Tag Archives: tour guides

Iceland, Nordic

Ten things I learned in Iceland!

Here it is, my usual top ten list of things I learned on our most recent trip. This time it’s Iceland, a country we’ve been wanting to visit together for a long time. I probably learned more than ten things on this trip, come to think of it. So here goes…

10. Be sure to bring waterproof clothing with you to Iceland!

Iceland is one of those places where you just never know what kind of weather you’re going to get. One thing is a sure bet, though, and that is that it’s likely to rain. We now know from personal experience that an umbrella is not likely to be that helpful, especially outside of the city. So, if you’re planning a trip to Iceland, you may want to invest in waterproof clothes. A raincoat is essential, and you’ll probably want waterproof pants, too. But if you need waterproof clothes, don’t worry. Icewear is a handy store with many outlets in Iceland. They can hook you up with clothes and footwear! Dress in layers!

9. Icelandic horses are just that… HORSES.

I grew up around horses and ponies in Virginia. Where I come from, a person would take one look at an Icelandic horse and think they were seeing a pony. Not so… Icelanders consider Icelandic equines to be HORSES, even though they are shorter and smaller than what a lot of us would consider horses.

8. Any Icelandic horse who leaves Iceland is not allowed to return.

Iceland is very strict about the import of animals. It’s possible to bring pets to Iceland, but there are exacting procedures and they have to be quarantined for at least three weeks. And when it comes to Icelandic horses, which are the only horses on the island, they can never return to Iceland if they ever leave.

7. There are evergreens in Iceland, but they were imported from Alaska!

Our guide, Ivar, pointed out evergreen forests during our tour and he said that the trees, along with Alaskan lupine, were imported to Iceland from the U.S. state of Alaska. Ivar said that prior to the import, most of the trees in Iceland were birches.

6. The only animal native to Iceland is the Arctic fox.

Other animals have been introduced, of course. At one point, Norway sent reindeer to Iceland. Most of them died, but enough survived that they exist on the island. Sometimes polar bears from Greenland show up near the coasts, but Ivar told us that the authorities usually shoot them because Greenland doesn’t usually want them back. It makes me kind of sad to think of polar bears being killed in such a way, but I’ve also read that many of them are starving, anyway, due to a lack of fish and other prey caused by global warming.

5. All physically capable schoolchildren in Iceland must learn how to swim.

Ivar told us that his wife works at a school teaching kids how to swim. It’s required of Icelandic children because there’s so much water in and around the island. I was reminded of how I had to prove I could swim before I could graduate Longwood College (now Longwood University). My college has since done away with that requirement, but I doubt Iceland ever will.

4. Tourism is a mixed bag in Iceland.

There are still parts of Iceland that are very remote and rugged. It wasn’t until very recently that Iceland became a hot tourist destination. Consequently, the locals are dealing with some mixed consequences of the trend. On one hand, places that used to be special and pristine are now teeming with tourists. On the other hand, tourism has brought in more workers from other places, increasing population. Tourism also brings in new facilities, such as public restrooms, and better restaurants, as well as lots of money!

3. Iceland is extremely welcoming to LGBTQI people. It’s also got a long history of promoting women’s rights.

There’s even a rainbow colored street in Reykjavik!

2. Icelandic is the language from which other Nordic languages, except Finnish, sprang.

Ivar told us that Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian used to be more like Icelandic, but due to business dealings with Germany, they changed some of their words to be more like German. I did notice when we were in Norway and Sweden last year that some of their words were like German words.

1. If you want to tour Iceland properly, you should definitely consider hiring a guide!

This was the first trip Bill and I have ever taken for which we’ve done a “bespoke” tour. I’m not sure why I realized hiring a guide would be a good idea, especially since I neglected to buy waterproof pants. However, it was absolutely the RIGHT decision for us. We saw parts of Iceland there’s no way we ever could have seen on our own. Moreover, we witnessed what can happen to people who try to drive in Iceland and aren’t wary of the pitfalls. Remember that picture of the half submerged rental car?

Yes, it was expensive for us to book Iceland Luxury Tours, but they did a fantastic job planning our vacation and looking after us. We would not hesitate to recommend them! But even if you don’t want to book luxury, I would definitely shop around for a qualified guide, preferably one who has access to a four wheel drive vehicle! The right vehicle with adequate insurance is an absolute MUST if you want to go to the rugged highlands.

If you decide to visit Iceland, be sure to save up for it. It’s an expensive place to visit. But don’t let that put you off, because as brutal as Iceland’s weather can be, the people are so warm hearted and kind. And the beauty of the country is unparalleled. It really is an incredible place with views you won’t get in many other places on Earth.

We are so glad we finally made it to Iceland. I do hope we can visit again, maybe at a different time of year. I can’t promise the weather will be better, but I’ll bet the views will be different!

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adventure, Iceland, outdoors

I have a few minutes, so here are a few more photos…

We’re getting ready to venture to the highlands, which I think are going to be very austere. Our guide warned that food options would be limited. We are going to hit a gas station for snacks before setting out. This has definitely been one of our more rugged trips.

Since I have a few minutes before I need to pack up and get out, here are some more photos from our trip so far…

We are definitely more active than usual on this trip. It’s a good thing. My body can still do stuff, even though it’s broader and stiffer than it once was. It looks like we might have some sunshine today, too. Hallelujah for that!

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Hebridean Island Cruises

Scotland and Northern Ireland 2017, Part twelve…

After our beer break, we got dressed up for dinner.  I put on an old black dress and wore a pretty red wool shawl.  I kind of regret wearing the shawl, because as we were enjoying champagne, somehow I had a brainfart and accidentally spilled some on my shawl.  Now I have a small stain that also got on Bill’s jacket.  Nevertheless, we had a nice dinner.

A visible sunset as we left Belfast.

A self-portrait… searching for evidence of liver failure in my eyes.

This picture was taken right after the pilot disembarked the Hebridean Princess.  These guys are amazing.  They just walk off the ship as it’s moving and jump onto their little vessels.  I wish I had gotten it on film because it was really gutsy.  I wondered if any of those guys ever missed and ended up in the water.

More fish for me…

And more meat for Bill.

I enjoy cheesecake.

Bill enjoys a cheese course.

Incidentally, if you ever want tea in your room, Hebridean has you covered.

 

After dinner, we went to bed early.  Or, at least I think that’s what we did…  After you’ve been on the ship for awhile, the days start to run together.  I mostly hang out by myself with my dogs, so all the company was a little overwhelming.  But the nice thing about this trip was that most everyone was pleasant enough.  There weren’t any obviously obnoxious people onboard.  On our previous cruise, we weren’t so lucky and there was a woman onboard who demanded to be the center of attention the whole time.  I know I have my own obnoxious moments, but this lady had me beat by a mile.  What made it worse was that she was an American and seemed to resent that there were other Americans on the ship.  Anyway… we had a rather low key crowd this time and most people got along, at least on the surface.  That was a real blessing.

In the morning, I decided to have oatmeal with a wee dram of whisky.  If you have never tried this and you like scotch, this is a nice twist.

Bill had poached eggs with back bacon.  The chef also threw in some “streaky bacon”, which I helped Bill eat.  

Saturday morning, we spent cruising southward to Carlingford, which is a border town in the Republic of Ireland.  To be honest, I’m not really sure why we went to this town.  It was probably the least popular of the stops.  I actually enjoyed our visit well enough for several reasons, but I heard more than a few people complaining about it.  I’ll get to why in a minute.  I took the opportunity to blog that morning while other people read books or sat around and enjoyed the scenery… or maybe had a gin & tonic.

It was time for lunch and Bill had a cauliflower soup that came with cheese toast.  He said it was really comforting.  I don’t like cauliflower much, so I skipped it.

I had duck confit for lunch, which came with a Thai salad with peanut dressing.  I probably would have liked the salad, except it was full of mushrooms.  Our waiter forgot my speech about how much I hate fungus.  Oh well.  I gave it to Bill, who enjoyed it.

Bill had a sandwich.  Love how they serve their sandwiches with no crusts.  It was like being back in kindergarten.

For dessert, I had Eton Mess.  I think on past cruises, it was made with raspberries, but this time it was made with strawberries, meringues, and berries.  It was very yummy!

Bill had bread pudding with chocolate ice cream, also very good and comforting as the weather turned wet.

 

After lunch, we all got on the bus and went to Carlingford.  It was raining and dreary, though a few local guides were hired to show us around the town.  The guide who spoke to us on the bus was an Irish guy named Dermott.  I noticed he spoke with a lot of “uhs and ums”, which I found rather distracting.  However, despite all the “uhs and ums”, what Dermott was telling us was interesting.  He told us he was born in Newry, Northern Ireland and grew up there, although he considered himself Irish.  This is an important revelation, given what happened next.

The bus let us off at the edge of town and we split into three groups.  Dermott was to take the people who didn’t want to see as much.  Because I really needed to pee and didn’t want to walk around in the wet weather, I chose his group, although Bill was wanting a longer walk.  I told Bill he could join another group, but he likes to stick with me.  So we followed Dermott around and he very excitedly told us about Carlingford.

 

Dermott started with this arch… and I was very glad I had an umbrella and Dermott explained the jail was in the arch and that people were routinely hanged there back in the day…

The entrance to the “jail”.  I didn’t venture inside because I had a feeling it has been used for something other than jailing people.  There was also a lot of trash in the cell.

More views of the town.  It was at this point that Dermott told us about the annual Leprechaun hunt that happens in Carlingford.  It is technically illegal to hunt Leprechauns in Ireland, except on one special day per year.  Have a look.  

The above three photos are of a house that belonged to a wealthy merchant.  Dermott explained that whoever owned the house, referred to as the “mint” in Carlingford, although no money was ever made there, was very rich.  

I think I was more interested in the pubs…

At this point, things started taking a bit of a turn.  Dermott was telling us Thomas D’Arcy McGee, a Catholic Irishman who had vowed that if he ever betrayed his country, he should “die like a dog”.  He hated British rule, so he worked to overthrow the British rule so that Ireland could be independent.  McGee later went to the United States and Canada and became wealthy.  Later, he was assassinated. 

 

To be honest, I wasn’t paying very close attention to Dermott, because the weather had gotten worse.  However, some of the elderly Brits in the group were listening and apparently getting a bit agitated.  Dermott made it clear that he had Nationalist leanings.

We walked around some more and checked out this old castle ruin…

Then we went into a small museum that was recently opened.  While we were in the museum, one of the other passengers took Dermott to task because he said he wanted to see Ireland reunited.

I stared at this exhibit as the atmosphere got a little bit more heated.  Dermott was unfortunately bull baited into a political confrontation.

 

For Bill and me, it was an interesting spectacle, not unlike some of the controversy surrounding the North and the South in the United States.  But, as we had no dog in the fight, we were free to simply observe without getting upset.  We could tell some of the Britons were offended by Dermott’s comments about how he wanted to see Ireland reunited.  I was interested in what he was saying, since he grew up when there was an actual physical barrier between Northern Ireland and the Republic.  Dermott’s ten year old son, who happened to be getting fish and chips while we were on our tour, waved to us.  Dermott explained how he had to describe to his boy how, when he was a young man, he had to go through police checkpoints to get to Ireland from his home in the north.  He said guards actually took the wheels off his car and took out seats to check for bombs and the like.

To be honest, I totally understood Dermott’s viewpoints.  If I were Irish, I would probably feel much the same way he does.  However, it was kind of clear that some of the British folks in our group were getting irritated by his comments and wanted to be rid of him.

As we were leaving the museum, one passenger said to me that she had felt like walking out.  As someone who isn’t British, I didn’t have the same feelings.  But I could see that quite a few people were upset.

Next it was time for coffee and cake.  We went into another tea room, where they were playing country music from the 60s and 70s.  I had to laugh when I heard the “Ballad of Jed Clampitt”.  I posted about it on Facebook because it cracked me up.  I had to laugh even harder when a Facebook friend, who doesn’t know me offline, tried to explain to me where country music comes from.  He doesn’t know I am myself a musician and a fan of a broad array of musical styles.  But thanks anyway, dude.  The above lemon cake was delicious, but we were a bit rushed in eating it (actually, lemon was just one of several choices, but it was a good one.)

 

Then Bill probably annoyed people because Dermott, who was still talking as we were waiting for cake and tea, had started talking about Irish folk tales he’d heard from his father.  Bill, who is a fan of Irish literature and studied it in college, piped up with more information which turned out to be superior to what the guide was telling us.  I have a feeling people would have been more willing to listen to Dermott had he not offended them, though Bill was enjoying talking to him about Irish folklore.  Later, a couple of passengers congratulated Bill on his knowledge.  I think they were being sincere, although it was probably because Dermott had annoyed a lot of them.

Then Dermott said he didn’t like huge cruise ships and he thought perhaps the really big ones pump oxygen into the casinos to keep people awake and gambling.  Apparently, this is a practice in Las Vegas, although I have never been to Vegas and probably wouldn’t gamble if I did go there.  I have only been on one large cruise ship and it was my observation that the place was full of cigarette smoke, not oxygen.  He did say he’d live on Hebridean Princess.  I can’t say I blame him.  Aside from being a tour guide, Dermott is also a sound engineer.  Incidentally, Snopes says the oxygen pumping claim is false.

This was where we had tea, cake, and fractious discussion… while music from the 60s and 70s played.  It’s probably a nice place to spend an evening.

We got back on the boat, greeted by David and lots of little shooters of rum punch.  It was just enough time to get cleaned up and ready for dinner.  Damn, I ate a lot on this cruise…

I actually really enjoyed this starter, which was a breaded, deep fried, poached egg with asparagus and Hollandaise sauce and some kind of jelly I can’t identify at the moment.

Bill had a tart made of smoked trout, I think…

This was supposed to be lobster bisque and it was good, though it was missing cream.  

I had Dover sole with cream sauce and vegetables.

Bill had chicken with mushroom sauce.

Then a slice of pie for Bill…

And a delicious lemon pudding with an almond cookie for me.  They used another word other than pudding, but it escapes me at the moment.  It was kind of like mousse, only not as light.

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A whirlwind trip to Austria, Italy, and probably Switzerland, part 3

We decided to have lunch after we visited Crystal World.  Although we could have gone to the restaurant on site, we thought we might have a more peaceful meal in the town of Wattens.  Sadly, it was not to be…  But we did come away from our lunch at Pronto Pasta with a fun story.

I’m not sure what the restaurant scene is like in Wattens.  I do know that it was a Sunday and Pronto Pasta had lots of signs around town, advertising their restaurant.  I don’t usually like to go to restaurants that are so heavily promoted because they are usually tourist traps.  Indeed, Pronto Pasta has signs in five or six different languages… a sure sign that they cater to the clueless who visit the little Austrian town of Wattens.  We went anyway.

Now, usually when there are lots of signs attracting tourists, you’d expect a huge restaurant with lots of tables.  As it turned out, Pasta Pronto is a very small place with a menu in English and German.  We noticed that they’d set up a couple of large tables which took up most of their tiny dining room.  We were directed to a pub table near the front door.  I eyed the large tables nervously, figuring that a big tourbus was about to arrive.  Bill tried using his rudimentary German, but our waiter immediately switched to flawless English.  Just as well.

 

Bill ordered a nice glass of red…  I had white.

Bill had penne pasta with truffles, cream sauce, and ham.  I had a salmon filet with cherry tomatoes and a side of tagliatelle.

Another shot of the food.  It was very good.

 

Just as we were about a third of the way into our meals, a large tourbus full of Chinese people showed up.  A small, nervous looking little Chinese guy who spoke English hustled into the restaurant.  He had a large plastic bag full of individual packets of spicy Hunt’s brand ketchup.  Bill overheard him explain that a number of the tourists with him were “addicted” to the stuff.  The Italian bus driver took the table next to Bill’s and mine, meaning he shared a bench seat with me.  He seemed a bit “over it”.  I couldn’t blame him for that.  The tourists all sat down at the tables that had been prepared for them.

The little tour guide approached one of the waiters and started asking about the menu.  He wanted pizza.  The restaurant doesn’t serve pizza, though they do apparently have a pizzeria in a separate location.  Then the guy was asking about sausages.  The waiter seemed to be doing a good job maintaining his cool as he explained to the tour guide that they had ordered a set menu, so they were all going to be served the same thing.  It looked like they were having some kind of soup with a dollop of cream on top (sprayed into a decorative etoile), Wiener schnitzel, and tiramisu for dessert.  From what I could see, the food looked good and everybody was reasonably happy.  The two waiters were hustling and Bill overheard one of them complaining about their boss, a plain clothesed man who dropped off a couple of plates and claimed to have been helpful in the process.

 

The waiter deals with the tourists.  Bill and I were, of course, no trouble at all…

I got up to go to the bathroom, but it was occupied.  I stood and waited, feeling more and more intrusive.  I wasn’t sure what was going on in there, but the lady ahead of me had some issues.  At one point, I figured maybe I shouldn’t try to use the toilet at that time, but then she came out…  It was a tiny girl, looked no older than fifteen and no bigger than a size zero, apologizing profusely.  It was no big deal at that point.  Poor thing.

A shot of the outside of the restaurant.

The above signs were all over Wattens.

 

Finally, after more wine, Bill paid the check.  We headed back to the car, bypassing the tiny little Christmas market going on.  As Bill paid for the parking, I noticed a ladies room.  I ducked in and waited again.  I didn’t really have to go so badly, but I remembered the arduous mountain drive and didn’t want to have to pee while Bill was stressing over the drive up the 16 degree grade.

Christmas market in Wattens.

Graffiti on the bathroom door.

We stopped by Spar for more wine, which we didn’t end up drinking.  I took a photo of the Williams pear schnapps because Bill has a funny college story about it.  He and a buddy were once held hostage in a DC bar by a mischievous bartender who wouldn’t let them leave until they could explain how the pear got in the bottle…

Beer tubs at Hotel Diana.  I didn’t have a chance to get a shot of Bill and me this time.  If you want to see us in a beer tub, I recommend checking out my Moorhof writeup.  

 

Our appointment for our beer bath was set for 5:00 pm.  I had Bill go ask at the reception if the bath would be with or without bathing suits.  When we were at the Moorhof, we did it with suits.  While that preserved our modesty somewhat, it also got hops and other debris in our suits.  I would have been fine doing the bath naked.  But the guy at the front desk either didn’t understand the question or didn’t care one way or the other.  Bill came up and told me we should wear our suits.  I had brought my “spa robe”(which I like so much that I wear it around the house, too).  Bill only brought his bathing suit.  Since I also brought a cover up, I let Bill borrow my robe (Santa will bring him a spa robe for Christmas).  I wore the cover up.

We showed up at the beer bath and the lady from the video I posted in the first of this series said we should bathe naked.  I was game, but I think Bill was a bit bashful.  The whole thing was kind of awkward because she was telling us to get undressed and we’re typical Americans who aren’t used to being nude in front of strangers.  Finally, she told us to just get in the tub.  I think the tubs at Hotel Diana are a little smaller than the one we used at the Moorhof.

Bill and I were not as cramped in the one at the Moorhof as we were at Hotel Diana.  It was ultimately okay for us, but Bill and I are short people with short legs.  If this writeup makes you want to try a beer bath at Hotel Diana with your partner and you have long legs, you may want to go for separate baths.  Also, I recommend this treatment without bathing suits.  The barley they use in the tub gets stuck in your suit, plus you have to undress for the straw bed, anyway.

So anyway, we got in the tub…  this time, unlike at the Moorhof, the beer spigot was not purely for decoration.  We were allowed to drink as much as we wanted.  The water was a little too cool for me at first, but I had access to the tap, so I was able to heat it up.  The hotel owner was kind enough to light candles and dim the overhead lights.

Later, we told her that we booked Hotel Diana because of the beer bath.  We explained that hers was the fourth beer spa experience we’ve had.  She then told us that Moorhof was the first hotel to offer the beer spa experience in Austria.  The family that owns Hotel Diana went there to check it out and decided to offer it at their hotel, too.

After the lights were turned down.

 

After about thirty minutes in the tub, we lost our bathing suits and got in the straw bed.  I mentioned in my review of Moorhof’s beer spa that the oat straw seems like it would be itchy, but it’s really not.  In fact, it’s very relaxing to lie there next to your loved one and enjoy the smell… and the softness.  But remember, I grew up in a barn with horses, so it makes sense that this experience would especially appeal to me.  Overall, it was a nice experience, though it seemed like Hotel Diana hasn’t done as many beer baths as Moorhof has, so things were a little less smoothly run.  Still, we managed to leave the beer baths very relaxed and contented.

Bill in the straw bed.  I shared it with him until I needed to use the potty.

 

After our beer bath, we went up to the room, showered, and dressed for dinner.  I was feeling a little nervous that the militant waitress would be helping us, but she was off that night.  Instead, we were waited on by the guy who had checked us in.  He told us to pick one of the first three tables, all of which had been set for two.  I liked that.

Bill enjoys the pleasantly decorated restaurant.

And orders us a nice bottle of Austrian red…

 

Our waiter apologized for the menu in German.  We said it was okay because we live in Germany and can speak menu somewhat.  We started with the same salad as we had the night before…

Then a very nice cold tuna appetizer, followed up a cup of chicken noodle soup.

I had the Cordon Bleu which came with cranberry sauce and parsleyed potatoes.

Bill had pork with a pepper cream sauce and a baked potato with sour cream.  

And for dessert, we had rice pudding…  It was very good!

 

The same two ladies who had snickered at us the previous night showed up when we were halfway through our dinner.  Fortunately, they sat two tables down from us, so we were spared having to serve as their source of entertainment.  After dinner, we went to bed and slept well until morning.

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