21 November 2016
Almost as soon as we got amongst the buildings the snow began to fall again. At first it was a mere sprinkling, pretty and soft as swansdown on our faces. Close to the bus station beside a trianglular park with a Christmas tree and some horse scuplptures we found the Icelandic Penis Museum. It seemed a strange topic for a museum but we didn’t really have the time or energy left to investigate further than the window. Continue reading More snow and Aurora hunting
21 December 2016
By the time we had our feet on the snowy ground once more clouds had moved in covering every last vestige of blue. In Iceland it seems the weather can change in a moment. Those clouds seem to spring up from nowhere and disappear again as quickly. Sadly these didn’t look like disappearing any time soon. An inky blackness hung over the woodland trail making me sure snow would soon follow. Gingerly we crunched our way along the trail towards the trees. Sure enough, a few flakes began to fall. Continue reading Footprints to nowhere
21 December 2016
After a well earned and rather delicious cup of coffee in the cafe at Perlan it was time to go back outside again, this time onto the rooftop walkway. First we had to pile back on all the layers we’d stripped off when we were in the cafe. Obviously, this took quite some time. You would not believe the number of clothes you need to go outside in an Icelandic winter. No wonder everything seems to happen in slow motion here. Then it was through a fairly reluctant revolving door that took Commando’s muscle power to budge it. Perhaps it was frozen? Continue reading A panoramic pearl and a pool filled with gold
21 December 2016
By the time Commando got back from his run I’d had my smelly shower and was feeling much warmer. My leggings, hung over the back of a chair by the radiator with my coat, had even dried out. There’d been another heavy snow fall when he was out running but, apart from the problem of breathing in his snow covered buff (a kind of runner’s neck scarf come face protector if you were wondering) and cold hands, he survived with few problems and his trail shoes coped admirably with the snow. Continue reading Icy water, woodland trails and a hidden pearl
21 December 2016
Yesterday afternoon the snow got heavier and heavier and the wind stronger. Just as we were beginning to panic about the prospect of a two to three hour trip in a boat to see the aurora (or probably not given the snow clouds), Commando got a text to say the trip was cancelled. Winds of almost seventy miles an hour were the problem. To be honest it was a relief more than a disappointment. We’d already resigned ourselves to not seeing the aurora through the thick snow cloud. The trip was rebooked for tonight, with no guarantee the weather would be any better. Continue reading a snowy walk in the dark
20 December 2016
The Icelandic daybreak we’d been anticipating since midday when we’d stood by the Saga Museum and seen pink clouds in the sky seemed to be a bit of a mirage. There was certainly more light than there had been when we set out but, an hour after the sky first began to get lighter, the sun appeared to have stalled on the horizon and risen no further, leaving us in a kind of perpetual dawn. It was a strange state of affairs but at least we could now see the colours of Reykjavik. Continue reading The colours of Reykjavik
19 December 2016
The day began with a foggy early morning journey to Heathrow and a late airside breakfast. For once we weren’t heading for the sun, but flying north into the unknown. Our cases were bulging with thick jumpers and thermals and, despite Commando’s insistence that I wouldn’t need them, I had my trusty Yaktrax in my hand luggage. It seemed to me the clue was in the name. Iceland was sure to be icy wasn’t it? Continue reading The land of the ice and snow
Back at the beginning of April 2013 there was no sign at all of spring. In fact an icy wind was blowing in from Siberia and there was snow in the air. The latte cravings were strong and I began to wonder if skimmed milk and freshly brewed coffee were quite the demons I thought they were. Wondering led to Googling, which in turn led to some surprising results… Continue reading a skinny latte revelation – first published 4 April 2013
February 2013 was coming to an end, leaving me just over two months before the Moonwalk. Now the long walks were getting tougher and the cold weather wasn’t helping. To avoid getting lost on a long cold walk I went back to basics and a route I knew inside out and back to front. Familiar doesn’t necessarily mean uneventful though… Continue reading eighteen miles, snow and horses in pyjamas again – first published 22 February 2013
Almost half way through February 2013 and, just as I was looking forward to spring, new leaves and flowers, the winter proved it had a few more surprises tucked up its sleeve yet. A blizzard came out of nowhere and caught me out. There was a blizzard of a different kind the next day at work… Continue reading Blizzards, films and new season stirrings – first published 12 February 2013