens blends right in
Before washing machines were a thing in Reykjavik
Great pictures and historical details everywhere
Next up: renting a car and heading out into the wild!
Tips not mentioned in my last post:
- Get the strætó bus app, at This link. If you plan on busing around Reykjavik and nearby towns, this will help you get the buses to take and location.
- Also, if you love museums and plan to bus quite a bit for 1 to 3 days, perhaps think about getting the City Card. Its available for 24, 48, or 72 hrs, and gives you unlimited access to buses in that time, and free entry to all museums.
- VERY IMPORTANT go to google and look up maps.me
This will give you an offline GPS of all maps around the world. Just do it. You download maps from the country your in using wifi, then your GPS location on your device is used with it.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
The Imperfect Adventure part 2: What a week in Reykjavik taught me
September 20 2016
Today Zach and I finally leave Reykjavik, our first stop on this crazy 6 months we planned. We have spent a week in the city, and now we have rented a car for 7 days. We plan to drive part of Highway 1, also known as the Ring Road. We will hit up the south region of Vík and Skógar before heading back west and north to check out the west region of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. We stay a night in Ólafsvik before
Things I've Learned in Iceland:
-If you plan to book Airbnb or hostels, do so ahead of time. Maybe a month? Especially in the summer months, roughly May-Septmeber, and winter time November-April. We thought we got here during the off season, but it still was very hard to find places to book cheaply.
- If you are traveling 7 to 8 hours by plane, give yourself two days to crash and recover from jet lag. Really. Don't try and do anything besides walk around a bit, or visit a public pool. THESE ARE AWESOME. For 900 ISK (about $8) you can sit in hot pools and go swimming until 10 pm. Outside. There is a great one next to the HI Reykjavik Hostel.
- Also Reykjavik is awesome if you have money to spend, but if you are trying to save get out of the city and to the country. Zach and I spent a week, but really could have done what we wanted in 4 to 5.
-Coffee is expensive, at least double the price from Seattle for smaller sizes. Make sure to ask about free refills, since they likely will allow you but won't post that info. We found this out after about 5 days into our time in Reykjavik. Also, if you are a big tea (te) or coffee (kaffi) drinker, and if you have access to a fridge and hot water, please consider instant coffee. It will save you soooo much.
- On the topic of food and affordability check out the grocery stores Kronan and Bonus. I like to think of Kronan as a QFC and Bonus as a Safeway. There are 10/11 groceries everywhere, and they are open 24/7, but they are much more expensive.
- Still on the topic of food, get a translator on your phone if you can. Lamb meat and horse meat are everywhere. I accidentally ended up eating horse sausage our first night after buying groceries.
- If you do eat meat, try the hotdogs at most any stand with everything on them. It's a delicious! A taste I really have had for a hotdog anywhere else.
- The Icelandic people are very kind and most know a good deal of English. But it is, I think, appreciated when you try and learn some of the language. I really only know and use three words.
Takk- thanks
Yá- pronounced yow, meaning yes
Neí- pronounced nay, meaning no
I tried with these:
Góthan dag- good day, with a soft g on dag
Velkomith- welcome
Afsakith mig- excuse me
I am sure there is more, but those are the important things I wished past Ashlen knew. Thanks for sticking with me to the end!
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| This cool thing is a automated toilet! WC stands for water closet, I think |
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| The outdoor swimming pool! We went twice in the evening. Be warned, in Iceland it is expected to shower naked before entering the pool. |
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| Famous Iceland hotdog, onions and fry bits not shown |
Friday, September 16, 2016
Day of Departure
Here is a run down on that crazy day. If you are curious about Zach's point of view from that day, jump over to his blog Mentat Wanderings
But this post is from my view.
For the past few days I had been feeling lightheaded and sick, and no matter of rest and food or water seemed to make much difference. Was I stressed about the trip? Yes! I prayed that it would go away.
So, the day of, we planned to eat breakfast out, get to his mom's place by 11 to leave by 1 so we could get through security check by 2, so we could fly by 4.
That's what we planned anyway.
I woke up dizzy and sick, and thought something must be WRONG. We ended up at an Ergent Care Clinic, and was rushed in and out, with what felt like a pat on the head. Nothing could be found wrong with me, though I still felt dizzy. So fine, I figured I'd see a doctor in Iceland if it came to that. FINE.
By the time we reached Zach's mom's place, it was 12:30. We rushed into the car and zoomed to the airport. Thank you thank you Susan for driving us! Tight hugs and fond farewells, and we were off to find a plane.
And we got lost.
Thankfully the security checkpoint went fast and easy. Well, for the security people. I'm always a hot mess going through there. Dropping things, struggling with shoes, losing my passport and other papers behind for a moment.
But we got through! Took a train to a separate building for international flights, and had a brief moment to sip water and eat food before we packed it all up and got on board.
It is tight on this flight, and the quiet blonde woman next to me has the window seat. She isn't saying anything, but she must hate me because I keep bumping her headphone port and dropping my water bottle onto her side and smacking her, gently mind you, with my coat.
Oh boy, here we go. 8 hours til Iceland!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Thank you to Donators!
How exciting! We have donators to our back our back up travel fund!
Thank you thank you to Steven Sanders, William Lavely, and Carolyn Thayer for your warm support!
Here is Zach Sanders eating a genuine Icelandic hot dog in your honor.
If you want a shout out here, or some other cool little Europe gift, head over to our gofundme page at
Zach's and Ash in Europe
Zach's and Ash in Europe
The Imperfect Adventure
Two days Before Departure*
This was the time when the phrase "have I got everything I need to get done accomplished?" was running theough
To begin with, Zach and I have been buying and packing up a storm. For me it's been figuring out the most perfect combination of coats and shirts and shoes to buy and bring with me. I was fortunate to have some gift card money given to me, and I planned to use it on my trip. Bought a heavy duty coat online from REI in sale. Used the rest of the money to get light walking shoes at Nordsroms. But, as this post is titled "the imperfect adventure," you can imagine what happened.
The coat was too heavy. It was too big. At extra large it was just not going to happen, and I couldn't trade it in for something smaller, so I returned it and bought a couple of layers, waterproof and warm and much lighter. The shoes were much harder. I agonized over finding size 10 1/2 to 11 walking shoes. Zach and I looked at several shoe stores, fromThe Walking Store to Sketchers for that special pair of size 11. I cried a few times, bitter tears from my past when I couldn't find something in my size that was cute. When I couldn't find something that was wide enough. I had forgotten the shame I had felt as a teenager when I tried to go shoe shopping at conventional stores. When I finally found the perfect walking shoes from Nordstrom, well made light slip on shoes, I breathed a sigh of relief. It took me three days of slight toe aches to acknowledge that they were, infact, not perfect. And I had to let them go.
It was letting go of those shoes that forced me to accept myself as fine, and the shoes as imperfect. And to shine light onto how important I made perfection a part of this trip. How I am stuck on perfection, for myself as well, and that illusion is keeping me from seeing the worthwhile possibilities. So, instead of obsessing over shoes, I hung out with my family and my friends in Centralia.
The day before departure. I'm back in Seattle, packing my large hiking pack with what I imagine I'll need for 6 months. With imperfection in mind I dive in, my boyfriend repacking his bag for the 5th time. So far this is what I have for clothes:
Two pairs of pants
Two thick leggings
Two skirts
A long sleeve button up shirt
7 underwear (three period underwear, 4 regular)
6 pairs of socks
Two tanks with support and a jog bra
One leotard with support
One long sleeve shirt with hood
Three tanks
Two T-shirts
One pull over fleece
One lighter sweater
A warm jacket with imitation down
A waterproof jacket she'll
A fancy top
Swimming suit
Three pairs of shoes: one for hiking, one for walking, one fancy slip on
One scarf
And I think that's it. Plus electronics, my travel journal, cords, wall adapters for different countries, my money belt, some small musical instruments, and a large wrap that can be used for a blanket. A neck pillow makes its way in, getting smashed into the top of the bag.
I leave behind so much. A book to read. My tarot deck. A dress.
I plan for this to be imperfect. I try and leave space. I hope I packed a sense of humor in there.
I did pack a tshirt with an iron on emblem of travelling protection. Thank you Camille Charlier for that bit of magic!
After getting most of it packed, Zach and I bought a Resling down to Golden Gardens, and by the dark waters edge, at the edge of Summer and with the salty breath of the Pacific, we made a wish, took a sip, and gave some wine to the Earth. A floating lantern went up to excited shouts and joined the half moon.
I thought "there goes our wishes." I wished for an open heart. Here goes everything.
*another back dated post, I'm finishing something from a few days ago
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