Iceland is Cold and Beautiful

We arrived in Rekyjavek on Monday evening and checked into our rental apartment. This was a new experience in small and compact. I would guess about 150 square feet for bedroom, sitting room, kitchen, and bath. Well designed and attractive, cozy and warm. What more did we need?

A quick trip to the local supermarket, Bonus, yielded local yogurt (Icelanders eat lots of yogurt), cottage cheese, fruit (very limited selection), cheese, and crackers. Dinner at a local Italian restaurant, a nice walk through the neighborhood, and then an early night.

Tuesday began our adventure with a South Coast tour, small van, 3 passengers, and our guide.

Iceland is a volcanic island that still has 130 active volcanoes, multiple small earthquakes almost daily, a shifting continental divide over the tectonic plates that is expanding the country about 1" a year. The panorama is volcanic, green fields in some areas, small villages, and a few principle cities. Total population of this country, which is the size of Kentucky, is 320,000 people. Few people emigrate or immigrant and the population is very slowly rising. Until the economic downturn of October 2008, a month every Icelander we encountered remembers clearly, Icelanders enjoyed the highest living standards, almost no unemployment, a long work week averaging 46 hours because many held two jobs. Things have changed over these past 3 years and recovery, while it is happening, is slow. A current debate is whether or not to join the European Union. There's many complex issues to consider including the required sharing of its valuable fishing zones which provide over 35% of Iceland's income.

Iceland has socialized medicine for everyone, free education including 13 universities (99.9% literacy, 30% college degrees), high retirement benefits that are a combination of a social security system and some controlled investments. There's virtually no crime, a total of 45 people in prison, and work camps for teen agers during the long summer months. The government taxes cigarettes and alcohol very heavily and there is little smoking or drinking and the ill-effects they cause on a society. Iceland is nearly 100% energy independent. They use geothermal power for heating and most of their electricity; the balance of their electric needs are supplied from hydro electric plants. They import raw materials for making aluminum because aluminum manufacture is heavily dependent on electricity so it is economical to produce it in Iceland and then export the finished products. Iceland has been experimenting with hydrogen cars and already has a hydrogen bus fleet. The air is clear, the water drinkable, average citizen pays $70 a month for heating, electricity, cable, sewage, and other services. The streets are clean, although there is some graffiti in recent years.

Iceland has no army, a small coast guard, and a small police force. The prime minister's offices are open to the public and her phone number is listed in the yellow pages. Parliament is also open for visitors and although there is some security, it is barely noticeable. Iceland is a Lutheran country with some Catholics and others, but not many. Although Caucasians, blonds in particular, prevail, there are other races here and there doesn't appear to be any issues with Black and Whites.

Iceland raises sheep, that outnumber the population about 3 to 1, horses that are particular to the island (shorter legs, thicker coats), and dairy herds. All of these are free range, able to forage over the winter months. Vegetables are hot house grown, hot water is free as is heating, and they manage to export bananas to Europe. However, food is costly and fresh food more scarce and higher priced than we've encountered elsewhere.

These rather ideal conditions are offset, however, by the harsh weather. Although they claim the winter is about the same as other northern European cities, cold, during the summer it never gets very hot. Our 3 day stay in mid-May was colder than average with temperatures hanging around 40 degrees and lower at night, not much warmer, given the wind-chill factor, during the day.

We visited some of the coastal areas, a glacier (there are about 30 in Iceland), the sea shore, a geyser, and hot springs. Iceland is well suited for the adventure tourist as they can hike, walk on glaciers, use ATV's, horseback ride, fish, boat, and some even go surf boarding! For the more sedate traveler, the physical beauty is striking, and the Blue Lagoon for thermal bathing is lovely. The modern country is only about 150 years old so there are few relics of former norse days, and not very interesting places to visit in the capital. On Wednesday we spent the day in town visiting some museums, the national museum of history is outstanding and we spent several hours there, walking about the lovely ponds, riding the buses, and enjoying the language--so different from anything we use or hear on a regular basis.

Thursday morning we went on another tour of the island, saw fish drying for export to Nigeria (we are truly global in all we do), drilling for another geothermal well, a working lighthouse on the coast, a small fishing village, and then the Blue Lagoon where we bathed in the hot thermal waters before departing for the airport.

Iceland was friendly, relatively easy to get around with a good street map, rugged, and worth a stop in our travels.

We bid a fond farewell to Iceland and Europe, boarded our New York bound plane and began our trip home on Thursday afternoon. This concludes nearly 5 weeks of wonderful travel with the final days planned for family visiting in New York.

Stu and Adrienne

Saying goodbye to London--boo hoo

We've had two wonderful, and surprising, last days in London. Sadly we're off tomorrow for a stop over in Iceland.

Saturday, following the suggestion of the lovely policemen we met on Friday, we took off for Portobello Market. Veteran market-goers that we are, we were unprepared for this experience. The market, part permanent shops and part temporary vendor stalls, goes on along Portobello Road for 2 miles. It's quite well organized with antique dealers together, used clothing together, new clothes (mostly funky London young styles), outlets, fresh produce, etc. Much is what we've seen elsewhere in London but the mix was heady and fun and the people watching was great. While we often eat at market stalls, we really needed a seat so went into a surprisingly good Thai restaurant for some yellow curry and pad thai.

Stu found the two items he was searching for, a London Fireman's cap and socks, and I found a lovely scarf and a special gift for a friend. We never tired of the excitement of the thousands of people milling about, very friendly, very comfortable, relatively quiet and surprisingly so. The market goes through several different neighborhoods from lower end to higher end just off the main market street.

We took top seats on the double decker buses there and back, varying our route because we could, there's so many choices, and seeing ever more parts of greater London. We both needed a brief rest once back in our apartment. Dinner at home then out for our last theater experience of this London trip. We changed the pace and saw a drama, a thriller, Woman in Black. Two actors telling a ghost story, acting multiple roles as they spun their tale. We enjoyed it very much, even if it was not the most frightening play we've ever seen--as advertised. We have been talking about the changing nature of theater, from a production like Women in Black that used few props, few special effects primarily limited to sound tracks, to one like War Horse that was dependent upon the elaborate puppeteering and horse-like props. So what is theater? The audience and its imagination? Does it take more imagination to bring this ghost story to life or to create horses on stage from bits of wood and mesh?

We resolved to get an early start on Sunday so we could take some final photographs while London slept. Stu found some phone booths Saturday night and wanted to return with our cameras. We also found a metro station with a lift (elevator for all of you non-Brits) which we'll use on Monday for our trip to Heathrow airport. From Covent Garden we rode the underground (the subway) to Embankment metro station and then hopped the River Bus for a trip east on the Thames, destination Greenwich. This was another spur of the moment adventure, a recommendation by our Stonehenge tour guide, David. We've loved the spontaneity of our travels during this London trip and have benefitted from so many surprising sights and experiences. Greenwich proved to be another pleasant surprise, as was the boat ride.

Greenwich is the birthplace, as we came to learn, of the Meridian line. All points east and west are measured from the Meridian line situated in Greenwich. We have a certificate to prove we were there and a photo to confirm it! We also learned that the clock, that we take for granted, began here as well. It was important for sailors to be able to determine accurately where they were. Longitude and latitude was important, as was time of day so they could tell more about their locations from the stars. In the museum we saw some of the first clocks and were fascinated with the stories. We've not ever thought of this before and don't recall studying in school England's role in developing the longitudinal measure or the accurate clock.

The town of Greenwich is charming, an historical site, houses the Naval Academy, two markets, and several pubs. We had a traditional Sunday pub lunch of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and Pimm's. I'm not sure the Pimm's is so traditional, but it is a lovely drink. The food, as usual, was over cooked, but the experience was everything we hoped for and we were not disappointed. The day passed much too quickly. We reluctantly left Greenwich by boat for our last trip back to our flat. Tomorrow it is Iceland and another brief adventure.

Good bye London,

Stu and Adrienne

Windsor Castle

Another exploration across town. Today we took the metro to Paddington Station where we switched lines to the Windsor Castle Line. In spite of his bad knee, soon to be replaced, Stu was stoic as he climbed or descended the multiple stair cases going up to the trains, then down to the trains, across platforms, up and down stairs again. No wonder the BBC produced a show called Up the Down Staircase--all of London, as was Paris, is uphill, according to Stu! Neither Paris nor London have been very accessible to those with disabilities; we are very fortunate to be in the states with its heightened awareness and accessibility.

Windsor Castle, the Queen's home when she is not at Buckingham Palace in London, is 700 years old and has been a continuous residence of the Monarchy for these past centuries. We enjoyed the grounds, the St. George Chapel, the Round Tower and guarding wall. We got there just in time to see the changing of the guards and watch them march into the Castle grounds from the surrounding town of Windsor-Eaton. Today the Queen was in residence, but still no invitation to high tea or even a shared crumpet! We wandered through the residence that is open for public viewing. The art work and other treasures, including solid silver furniture, were on display. There is one room, Prince Philip's drawing room, that houses 200 pencil sketches by Leonardo d'Vinci among others. We saw the doll house, a 1:12 replica of Windsor Castle, complete with furnishings, electricity, and working plumbing. These are living rooms, used now for state functions including a dining room that seats 150 at one table. The official china collection has 48 sets of plate ware dating back 500 years.

Beyond the Castle walls is a small town, with 500 year old taverns--we had lunch in one--and modern computer stores selling the latest Ipods. The contrasts are a reminder that while history lives here, it doesn't stop the progress. A delightful visit for us and a leisurely afternoon as well.

Back in Paddington Station we exited to take the bus home when we chanced to meet a policeman with his explosive sniffing dog. Before a minute passed we were engaged in conversation with 3 different officers, a half-dozen working dogs, and had exchanged stories about Smudge and her inability to pass a muffin without snatching it. They laughed at that and shared some of their donut stories (London policemen eat donuts also). We happened to catch them on the change of shifts so 20 minutes passed in conversation. They gave us business cards from their dogs, Charlie, Ace, Buddy, and Spencer. We asked if there was a place where we could find a london fireman's hat. We've been seeking one for Mac since we've been here, with no luck. Seems they don't have stores like our CHIPS have, but suggested we go to Notting Hill's Portobello market and have a look. That's tomorrow's destination. It's been wonderful to have the leisure to go where we want, to be spontaneous and to change plans on a whim. We're probably missing some of the London "must sees", but we're doing so much else we're enjoying.

And so our time in London is too quickly coming to an end. We still have so much we want to do--so much to do, so little time.

Stu and Adrienne

Our Neighborhood

We decided that it was time to do some exploring in our neighborhood so Thursday was the day. We began the morning with a visit to Covent Garden (about 5 blocks away) and its Thursday market. The Garden hosts an indoor market, a small fresh food market on Thursday morning, and regular upscale shops, eateries, street entertainment, and attitude. We actually found a Polish vendor selling fried pierogi, but they were not as good as my home made boiled ones.

The entertainment was more upscale than we've seen for street performers. First to perform were 5 classical musicians playing Mozart and Vivaldi--they were marvelous. They perform for the opportunity to sell their CD (10 pounds sterling) and pick up change. The crowd was generous. After them we listened to an opera singer, quite talented and moving, but alas, her voice didn't project very well in this outdoor space. Somewhere between the market and the singers Stu and I separated. I found him 30 minutes later engaged in a deep discussion with one of the street cleaners. Stuart was educating his new friend on the variety of scenery in Arizona and then they shared political views. We are continually finding Londoners friendly, open to conversation, curious about us and our travels, and willing to share their thoughts on life in Britain.

From Covent Garden we walked back to Trafalgar Square to visit the National Gallery. Imagine sitting in a room surrounded by Monet, Manet, Cezanne, and Van Gogh! It is suggested that these are the secondary works of these great impressionists, and that may well be true, but there was something magical about being there, in a free museum that is truly about the people. We're certain there's plenty of security, but you never feel it. No uniformed guards standing at attention, no obvious alarms or wires. Of course the paintings are faced with museum glass to protect them, but you can go within inches of a painting before anyone approaches you. We wondered, sitting and looking at the Van Gogh Sunflowers, if any of these artists would be considered great if they were painting now, if they didn't already have a name that attracted millions for each painting? If Van Gogh's Sunflowers and other paintings, completed while he was in St. Remy (sp?) under psychiatric care, wouldn't have been considered the work of a quack. We loved the atmosphere of the galleries, the majesty of the rooms, the familiar artists, and the many people enjoying the museum. There was an art class, with instructor, copying a Renoir. This is a very lived in museum.

Trafalgar Square continues to enchant us. There's always hundreds of people about. Thursday afternoon an orator was speaking for hours (he was there when we entered the museum, and still talking when we left) about the Bible and its preachings. No one appeared to be listening, but it didn't matter. On another day I saw a falconer with two falcons, the humane way London keeps the pigeon population at bay. This morning it was a man walking his pet ferret, the ferret was on leash. The street entertainment is unending, and ever changing, and undisturbed by the police. While there is security, and a police presence, even a uniformed military presence in a few spots, Britain has been on high alert since 9/11 and more so now since Bin Laden's death, they are always approachable.

Thursday night we saw the new London production of War Horse. It is sold out, every seat was occupied, and we were delighted to be able to find two tickets--last row balcony. It was an amazing production which we are still discussing. The main characters are a horse, Joey, and its young owner, Andrew. The horses in the show are controlled by puppet masters who are always on stage. At first, you notice them, 3 puppeteers per horse, but after a while the horses come to life. We were glad to have seen the show, and were surprisingly touched by the performance, but would not likely see it again. If you have the chance, it just began in New York, do see it. War Horse is worth the price of the tickets.

Stu and Adrienne

Tubes, Buses, Bicycles, Taxis, and Foot Power

Transporting one's self about London is as easy as flipping the Oxi pass, getting on a rental bicycle, or grabbing a taxi. We have been using the bus system to get everywhere and are finding it increasingly easy to find our way, thanks to our handy bus map. Everyone here seems to use either the bus or the metro. There are 500 bus routes within London alone and you never have to wait more than a few minutes for a bus, although Stu and I seem to have a knack for missing the bus by "just that much" and having to wait. Not a problem, more time for people watching.

The double decker buses serve a distinct purpose, holding more passengers. The buses are crowded even when they come by every few minutes. Londoners and tourists alike use them continually. Without even planning it, we are located between two major bus stops--Piccadilly Circus (Circus means Circle) and Trafalgar Square--so there's plenty of choices depending upon the route we're taking.

The metro is much faster, but not as much fun for us as we can't see where we are going as we do when we're sitting on the top deck on one of the famous London double deckers. Besides, the metro is several stories deep and has multiple stairs between platforms. It's common to walk 1/4 mile or more between platforms, changing levels, and traversing rail lines. The stairs are a bit challenging for Stu (he's getting a knee replacement in June) so we stay out of the trains most of the time.

In preparation for the 2012 summer Olympics London is redoing its metro system and there's construction everywhere. The metro is 150 years old and carries 10 million passengers weekly (we may be off on the numbers, but swear they were all in the train with us the day we arrived and had our luggage with us). They are adding more access through escalators, elevators, and ramps. It's quite an undertaking and causing massive "diversions" (British for detours) throughout the city. It's not a wonderful time to be a bus driver, although beginning drivers can earn 13 pounds sterling an hour, about $21.00.

London has a similar bicycle rental system as we found in Paris (but didn't use there and won't use here). You can register and pick up a bike on many streets, then drop it off when you're done with it. We are amazed by the ease with which the bicycle riders maneuver about the roads. There are no bicycle paths, helmets are used but not required. We haven't seen a single accident, although we expect to because the bicycles are maneuvering about through the traffic and they're all on the wrong side of the road!

We love the London taxis, although we haven't used one yet. They are everywhere in the city and easily match the number of cars and buses. We can understand why. Beneath our apartment building parking for 24 hours is 3o pounds, or nearly $50. Besides, why drive when you can leave the driving and parking to the city. London taxis look like our PT cruisers, which were actually copied from the London cabs. Many of them rent their exteriors for billboards and we've seen everything advertised from London theater shows to vodaphones, to travel in Asia and elsewhere. Unlike Paris, you can hail a cab from anywhere as there are few official taxi stands. And, the drivers stop for you.

Of course, it goes without saying that the major means of local transportation is foot power. There's people on the street, moving quickly in every direction, from early morning until late night. We just returned from the show and at 10:45 PM the streets around Piccadilly Circus, near our apartment, are alive and well. We're loving the spectacle and feel perfectly safe. We did have a brief look at the local evening news paper, the Standard, available free every day. There was an article about a Romanian (code for Gypsy) band of 8 that's been picking pockets on the metro, but nothing much in the way of violent crime. The streets are safe. We've read that London has the most surveillance cameras of any major city, and there are cops all about, especially near the attractions and government offices. The cops don't carry guns. In 2010 the police used weapons on only 8 occasions, total. We've passed Whitehall and 10 Downing Street on numerous trips this week and there's always police about and barricades. Still, the city seems very opened and doesn't feel like an armed camp at all. We've felt very comfortable and secure.

Our travels today took us to the Albert and Victoria Museum where we finally got to see a large selection of Rodin statuary (we missed the Rodin museum in Paris), and other fabulous museum finds. No trip would be complete without a stop at Harrods, where we had lunch and did some shopping. We stopped to buy a gift for new granddaughter Ella and selected a lovely Burberry dress. But the price tag was 1869 pounds! That's about $2500 for a size 2 dress. We settled for a Harrod's stuffed animal, the dress will have to wait.

Theater for the evening was a wonderful production of Wicked, followed by a bus ride back to the apartment and a short walk though the neighborhood. Another great day in London.

Adrienne and Stu

PS. Sorry about not adding photos, but the internet is slow and photos are difficult to add. We'll post when we're home in an album everyone can view, if you choose to do so.

London Theater and Pubs

Another glorious day in london. Even the locals are surprised, and not all pleased, with the warm weather.

We've seen our third London musical, Billy Elliott, and thought it was time to make some observations about London theater. Of course, we know that we may see something completely different tomorrow when we see Wicked and then War Horse, but for now.

London theater is different from theater we see at home. The theaters we've been to so far have all seated fewer than 1500, with two at about 1000. There are some very large theaters that hold 2500, but they are not the norm. Tonights theater, the Victoria Palace, will be 100 years old in November and is beautiful with its 3 tears of seats.

London Theater during the week at least, is more casual. No one appears to have changed from whatever they were wearing during the day. Even the live orchestra is dressed in black golf shirts. There's much less pretension about everything. Not every actor is gorgeous or thin. This evening's production actually had dancers who were plus sizes and who moved with the rest of them. It's a refreshing change and takes the pressure off of trying to be perfect.

The theatres have multiple bars and encourage beer drinking. You may bring your beers and champagne or wine glasses into the auditorium but not your coffee cups. During intermission, in addition to having 6 or more open bars spread throughout the various lobbies, there's refreshments sold within the theater. Ice cream cups are a favorite. One night Hagen Das gave away free samples prior to the performance.

You have to earn the standing ovation, it's not automatic. Something we Americans should rethink.

The pubs, which are everywhere, share customs. It is the norm to go to the bar for your drinks, even if you happen to be lucky enough to have a table. Many, perhaps most, of the patrons drink standing up. There's no smoking inside the pubs any longer, but you may bring your beer or wine outside with you. Walk down any street in the evening and there will be crowds outside the pubs standing around, drinking, talking, socializing. It may be that apartments are so small it is not so easy to have friends inside, so you meet at the pub. This was certainly the case when I lived in Belgium and the local cafe/bars were where people hung out (families including dogs were invited). It is actually quite pleasant to see all the people milling about, not drunk and disorderly, just socializing. What amazes me is that there is such a lack of toilets and with all that beer drinking one has to wonder. Most of the pubs are housed in buildings that are 200 plus years old so toilet facilities have been added, generally very small one seaters downstairs somewhere. Today we passed the King George (pub) which was established in 1609 and probably was frequented by Shakespeare, as it is in his old neighborhood by the Thames.

Today we did some more exploring searching for the London Bridge market. We arrived, alas, a bit late but enjoyed the site and had another lovely outdoor market lunch. Stu's paella was cooked in a pan that was at least 3 feet across. We wandered from the market to the Globe theater where Stu had the chance to be a peasant and stand in the open space before the stage for the opening of Hamlet.

We are loving the bus system and are happy to hop on and off the buses using our Oxi pass and its unlimited travel for the week. We've fallen into a routine, touring about in the morning and early afternoon, then home for a power nap before dinner in the apartment and a show in the evening. We are feeling more like Londoners daily as some of the accents no longer sound strange.

Until tomorrow dear friends, Adrienne and Stu

London Sunshine Reigns supreme

We are truly blessed by this wonderful spring weather. Even the Londoners are surprised that the sun is shining. At last, we're doing something right.

We end our days with plans to get up and get out early, but we don't seem to make it out the door before 10 AM. Nevertheless, the days are filled with activity.

Today we began with a trip north to visit the Jewish Museum near Regent's Park. It is situated on a street of genteel attached row houses and blends well into the surroundings. The museum, small, is surprisingly well set up complete with a cafe and gift shop on the ground floor, two security guards at the front door, and lovely ladies at the ticket counter. They were welcoming and friendly, even the security folks.

The museum focuses on the presence of Jews in Great Britain, mostly in London. There have been Jews here since the 11th century, at least. The remains of a mikvah (ritual bath) were found during an excavation for a new building in 2001. These remains date to approximately 1047 CE. There are accounts and artifacts, some quite personal and touching, of Jews who have been dispersed from their native lands and who came to Britain from Morocco, Europe, Israel, etc. Always there are stories of the diaspora, the Jews who created wealth and commerce, were involved in politics and contributed to their countries only to be persecuted and tossed out. But we rise again. There's been a Jewish Prime Minister of Britain in the 19th century.

The second section of the museum addresses the holidays with a focus on Jewish family life. It was a most pleasant part of the museum. I left feeling despondent over the many times the Jews have been persecuted, and proud of the many times that the Jews have risen and been contributors to making society better. We are a good people.

Just north of the Jewish museum we traveled to Camden Lock and Camden Lock Market. That is a happening place. It is the equivalent to Haight Asbury in San Francisco, only larger and more compact. Situated along the lock of the canal, Camden Locks were massive stables in their day and are now home to a hundred or so small shops and boutiques selling food, clothing, offering tattoo services, jewelry, shoes, and many t-shirts and alternative gothic wearables. We were a bit out of our element but loved the atmosphere and the vibrancy. We saw more tattoos than we've seen all together since we left Arizona. We had a taste of Indian food from a stall shop, not bad and we didn't get sick.

We took a long bus ride back to Trafalgar square where Stu headed for ice cream and a rest, and I wandered about for an hour. I discovered China Town, all 2 blocks of it, and we returned there for dinner a few hours later. I also stopped in at the National Gallery, I'd visited before but forgot what a wonderful display of art works including Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, and many of the Italian masters. I recognized a Sargeant immediately. I'll return with Stu on another occasion. The National museum is free for everyone, it is quite a treasure.

On the Square (Trafalgar) there's a constant street fair in play. Jugglers, mimes, break dancers, roller blade tricksters. It's friendly and vibrant, filled with tourists and locals. We've loved being so close and passing through it several times each day as we go about our business.

The evening was special, we saw the London production of Les Miserables which has been running for 25 years. It received the standing ovation it deserved. Even on a Monday night, the place was filled, we were fortunate to get good tickets. The difference from our American productions we've seen was marked. The stage, indeed the entire theater, is quite small. There's a revolving platform center stage and the action moves with this platform which brings performers to center stage and back again seamlessly. The lighting is darker than we are used to and you have to go out and meet the story, it doesn't shout at you. Everything is underplayed until the final scene where the Inn Keeper and his wife dance in outlandish costumes and make up. The performance received the standing ovation it deserved.

Tomorrow we're off to Harrod's, we think, and the Albert Victoria museum. We are finding getting around on the bus and metro lines to be quite easy and efficient and cheap. For the price of an oxy card we can travel wherever all day any day, no restrictions within London. We did score for theater tickets again, we managed to get two tickets (a bit scalped, we'll see if they are worth it) for War Horse on Thursday night. We're loving the theater and the city in general. Definitely our kind of town.

Until tomorrow, Adrienne and Stu