Luckily my flight wasn’t too early, so I had a really leisurely journey up to the airport and enjoyed a bit of shopping there too.
I got into Iceland around 3pm and had the get the Fly Bus into the capital which was a 45 minute journey. The landscape is so very different then what I’ve been accustomed too. The lava fields and barren land where only moss can actually grow; and what shocked me was the lack of trees. I mean nothing in the distance just flat barren land.
The only thing that changed my view was two wrecked cars hoisted on to poles to make drivers think about driving safely and not over doing it. It really brought home the amount of people that must have died.
Sep 17, 2009 12:00 AMWater, water every where
When I arrived yesterday, I was so cold even my feet were cold. I was beginning to think that I made a mistake at coming here, especially at this time of year. It was forecast to be cold, windy and rainy all weekend and around 10 degrees. But after asking around, I was told that it only really goes up to on average 15 degrees, and if it reaches 17-19 degrees then they are having a heat wave.
I spent the morning exploring Reykjavik, but I have to stay I was a little disappointed, but it is really small and only has about 180k inhabitants. But none the less it was great being there. The funny this was I kept on seeing people from my hotel, the flight or the bus journey.
The afternoon I went on a bus tour to Gullfoss Fall and the Geysir. The weather was crap, but surprisingly it didn’t dampen my spirits; but what an awesome view. I can honestly say this is a beautiful country, with such different terrain.
Sep 16, 2009 12:00 AMSomething for the weekend
No big travel plans this year, just around and about Europe. After seeing as special with Iceland Air, I decided to enjoy a trip Iceland and enjoy the wilds of the this beautiful country. After not being in the Europe last winter, it’s like I just forgot how cold it gets in this region especial for countries that borders the Artic Circle. But to be fair it wasn’t as cold it could have been – I suspect.
So whilst I didn’t have enough time there; it was nice spending four days.
Sep 14, 2009 12:00 AMSome regrets...
Now I seem to be regretting coming back to London so early. I ended up going and do my shopping; which after was weekend away should have been my last thought. I wish I had spend the day in Brussels – I would have loved to have seen the Atomic Tower. But c’est la vie.
Sep 13, 2009 12:00 AMA weekend cut short...
This has been a great weekend, I enjoyed that day so much yesterday. We ended up going out to dinner in a lovely little restaurant and had the infamous moules des frites – really nothing could be better. But even though we had planned to spend the day here, thought we might just head back up to Brussels and do some sightseeing there.
Because of the strength of the Euros things were really expensive as the tourist exchange rate was 1 to 1 and that put a different spin on what I was going to buy.
But as it happened, we decided to just catch the train back to London. You know I was in Brussels a year ago, so I’m sure I’m not missing much.
Sep 12, 2009 12:00 AMDamme those canals
I think it is possible to do Bruges in a day. After walking about all afternoon we decided to head out of town. We rented some bikes (10 euros) for the day and headed to Damme. It was a wonderful cycle – the day turned out perfect and it has been a really long time since I’ve enjoyed a day so much. The weather was great, a little cool but perfect cycling weather. The fact that the roads were so flat just enhanced the experience. We cycled down the canal and it was only 8-10 km and then stopped for a coffee in one of the few bars. Before heading off to the Windmill to take a look around, with so much time to spare we headed for the coast and ended up cycling down some lovely country lanes with just cornfields on either side. Honestly it was picturesque, at that point in time that could have been nothing better.
Sep 11, 2009 12:00 AMOne fine day!
We took the second train out of St Pancras International and arrive in Brussels Midi 2 hours later. From there we caught the train to Ostend via Bruges and I think that took around another hour. By twelve we were already checking into the hostel and preparing for the day. Now as we didn’t have an agenda we took the time just to walk around and enjoy the Grand Place and the Belfry.
We decided not to have a big lunch as we had breakfast on board and decided to have some chips served to us by one of the two competing stands outside the Belfry. Not sure which was the best but I was just surprised that I had to pay for the sauce, but I soon found out that this is what they do in Belgium even in restaurants.
Aug 08, 2009 12:00 AMA day on the Isle of Wight
This is a really easy place to get to, for either a day or week.
I took my bike from London (Waterloo) to Portsmouth by train (£18) and then a ferry across to the island (£11), which included my bike. The total journey probably took around 2hours and 15 minutes
When the weather is lovely you just have to do as much as you can in the alloted time, and a day on the Isle of Wight is perfect.
There are lots of things to do, and I sincerely I had booked accommodation, as I didn't want to leave. But there are many bike rides around the island, one that takes you all the way around. A lot of them are off road, so it makes the journey more appealing.
What also make the day great fun, was that I was back in Portsmouth with an hour to spare to do a little retail theraphy in Gunwharf where a lot of the shops are factory outlets. We had something to eat and then headed back to London. All in all a great day out.
Jun 16, 2009 12:00 AMEconomic signs of the times
I'm not sure if it was me, but when I got back from Budapest as we landed in London I was surprised the amount of planes on the ground. Nearly every [what do you call it] gate had a plane sitting there. Is this truly the signs of the times. Companies must be losing money hand over fist. Now I hear that they are asking all employees to give up a month's pay to save the airline from going under. It's my favourite airline, I hope it makes it though these dark days.
Jun 15, 2009 12:00 AMShort lived
I started the day with such joy, as the weekend was blast. THe weather was perfect. I know here in London was nice but in Budapest there wasn't a cloud in the sky and I just enjoyed the sunshine.
