A layover has never been more exciting. My flight on Icelandair proved to be very successful, flying from London to Denver, via Reykjavik, Iceland.
I arrived just little before midnight, went through customs (getting another stamp in my passport, woohoo!!) I was able to sleep a little on a terminal bench in a quiet area, which was super after so much adventuring and travel..
Upon waking up, I grabbed some coffee and a breakfast sandwich, and booked a round trip local bus ticket to the town of Reykjavik, where more unexpected adventures awaited, and the beauty was an unexpected surprise. The bus drove by the old lava fields (now covered in sparse shrub and grasses) and dropped off passengers not far from city center square.
The pictures tell the rest of the story, and I even sampled fermented shark (not shown). A rare delicacy I have never tasted or had available anywhere else!!!
Joe and the Juice Coffee
Leif Erikson
Monument
Atlantic Inlet to the coastline
Iceland sweater for sale at $400
Mural in the airport
Loki Cafe entree, amazing
Tulips
Loki Cafe
Thor Tea
Lief Erikson monument
Church hours in Nordic and English
Hallgrimskirkja Church, Iceand
The Loki cafe is an amazing place to dine and has some incredible views but be warned, Iceland is very expensive to enjoy, even on a basic level…be prepared to drop some cash on even basics. For example, a cup of regular coffee (roughly $2 to $3 in the USA) is easily $8 to $10 in Iceland, even outside of the airports. Why is everything so costly?? From what I understand, most things have to be important to Iceland and with a population of roughly 350,000 (for the whole country), costs are higher due to the enviroment and import costs, etc. It is worth seeing but plan accordingly…and apparently the higher winds and chill are constant, so dress warmly!!!
A twist on a classic of Beer and Pizza night, Thomas and I enjoyed an evening out at Zum Hoepfner Pub in Ittersbach with Pilsners and Flammkuchen–Lecker!!! Lots of laughter and good times, listening to the tunes playing, chatter of fellow pub patrons, and enjoying a fun evening out.
Prepping the chicken and yams
Vegetable platter with hummus dip for appetizer
Making the stuffing
Stuffing the chicken
Chicken, stuffing and baked sweet potatoe
Reggie, our kitty, even got his own treat.
Reggie is a fuzzy furry welcome—a neighbors Mommy kitty bore a cute litter and once weaned, needed new homes and thus, Reggie came into our lives.
Reggie arrived about a month ago and what a joy!!! Reggie brings much love and excitement, entertainment and laughter to our house with his antics, playful behaviors, and has even started ‘talking’, which cracks me up.
Reggie is kind of small but growing well–he even likes to share his meals with us by eating scrambled eggs and sweet potoatoes in addtion to his normal kitty kibble, being the gluten he is–when he is not perching here or there or bounching all over the house.
Reggie loves Thomas Best.
Reggie likes to perch near the heater
Comfy time
Reggie loves to snuggle
What an absolutely wonderful way to experience a small village then by drinking the local fair. The barkeep here at Motodrom is super friendly and very helpful. She obliging gave me some of the local history here in Kirschbaumwasen, Baden Wurtamburg, Germany.
Well worth seeing and spending the day here, great natural scenary with wonderful people, easily accessible by tram.
St. George, a top a fountain, slaying the dragon. Ettlingen, Germany
St. George, doing his slaying, Karlsruhe, Germany
According to the Golden Legend, the narrative episode of Saint George and the Dragon took place somewhere he called “Silene”, in Libya; the Golden Legend is the first to place this story in Libya as a sufficiently exotic locale, where a dragon might be found. In the tenth-century Georgian narrative, the place is the fictional city of Lasia, and the idolatrous emperor who rules the city is called Selinus.[7]
The town had a small lake with a plague-bearing dragon living in it and poisoning the countryside. To appease the dragon, the people of Silene fed it two sheep every day. When they ran out of sheep they started feeding it their children, chosen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the king’s daughter.[8] The king, in his grief, told the people they could have all his gold and silver and half of his kingdom if his daughter were spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon.[7]
Saint George by chance rode past the lake. The princess tried to send him away, but he vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from the lake while they were conversing. Saint George made the Sign of the Cross and charged it on horseback, seriously wounding it with his lance. He then called to the princess to throw him her girdle, and he put it around the dragon’s neck. When she did so, the dragon followed the girl like a meek beast on a leash. The princess and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the populace. Saint George offered to kill the dragon if they consented to become Christians and be baptised. Fifteen thousand men including the king of Silene converted to Christianity. George then killed the dragon, and the body was carted out of the city on four ox-carts. The king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George on the site where the dragon died and a spring flowed from its altar with water that cured all disease
(text is from Wikipedia)
The German word ‘Schloss’ has many meanings in English, it can mean ‘castle’ ‘Manor’ ‘Estate’ and so many more things!!! This particular ‘Schloss’ was residence of some nobility and a politcal statement of the noblemans success. The upper floor also hosts an amazing array of musical playing devices from the late 19th century and early 20th century. Well worth a visit and the self guided tour (audio head set is an option) is well worth it.
Thomas and I so enjoyed our day. Our schloss card is really paying off–what a way to adventure on a dime–mutiple venues for one flat price
Treasure hunting is so much fun–and it is helping to create great and awesome products on my eBay.
Marktplatz, the town center square where a lot of hubbub occurs, a great place to drink coffee and people watch
The country road view of Waldkirch, a quaint small town
A lovely church with lyrical bells chiming
Fortress Ruins on the hillside above Waldkirch. Closed today but still beautiful. Just everyday life in Germany.
A day ‘ruined’ when taking an alternate route back to my abode. Absolutely Stunning!!! I never found this place on a map for tourists or anything but with some digging, some history was learned and stumbling upon some ruins is a treasure—life off the beaten path sure has some old perks.
The people in this small town are also very friendly, it seems the further away from big cities, the better the atmosphere.
Treasure hunting is so much fun–and it is helping to create great and awesome products on my eBay.
Anna Potthoff —trying Turkish Coffee for the first time, Strasbourg, France
I admit it, I am a coffee and postcard addict. I crave to sample and savor beans and caffeine wherever my feet go, taking a moment to send a postcard to a friend or family member.
I also collect ‘smashed’ pennies, kind where you insert a coin and a payment, turn the crank, and out comes a small souvenir. They provide great souvenirs and I hope to collect enough to create a charm bracelet-
I am, in short, an adventurer with with a yearning to expereince all. Alas, adventures are not free, so I am getting creative.
I go to local Flea Markets–held rather frequently and find goodies–putting them on eBay to fund my adventures. A portion of every sale also benefits a charity–the treasures are forever changing, so please, check back frequently.
Happy shopping!!
Writing a postcard and realizing I am out of coffee
Penny Souvenir Crank, Strasbourg, France
Postcards Addict
My Travels 