24 Hours in Reykjavik

Last November I had a ticket on Icelandair to go visit my mom in Texas.  A couple weeks before I was supposed to leave, the airline contacted me to tell me my connecting flight from Iceland to Texas was cancelled, and gave me the option of spending the night in Reykjavik and going out the next day (and they would reimburse my hotel).  I was a bit nervous about spending 24 hours on my own in Reykjavik, but excited as well - my husband had been there for work and it always sounded like an interesting, as well as safe place to visit.  So I started researching what all there was to do and see, and what would be feasible for such a short visit.  I quickly stumbled on this lady's blog about nearly the exact same situation, which was a big help.

The city center of Rejkjavik is about a 45 minute drive away from the airport, and is actually pretty scenic in the sense that you get a view of the desolate rocky Icelandic landscape. I took one of the airport shuttle buses (I booked my ticket online ahead of time), which was quite easy and was dropped off right in front of my hotel at about 3 pm.  I had chosen a hotel just across from the Harpa opera house (I'll explain why in a moment) so I checked in, pleased with the view out my window of the Harpa and the water, and then decided to take a quick walk down the walking path along the seaside before it got dark, to get my first glimpse of the Sun Voyager sculpture.

When I learned about Harpa during my research I decided to see if there were any concerts or performances on the night I would be there, in order to have something to do in the evening.  As it turned out, they program several English language shows specifically for tourists and the night I was there it was a two-person comedy show about the Icelandic Sagas.  So I booked a ticket and after a nice dinner (it is surprisingly easy to eat vegan in Reykjavik!) in the hotel's top-floor restaurant (with fabulous views of the Harpa and its exterior light show) I walked over to the venue.  I was surprised to see about 40 other people in the hall - it seemed like a lot for a cold Sunday evening in November - and it turned out to be an enjoyable way to spend the evening.  The two performers were funny and engaging as they took us through a quick overview of several major Icelandic sagas, performing all the different roles as they went along, as well as using volunteers from the audience.

 
I was especially inspired by the fact that the blogger I mentioned above used some of her precious time to go swimming, so I decided to plan to do that while I was there, and along the way I learned a lot about Icelandic swimming culture.  Reykjavik has several public swimming pools, so there was plenty of choice as to where and after looking at all the options, I decided to go to the Sundhöllin pool after breakfast.  When I woke at 6 am and looked out my window, I saw it had snowed quite a bit during the night and was still snowing - I only had one pair of light shoes with me (because who needs winter shoes when your final destination is Texas, right?) and wondered if I was going to be able to manage the 1.5 km walk to the pool without falling.  I decided I would have breakfast as planned and then give it a go.

It was magical walking through the dark, quiet streets at 7:30 am with snow still softly falling, and thankfully the sidewalks were okay to walk on. I got to the pool and paid for my swim and rented a towel, and ventured down to the dressing room.  One of the aspects of Icelandic swimming culture is that, since the pool water is geothermically heated and not treated with chlorine, it is essential that you wash thoroughly before putting your bathing suit on, and you are expected to do so.  Once I did that, and got my suit on, I headed out to the outdoor lap pool...and it was still dark and still snowing.   To this day, I still think back to how it felt to get into the warm, silky water and do my 40 lengths with the snow falling and the steam coming off the surface of the water.  It was an amazing experience.  After my laps, I installed myself in one of the hot pots (large hot tubs) and watched the sun start to gradually brighten the sky.  I was there for a good two hours and it was incredibly relaxing.

After the pool, I had several more hours before I had to get back on the bus to the airport, so I walked up to the main church and visited the interior, which was surprisingly plain and subdued and took the elevator up to the top and saw the sun rise even further over the city, which was beautiful.

  

Then I walked through the main shopping street (went in lots of cute little shops but did not buy anything as the myth that things in Iceland are expensive is actually true), visited the neighborhood where the city hall and government buildings were located, and treated myself to a hearty vegan lunch at Gardurinn.  Then I headed back to the waterfront for one last view of the mountains and the Sun Voyager before collecting my luggage at the hotel and posting myself at the bus stop for the airport shuttle.  I have never felt so relaxed and rejuvenated before a transatlantic flight before in my life.

How lucky I feel to have been able to experience this little taste of Iceland...  I would love to go back someday, preferably in the summer, to see some of the natural features of the island and get out of the city.  One thing is for sure -  I would certainly plan to swim again!

Bucket List Worthy Hot Air Balloon Flight

My walking buddy Ingrid received a gift certificate for a hot air balloon ride for two people for her 50th birthday (a year and a half ago).  Apparently I was the only person she could find who was adventurous enough to rope into doing it with her!  I'm not a hero when it comes to heights and so part of me was dreading it.  After many weekends where we thought it was going to happen and then have the weather foil plans at the last minute, yesterday we finally got the definitive go ahead by text and were told to meet at a location not too far from our town. 

When we got to the location, a big field, it seemed like there were an awful lot of people who had showed up but then we learned that there were going to be 20 people in the basket for the flight!  It was really fascinating to see the set-up of the balloon - from unloading the basket, unrolling the balloon, and then filling it, first with cold air via two huge fans, and then hot air from the burners just above the basket.  The basket was huge, rectangular like a bathtub and divided into five sections: a middle section for the pilot and on each side, two longish rectangular sections, where five of us were going to have to climb in.  They had all our weights ahead of time and had spaced us out to spread the total weight out evenly, all while keeping groups together as much as possible.  We shared our section of the basket with a grandma and her grandson who must have been about 10, and a tall guy who belonged to five other people right next to us.  There were two "steps" to help you climb in (square openings in the side of the basket) but it wasn't obvious to get in, I was glad I was flexible enough! It was pretty tightly packed and I was kind of stuck in a corner, looking right out over the side.

Lift off was almost imperceptible, it happened so quietly and then we were up in the air, gliding along with the wind with Leuven in the distance.  I did feel scared at times, but if I kept myself from looking straight down I was okay.  When the pilot ran the burners to make us go higher, it was really loud and exteremely hot!  But thankfully he didn't run them the entire time.  The weather had cleared and the view was amazing - not only did we have a great view of Leuven, we could even spot the Atomium in the Brussels skyline in the distance!

It was fun to see how many people out in their yards stopped to watch us float past and wave at us, and Ingrid and I enjoyed seeing the areas we have walked in so many times from above.  After about an hour of gliding and going higher and lower (we even brushed the tops of corn in a field at one point, we were that low!), the pilot looked for a field to land in and then radioed the van that was following us, and then we had to brace ourselves for landing, by holding onto a strap on the inside of the basket and bending our knees slightly, all facing the same direction.  The landing was easy, one bounce, and then we had to stay in the basket while they opened the top of the balloon to let the hot air out and then bring it down to the ground.  Then we could climb out  and we all helped roll up the balloon into a sausage, which they then rolled up mechanically and got everything back on the trailer.  After which they treated us to a glass of sparkling wine and then drove us all back to the original field in their van.  It was such a cool way to spend an evening, and Ingrid was thrilled with her gift.

 I have never made a bucket list, but a lot of people have told me that a hot air balloon flight is on theirs.  So I guess if I had one, I would be able to cross this off!   I'm curious about what kinds of things people have on their lists - do you have one?  If so, I'd love to hear what you've got on it!

Mud and Hills, Hills and Mud

Our first big hike of 2018 took place yesterday - Les Crêtes de Spa in the Belgian Ardennes, where it is hilly, and very muddy at this time of year.   The term "cretes" means "crests" in French and let me tell you, we ascended many crests during this 21 K hike - just when we thought we couldn't possibly get any higher, there was another ascent.  The toughest and more memorable of these was the 650 meter long, very steep ski slope we had to get up - it was grueling but the view at the top was worth it.  

We were extremely lucky with the weather and the beautiful blue skies and sounds of birds chirping in the woods kept us going.  We finished in 5 hours and our legs were definitely feeling it.   

 Thankfully there was a reward after crossing the last bridge:

Now all I have to do is get all the mud off my hiking boots...

Starting 2018 off on the right foot

Quite literally!  That's me with the cap, and my three boys right behind me, crossing the Corrida finish line (you know, that cool race on New Year's Eve in our town where you get a bottle of wine after finishing).  It was so cool to do this with my boys, and a great way to kick off a brand new year.

November thoughts

 This picture was taken on an unseasonably balmy November afternoon last week, while on a walk with a friend I hadn't seen in a while.  It kind of reflects how life seems to me at the moment: bright and beautiful, but fragile, in the foreground (all the good things in life for which I am so grateful) with some threatening dark clouds always just on the edge of the frame (the hard things that have happened this year to so many people around me).

My father passed away on October 2nd.  It's very difficult to get used to the idea that he is no longer there.  We are all working on that.  And continuing to honor his love for the outdoors.

Monthly Hike with Ingrid

We were so lucky with our planned walk yesterday!  It was supposed to rain, it was actually sprinkling as we drove from Leuven to our starting point in Vossem, and the sky was full of ominous dark gray clouds the entire time we were walking.  But every now and then the sun would come out and it felt like spring!

I had planned out a 15 km route, with a 10 km alternative if the weather was bad.  But when we got to the point where we had to decide whether to take the short cut or not, it was still dry.  So we continued on the 15 km route.  Even though the sky still looked like this:

Ultimately the wind began to pick up, and in our last three kilometers it finally began to rain, lightly at first and then hard, so that by the time we got back to the car, it was pouring.  But still, we felt lucky, considering that our February walk was three hours of  non-stop rain. 

Leuven Corrida 2016

I talked my youngest son, Felix, into doing this with me, and it was his first organized race event!  Thankfully it wasn't too cold this morning but there was a nasty wind and a constant drizzle of rain.  At least it wasn't pouring, right?

We walked downtown (the second best thing* about this race is that it takes place right in the center of Leuven - we can just walk to the starting line!) and bumped into our neighbor, Bram, who was volunteering:

 Felix and I were signed up for the 4K.  Maybe you remember that in 2012/2013 I had to stop running for about a year because of a persistent hip injury that turned out to be high hamstring tendinosis...all that time, the one thing I wanted to be able to do again, was participate in the Corrida in my home town.  And this year, after changing my whole approach to running in particular and movement in general, I finally have been able to add running back into my life.  So it was a great feeling for me to be able to do this again, even if it was "only" the 4K distance.  Felix stuck with me the whole way and we ended up finishing together in 26 minutes.  

*And of course, the best thing about this race?  The bottle of wine they hand you after you cross the finish line!

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and all my best wishes for 2017!