I do realize that I will not have any affect on their sales as to say that my readership is small is more than an understatement. But I am peeved.
One of the things I was missing most while out and about was my music. So I finally bought an iPod October 2007. Ok, maybe I should have done some research, but I didn't have much time and I was influenced by the advertising and sales.
I bought an 80gb Classic iPod, loaded it up with all the music I could find and went on a contract to Kenya. I enjoyed my music during November and December, but by early January, it was not charging anymore. Only one click on Google turned up all kinds of complaints about the batteries. I was in Kenya.
We had an expat returning to Amsterdam in Feb, so he did me a favour and dropped it off at the Mac repair centre there. Yup, the battery was screwed. Mid-March, they emailed me in Kenya to let me know they had a replacement for me in Amsterdam to pick up. We had an expat coming down the last week of March. He agreed to pick it up and bring it down for me.
I don't have my own computer, yet. This means it is always a hassle for me to load my songs. So I wasn't able to properly load my tunes to my iPod until June, when I got to the UK. I then enjoyed my music during July and August. However, I didn't want to be affected by music on the camino and I didn't want the extra weight, so I left it behind. On November 10th, I pulled it out and connected it to a computer to charge, but.... oh, oh. A message on the iPod advised me that it must be restored. F@#*!! I unplugged it to do the next day. Next day, NOTHING, it wasn't even being registered by the computer.
Today I am in Amsterdam. I went to the tech support centre and yup, the iPod is screwed. BUT my warranty is up. They can't do anything for me. Despite the fact that my iPod was replaced in Feb, and this current iPod has been in my hands for less than a full year, my one year warranty is up. I let off some controlled steam, and they agreed that much was lacking in customer support, and in the products, but they could only advise me to contact customer service by email.
I will do this, but I am leaving for Ethiopia, with no music.
11.11.08
lucky me!
Daily Telegraph Review - Barbican, London on 10th November 2008
John Martyn, Grace and Danger Live: he's the guv'nor
Mark Skipworth reviews John Martyn, Grace and Danger Live at the Barbican in London on 10th November 2008
All the greats have got one: that painful, intense, atmospheric studio album that was so emotionally demanding to make that it could rarely, if ever, be recreated in live performance.
Gorgeous guitar runs: John Martyn, who performed his Grace and Danger album in its entirety at the Barbican
Only after decades of distance are the artists finally able to grapple with those monsters. First was David Bowie with the icy Low, Lou Reed followed with his "unperformable" Berlin and just last week, Van Morrison revisited Astral Weeks in two live shows in America. And now there's John Martyn, enfant terrible of the 1970s.
Grace and Danger he promised; grace and danger we got. At the Barbican in London last night, before an audience of devotees, Martyn set off on his "long journey into misery... divorce... lawsuit..." His post-punk album of 1980 stands as a cult classic, with its rich vocal textures, processed electric guitar sounds and fusion of just about every genre - pop, rock, jazz, blues and reggae.
It draws on the agony of his collapsed marriage at that time and documents his desperation in an apparent attempt to win back his estranged wife. Heavy stuff. But it is also a technical marvel and a watershed for Martyn who had become almost typecast as a brilliant but unfashionable exponent of acoustic blues, Martyn produced a breathtakingly ethereal facsimile of this great album.
The seeming ease of his rich, cello-like singing voice and gorgeous guitar runs - full of echo and delay - was in shocking contrast to his "late Brando" appearance, arriving on stage in a wheelchair with a considerable part of his right leg missing. Some People Are Crazy, Johnny Too Bad, Sweet Little Mystery and Baby Please Come Home were even better than the album versions. Lookin' On was truly outstanding as it faultlessly blended electric piano, fretless bass and saxophone, all orchestrated by Martyn with the coolest click of his fingers.
Only after he had delivered the entire album - "... and that was Grace and Danger" - did he exchange his Gibson for acoustic guitar to parade such classic songs as Solid Air, May You Never and Don't Want To Know.
The audience were ecstatic. "You're the guv'nor, John," shouted one fan.
And he was.
Rating ***** [5 stars]
John Martyn, Grace and Danger Live: he's the guv'nor
Mark Skipworth reviews John Martyn, Grace and Danger Live at the Barbican in London on 10th November 2008
All the greats have got one: that painful, intense, atmospheric studio album that was so emotionally demanding to make that it could rarely, if ever, be recreated in live performance.
Gorgeous guitar runs: John Martyn, who performed his Grace and Danger album in its entirety at the Barbican
Only after decades of distance are the artists finally able to grapple with those monsters. First was David Bowie with the icy Low, Lou Reed followed with his "unperformable" Berlin and just last week, Van Morrison revisited Astral Weeks in two live shows in America. And now there's John Martyn, enfant terrible of the 1970s.
Grace and Danger he promised; grace and danger we got. At the Barbican in London last night, before an audience of devotees, Martyn set off on his "long journey into misery... divorce... lawsuit..." His post-punk album of 1980 stands as a cult classic, with its rich vocal textures, processed electric guitar sounds and fusion of just about every genre - pop, rock, jazz, blues and reggae.
It draws on the agony of his collapsed marriage at that time and documents his desperation in an apparent attempt to win back his estranged wife. Heavy stuff. But it is also a technical marvel and a watershed for Martyn who had become almost typecast as a brilliant but unfashionable exponent of acoustic blues, Martyn produced a breathtakingly ethereal facsimile of this great album.
The seeming ease of his rich, cello-like singing voice and gorgeous guitar runs - full of echo and delay - was in shocking contrast to his "late Brando" appearance, arriving on stage in a wheelchair with a considerable part of his right leg missing. Some People Are Crazy, Johnny Too Bad, Sweet Little Mystery and Baby Please Come Home were even better than the album versions. Lookin' On was truly outstanding as it faultlessly blended electric piano, fretless bass and saxophone, all orchestrated by Martyn with the coolest click of his fingers.
Only after he had delivered the entire album - "... and that was Grace and Danger" - did he exchange his Gibson for acoustic guitar to parade such classic songs as Solid Air, May You Never and Don't Want To Know.
The audience were ecstatic. "You're the guv'nor, John," shouted one fan.
And he was.
Rating ***** [5 stars]
2.11.08
Buen Camino!
El Camino de Santiago/The Way of St. James is a long distance footpath recognized by UNESCO for its historical and spiritual significance. Would I realize a deeper meaning in my life while walking the camino? All I initially wanted to achieve was completion of something started. It hasn´t been a great year and I just wanted to finish something with intention.
And I did.
After 35 days walking the Camino Frances (the most popular path of the many caminos) and a mid-camino detour walking 4 days to the end of the earth with a good friend, the Camino Finisterre, I arrived in the very beautiful city of Santiago.
It was indeed great to arive, but when I was within 150km of Santiago I became quite anxious. And I wasn´t the only one. We all were feeling this way. We weren´t ready to finish. Whereas I had been pushing myself each day, I was now slowing to almost a crawl. I did 8km one day! But I was able to prolong the camino by a few days. Then after an anxious night and much vino tinto at an albergue at the 40km mark, I decided enough was enough, and it was time to finish. I felt good walking the final few kilometers. It was the best way to arrive in Santiago, after a long walk of almost 900km, but I was also sad that it was over.
I stepped onto the path in St. Jean Pied de Port in France, 20km east of the Spanish border, and I now see that I couldn´t have timed this better. On the path we would occasionally hear bits about a global financial disaster, but only now am I learning how spectacular this has really been. With a copy of The Guardian and the Economist, it is time to do some reading. I am grateful now for having had only my own demons to deal with during this time.
Other things that I have been grateful for while walking the camino:
* gel-lined tubular bandage, cut to desired length, discovered in a pharmacy in Pamplona on day 3; worked like magic and saved my toes further grief
* good weather - only 3 days of heavy rain and a few very cold days, but otherwise great walking weather
* good health and no injuries - a cold, a swollen gland, one missing toenail and other bruised toenails, but nothing serious
* umbrella/walking stick passed on to me, provided much support on hills, on long days, against the rain and sun; made me a recognizable character on the route, sometimes called Mary Poppins
* altho I have never wanted to use earplugs, I now appreciate the benefits of using them
* yellow arrows that guided me along the way, altho now I am back to making my own decisions
* all those who shared the camino with me, walking with me, sharing their stories and listening to mine
Some of the many camino characters:
* Canadians and Germans seemed to be the most numerous on the path, followed by all the others, including Koreans, Japanese, Bolivians
* a very funny French guy walking from Marseilles with his beloved donkey
* a Dutch woman who rode her bicycle from Holland to St. Jean, and then started walking to Santiago from there
* a Canadian couple I stopped who were walking in the reverse direction. They were on their way back to St. Jean after just walking from St. Jean to Santiago. There were many others doing the same thing
* a German guy who started walking from home in Bonn on his 32nd birthday on June 16th
* and then a guy who has walked from Basel, Switzerland and another from Frankfurt, Germany
* many many pilgrims had walked the camino at least once before, including an 84 year old man from California on his 4th camino
* 6 Finnish pilgrims who had been selected from 2000 candidates in a contest. They were being filmed along the route, in the dorms, at breakfast, etc for a reality show to be aired in Finland next year.
* a Finnish woman with scoliosis, finishing this year, after doing a section for each of the last 5 years
* a blind man and his sighted partner
* a woman in a wheelchair doing wheelchair accessible sections with the help of a crew of friends
And me, how did I fare? When I started I was frustrated, wondering if the camino was a sporting event (people setting alarms and rushing out before the sun had even risen), tourist activity (people doing a couple sections in groups by bus and souveniers galore), or a commercial exploit (profits to be made all along the route). But after awhile, none of this mattered, and the camino became personal. I learned more about my capacity - I felt very pleased after a couple of 38km days. There were more than a few tough emotional days. And I saw that the camino was an intense version of the life I am already leading. I think a few hundred kilometers more would do me some good. I need more time and I am really missing the walking.
However, it is time to get on to other things. A visit to San Sebastian, then to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, and for mid-November I have accepted another contract with MSF, a nice short 3month commitment in Ethiopia. I will also get around to sorting out the more than 1000 photos I took (!!!).
It has been awhile since I have felt this, but I am again feeling very fortunate.
And I did.
After 35 days walking the Camino Frances (the most popular path of the many caminos) and a mid-camino detour walking 4 days to the end of the earth with a good friend, the Camino Finisterre, I arrived in the very beautiful city of Santiago.
It was indeed great to arive, but when I was within 150km of Santiago I became quite anxious. And I wasn´t the only one. We all were feeling this way. We weren´t ready to finish. Whereas I had been pushing myself each day, I was now slowing to almost a crawl. I did 8km one day! But I was able to prolong the camino by a few days. Then after an anxious night and much vino tinto at an albergue at the 40km mark, I decided enough was enough, and it was time to finish. I felt good walking the final few kilometers. It was the best way to arrive in Santiago, after a long walk of almost 900km, but I was also sad that it was over.
I stepped onto the path in St. Jean Pied de Port in France, 20km east of the Spanish border, and I now see that I couldn´t have timed this better. On the path we would occasionally hear bits about a global financial disaster, but only now am I learning how spectacular this has really been. With a copy of The Guardian and the Economist, it is time to do some reading. I am grateful now for having had only my own demons to deal with during this time.
Other things that I have been grateful for while walking the camino:
* gel-lined tubular bandage, cut to desired length, discovered in a pharmacy in Pamplona on day 3; worked like magic and saved my toes further grief
* good weather - only 3 days of heavy rain and a few very cold days, but otherwise great walking weather
* good health and no injuries - a cold, a swollen gland, one missing toenail and other bruised toenails, but nothing serious
* umbrella/walking stick passed on to me, provided much support on hills, on long days, against the rain and sun; made me a recognizable character on the route, sometimes called Mary Poppins
* altho I have never wanted to use earplugs, I now appreciate the benefits of using them
* yellow arrows that guided me along the way, altho now I am back to making my own decisions
* all those who shared the camino with me, walking with me, sharing their stories and listening to mine
Some of the many camino characters:
* Canadians and Germans seemed to be the most numerous on the path, followed by all the others, including Koreans, Japanese, Bolivians
* a very funny French guy walking from Marseilles with his beloved donkey
* a Dutch woman who rode her bicycle from Holland to St. Jean, and then started walking to Santiago from there
* a Canadian couple I stopped who were walking in the reverse direction. They were on their way back to St. Jean after just walking from St. Jean to Santiago. There were many others doing the same thing
* a German guy who started walking from home in Bonn on his 32nd birthday on June 16th
* and then a guy who has walked from Basel, Switzerland and another from Frankfurt, Germany
* many many pilgrims had walked the camino at least once before, including an 84 year old man from California on his 4th camino
* 6 Finnish pilgrims who had been selected from 2000 candidates in a contest. They were being filmed along the route, in the dorms, at breakfast, etc for a reality show to be aired in Finland next year.
* a Finnish woman with scoliosis, finishing this year, after doing a section for each of the last 5 years
* a blind man and his sighted partner
* a woman in a wheelchair doing wheelchair accessible sections with the help of a crew of friends
And me, how did I fare? When I started I was frustrated, wondering if the camino was a sporting event (people setting alarms and rushing out before the sun had even risen), tourist activity (people doing a couple sections in groups by bus and souveniers galore), or a commercial exploit (profits to be made all along the route). But after awhile, none of this mattered, and the camino became personal. I learned more about my capacity - I felt very pleased after a couple of 38km days. There were more than a few tough emotional days. And I saw that the camino was an intense version of the life I am already leading. I think a few hundred kilometers more would do me some good. I need more time and I am really missing the walking.
However, it is time to get on to other things. A visit to San Sebastian, then to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, and for mid-November I have accepted another contract with MSF, a nice short 3month commitment in Ethiopia. I will also get around to sorting out the more than 1000 photos I took (!!!).
It has been awhile since I have felt this, but I am again feeling very fortunate.
2.9.08
1.9.08
last rumblings
i really am just killing time now until my plane leaves (nice airport). there was one more thing to see/do and i did that yesterday. you could come to iceland and think the Blue Lagoon (www.bluelagoon.is) was nothing but a tourist trap and not go. but that would be like going to paris and not visiting the eiffel tower. and what could be so bad about relaxing in warm thermal waters, steam, sauna, and getting massaged by a waterfall, having a little snack in the cafe next to the lagoon, and taking a walk in the surrounding moss covered lava field, and all in a very beautiful setting. it was a good way to spend a sunday, and a sunny sunday at that!
saturday was another cold, bendover blowing, rainy day. before i left reykjavik i wanted to visit the weekend flea market, but that didn't get going until 11:00. so chose a coffee shop to wait. this is how i managed to see most of the quirky, funky reykjavik coffee shops - dodging the rain and killing time all last week during the miserable weather. after all the museums and galleries it became a sprint between two bookshops, the library and the cafes. saturday morning i chose Kaffitar. two french girls sitting at the bench with me left and two others soon sat next to me. i looked up and said hey! it was Mareia and Jose, the spanish couple who saved me from the rain in the middle of nowhere. they were flying home in a couple of hours. they made it around the entire circle route! it meant most of the time they were driving, but they did it.
i had my last hot dog last night (8 total, not bad, including one at the famous hot-doggery in reykjavik where Clinton also had a weiner) at the video store/diner. it was a cool diner - black and white tile, shiny chrome, red chairs, well done. it seemed to be the place to be for the young beautiful people in keflavik. not much else to do here on a sunday night (or any night?). and it is just 250m from Motel Alex where i was paying only 2000Ikr for a place to lay my sleeping bag, a place which would have been much appreciated in skogar, but now just felt depressing. Keflavik is referred to in the airline guide as 'city of get me out of here,' population: rapidly decreasing. Alex/Keflavik is just 2 minutes from the airport.
i had icelandic stew at the reykjavik bus station cafe (recommended for traditional icelandic dishes), but i didn't have the courage to try sheeps head. it literally was that - a profile on a plate, served singed with teeth still in the jaw, next to a scoop of mashed potatoes and turnips. watched somebody else eat it, he said it was good.
nor did i try eating puffin or reindeer. seemed wrong. i sure wanted to see puffins... but they all got together and left about august 11. you may have been lucky to spot the odd one after that, but they were gone. i missed seeing them in both scotland and iceland.
come to iceland in july - warmer, less rain and thousands of puffins. and bring a tent, cuz you just never know. altho it should be a strong tent. a french couple had their tent broken by viscious winds the first night of their camping experience, which they decided to start in iceland.
they say iceland is a place of 'nowhere' where 'anything can happen.' Stephano was saying a similar thing as he happily hitched around iceland 'brenda, anything is possible in iceland!' and he was always saying 'i'm a lucky person,' which reminded me that i used to say that.
Hlynur (don't ask how you say that) is the character in 101 Reykjavik (also an award winning film). this novel is a struggle. while it is laugh-out-loud funny, i also wonder how long i should bother to continue reading it. he is early thirty-something, lives with mommy and her lesbian lover, is unemployed, and wakes up every day in time to watch some pornos and CNN, before heading out for nightlife in reykjavik. he says people only live here because they were born here.
probably not exactly true. the scenery is spectacular and tons of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. and if you are a photographer, the lighting is dreamy. but while i always say i like clouds and rain, there is a gloominess here that i need to try to escape.
so i am outta here.
saturday was another cold, bendover blowing, rainy day. before i left reykjavik i wanted to visit the weekend flea market, but that didn't get going until 11:00. so chose a coffee shop to wait. this is how i managed to see most of the quirky, funky reykjavik coffee shops - dodging the rain and killing time all last week during the miserable weather. after all the museums and galleries it became a sprint between two bookshops, the library and the cafes. saturday morning i chose Kaffitar. two french girls sitting at the bench with me left and two others soon sat next to me. i looked up and said hey! it was Mareia and Jose, the spanish couple who saved me from the rain in the middle of nowhere. they were flying home in a couple of hours. they made it around the entire circle route! it meant most of the time they were driving, but they did it.
i had my last hot dog last night (8 total, not bad, including one at the famous hot-doggery in reykjavik where Clinton also had a weiner) at the video store/diner. it was a cool diner - black and white tile, shiny chrome, red chairs, well done. it seemed to be the place to be for the young beautiful people in keflavik. not much else to do here on a sunday night (or any night?). and it is just 250m from Motel Alex where i was paying only 2000Ikr for a place to lay my sleeping bag, a place which would have been much appreciated in skogar, but now just felt depressing. Keflavik is referred to in the airline guide as 'city of get me out of here,' population: rapidly decreasing. Alex/Keflavik is just 2 minutes from the airport.
i had icelandic stew at the reykjavik bus station cafe (recommended for traditional icelandic dishes), but i didn't have the courage to try sheeps head. it literally was that - a profile on a plate, served singed with teeth still in the jaw, next to a scoop of mashed potatoes and turnips. watched somebody else eat it, he said it was good.
nor did i try eating puffin or reindeer. seemed wrong. i sure wanted to see puffins... but they all got together and left about august 11. you may have been lucky to spot the odd one after that, but they were gone. i missed seeing them in both scotland and iceland.
come to iceland in july - warmer, less rain and thousands of puffins. and bring a tent, cuz you just never know. altho it should be a strong tent. a french couple had their tent broken by viscious winds the first night of their camping experience, which they decided to start in iceland.
they say iceland is a place of 'nowhere' where 'anything can happen.' Stephano was saying a similar thing as he happily hitched around iceland 'brenda, anything is possible in iceland!' and he was always saying 'i'm a lucky person,' which reminded me that i used to say that.
Hlynur (don't ask how you say that) is the character in 101 Reykjavik (also an award winning film). this novel is a struggle. while it is laugh-out-loud funny, i also wonder how long i should bother to continue reading it. he is early thirty-something, lives with mommy and her lesbian lover, is unemployed, and wakes up every day in time to watch some pornos and CNN, before heading out for nightlife in reykjavik. he says people only live here because they were born here.
probably not exactly true. the scenery is spectacular and tons of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. and if you are a photographer, the lighting is dreamy. but while i always say i like clouds and rain, there is a gloominess here that i need to try to escape.
so i am outta here.
24.8.08
alls well that ends well
yesterday was indeed a drab day. the clouds hung in and it rained off and on. but this morning the clouds had lifted and while walking to catch the bus i was able to see the mountains that surround town and the glaciers that flow down among them.
today i was heading west towards Reykjavik, with a final overnight stop in Skogar. Skogar has one of the best folk museums in the country and another fabulous waterfall to admire. first stop along the route was at the glacial lagoon, this time with a blue sky. at 3h00, we stopped at Vik for 45 minutes so people could walk to the black sand beach to see the rock sea stacks that rise from the ocean. since i had already spent 2 good days here before Höfn, i went into the grill at the station to eat something. Skogar was a settlement with not much more than a few houses, and little for food. there was also a hostel (which was impossible to a get a bed at), a boutique hotel, and a hotel chain where i planned to stay. Hotel Edda had an attached gymnasium with 50 mats so it wasn´t necessary to reserve for me and my sleeping bag.
we ate, viewed, and loaded the bus for the next 25km to Skogar.
the bus driver pulled into the parking lot at the falls and i asked if he was going to swing by the hotel, which is what the bus did last time i came thru. nope, wasn´t going to. there isn´t much to Skogar, but it is spread out and the hotel was at the other end. i wasn´t impressed as i saddled myself with my 2 bags, front and back and with 2 bowls of Icelandic meat soup in my belly, i made my way over to Hotel Edda.
but as i got close I saw a handwritten sign in the door "closed from 24/8/08", which was.... today. could that really be? the boy vacuuming behind the locked glass door shrugged and waved me away.
now starting to get a little worried, cuz on the way i had stopped by the hostel and confirmed that they were still full, i walked back in the direction i had come, trying to keep my sense of humour, chuckling at the huge cows along the way.
last chance, Hotel Skogar - the young thing behind the counter looked at me with a big smile and cheerfully said sure they had a room, for 20,000Ikr. 20,000Ikr!!
it was the last bus of the day that had dropped me off at 4h30 and now it looked like i was screwed. i went back to the hostel and asked the attendant (German) if she could think of anything. she phoned all the farms within 10km and they were all booked and they wouldn´t allow me to sleep on the couch at the hostel for safety reasons. I was starting to get very frustrated... f#@k the folk museum, the fall and Icelandic hospitality!
OK, calm, next step. i pulled out my down jacket and i would hitchhike outta here. first i went to the parking lot at the fall and explained my predicament to a few drivers but no luck there. so about 5h30, my bags on, i started to walk to the main highway - one lane each way, sporadic traffic. i had lots of time before the sun would set.
lucky me, a car pulled over before i even got to the highway. a young German couple, they were heading in the right direction, but were turning off towards another waterfall about 25km from here - they would drop me off at the junction. he had hitchhiked in New Zealand last year. they were traveling for a week in Iceland cuz they had been looking at interest rates on the internet and saw an ad for an Icelandic bank. 2 days later they booked their flight.
the junction was in the middle of nowhere, but i would have cars coming from 2 directions. we said goodbye and they were off. it started to rain as i positioned myself, but i was hopeful. but then it stared to POUR! i looked at my down jacket getting soaked and looked around - no traffic and absolutely nowhere to take cover (there are few trees in Iceland). i thought about my hat, umbrella and rainjacket in my bag, but it was way too late for all that. i needed a car.
a few cars whizzed by, and a solo driver, young guy, smiled, shrugged and continued on. as i watched my bags at the side of the road take a beating in the rain, i could feel myself wanting to become frantic, but that wouldn´t help anything. in my desparation i started using my whole hand rather than my thumb... maybe a little too aggressive? then a little white car pulled up and the windown went down. they were going to Vik, wrong direction, but at that moment i was happy to go anywhere. they cleared space for me and i jumped in. a lovely young Spanish couple here for 5 days, hoping to do the entire circle route (good luck!). how did you get there, she asked once we took off. past Skogar and back to Vic.
they very kindly dropped me off at the Vic service station, where i was a familiar face. i would drop my bags here and start my search for a bed. but.... there was an Icelandic Excursions tour bus in the lot. i asked around and this bus was continuing to Reykjavik tonight. i found the driver, explained my problem and asked if he had an empty seat. was i alone, he asked? he checked with the guide and came back with a yes!! what relief, a huge smile. i phoned Reykjavik and requested an extra night on my reservation and then i relaxed at a table with 2 women from Manchester who were in Iceland for the weekend.
the driver was Latvian and the guide American (where are the Icelanders?). the tour bus set off at 8h30, making one more stop, before returning to Reykjavik - 20 minutes at Skogar Falls. i was hardly enthusiastic, but took the obligatory photo, and felt sore about not being able to climb to the top or see the museum... but i was not stranded.
the tour bus dropped me off right outside the guesthouse and by midnight i was crawling into my sleeping bag in a nice warm little room at Hotel Von - thank you so very much!!
today i was heading west towards Reykjavik, with a final overnight stop in Skogar. Skogar has one of the best folk museums in the country and another fabulous waterfall to admire. first stop along the route was at the glacial lagoon, this time with a blue sky. at 3h00, we stopped at Vik for 45 minutes so people could walk to the black sand beach to see the rock sea stacks that rise from the ocean. since i had already spent 2 good days here before Höfn, i went into the grill at the station to eat something. Skogar was a settlement with not much more than a few houses, and little for food. there was also a hostel (which was impossible to a get a bed at), a boutique hotel, and a hotel chain where i planned to stay. Hotel Edda had an attached gymnasium with 50 mats so it wasn´t necessary to reserve for me and my sleeping bag.
we ate, viewed, and loaded the bus for the next 25km to Skogar.
the bus driver pulled into the parking lot at the falls and i asked if he was going to swing by the hotel, which is what the bus did last time i came thru. nope, wasn´t going to. there isn´t much to Skogar, but it is spread out and the hotel was at the other end. i wasn´t impressed as i saddled myself with my 2 bags, front and back and with 2 bowls of Icelandic meat soup in my belly, i made my way over to Hotel Edda.
but as i got close I saw a handwritten sign in the door "closed from 24/8/08", which was.... today. could that really be? the boy vacuuming behind the locked glass door shrugged and waved me away.
now starting to get a little worried, cuz on the way i had stopped by the hostel and confirmed that they were still full, i walked back in the direction i had come, trying to keep my sense of humour, chuckling at the huge cows along the way.
last chance, Hotel Skogar - the young thing behind the counter looked at me with a big smile and cheerfully said sure they had a room, for 20,000Ikr. 20,000Ikr!!
it was the last bus of the day that had dropped me off at 4h30 and now it looked like i was screwed. i went back to the hostel and asked the attendant (German) if she could think of anything. she phoned all the farms within 10km and they were all booked and they wouldn´t allow me to sleep on the couch at the hostel for safety reasons. I was starting to get very frustrated... f#@k the folk museum, the fall and Icelandic hospitality!
OK, calm, next step. i pulled out my down jacket and i would hitchhike outta here. first i went to the parking lot at the fall and explained my predicament to a few drivers but no luck there. so about 5h30, my bags on, i started to walk to the main highway - one lane each way, sporadic traffic. i had lots of time before the sun would set.
lucky me, a car pulled over before i even got to the highway. a young German couple, they were heading in the right direction, but were turning off towards another waterfall about 25km from here - they would drop me off at the junction. he had hitchhiked in New Zealand last year. they were traveling for a week in Iceland cuz they had been looking at interest rates on the internet and saw an ad for an Icelandic bank. 2 days later they booked their flight.
the junction was in the middle of nowhere, but i would have cars coming from 2 directions. we said goodbye and they were off. it started to rain as i positioned myself, but i was hopeful. but then it stared to POUR! i looked at my down jacket getting soaked and looked around - no traffic and absolutely nowhere to take cover (there are few trees in Iceland). i thought about my hat, umbrella and rainjacket in my bag, but it was way too late for all that. i needed a car.
a few cars whizzed by, and a solo driver, young guy, smiled, shrugged and continued on. as i watched my bags at the side of the road take a beating in the rain, i could feel myself wanting to become frantic, but that wouldn´t help anything. in my desparation i started using my whole hand rather than my thumb... maybe a little too aggressive? then a little white car pulled up and the windown went down. they were going to Vik, wrong direction, but at that moment i was happy to go anywhere. they cleared space for me and i jumped in. a lovely young Spanish couple here for 5 days, hoping to do the entire circle route (good luck!). how did you get there, she asked once we took off. past Skogar and back to Vic.
they very kindly dropped me off at the Vic service station, where i was a familiar face. i would drop my bags here and start my search for a bed. but.... there was an Icelandic Excursions tour bus in the lot. i asked around and this bus was continuing to Reykjavik tonight. i found the driver, explained my problem and asked if he had an empty seat. was i alone, he asked? he checked with the guide and came back with a yes!! what relief, a huge smile. i phoned Reykjavik and requested an extra night on my reservation and then i relaxed at a table with 2 women from Manchester who were in Iceland for the weekend.
the driver was Latvian and the guide American (where are the Icelanders?). the tour bus set off at 8h30, making one more stop, before returning to Reykjavik - 20 minutes at Skogar Falls. i was hardly enthusiastic, but took the obligatory photo, and felt sore about not being able to climb to the top or see the museum... but i was not stranded.
the tour bus dropped me off right outside the guesthouse and by midnight i was crawling into my sleeping bag in a nice warm little room at Hotel Von - thank you so very much!!
22.8.08
not every day
i have arrived in Höfn (pronounced Hup). it is further east on the south coast, which means i have to double back to Reykjavik. I decided to do this becasue the scenery along this route is gorgeous, and i get to stop by Jokulsarlon twice - a lagoon filled with icebergs from the icecap Vatnajökull. the bus stops here for 1/2 hour viewing. there is no accommodation at the lagoon so this my only chance to see this "classic postcard scene" (i would bring a tent next time, which would solve all kinds of issues).
Höfn is a harbour town and "it´s setting is stunning; on a clear day ... gaze at Vanajökull and it´s brotherhood of glaciers." today the clouds are so dark and heavy it is as tho i could reach up and touch them. hope it clears tomorrow, cuz i am here for 2 nights and i don´t thinnk there is a lot to do otherwise.
altho, there is a glacier exhibit which also shows clips of 007 movies shot around here. and there is a grocery store, the biggest grocery store i have seen yet.
i don´t know how they make meals exciting. the grocery stores are so small, with such a minimal selection, that i have lost interest (most stuff is imported and expensive). so i keep eating hotdogs and hamburgers and shop for ryvita, apples, tinned fish and skyr. Skyr, praised highly by the guide, appears to simply be yogurt (www.skyr.is).
after checking into the hostel, i went to the store. apples, mackeral, vanilla skyr, nacho chips and salsa , and to the cashier. an asian woman in front of me left her buggy behind her, preventing me from moving forward. i politely asked if it was hers. yes, so she gave it a shove and it rolled back to the middle of the main aisle. i pointed out that she could join it to the other buggies immediately to her right. well.... she then shouted at me that she wasn´t a tourist (?) and demanded to know where i was from. was i so orderly in Canada?! pushing the buggy in line will take minimal effort i said, then asked where she was from. she shouted back HELL! i said i was sorry. she then added that she was Icelandic and asked what i did in Canada, to which i calmly responded that i didn´t think she was really interested in conversation (i should´ve gone over the top and said i worked in Africa helping the poor). leave me alone, she spat back. maybe the clouds were getting her down.
i´ve had more interaction with Italians and Belgians here than with Icelanders. when i do, they are often brusque, but not necessarily unkindly so. usually it has to do with removing my shoes. while i agree that we shouldn´t wear shoes in the house, i am not even inside before i am being told to remove my shoes. it feels like a substitute for welcome.
otherwise, the country continues to catch my breath. so many waterfalls, black lava fields, ice caves, volcanos, calderas, cake-shaped mountains, ice caps, bleak vastness, whales, fjords, geysers, steaming valleys, bubbling mud, hot rivers, beautiful Icelandic horses, dramatic rock formations, black sand beaches, glaciers, rugged cliffs, moss covered lava rocks, and today a glacier lagoon. Höfn has been the only dull dreary drab spot.
Höfn is a harbour town and "it´s setting is stunning; on a clear day ... gaze at Vanajökull and it´s brotherhood of glaciers." today the clouds are so dark and heavy it is as tho i could reach up and touch them. hope it clears tomorrow, cuz i am here for 2 nights and i don´t thinnk there is a lot to do otherwise.
altho, there is a glacier exhibit which also shows clips of 007 movies shot around here. and there is a grocery store, the biggest grocery store i have seen yet.
i don´t know how they make meals exciting. the grocery stores are so small, with such a minimal selection, that i have lost interest (most stuff is imported and expensive). so i keep eating hotdogs and hamburgers and shop for ryvita, apples, tinned fish and skyr. Skyr, praised highly by the guide, appears to simply be yogurt (www.skyr.is).
after checking into the hostel, i went to the store. apples, mackeral, vanilla skyr, nacho chips and salsa , and to the cashier. an asian woman in front of me left her buggy behind her, preventing me from moving forward. i politely asked if it was hers. yes, so she gave it a shove and it rolled back to the middle of the main aisle. i pointed out that she could join it to the other buggies immediately to her right. well.... she then shouted at me that she wasn´t a tourist (?) and demanded to know where i was from. was i so orderly in Canada?! pushing the buggy in line will take minimal effort i said, then asked where she was from. she shouted back HELL! i said i was sorry. she then added that she was Icelandic and asked what i did in Canada, to which i calmly responded that i didn´t think she was really interested in conversation (i should´ve gone over the top and said i worked in Africa helping the poor). leave me alone, she spat back. maybe the clouds were getting her down.
i´ve had more interaction with Italians and Belgians here than with Icelanders. when i do, they are often brusque, but not necessarily unkindly so. usually it has to do with removing my shoes. while i agree that we shouldn´t wear shoes in the house, i am not even inside before i am being told to remove my shoes. it feels like a substitute for welcome.
otherwise, the country continues to catch my breath. so many waterfalls, black lava fields, ice caves, volcanos, calderas, cake-shaped mountains, ice caps, bleak vastness, whales, fjords, geysers, steaming valleys, bubbling mud, hot rivers, beautiful Icelandic horses, dramatic rock formations, black sand beaches, glaciers, rugged cliffs, moss covered lava rocks, and today a glacier lagoon. Höfn has been the only dull dreary drab spot.
15.8.08
When in Rome....
I am eating at gas stations and I am eating hot dogs. Altho tonight I am being adventurous and having a hamburger.
I still care about maintaining some degree of health, but this is not unusual in Iceland. And it is certainly the thing to do as a traveler in Iceland.
I had been reading about the hot dogs (pylsa) in the food section in the guidebook. So I tried my first one a week ago. It was just a regular wiener in a white hot dog bun with choice of the usual toppings - ketchup, mustard, may, etc. But they are cheap - 200 Ikr.
Compare that with the price of last nights meal. I ate at a pub style cafe with a view of the harbour and ordered the cheapest main on the menu - Icelandic meat soup, which came with a small salad and some bread. It was indeed very tasty but it was 1850 Ikr!! I can´t bring myself to tell you how much that is, so you figure it out.
Gas stations offer a small menu of meals under 1000 Ikr - hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, fries. My hamburger was just delivered to my table on a plate with metal cutlery and I am impressed. Certainly not McDonald's. And this place is busy... and only a few are buying the gas.
If I can manage to get a room in a hostel, then I can buy food at the grocery store and make my meals. But tourist season is July and August and it is brutal trying to get accommodation if you haven´t planned well in advance. This is forcing me to make a quick plan, then phone ahead for reservations. But this still isn´t working. I am on my way to Akureyri tomorrow and every place I have phoned during the last 2 days is full. I have my sleeping bag. Campsites sometimes have big huts where you can sleep in your bag. You can also use your bag and stay at guest houses at a reduced rate. I have my fingers crossed for any kind of roof for tomorrow.
I haven´t tried hitchhiking yet (transportation isn´t cheap either). Iceland is probably the one remaining country where it is safe to do so. I am still using the buses.
I went to the penis museum this afternoon (www.phallus.is). I wasn´t impressed, but it is often that way, isn´t it?
If you are thinking of going to Italy this month, you will not find any Italians there. They are ALL here.
Until next time, bless (goodbye).
I still care about maintaining some degree of health, but this is not unusual in Iceland. And it is certainly the thing to do as a traveler in Iceland.
I had been reading about the hot dogs (pylsa) in the food section in the guidebook. So I tried my first one a week ago. It was just a regular wiener in a white hot dog bun with choice of the usual toppings - ketchup, mustard, may, etc. But they are cheap - 200 Ikr.
Compare that with the price of last nights meal. I ate at a pub style cafe with a view of the harbour and ordered the cheapest main on the menu - Icelandic meat soup, which came with a small salad and some bread. It was indeed very tasty but it was 1850 Ikr!! I can´t bring myself to tell you how much that is, so you figure it out.
Gas stations offer a small menu of meals under 1000 Ikr - hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, fries. My hamburger was just delivered to my table on a plate with metal cutlery and I am impressed. Certainly not McDonald's. And this place is busy... and only a few are buying the gas.
If I can manage to get a room in a hostel, then I can buy food at the grocery store and make my meals. But tourist season is July and August and it is brutal trying to get accommodation if you haven´t planned well in advance. This is forcing me to make a quick plan, then phone ahead for reservations. But this still isn´t working. I am on my way to Akureyri tomorrow and every place I have phoned during the last 2 days is full. I have my sleeping bag. Campsites sometimes have big huts where you can sleep in your bag. You can also use your bag and stay at guest houses at a reduced rate. I have my fingers crossed for any kind of roof for tomorrow.
I haven´t tried hitchhiking yet (transportation isn´t cheap either). Iceland is probably the one remaining country where it is safe to do so. I am still using the buses.
I went to the penis museum this afternoon (www.phallus.is). I wasn´t impressed, but it is often that way, isn´t it?
If you are thinking of going to Italy this month, you will not find any Italians there. They are ALL here.
Until next time, bless (goodbye).
9.8.08
Note to continuity
Upon arrival in Iceland, it was announced that MAN would return on the next ferry. Since I was already here, I decided to carry on and have a look around.
2.8.08
Beach Beauty Competition
I am not aware of the standards of beach beauty, but this is most certainly a beautiful beach (pics later). And so the sign at the head of the stairway down confirms - "Award Winning Beach".
At Sango Beach on the north coast of Scotland, in the tiny village of Durness, there is a campground where you can situate yourself to have a stunning view of the beach and the few surfers who give it a go.
And only a one mile walk thru gentle countryside, you will be splendidly thrilled to come across Cocoa Mountain Chocolate Bar (www.cocoamountain.co.uk), a serious rival to Callebaut!
At Sango Beach on the north coast of Scotland, in the tiny village of Durness, there is a campground where you can situate yourself to have a stunning view of the beach and the few surfers who give it a go.
And only a one mile walk thru gentle countryside, you will be splendidly thrilled to come across Cocoa Mountain Chocolate Bar (www.cocoamountain.co.uk), a serious rival to Callebaut!
26.7.08
So far...
We only have 12 days to get to the departure point for the ferry to Iceland. Not much time to meander thru Scotland, so the first 2 days were the push to Oban, to go to the Isle of Mull. Why? To go to Calgary.
Day 3 had us wild camping on Isle of Mull - wild camping means no rules, regulations, facilites, just wild. In contrast to the campervan city we stayed at the night before outside of Oban - good lord!
The trip is really about Man (MAN, 10 tonne, 220 hp, 4wd, off-road German campervan). It is his first outing and a significant number of pics feature Man. Man solo. Man in wilderness. Man in the company of other vehicles.
It was quite a scenic, up and down and around one lane foggy road to the west coast of Mull to Calgary, past beautiful long-haired Highland cattle and much greenery. And then, there was Calgary Bay and Calgary Beach. We parked Man at the beach (where we wild camped) and then went walking looking for the rest of Calgary. There was Calgary Castle, Calgary Hotel, Calgary cottage, Calgary Art in Nature Gallery and Walk, and the cemetary, but really, not much else. But beautiful.
It was Colonel McLeod who suggested the name Calgary for Fort Brisebois, Alberta. Calgary meant clear funning water, but this was later refuted, and it in fact means Bay Farm. Whatever... it seems he suggested Calgary in remembrance of a good holiday he had had here on the Isle of Mull. And another guidebook says that it was a young lady here that made it an enjoyable holiday.
We had dinner at the Dovecote restaurant in the Calgary Hotel. Excellent service and nice decore, altho the amount of lamb on my plate was frightening. For dessert I had the Calgary berries cheesecake with chocolate crumb bottom.
Calgary, Isle of Mull, is a very worthwhile place to spend a day or two.
www.calgary.co.uk
Day 3 had us wild camping on Isle of Mull - wild camping means no rules, regulations, facilites, just wild. In contrast to the campervan city we stayed at the night before outside of Oban - good lord!
The trip is really about Man (MAN, 10 tonne, 220 hp, 4wd, off-road German campervan). It is his first outing and a significant number of pics feature Man. Man solo. Man in wilderness. Man in the company of other vehicles.
It was quite a scenic, up and down and around one lane foggy road to the west coast of Mull to Calgary, past beautiful long-haired Highland cattle and much greenery. And then, there was Calgary Bay and Calgary Beach. We parked Man at the beach (where we wild camped) and then went walking looking for the rest of Calgary. There was Calgary Castle, Calgary Hotel, Calgary cottage, Calgary Art in Nature Gallery and Walk, and the cemetary, but really, not much else. But beautiful.
It was Colonel McLeod who suggested the name Calgary for Fort Brisebois, Alberta. Calgary meant clear funning water, but this was later refuted, and it in fact means Bay Farm. Whatever... it seems he suggested Calgary in remembrance of a good holiday he had had here on the Isle of Mull. And another guidebook says that it was a young lady here that made it an enjoyable holiday.
We had dinner at the Dovecote restaurant in the Calgary Hotel. Excellent service and nice decore, altho the amount of lamb on my plate was frightening. For dessert I had the Calgary berries cheesecake with chocolate crumb bottom.
Calgary, Isle of Mull, is a very worthwhile place to spend a day or two.
www.calgary.co.uk
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