If there's a drizzle, don't let the vacation fizzle

So this being Iceland, there's bound to be some rain. And that's what we encountered this afternoon.

Luckily, the day ended with us safely ensconced in a spectacular and warm hotel perched on a cliff overlooking the very dramatic North Atlantic. As we write this, we're overlooking said ocean, wind howling and rain pelting the windows ... just like a Hollywood murder mystery.

And even though it's going on midnight, it's still light outside. That still is freaks us out.

First, some photos from the day, followed by some commentary.

This is our cabin in Geysir before taking off this morning.

 The vastness of Iceland. It's mesmerizing.

The town of Borganes. You can tell it's starting to get a little chilly.

Uh oh. Wrong turn. Karen blames Brad, and Brad blames the Icelandic map makers. But hey, they don't call it Iceland for nothing.

We are always humbled by the kindness of others when we travel. Like Inga at the Hotel Geysir, who gave us free breakfasts this morning because she doesn't want to see anyone leave hungry, to the angel working the cafeteria at a gas station who showed us how to use the pay phone and -- in the soaking rain -- how to retrieve the receipt from the self-serve gas pump.

And then there were the kind folks, Dominic and Marious, at Hotel Helner (www.helner.is), who extended us every courtesy. Their restaurant has been open only one week, and it was absolutely wonderful. We had the local black cod and fish soup, complemented by a '96 Turnbull cabernet that we lugged all the way from the duty free shop in Boston (wine is prohibitively expensive in Iceland).

The Lonely Planet guide on Iceland advises travelers to not let a little drizzle make the vacation fizzle ... and that's exactly our attitude. We may not know precisely what we're doing tomorrow if the rain and wind are still doing their thing, but we know it will be a blast.

The sun came out tonight

You sure don't hear many people say that.

But that's exactly what happened at about 10 p.m. yesterday when some high clouds parted to reveal the glorious sun. Despite our writing earlier that there's 20 hours of daylight, it actually stays a shade of light all night long.

After leaving the Blue Lagoon area, we pointed the car for the Golden Circle (by way of a Reykjavik electronics store to get an electrical adapter for our computer) where we were re-schooled in the beauty of nature, and were fortunate to see the power of nature in action

We took a short hike and shot some photos in the rift where the North American and Eurasian plates are ripping apart at the speed of between 1 and 18 milimeters annually.

Here's some trivia: Did you know that the English word geyser comes from the town of Geysir? It has one geyser that erupts every five minutes or so, and another, larger, one that goes off about three times a day at unpredictable times.

And then we went to one of Iceland's most famous waterfalls, Gullfoss.

Words on a blog would never do the beauty of this area justice So let's just let some photos do the talking.

 

 

 

Feeling blue ... and by that, we mean good things

After a day's delay, we got on our flight to Reykjavik and landed late this morning to beautiful partly cloudy skies and cool, brisk winds. And nary an ash in sight.

We were met by Rebecca from the Northern Light Inn (www.northernlightinn.is) and driven to our hotel adjacent to the Blue Lagoon.


We quickly settled in, grabbed our suits, and ...

 

Sure beats working.

Even though we read there's 20 hours of daylight, it's still weird. Check out these photos of dinner (www.salthusid.is ... lobster and fish and chips) and the walk afterward. Note the temperature at 10 p.m.

Sure glad we packed all that fleece.

Walking Paradise

Because we had an entire, and unexpected, day in Boston, we spent the entire time having fun. It's hard not to here.

We walked the entire Freedom Trail -- twice -- all the way to Bunker Hill and back to the Marriott. We stopped for lunch at Union Oysters, and then for a glass of wine on the way back at Piccola Venezia in the North End.

Here's Karen under a sign with her initials in the silhouette of what looks like an ox. Get it?

The steeples are many in Boston. This is the Park Street Church from the Granary Burial Grounds.

 

This is the Old Statehouse, where the Declaration of Independence was read publicly for the first time. Note how its surrounded by everything modern. They do a great job preserving history here.

And finally, here's Karen at the Piccola Venezia. The smile just gets bigger as flight time approaches.

Considering that we'd originally planned to spend today soaking in the Blue Lagoon until our fingers and toes turned pruney, today was a good day.

Only need to shave one day

Woo hoo!

The Reykjavik airport is reopening, and we're confirmed on a red-eye flight that arrives Tuesday morning!

All this means is that we have the added enjoyment of spending a day exploring Boston. It'll be a day of walking the Freedom Trail, a nice dinner, and a trip to the airport ... trips to the airport are Karen's favorite things in life.

Gee, we really misread that one!

You know what they say about dealing with life's curveballs ... swing away!

This morning 3:45 a.m., just a half hour before heading to LAX, we got an email from Iceland Air saying our flight from Boston to Reykjavik was canceled due to the volcanic eruption (see yesterday's post where we said early reports predicted no disruption to air travel).

We just looked at each other and said, "We're going on vacation SOMEWHERE," and headed to the airport.

Along the way, we learned that if we don't get to Reykjavik by Tuesday, they'll refund 100 percent of our ticket cost.

If that happens, we're playing Pin the Tail on the Map. That's where we blindfold Karen, spin her around until she's dizzy, and have her stick a pin on a wall map. And THAT'S where we'll go. Hopefully we can use all the fleece we've packed.

So we just had a splendid dinner in Boston's Back Bay with friends and snagged a Priceline special at the downtown Marriott.

A free day in Boston tomorrow ... life is good!

We think these are just smoke signals welcoming us

The news today is the beginnings of an eruption in Southeast Iceland. News reports predict there will not the same air travel chaos as last year. As for us, we expect to be on the other (west) side of the island.


http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/A_Volcanic_Eruption_has_started_in_Iceland_0_378069.news.aspx

Bring. It. On!

Switching Hemispheres!

While Oz was a blast, we are getting excited about the next Big Adventure. This year, it's a return to the Northern Hemisphere ... the VERY Northern Hemisphere: Iceland.

This is a a destination that's been on our Bucket List for a number of years now, and we expect that it will just be a warm-up for a return trip in the fall to South America.

But first things first ... stay tuned for the details from Iceland!

We Saw This Boat in Hobart Harbor

Interesting photos emerged yesterday about the Ady Gil's encounters while trying to save whales near Antarctica. The below photo was beamed far and wide.

We saw the Ady Gil in the Hobart harbor (see our December 8 photo below) just days before it set course for Antarctica.

It will be interesting to see how the story develops ... initial news reports say the collision was captured on video by Animal Planet.

"Postposting" A Couple Photos

When we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we weren't allowed to take our own camera. Something about not wanting things crashing through windshields.

But they took a few photos and gave them to us on a CD. And now that we're home, we're able to share them.

So without further ado ...

We started just before dusk, in time to capture this shot from near the top.

And we finished after dark.

Trip To Oz Is At An End

Alas, all good things must end. Or in this case, all great things.

Sadly, we bid our farewell to South Bruny Island, our new favorite place for serenity, scenery and wildlife. But not before our ritual bottle of bubbly (which we'd hauled all the way from Freycinet Vineyard ... delicious), which we enjoyed inside our cottage with our home-cooked trumpeter purchased fresh from the Adventure Bay General Store. We also finished off our Tim Tam cookies, the best on the planet.

We were so far south that the sun rose about 4:30 a.m., about the same time we did so we could pack and make the 45-minute return to the car ferry. It's a good thing we didn't dilly dally any longer, as the car ramp was hoisted just after we pulled on board.

We flew from Hobart back to Sydney, where the adventures had all begun three weeks ago. After stashing our luggage at the airport, we put our overnight essentials in our knapsacks and headed to the last touristy thing that we had run out of time for when we first arrived: A climb to the top of the anchor pylons on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Even though we'd climbed the actual bridge three weeks ago, we weren't allowed to take any photos (to prevent cameras from crashing to the roadway below), so this was a great stop for beautiful panorama shots before heading home.

Because our flight wasn't 'til the next morning, we made our way back to our friends Annette and Nick, where we did one last swim in the (very warm) Southern Ocean,barefoot jogged on the smooth sand, and enjoyed a glass of pinot over a meal of kangaroo and salad while recounting our journey.

Yes, we did say a meal of kangaroo. In Australia it's common and it's sustainable. Plus, it's lean on fat and high on protein.

While it's sad to be leaving this paradise, we are invigorated by the experiences, people and scenery that we were blessed with on this trip.

Some things we'll never forget:

• The march of the ferrie penguins on Bruny Island with shearwaters circling and squealing overhead.
• The howling wind (which broke Brad's sunglasses) and towering cliffs around Tasman Island.
• Fresh oysters for $10 a dozen, chased by an oaky Chardonnay.
• The porcupine-like echidna we saw on the trail to the Fluted Cape on Bruny Island. (To the uninitiated like us, it looks like a cross between a bunny, a platypus and a porcupine).
• The symphony of birds and wildlife at sunrise every single morning.
• The many stunning sunsets ... at Annette and Nick's, in the Barossa Valley, at the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road, from the beach at Robe, at the Peron Sand Dunes on St. Helens Peninsula, in the shadow of the Hazards at Freycinet National Park, at Port Arthur, and The Neck connecting North and South Bruny Islands.
• The feeling of isolation wherever we were in Tasmania. We weren't in the middle of nowhere ... we were on the edge of nowhere.
• Sucking coffee through a Tim Tam cookie.
• How cookies are "bisquits" ... and bisquits are "scones."
• The generous and caring spirit and refreshing politeness of just about everyone we met.
• Pot-belly stoves.
• How people take time to have meaningful conversations. There's very little sense of "rush" here.
• Polite drivers. They actually leave the fast lane for the fast cars.
• Dry riesling, Australian style. Citrusy, minerally. And downright delicious.
• Christmas carols and decorations when it was balmy warm outside and everyone is wearing shorts and sandals ... the holidays just don't seem the same to us unless it's winter.
• Artisan cheeses made on small islands or small towns ... flavorful and wonderful.
• Brad figuring out after two and a half weeks how to adjust the shutter speed on our new camera ... just in time for the last few days of our trip. (Manuals? Who needs 'em when you can fidget around and (eventually) figure things out?)
• The bracing faceful of frigid air that greeted us at LAX ... it was just a day ago we were romping on a sun-drenched beach.
• How paltry three weeks is to see such an enchanting land ... three months might come close to the time needed to see and do the things we enjoy.

Australia isn't a big country. It's a huge one. And we plan to be back to see some things that escaped us on this trip. Like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru.

A couple more photos to show what we were fortunate to encounter:

The Ady Gil is famous for the making the fastest circumnavigation of the world ... but the day after we saw it, it was heading to Antarctica to protect whales from illegal hunts.

It's not ALL about the vine!

One of our Bruny Island dinners ... bought from the island's oyster shack.

The echidna ... part bunny, part platypus and part porcupine.

We thought it would be a 2.5-hour hike ... but then the climb to the top of the Fluted Cape got in our way and added an hour to our eventual time.

Serendipity

We shouldn't be, but we often are amazed at how serendipity guides us on our travels.

For instance, if it wasn't for Mark, a friendly photographer on the Great Ocean Road, we never would have learned of http://www.wotif.com/, which has great deals for last-minute accommodations.

Which is how we found Louise's Cottage in Hobart's Sandy Bay neighborhood.

Which is where we met the proprieter, Patricia.

What a gem. Not only does she make sure her guests have the best dining experiences, but she's an angel to neighborhood children. We were awed by her generosity, love and giving spirit. She's an inspiration.

Another case in point: We had just driven from the top of Mt. Wellington overlooking Hobart when we pulled in for a pitstop at a beautiful picnic area. That's where a nice gentleman who was part of a wedding party mistook us for guests and struck up conversation.

He told us of magical nature of Bruny Island, and before you know it, we drove straight to Kettering, where the car ferry was waiting. We had just enough time to get some cash from the ATM and ask the helpful gentleman at the visitors' center for some accommodation recomendations.

Jackpot!

Bruny Island is one of the most serene, lovely places we have ever visited. And with some of the nicest people ... like our host David Gunton of Explorers' Cottages. He's full of information and very helpful.

Last night at dusk, we watched an army of ferry penguins (the world's smallest) come ashore, waddle to their burrows and feed their young. All while squealing shearwaters soared overhead during their migration from Antarctica. Incredible.

One of the reasons we love Bruny Island so much is that you have to drive on a one-lane gravel road through a state forest (and wallabies) just to get to the only wi-fi hotpot on the island.

There is so much to talk about, which we'll save for a future posting ... but here are some pix to give you an idea of the spectacular nature of Tasmania.

Hobart's Salamanca Market, a delight of sights, sounds and tastes

Stunning views atop Mt. Wellington

Sunset at The Neck on Bruny Island

From near our "home"

Can you tell we're having fun yet?

The Land of "Ests"

Australia is the smallest continent. And the second-driest (Antarctica is the first).

And in Port Arthur, we've seen some of the tallest and biggest things in the world.

Well, we're guessing this is the biggest bumble bee in the world ... it sure seemed like it when he buzzed us.

And on a boat tour of the Tasman Peninsula (where we encountered the windiest weather in our lives), we came to Point Pillar, the tallest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere (at the  most southeastern point (southeasternest?) in Australia):

Port Arthur was a penal colony in the 1800s that fell into disrepair and now is being preserved. It's a huge compound that we strolled after the crowds had departed in the late afternoon. Its serenity today is in sharp contrast to the sadness it harbored many years ago. After dinner of mussels and fish and chips, we returned for the ghost tour, an entertaining walk to the areas where the presence of long-dead convicts remains.

We didn't feel or see any spirits, but Karen jumped the highest when the guide spooked our group as it was huddled around the dissection table in the basement of the prison surgeon's home.

It's now breakfast time in Hobart, which means time to go out and explore ... more to come.

Can you tell we're having fun yet?

Sorry for the Silence. We're Back Online

Crikies! The fact we haven't posted in a few days isn't due to inattention. It's just that we've been in areas where wi-fi isn't accessible to travelers, or where the Internet is prohibitively expensive.

Anyway, there's quite a bit to bring you up to speed on.

We are on a clockwise-direction tour of Tasmania, basically starting at 12:00 (Launceston, Tamar wine country and Bridport) and ending at 6:00 (the capitol of Hobart).

From our last posting in St. Helens, we headed just north to Binalong Bay, gateway to the Bay of Fires, called the world's second-best beach in 2005 by Conde Nast Traveler magazine. On our arrival, we quickly set out for a long hike north along the bay's white sandy beaches, only to quickly turn back when a dark and foreboding cloud came out of the south on its way from Antarctica.

So we checked into our cottage overlooking the bay, warmed ourselves after the blustery weather, and then set out for another hike, this time south along the sheltered shoreline. Good thing it was sheltered, because the wind whipped up and the rain resumed, shortening the excursion to only three hours.


Once back at the cottage, we prepared the fresh scallops and trumpeter that we brought from St. Helens. Even with the rain, we had billion-dollar views of the beach and simply enjoyed the serenity. Here are a couple shots, one from our bedroom and one from our deck:

We finally did our long Bay of Fires hike (four hours) the next day when the rain (but not the wind and clouds) held back:

 

Next up was Freycinet National Park, a couple hours south, home of Wineglass Bay. Everyone we checked with said the weather the next day was going to be "brilliant" following the morning drizzles. So off we went on a 6-hour hike, leaving in light rain and figuring it would clear by the time we got to the spectacular Wineglass Bay.

So you can imagine our disappointment when the rain got heavier, not lighter, midway through the hike at Hazard's Bay. You can feel Karen's mood in this picture:

But lo and behold, the clouds did eventually part by the time we got to the overlook of Wineglass Bay.

 

With such heavenly weather and scenery, we quickly moved from a lower-body workout (hiking) to an upper-body workout (kayaking). We paddled around Cole's Bay's numerous beaches, in the shadows of The Hazards mountains:

For a land of such natural beauty, we still are amazed at the few number of people we come across, either travelers or locals, and we are grateful to be two who are able to enjoy its many splendors.

Can you tell we're having fun yet?

Our Most Poetic Posting Up To This Point

In the Tasmania's town of Pyengana, there’s a pub in a paddock with two pigs, Pauline and PB, who enjoy pilsener.

So we bought them two (and split one between us).

Here are a couple of pics with photographic evidence of our porcine adventure.

 

Don't worry, for animal lovers like us, the pigs' brew is watered-down version that's approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. And besides, they live in one of the loveliest, greenest, most serene valleys we've ever seen. Sure beats winding up on someone's dinner table.

What a spectacular day. It started off with pouring rain and lightening that delayed our departure for the east coast of Tasmania, allowing us to enjoy our first home-cooked meal of our trip. Our hosts at Platypus Park provided a hamper of farm-fresh, free-range eggs, bacon slices that were the biggest in Tasmania's history and other goodies (like Vegemite) that were all enjoyed in front of roaring fire in a pot-belly stove. 


It was hard to leave such comfort, but we were lured by new adventures.

About three-quarters of our drive was in moderate to heavy rain. But then the rains stopped, the clouds lifted and the oh-so delicious scenery was gloriously revealed.

Instead of using words to describe the day, here are some pix:

Can you tell we're having fun yet?