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).

More Zoo Memories and My First Vacation

Every generation complains about the next one. I know my parents had a difficult time. It wasn't easy for immigrants, speaking a different language, in their late teens, with a child to pull up roots and begin again. I can't imagine doing that and I appreciate how difficult their struggle was.

It's interesting how during my more youthful years, when we wanted something, we were willing to take extra jobs on weekends and holidays to earn the money. We did what was necessary. We didn't complain that we were working too hard. We didn't obsess over the meaninglessness of whatever the job was. We didn't try to do as little as possible and get something for nothing. We simply took care of business. I don't want to go so far as to say today's generation is spoiled or generally like that. Not all are. There are those who struggle and put in multitudinous hours to achieve their goals. There are many who are successful and accomplished in their twenties. I am always amazed at some of the olympic athletes, just as an example.

While working part time at the zoo (see previous blog), I did a lot of research. Since Al Gore had not yet invented the internet, and googling, was far into the future, I had to go to the library and find information in books...the kind with paper pages and print. Each week, I tried to research the plants and animals and an area of the zoo in which I was working. Visitors asked questions and I was glad to be able to give them intelligent answers. My official title was "guide" although my job consisted of making sure nobody abused any flora and fauna in the facility. I believe I had a shoe box sized walkie talkie assigned for this purpose, adding to the official look of my lovely brown uniform.

After only a few weeks at the zoo, they downsized, deciding that fewer employees were essential. I panicked. I had not yet saved enough two dollar and twenty five cents' or centses or pennies (a monetary unit in the 70's) for our planned vacation. Fortunately, I was one of the employees to be retained.

I actually enjoyed the diversion so much, that I ended up keeping this summer and part time weekend employment for several years. Then-hubby was hired later and the two of us sold tickets and memberships. We even sold zoo maps, partly on salary and partly on commission (3 cents per), until someone realized that our eager, loud, and enthusiastic shouts of "get your zoo maps here. You can't see the zoo without a map,"gave us far too much income and was cutting into zoo profits. Then back we went to the membership sauna (see upcoming booth description).

The zoo became so popular and crowded in the summer, that extra cash booths sprung up outside the gates. These little wooden structures were something akin to a Finnish sauna, complete with solar heat, but no cold lake water. A greenhouse might have been a more comfortable working environment. Breaks were few and far between. But alas, I didn't complain. There was always the alternative...no additional income.

On one occasion, I worked an entire weekend and earned nothing thanks to a dishonest customer who bilked me out of twenty dollars and absconded with it into the crowd. I had been momentarily distracted while wiping my dripping brow. It was then that my view of the world started to change. Did people not realize or care that any shortages would come out of my pay? Too many shortages could result in termination of employ. That's how things worked at one time.

Nonetheless, eventually, we earned enough for the big trip to the Bahamas. We were there at approximately the same time as our neighbours and their friends, although, our resort was considerably more modest in nature...er....cheap. We boarded a $99 non inclusive night flight (available back in the day). We also filled our luggage with food. The frozen loaf of bread began to perspire more than we did as we dragged our soggy suitcase through Bahamian customs. The officers must have felt sorry for us because once they were assured we weren't smuggling anything more than tuna and peanut butter, they sent us on our way.

It was a memorable job and an even more memorable trip. I had my first taste of conch chowder and my first experience in the gorgeous, not to be forgotten, Caribbean.

We Get Too Soon Old and Too Late Smart

I went to university in an Amish area. In fact, my children's grandma Rose came from a family who was shunned for having a rose painted on their horse and buggy...not on the horse, but on the buggy. Perhaps their fondness for roses explains her moniker.

The community members had a slight accent which actually baffled me since many of their generations had been born in Canada. I always enjoyed the story about an uncle who went to a shop and said "Can I please haff a pound of budder?"

To his bewilderment, the sales clerk proceeded to give him half a pound of butter.

While at school, I picked up a few oft used expressions. Although the wording seemed somehow twisted, the sayings always made sense. For example, when sitting down to dinner, who wouldn't understand "eat yourself full"?

For financial matters, they might have resisted the temptation to spend money impulsively or frivolously with a line heard early in life. "I went to town and bought myself poor."

Rushing to get a task done, or preparing too quickly for an event often can often cause problems which create the opposite effect. The Amish have an expression for that too. "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

One of my favourites, which is of more relevance to me now is "vee get too soon oldt und too late schmardt"...easily translatable. This rings more true with each passing day. It's particularly the case when it comes to health but certainly works for money, jobs, relationships, and life in general. I think the Amish have many things sorted out.

Why does it have to take us until it's too late to figure out a healthy lifestyle? Who amongst us hasn't been told to drink plenty of water each day? Are we ever told why? How about don't look at the sun, at an eclipse or any other bright phenomenon?  Or, don't drink alcohol when using certain medicine and don't take too many aspirin, tylenol, or cold remedies and definitely don't combine them with alcohol. Again I ask. "Why?" We were never told.

Moms were always best at trying to give us reasons. An example is the ever popular "don't look at the sun, you'll go blind". In fact, as young boys will attest, the "you'll go blind" line was used for purposes other than staring at eclipses. Nonsense and we knew it.

Mom told me not to sit on the ground, on cement walls and the like. "You'll get hemorrhoids",  she announced for all to hear. I was five. It sounded ominous but nonetheless, as we all now know, abdominal pressure of varying kinds causes these problems. It has nothing to do with cold concrete.

How difficult would it have been for someone, (preferrably a doctor in our early adulthood) to tell us,  "Drink plenty of water. It flushes the salts out of your system and keeps your blood pressure down."  or  "Wear sunglasses and don't look directly into the sun or you'll develop cataracts at an earlier age." or  "All medicines are processed through your kidneys or your liver and adding alcohol to the mix can harm those nearly irreplaceable organs." Why aren't we given these simple explanations?

Yes, it's true. We get too soon old and too late smart about so many things in our lives. We remember all our failures and imagine how we could have done things differently. We think about much and often daydream about what it would be like to have a "do over". Those "what ifs" seem to fly around our heads as we have more and more time to obsess about them in our senior years. All we can do is begin from here and do the best we can with the time that's left. It's not too late to be smart even if we are older.

Now,  I believe I will outen the lights und have a nap.

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.