Unsafe eating

Bill Clinton didn't eat at that vegetarian restaurant and neither did we...instead we went to 3 Frakkar (see earlier post). We tried the smoked puffin breast (a lot like salmon but saltier, plus the meat is a dark, blood-like red). We tried the fish chins.

First stop: Bláa lónið (Blue Lagoon)

This is Iceland's most famous natural hot springs. It's not every day you go swimming in blue water in a lava field!
The water has a bluish tinge because of all the minerals in it (silica, sulphur, etc.); in fact, you can't even see your hands if they're submerged. The bottom of the lagoon is either volcanic rocks or black volcanic sand. Look carefully at the photos and you can see the white mineral deposits on the rocks. From the pictures you can see we did the silica mud facial (supposed to be very good for the skin). We also tried Iceland's finest saunas at the Lagoon. Steamier than a Harlequin novel...or an opera!







This is the Icelandic Opera performing at the Blue Lagoon. Unfortunately not the day we were there.

Swimming always works up an appetite so we headed to Ikea for lunch. That's right, Ikea in Iceland. The only difference between their hot dogs and ours is a better, spicier mustard and fried onions on top.

An incredible first day in Iceland!

 The bridge from America to Europe
~ A world-leader-style handshake


Leaving Toronto, Friday, June 4, 2010
~ The welcome party at Keflavik Airport, Iceland!
Magnea, Soffia, Sylvia, Hilmar, Ragnar

I landed in Keflavik, Iceland early Saturday morning. The flight was great: for entertainment there were not only TV shows but twelve movies to choose from (I'll never be able to go back to Westjet's measly three); seven radio stations including one devoted to Icelandic music; and even a "word traveler" game to help you learn the basic of more than 20 languages. Also: my plane was named after a volcano.
The plan was to take an airport bus to Reykjavik (about 45 minutes away) and then call Sylvia, my Facebook friend. Before I left the airport I was looking around in the airport shop when three women came up to me and one asked, "Aleesa?" I couldn't believe it! Sylvia, her daughter and her sister (plus their sons) had driven to the airport to see if they could meet me! Apparently they went all over the place looking for me, even climbing on a tour bus about to depart to call out my name!
I knew Sylvia was a woman after my own heart when she said, "We just made this plan last night and we didn't know if we would find you, but we knew it would be an adventure either way!"
They brought a picnic breakfast with them and I tried smoked lamb for the first time. Delicious!!

To explain about the bridge: apparently the tectonic plates of America (meaning North and South) and Europe are adjacent to each other at this spot.

Icelandic food...what?

Here's an interesting article from the New York Times on selling Icelandic food to Americans (hint: it involves Whole Foods). Thanks to Wikitravel I found out about a very interesting restaurant in Reykjavik I hope to try. It's called Þrír frakkar hjá Úlfari, which apparently translates as either Three Brothers, Three Frenchmen or Three Overcoats. Now there's an efficient language.

Their menu is online and wow does it look wild! Should I get the smoked puffin breast or raw whale meat, sashimi-style? Then again the fried fish chins sound fascinating, but so does the grilled horse fillet. I'm not making this stuff up! For dessert they have something called "Skyr Brulée" which is supposedly strange and delicious and worth a visit all on its own. It's made from "skyr", which is something like a cross between strained yogurt and soft cheese. Those who know of the importance of yogurt in my life (it has taken me months of searching to find The One) will not be surprised to know I must try this dish.

Sometimes good things happen with money

With the need to get rid of pretty much everything I own, one of the larger concerns has been, will I be able to sell my piano for a good price?
Tonight that question was answered: YES! A friend of a student has bought it! I'm very, very pleased.
My piano disappears from my life the second week of May. I'm itching for a fresh start so badly that I'm not even sad at all.

In other good news: I somehow qualified for a bursary [for my Italian course in Genova] -- of 50% off!!!
Before I talked to the Italian Cultural Institute here in Toronto about the bursary, I thought it would be a total long shot. Or that I would at least have to fill out a big long form or write an essay or otherwise somehow prove I deserve to save money on studying Italian. Here's the information they actually asked for: my name and the name of the school. Seriously! I may have found the one Italian institution that isn't a bureaucratic nightmare!

Happy things like this keep happening. Which makes me think more and more that this trip is meant to be.

You wouldn't find this in Lonely Planet...

Occasionally I visit with an Estonian neighbour lady my grandma's age (90 this year!). During our most recent visit she had some reassuring words about my upcoming trip: "You're going to be just fine. You have beautiful hair....and beautiful skin. You have nothing to worry about."
After eyeing me from bottom to top she also instructed that I leave 'those ridiculous things' (my jeans) at home and wear only skirts in Europe. "You need to dress nicely there, and also the men like to gawk at women's legs."

Góðan daginn

On the eve of my 30th birthday I have done one of the craziest things I've ever done: I bought a one-way ticket to Europe! And it's via Iceland!!!
Yes, on Friday June 4th, 2010 at 9:10 pm, I will say goodbye to Toronto for good and board an Icelandair flight to Reykjavik (which I couldn't even spell a week ago)! I will arrive early Saturday morning and spend three days in the world's northernmost capital city. (FYI This stopover is free thanks to a current promotion with Icelandair. It's a great deal if you're thinking of going! -- Ha, who "thinks of going" to Iceland?! -- Not that there's anything wrong with that...)
Then it's off to London (landing at Heathrow airport) and...well, who knows after that!