Iceland:Impressions, Insights, Incredible. Reyjkavik-Part 1

It's about as hard to believe that I'm back home as it is to imagine I ever went. And yet, it was a month ago, when we first landed on a very different island. It wasn't warm like a tropical vacation. It didn't have lovely turquoise waters, familiar music, or a well known culture and language. Words and names were difficult to pronounce and the landscape was dark, cold, volcanic, and treeless. It's a mysterious place which has become a bucket list add on for many tourists. It was spectacular in its own way. Iceland is indeed an experience.

So where does one start? There's a sculpture of a wing, slowly emerging from a giant metallic egg at the Keflavik airport. I related to the feeling in that sculpture, as I left the shell that was our aircraft and descended the metallic steps, emerging into this most mysterious and eerie of lands.

As we drove and neared the more populace area where we would be staying, I marvelled at how a place, an entire country, with a population of just over 300,000 could accomplish so much. Nothing appeared to be lacking. Houses were being constructed or repaired. Architecture was modern. City streets were in good shape. Bus routes were efficient and regular. There was art, culture, and technology.

We learned a lot in the four days of our visit. Icelanders get all their electricity and heat from renewable sources. For example, our host was sure to inform us that the reason the hot water smelled like sulphur was because they get it from the ground...hot springs. Similarly, geothermal water is used to heat houses in the winter. Produce is grown locally and many people have their own mini greenhouses. They even grow bananas!

Along with the good, comes the bad. Things are expensive. Icelandic kronas are often spent in units of hundreds or thousands and the country is deeply in debt.

ISK samples. I took along $700 or 63,000 ISK...we spent 100,000 ISK

As I always do, I photographed our Airbnb house, the closest intersection, and an obvious landmark. I learned some time ago that this is advisable and helpful in order to find one's return route in strange areas. Here were our surroundings in Kopavogur (remember no "a" or surrounding letters, so Koap-o-gur ) on the outskirts of Reykjavik.

view from our Airbnb balcony

near our bus stop

Kopavogskirkja...recognizable landmark

We boarded a bus near our host's home and transferred one time to get to the "big city" which houses one third of Iceland's total population. It cost 420 ISK (almost $5.00) per person. Of course, I photographed the bus numbers (another way to compensate for diminishing brain cells). I also noted how vivid things were...the buses, the art, the fashion, the flowers.

             




There were many delicacies available at the restaurants and Icelandic food was generally delicious. Restaurants were, like everything else, expensive. We discovered that lunch meals are better value and we found a wonderful little place with soup and sandwich bargains. Bakeries were also great. We were also told about the famous "Tom's Hot Dogs", real name Baejarins Betzu Pylsur where the likes of Justin Bieber, Bill Clinton, Charlie Sheen, and now, hubby and I have eaten for 350 ISK per hot dog. It turned out not to be a restaurant as we had thought,  but rather a food truck. It wasn't easy to find, since it seems that nobody can give directions or descriptions in Iceland (more on that later).

Food, Fun, Fond Memories of Newfoundland

So clearly, or not so clearly, the weather was not the best while we were in Newfoundland. In fact, I found 11C to be down right chilly. There was no precipitation except for the fog. Nonetheless, I have no regrets. I can only imagine how much more spectacular all the places would have looked had we had sunshine or blue skies.

A few new things which I learned while in Newfoundland...actually, there were many but here are some.

A person from Newfoundland is called Newfounese, not a Newfie.

Things made in Newfoundland from icebergs eg. beer and vodka, are delicious. The beer is made by the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company and water from 25,000 year old glaciers off the coast is used. It is brought into the facility by tankers and is tested for purity. Vodka is similarly produced. Other drinks designed to keep people warm on this island, (eg. Screech) are just fine as well.                                

The touton is a type of Newfoundland pancake. I first saw it in an ad in a brochure and figured I should test this local delicacy. It is produced by frying bread dough in a pan with butter or pork fat and it is served with molasses. I'm, glad my friend and I shared one because all I can apologetically say to this item is "Yuck! Disgusting." Definitely not suited to my tastebuds.

Mummers fascinated me. Apparently, it's a Christmas tradition, where people dress up in costumes and masks in an outlandish and humourous way. They go door to door and celebrate mostly with neighbours and friends who try to guess their identity. It's an excuse for a big party from what I could see although it is based on some European traditions. Sounds like a great time.

One of  my trip regrets is that I did not pick up a Newfoundland ugly stick. It's a percussion instrument which consists of a boot containing an upside down mop, often with a face and braided "hair". There are cross sticks with jingly beer caps attached and the instrument is pounded onto the floor in time to the music. What fun! On the other hand, this sounds like it could be a spare time craft project.

Washroom facilities are not as desperate as they appear. I figured out that it's not a drop at bottom of the foot on the right side but rather the other foot (from crossed legs).

By the way, lest anyone wonder, the gas price in Newfoundland in July was $1.19....not bad.

After leaving St. John's, our destination was the most easterly part of our fabulous country of Canada, Cape Spear on the Avalon Peninsula and our eventual overnight ferry ride from Argentia back to the mainland.  

I can now brag that I have been at the farthest eastern edge our coast. In fact, I was standing at a point that was closer to Greenland (1527 km) than it was to Toronto (2700 km). Amazing.

The Cape Spear lighthouse is the second oldest in Newfoundland, built in 1836.  During the second world war, a gun battery was installed here to defend the entrance to St. John's harbour. Barracks and underground passages were built for the troops who were stationed here. This provided a sheltered view of the ocean.















 Numerous signs and warnings are posted all around the area since it is notorious for rogue waves. Tourists have been frequently lost here in the past. Although I was quite lost in the magnificence of it all, I was not one of those unfortunates who ventured too near the edge.

All too soon, we were off to Argentia to board the overnight ferry back to the mainland.

Afternoon Tea - The Experience

Sunday finally arrived. Our tea time reservation at the Fairmont Royal York was for 12:30. Because of all the street and train station construction, it was a bit of a challenge negotiating my way across to the hotel. I entered to see this magnificent display.

I arrived quite early, so I decided to check out the shopping underground tunnels. Unfortunately, they were closed, as were all the stores and coffee shops on the lower hotel level. Construction, I was told. I ventured upstairs where I first passed sculptures based on the story "A Christmas Carol", carved entirely from tallow.  As I stood and admired this creation, depicting one of the ghosts, I heard a fellow say to his friend, "Who's that supposed to be, Jesus?"

Although I had dressed in a presentable manner, I decided to forgo the fascinator. I was glad I did when I saw this Christmas tree sporting the exact same hat. That could have been embarassing!

After sipping a martini and gulping a few glasses of water I went to check out the reservation. "Nobody's here yet from that party," I was told, so I hung up my coat and took a few timer photos with the large lobby tree.

When I returned to the library lounge ten minutes later, everyone had arrived...well, except for me. I took my place at the head of the table and attempted to read the menu. It didn't really matter that I couldn't see because except for the tea, we all received the same food items. Our specified flavour of tea arrived first, then the sandwiches. My teapot had a minor issue which caused me, in my handicapped state to pour tea all over the tablecloth. Oh well, it smelled and tasted a bit...er...agricultural anyhow...no great loss.

Meanwhile, we were all having a wonderful time meeting with each other, chatting and laughing a lot. We nibbled our very filling sandwich triangles. When my friend decided to explore the depths of her teapot, she came up with this rather disturbing discovery...another huge source of amusement.

 Next came the dessert tray, containing a variety of items including scones, macarons, tarts, cake and cream puff swans. Goodies not consumed were packed up in a lovely Fairmont doggy bag.


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As we got ready to leave, I noticed the source of our entertainment. It wasn't a recording at all. Rather there was a guitarist sitting directly behind my chair. Gave new meaning to the words, background music.

  We hated to disperse after such a lovely time, so all of us went to take individual and group photos by the huge lobby tree. What a lovely memory and good times with nice people.

I'd consider doing this again some day. It would have to be in the summer, when the cost is lower and there's the opportunity to tour the hives and herb gardens on the roof of the hotel. I think that opportunity would add a nice dimension to the tea time experience. Oh...and just to add another dimension, I'd seek out a place where I could afford to have two martinis prior to tea time.

Say What?

My daughter rarely complains about food. She's a fish eating vegetarian, a pescetarian. When all else fails, she eats dessert, all kinds of dessert. Recently, I've been receiving text messages in which she has been describing her Curacao food experiences.

Her messages look much like this. "All the food here is disgusting." or "It's impossible to be fat here."

Since I found the food to be quite acceptable while I was visiting, I wondered what the problem was. She did recount a trip to Burger King for a veggie burger. She said it was passable, but she wouldn't go out of her way to get it. The best part of eating there was seeing goats walking around outside. There was also a Japanese restaurant with outstanding sushi in the Rif Fort area. The problem is, that fine dining is not in her student budget and this was a bit of a splurge.

I asked whether she'd shopped at the floating market. Venezuelan boats arrive daily with fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. She hadn't. She had only been to the "real" supermarket where she located some veggie meatballs and some burritos. Oh, and her salads consisted of a lot of spinach. Spinach was easier to find than lettuce.

Today, I received information from her about the water. Interesting. She's been drinking a lot of tap water since it's safe to drink and in her words, "sooooo good". It is distilled from the sea. When she bought bottled water, it too was "gross".

For all my rants about technology, I have to admit, it has its uses, many uses. For one thing, it's been nice to communicate from so far away by texting and the occasional email.

Tonight, a message arrived on my cell phone. Since I am not of an age where this phone is one of my appendages, I didn't see it immediately in order to come to the rescue. Judging from this, the salads too are starting to get tiresome.

Here's the message. I'm still laughing.

"My internet is broken, how do I cook spinach?"

Germany For Tourists - Shopping and Eating

There are two simple things to remember. When shopping, ignore the clothes and go for the toiletries, shoes and the food. Clothing by our standards is generally expensive unless you happen to be a "second hand store" shopper. Yes indeed, these stores exist, are fairly easy to find, and have some remarkable bargains. "Aldi" is a grocery store which also sells toiletries and some clothing like tshirts, pajamas and underwear. A great place for essentials, drinks and snacks. I picked up a pack of 8 batteries for 1.69 Euros.

Shoes are reasonable. It is affordable to buy brand new, great quality brand names in German footwear. Birkenstocks for example, begin at 29 Euros.


Food is a huge bargain as are the drinks (see blog 8/27/12 "Water and Other Libations")

German people have become more concerned about their health. I learned that the food revolution began in the 70's when classic high carb fare started to be replaced by better choices. A chef named Eckart Witzigmann, is credited with introducing the new cuisine. Fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available and inexpensive.

                           

 

Here is one of my favourite restaurant meals. It's called an "Exotischer Salat", exotic salad. The skewers have turkey (puten) skewers.

Having said all this, portion sizes are often large enough for two persons. When I remembered to do so, I would order a meal without sauce, since restaurants often drown food in gravy.


Rouladen, veggies and boiled potatoes

           

Smoked salt cured pork (Kasseler) with kale (Grünkohl) and fried potatoes...hubby's choice



Trout (forelle) with noodles

Another one of my favourite things...schnitzel (2 too big pieces) with spätzle (and beer)

Here are a few of the menu offerings.

 A three Euro breakfast (left) included juice, a boiled egg, a basket of rolls and a tray of meat and cheese...more than enough for two people. The lunch menus offer schnitzel, noodles and salad for 5.90 Euros or frikadelle...seasoned hamburger type patties with carrots and mashed potatoes for 5.50 Euros. Of course, everyone knows about the delicious breads, pastries and pretzels.

AND NOW....FOR COFFEE & DESSERT!

Coffee drinking is just as much of a custom in Europe as it is here. Coffee and cake or torte in the afternoon is even more popular. To distinguish between a torte and a cake, count the layers. More layers, torte. No layers, cake. Again, these treats are quite inexpensive.

raspberry cheese cake and cappuccino

 

 

Ice cream or "Eis" in Germany is usually homemade by the proprieters of the parlors and stands. There are many delicious flavours and ornamental sundaes. An ice cream cone in a waffle, costs between 70 cents and one Euro. Sundaes cost bit more.

Finally, a dessert which I found incredibly tasty and different from anything I'd ever eaten was called
"Rote Grütze". Grütze is German for grits, but have no fear, there is little if any resemblance to that sandpapery cereal. Rather, it's a combination of red currants, raspberries, strawberries and cherries  topped with custard or whipped cream. Yummy.

One recipe can be found at this site http://www.food.com/recipe/rote-gr-tze-301 and requires 24 hours of chilling after assembling. It doesn't include the traditional currants and I prefer the custard topping rather than the cream in the recipe. Perhaps I'll try to make this myself one day and report on the outcome.

Bermuda Shorts - The Last Post

      

Currency 

Bermudian money and U.S. money are interchangeable in Bermuda. If you must separate your cash, put all the pretty coloured bills and the coins with queen heads in one wallet. Place all drab green money and coins with president heads into another. This can be helpful because should you have any remaining  U.S. funds when you leave Bermuda, (highly unlikely) it will be more universally usable. Unless you want souvenirs, try to use the Bermudian money up while you are there (easy to do). 

  Food

I remember reading about the cost of food in Bermuda. Just as there are no rental cars, there are no fast food establishments allowed in Bermuda. The exception is a KFC which had arrived before the law was introduced. There was a suggestion on the internet that the least expensive place for dinner was at one of the hospital cafeterias. I say that if you feel you will need to resort to this, you can't afford to go to Bermuda.  Although it was not quite as bad as I had feared, finding reasonable and good food did require a bit of effort and asking around.

Since a basic hotel breakfast with 17% gratuity costs between $20-25, there needed to be a "Plan B". A little place called "Common Ground", http://www.commonground.bm/ was recommended by a souvenir shop owner in Hamilton. It was a charming cafe/deli/coffee shop with acceptable prices. I had a large toasted bacon and egg sandwich on whole wheat for $6.50. Tea or coffee was $2. Reasonable by any city's standards.

Another good choice was "The Hog Penny".  The Bermudian chowder is amazing although it didn't hurt that the waitress poured the equivalent of half a glass of rum on top of it.

                                     
                                                      
Here is my tripadvisor review.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g147257-d1011877-r126935408-Hog_Penny-Hamilton_Pembroke_Bermuda.html#REVIEWS

Henry VIII pub and restaurant was ok, although I wouldn't particularly recommend it. It was near the hotel, pricey and not what I expected. My favourite part of the meal was the creme brulee and since it was so dark in the restaurant by dessert time, I took a flash photo so I could see it.

Here is my tripadvisor review.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g147255-d1046757-r126802369-Henry_VIII-Bermuda.html#REVIEWS

My final word on the food would be to eat a larger meal at one of the pub type restaurants at noon and then stick to an appetizer or snack in the evenings when the more expensive meals and prices seem to come out of the woodwork along with the more formal clothing. About $100 a day, per person for food is not unusual.

Shopping

As unbelievable as it may sound, there are bargains to be had in Bermuda. If you steer away from the designer outlets and head for the department stores during the "off season", there are some great sales. Places like A.S. Cooper & Sons http://www.ascooper.bm/, Gibbons Company http://www.gibbons.bm/, and Marks and Spencer were good. Gibbons Company has a huge store in Hamilton and several smaller outlets in places like the Naval Dockyard and in hotels.

I purchased 3 things in Bermuda...a designer skirt which had been halved in price many times and now cost $15, a gombey ornament, and some Marks and Spencer fudge for hubby.

*** Helpful hint for those interested in the "authentic" Bermudian rum cake. Buy it at the factory in the Naval Dockyards. The duty free store at the airport is almost non existent, has very little of anything and is only opened briefly after the employees which have checked you in, take and screen your luggage. The same employees then show up to unlock it and show you their lean duty free choices. I feel terrible...hubby had to miss out on his souvenir rum soaked fruitcake.

Festivities

The Bermuda gombey is a symbol of Bermudian culture influenced by African, Native American and West Indian cultures as well as the Bible, British Military and English Mummers. Originally, it was performed on the two days a year (Boxing Day and New Years' Day) when slaves were not required to work. In a gombey performance, costumed performers dance to a wildly energetic drum beat. The feathered headdresses, masks and tassels are meant to represent the plummage of birds. This dance is often seen at weddings and other celebrations throughout the island.

While at the hotel, there was a very fast moving gombey parade. My camera flash was off and it didn't capture the "full force" of the event.

One of the hotel managers explained about the hats which were created by a hotel chef in preparation for the Bermudian buffet breakfast.