Final Day in Iceland: All Day and All Night in Reykjavik

Day 36: Saturday, 25 June 2011

We tried to get as much sleep as possible at the hostel, because the next night we were planning for the possibility of staying out all night before our early morning flights. So we slept until 10, but had to check out at 10:30. Taking it easy, we checked emails and other internet stuff for an hour or so. I also frantically tried to help out Ueli, who had texted me that he was stranded in San Francisco at 3am with nowhere to stay.

The day's drive was short, less than 2 hours to Reykjavik. Along the way we passed along a fjord (Halfnafjorthur) with some spectacular views. We stopped at a lone church, decided against making a 2-hour hike to Glymur (Iceland's tallest waterfall), and drove offroad to find a hot spring that Georg had recommended to us. The hot spring was pretty isolated, a natural jacuzzi right by the water. We didn't really feel like jumping in, as rain had begun to sprinkle and I wanted to get to Reykjavik anyway.

West Fjords Day 2: More Cool Encounters and Puffins!

Day 35: Friday, 24 June 2011

Georg left at 8am to go to work, and we were up shortly thereafter. Something was up with my electric plug so I borrowed Jurate's to charge my camera. With a lot to see and do, we wanted to get moving a little earlier. So we finished our cereal quickly and left by 10am. Our first stop was a hidden hot bath in a small town somewhere in this part of the west fjords. Georg had told us how to get there, and when we arrived we were the only ones there. It was our little secret… almost. One older man appeared and settled in to one of the pools. But whatever - it felt so good to just sit in hot (40-45°C / 105-115° F) water, with the sea on one side and isolated mountains on the other side.

After bathing in the hot pots, my body continued to feel warm and comfortable - I could start every day like this! We drove west, around more fjords and discovering an abandoned iron ship from around 1910.

We drove on and found a small café with a US Navy airplane disassembled outside (and also a mock viking ship). The road was gravel most of the way, and our car picked up even more dirt. The car is covered in a solid layer of brown dirt.

We continued to Látrabjarg, a lighthouse sitting on a cliff which is the westernmost point in Europe.

Driving West Fjords

Day 34: Thursday, 23 June 2011

We woke up in Blönduós at Christina's apartment. Christina had to go to work and left as I was showering. After making breakfast and getting ready, it was nearly 11:00. We had an 8 hour drive ahead of us, so we had to get moving. We drove toward the west fjords, through more spectacular scenery. We drove through Brú and turned north toward Hólmavík. This part of the drive took about 2 hours. My guidebook mentioned a restaurant in Hólmavík that served puffin meat, and we were all interested in trying some. We went to the restaurant, Café Riis, only to find that puffin was not in season yet, so we settled for a hamburger and some salad bar food that cost ISK 1600. The drive continued, and the scenery continued to change every few minutes.

I fell asleep for nearly an hour, thanks to eating so much food (and the road was smooth). I woke up as we pulled into a gas station in Reykjanes, but the self-service pump was not accepting our credit cards, so we decided to risk it and drive on with our gas level at about 30%. The next petrol station was not for another 130km, and our car had enough fuel to last just about that long. So instead of worrying, I enjoyed the drive as we wound in and around several deep fjords carved into glaciated 500m-tall mountains with waterfalls cascading down every kilometer or less. It was, yet again, an unreal landscape. By this point, I had started "getting used to" the ever-changing spectacular landscapes everywhere in Iceland. Anyway, we made it to the petrol station and filled up the tank with ISK 12 000.

Myvatn Lake - Another Amazing Corner of Iceland

Day 33: Wednesday, 22 June 2011

I woke up after everyone else, because I had stayed up late sending couchsurfing requests - this actually was very fortuitous, because one host had accepted my request by the time I woke up! Jurate and Nerijus had prepared some breakfast of pasta and leftovers from dinner, while Jared had his own small snack. I turned on the TV to find that there were only 3 stations, and they were all playing the same thing, a kind of scrolling news feed.

We left the hostel around 10:30am, and it was cold outside. Our car was the dirtiest there. We drove to Myvatn lake and stopped at the N1 station for Jared to get a full breakfast. Then, onward: There was a sign to a farm named Björk, where we of course stopped for pictures; I scraped the palm of my right hand as I hung from the sign. Then we did a hike (the Church Circle) around some surreal lava formations at Dimmuborgir.

It was very cool, and we were able to climb into a few caves in the rock. We then realized how little time we had (because we had to be in Akureyri by 5pm for Jared to catch his bus), so we rushed to the next stop, a small hike next to a farm. There were odd lava columns next to pleasant ponds filled with birds and midges. We hurried onward to the pseudo-craters of southern Myvatn lake, which were relatively unimpressive (relative to everything else that we've seen in Iceland).

Crossing Over Icelandic Volcanoes

Day 32: Tuesday, 21 June 2011
It was around 10am when I woke up. A full night's rest, finally! It took a while for us to get ready, make breakfast from our leftovers, and to look up hostels online, so we didn't leave Seyðisfjörður until nearly 1pm. We stopped at the harbor and took in the scenery (this port was a US base during WWII and is the port for ferries arriving weekly from Denmark).

We drove back over the mountains, stopping in Egilsstaðir for food and continued on the ring road toward Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Iceland. I managed to sleep for a few minutes, waking up just before we stopped to take in a spectacular view of the desolate interior, all deserted brown rocks with towering snow-capped mountains in the distance. We decided to take a detour to see Kefla, an active volcano near Myvatn. We went all the way to Reykjahith, where we stopped for petrol. There were a lot of hot springs and geothermal activity in the area. We went to the hot springs, this area's Blue Lagoon, but it was too expensive for us to consider visiting. We went to Namafjall, a mountain overlooking the hot springs at Hverir.

Glacier Day

Day 31: Monday, 20 June 2011
It was not easy to wake up. I was massively jet lagged and needed many more hours of sleep when my alarm went off around 7:15. However, we had to be out and at the visitor center by 9am for our glacier hiking tour. So I quickly got ready and scarfed down some leftover pasta for a carb-heavy breakfast. We drove in a chilly mist through a moon-like landscape of barren black volcanic soil, sometimes accented by pockets of moss and lichens. We arrived at the glacier tour center at 8:55 and were quickly outfitted with harnesses, helmets, ice axes, and crampons for our shoes.

An old American school bus drove us to the base of the glacier. Along the way, the four of us were trying to drink a cup of coffee each and spilling it everywhere thanks to the bumpy ride; we were laughing most of the way. The bus dropped us off at the end of the dirt road, a 10-minute hike from the base of the glacier itself. We had two glacier guides, Sivollina (from France) and Danni from Iceland. They led us to the glacier, where we strapped on our crampons and walked (either cowboy-style or Charlie Chaplin-style) onto the glacier itself.

The glacier was actually nearly black, covered with volcanic ash from the recent eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano nearly a month earlier. We walked past many moulins, holes in the glacier through which meltwater flows like a river. We then climbed halfway up the glacier, until we couldn't climb up much further, and here we had a small lunch of sandwiches. It was amazing, despite the weather being misty and drizzly.

First Day in Iceland: Full of Things to See!

Day 30: Sunday, 19 June 2011
ICELAND. I cannot believe I'm here. It's a surreal country, and a surreal time of the year to visit - the sky is light 24 hours a day!

I awoke around 8am to the sound of my alarm. I felt instantly disoriented. The 10-bed hostel room had really warmed up overnight, and the empty beds had filled up with late night reveling travelers. I looked around for Ueli and then realized that, for the first time in a month, he wasn't there anymore. I went downstairs and checked my email to see when/how to meet Jurate and Nerijus, my travel partners, and as I was coming up the stairs, there they were! So I quickly showered and got ready, and as I checked out downstairs, there was Jared, our 4th travelmate. I panicked a bit, as I couldn't find my cell phone, but after running up and downstairs, it turned out to be wrapped up inside my sleeping bag! Doh!

Fueled by a small breakfast of a  chicken curry wrap and an orange soda, I was ready to go. We loaded our bags into the silver Suzuki Grand Vitara and hit the road. For this road trip, Jurate is navigating us with the GPS on her phone, but there's no ipod jack in the car. We headed out of Reykjavik toward Þingvellir, the first stop on the well-worn Golden Circle tourist route. Along the way, we stopped at a really nice looking stream with a field of small horses across the road. We took pictures. Then, we stopped at a big field near the lake where plenty of other people had stopped to look at hundreds of small stone structures of rocks stacked atop each other. They were like mini-pyramids, ranging in size from 6 inches to 5 feet tall. I presumed that they're related to the fact that over half of Icelanders believe in magical elf-like spirits that dwell in the hills.

Leaving the USA: Thoughts and Reflections on Travel.

Day 29: Saturday, 18 June 2011
Well, the day has finally come - I've finally reached the end of my trip across the USA, and today I flew from Boston to Reykjavik for the next leg of my journey, a round trip tour around Iceland.

What can I say about my trip? It's been 4 weeks since I left LA that gloomy May morning, and those 4 weeks have undoubtedly been the best of my life. Each day has been a new adventure, a new discovery, and I have met new people and made new friends. I hope that I've become more confident too, although traveling around the US is not much of a culture shock for me. Ueli has definitely seen so much during this trip, more than any European traveling could have hoped to see. (And he'll have such a great experience traveling back to California - he's hitchhiking with Ellen from New York to San Francisco!) I feel lucky to have found such a great travel partner. We were able to see so much, largely because our personalities matched up so well and we were so open to whatever came our way.

What I've gained most during this big cross-country trip is a real understanding of how the USA is all connected. There is always so much talk about the social, cultural, and political divisions amongst Americans, but I must say that all in all, we're much more similar than different. Of course there are differences; each city has it's own unique vibe, and this was most evident in cities like Austin, New Orleans, New York, and Boston. There are also amazing natural wonders, of course, and really great local food specialties everywhere. But I must conclude that Americans are truly helpful and good-hearted people from coast to coast. I was truly amazed at how nice everyone was to me and Ueli once I started talking to them. So learn this lesson, folks: TALK TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU. Talk, and share without expecting anything in return. You will learn something, and you will likely brighten their day (and brighten your day too).

So my last day in the USA: I woke up on Jonathan's couch around 8:10 to the sound of my alarm. Ueli was snoozing in the corner of the room, so I checked my email and then took a shower. The shower, again, wouldn't drain properly. I then spent some time trying to pack all my things tightly into my two bags. It took a while, but I managed to cram everything in, including my sleeping bag. I really hope that I can survive with these bags for the rest of my trip; this is why I was almost about to buy a bigger, backpacker-style backpack. Soon Ueli was awake, showered, and packed much more quickly than I was, and Jonathan rose as well. It was around 10 when we left and had breakfast together at a nearby cafe on Harvard Ave called @Union. Along the way, I ducked quickly into a Staples to buy an electricity plug converter (good decision). I had a plate of eggs and potatoes, Jonathan chose cajun hash browns, and Ueli got fruit and oatmeal (ever since San Antonio, where Jeff served us the best oatmeal we've ever tried, Ueli's been interested in eating oatmeal). I scarfed my food down quickly, since I was a little nervous that I'd be late for my flight, but we ended up having plenty of time.

One of the hardest parts of traveling is saying goodbye, whether bye to people you've met along the way, or goodbye to the wonderful places you've seen. I have wanted to stay longer in every single place that I've been, for a few more hours at least. But, you just got to keep on moving. I guess that's why you really need to enjoy your time in each place, because you know you won't be there forever. None of us will be anywhere forever.

Today was a big celebration parade for the Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup victory, so downtown Boston was packed full of people. The three of us all got on the T together, but Jonathan rushed off at the next stop. The doors weren't opening so he had to run to the front of the train; we later said our good-bye over the phone. The T continued inbound, and several of the stations were closed. The parade must have been wrapping up, as the trains in the opposite direction were crammed full of people. We arrived at the Government Center station, and it was time to say good-bye, as Ueli was walking to the bus station and I took another train to the airport. This train was a little crowded with Bruins fans, so I had to push my way through to get off at the Airport station. There is a FREE bus shuttle that runs from the T station directly to the terminals at Logan Airport, which is a great help for travelers. I arrived at my terminal, checked in quickly, got through security, and settled in to await boarding. I called home, and Ueli texted me about the chaos of going through the packed streets of central Boston post-parade (but he made it on his bus). I waited at the airport for my flight, and soon I'd be off to Iceland.

Ends With a Whimper - A Slow Second Day in Boston

Day 28: Friday, 17 June 2011
The weather was gloomy and overcast, so it was a good day to be lazy. We stayed in for the morning, transferring photos and organizing our files from this road trip, and then grabbed lunch at Eagle's Deli, a nearby casual diner place that is famous for its "challenge" burger. We then walked around the reservoir, along the way Jonathan showed us where he lived, sort of. Ueli collected a bunch of bird feathers and now has succumbed to the bird flu. Luckily, I'm leaving him behind (ok, just kidding!). We then walked onto BC's campus, seeing the stadium, in which Ueli wanted to climb to the top to take in the view, then around to the library, and back along Comm Ave to Jonathan's apartment. It's about a 25 minute walk, so not too close.

We rested for a bit, then we went out for dinner. The original plan was to go to the Barking Crab, a seafood place right on the water, but when I looked up the menu and saw the prices, I balked and immediately wanted to eat somewhere else. I found a pizza place in the North End called Ernesto's, where we ended up going. It's a small pizza place, with only a few tables to sit at, but it wasn't very crowded when we got there. Jonathan and I split a (very large) slice of sausage pizza and a spinach/ricotta calzone. The pizza was thin and full of cheese, not bready at all - this was EXACTLY the kind of pizza I describe as perfect. It was easily the best pizza I have ever had. The calzone was very filling as well.

We returned to the apartment, and Ueli and I continued to transfer photos, music, and organize other things. We also did our laundry. It was good to have a quiet day, to get myself collected and ready to fly away in the morning.

Exploring Cambridge and Boston

Day 27: Thursday, 16 June 2011
Ueli and I slept in a little bit before heading out to explore the city. Jonathan had schoolwork to prepare so he stayed at the apartment. We took the T into the city - we got pretty lucky because the train seemed to wait at the stop for 5 minutes until we boarded. In the city, we decided to keep on going with the train all the way to Cambridge, so that we would get the most of our 1-way ticket. So after navigating the somewhat confusing corridors of the Park St station, we got on the red line, which is more of a subway yet still goes above ground over the Charles River, and soon were in Cambridge. At the station, Harvard Square, there were people soliciting tours and others giving out samples of energy bars. I took a free map from one of the tour people, and we walked into Harvard Yard.

We explored Harvard for a bit, and I was very hungry as we entered the Science Building, so I instantly beelined for the cafeteria and got myself a calzone (which was packed with meat). After eating, we continued walking around and eventually wound our way back to the Harvard COOP, where we browsed books for a while and Ueli ended up buying an American English phrasebook. There was a girl performing on her acoustic guitar outside in the alleyway. We walked all the way along Massachusetts Avenue to MIT, where we rested for a few minutes with some cold drinks from Dunkin' Donuts. It was a warm and sunny day, as pleasant a day as you could wish for. We walked through MIT for a bit, then headed to the Charles River, which we crossed back into Boston. We walked up Beacon Hill then emerged near the Massachusetts State House and Boston Common. There I found the Freedom Trail, a well-marked path that links the major historical sites of interest in central Boston. With tourists and 18th-century dressed tour guides all around, I decided to follow the Freedom Trail and see the major sights.

New York to Boston

Day 26: Wednesday, 15 June 2011
I set my alarm for 8:18am, and we were up and ready by 10:30. Tita M was waiting for a delivery - their new ping pong table was getting installed. She was gracious enough to offer to drive us into Manhattan to catch our bus, which I at first refused, but she persisted and it really was hard to refuse her offer. Ueli and I alternated showering and eating some fried egg and spam for breakfast, then I tried really hard to pack all my stuff into my two bag. It was a challenge, especially because of my sleeping bag! I really need either a smaller sleeping bag or a larger travel backpack - maybe I'll buy one in Boston. But at least all my stuff fits into the bags, for now. I just can't buy any more clothes (and I realized that I have only 1 pair of jeans for this whole summer! Yipes!).

So we said bye to Darren, Nate, and Brian, and then Tita M drove us to Manhattan, dropping us off at the Washington Bridge station, where we got the subway. Ueli's ticket didn't work so he had to ask the attendant to let him in. The subway was quick and easy (though we did have to wait like 4 minutes for it to arrive), taking us straight to Penn Station. Ueli was worried that we couldn't exit the subway with our big bags, but I made it work. We walked over to the MegaBus stop, and I gave some confused tourists directions. There was a small line of about 15 people already waiting for our bus to Boston, so I queued up behind them. The bus was scheduled to leave at 12:10 but didn't until around 12:35. Ueli and I sat in separate rows by ourselves, giving me enough space to splay out my towel and snacks, and the free wifi allowed me to browse on my laptop for the entire ride. The double-decker bus was smooth and quiet; it passed under several underpasses which seemed dangerously close to swiping off the top of the bus. I was in the third row of the top level. In front of me sat a hyper hipster with a pink pigtail and thick glasses. Across from me sat two older ladies who must be colleagues at some music institution because they just chatted about for most of the ride. Behind me sat Ueli, and behind him was a woman who chatted away really loudly on her phone. She spoke with a measured and professional voice, making sure to fully enunciate each word as she proclaimed her self-importance to the rest of the bus: "Thank you so much for sending that package, I really appreciate it."

I used the wifi on the bus to track our route - the bus went north, instead of taking the 95, taking the 287 to the 84 and going through Hartford, Connecticut. We bypassed Rhode Island altogether. There was some traffic as we headed into Boston, near Worcester. The air conditioning was colder than I liked, so I wrapped my torso and arms up in my towel. It was around 5:30 when we arrived in Boston - I feel like the bus could have taken a better route, because I don't think that New York to Boston is usually a nearly 5-hour drive.