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Santorini Sunsets

In early May, I headed to Europe, and back to Greece. I’d not made it to Santorini the first time – wanting to avoid the crowds. I absolutely splurged on accommodation. It proved a great blessing – my 12 hour ferry took 14 and arrived at 4am! It was so nice that the villa had arranged someone to meet my ferry and transfer me – and the reverse when I had an early morning flight to Budapest a few days later.

I was interested to hear the property manager speak very frankly about the island – he had a wife and daughter. He said the island is only good for tourists – there’s no future here for his daughter. Pregnant ladies have to transfer elsewhere to give birth. As beautiful as it is, I could see what he meant.

It’s incredibly picturesque, and I can see why people flock here. In high season, i expect there’s a stack of direct flights from all over Europe, to bring people in and out. I wouldn’t rule out returning, but I imagine there’s no lack of equally temperate Greek islands with fabulous food and less of the tourist hangover.

  • Selfies whilst listening to podcasts
  • I could just eat those fairy floss clouds
  • View back towards my villa, from a resturant
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Fortune telling

I’ve never had my fortune told, or my card read, or a serious reading of my palm or face or aura.  It’s not surprising given I’m an engineer.  Telling friends from my studies I was planning to get my fortune told did some with some amusing looks!

However, across my two readings, I came to see how much demand and interest there was in these practices!

A dear friend of mine reads this blog, and has used my bucket list/s to inform her gift giving.  For my birthday in 2017, she intended a year worth of activities – one a month, but alas life got in the road.  When she saw my renewed interest in fortune telling, by way of seeking recommendations or referrals, she promptly arranged me two readings, with a third possible opportunity.

My first reading was upstairs at the Argyle Oracle – a terrace lining a street in the Rocks, which has a great market every weekend – one I love to browse for souvenirs to take when I travel.  The ground level is a store of gem stones and books and tarot cards, and then upstairs there’s a number of rooms where readings a done by a range of people!?  I saw Camilla, who lead with asking my name and birthday, which resulted in some calculations about cycles and such – 6 and 9 featured?!  She also asked me to shuffle to decks of cards. She then took her magnifying glass and intently looked at my palms.  Interesting, she spoke of how two of the prominent lines on the hands are more separate in younger generations and she some how linked this to greater technology?! My take aways from her reading of my palm were: long life, good health, minimal dramas (comparing to others, not that my life will be without them!), that I’ll have three children, two boys and a girl (though it did feel like she started at two, and got slightly muddled around gender or birth order or perhaps even quantity).

From my palm, she dealt a smaller than normal playing card deck, in which certain sectors related to certain aspects of life – the top quadrant to my right was related to work.  There was a king there, and across that top row, a number of red cards.  This lay of cards remained dealt on the table, with the expected velvet table cloth, for the balance of the reading, and to the left, she made space where she dealt and re-dealt the tarot cards.

The tarot deck she used seemed to feature swords pretty heavily, and also what looked like sapling logs?  She dealt these cards in different configuration and quantities.  At one deal, she had three cards, followed by two more rows of three cards, and a few more to the side.  Initially she said the top row was 2017, followed by 2018 and 2019.  When I clarified we were now in 2018, she corrected.  And with that, everything shifted a year – womp womp.  It was with this deal that she spoke to marriage and children, who are coincidently gorgeous.  It does make you wonder if anyone would read and say ‘horribly ugly children’, right?  That being said, I suppose there are negatives that may be seen – health issues perhaps?

She spoke quickly with quite a nervous energy.  I was open to what she said, but I also wasn’t giving away great swaths of my life story either.  She lead with asking if I had any kids. I think she also asked about my work.  There were certainly some parts of the reading that sounded like common advice that anyone would give!

Much later, that same day, my friend had arranged another reading – this time with a male, Paris, who also stares on a TV show.  He came to have a natural gift, despite being a sceptic, she told me.  In reality, our reading was far shorter than anticipated (40 mins not an hour), and so I took some time to talk to him about his work, the critics, what happens if he was to reread/redeal the cards again for the same person right there.  I found the debriefing chat as insightful as my fortune telling!

Paris started by dealing a deck of cards and then fanning them out in front of me, asking me to select a quantity, perhaps 17? I can’t recall.  As I did that, he started writing a page.  At the top of the page was a traced palm, and with that, he asked me to select two areas of focus.  I chose work/career and love/romance of the total of six options.  These selections resulted in him annotating the on two fingers with a love heart and elsewhere, two money symbols.  He held my selected cards as a smaller deck until he’d completed writing the page.  He then dealt the cards and proceeded to transpose the equivalent characters of the Greek gods shown onto the fingers of the traced hands on the paper. (deciphering this at the pub after was a fun activity for me with my two friends!).

His dealing of these cards resulted in a strong segment of blue Gods around the centre, definitely Neptune and Uranus.  There were some strong female Gods (godesses?) too, like Dianna, Pan, Venus and Medusa.  His reading seemed to focus on the coming year, and really saw strong components of work and travel, which echoed things Camilla has said.  Overall, he quietly dismissed romance and love, explaining that the personalities of the cards I dealt weren’t aligned with welcoming love at this time.  Whilst I did have Venus, she seemed to be crowded out by some more… domineering godesses!  I’d be the first to acknowledge this would align somewhat to my personality, and particularly lately with dating.  He did consider that I could have a very segregated work and romantic life as a way of making it work, but I can’t see this duplicity working for me.  So it would seem the year ahead is about career, more so than love.

Neither reading seemed to touch on health at all – other than the more platitude like concepts like Camilla suggesting meditating more, and asking if I did yoga.  Paris wrote of balance and setting boundaries, as well as mind and body.  Neither are particularly firm grounds but neither are bad advice – I mean who doesn’t need more balance?

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Jetsetting – again

Once again, I find myself travelling.  This time, to Germany, for a fabulous christening and then a side trip to Copenhagen – cause when in Europe, you may as well see the next place on your bucket list!

Delightfully sunny day to arrive in Frankfurt

The beautiful building my friend’s apartment is in. It’s beautifully sunny with lovely wooden floors. I didn’t want to leave.

It was a very short turn around between being asked to be a Godmother, and the actual christening (which, of course, I was not obligated to come to, but couldn’t see any good reason not to attend).

A Sunday stroll around Heidelberg

I had four nights with my lovely friend, her husband and her baby daughter, before taking the train via Hamburg to Copenhagen – they put the train on a ferry! It’s cool!

The funny look is cause i was eating , in Hamburg station(and seriously, it’s hard to see your face as you take a selfie)

The pastry of Hamburg – having German friends helps you use the few minutes between trains to try the best things!

The ferry deck – both the departing shore and the arriving shore has wind turbines, as well as some in the sea.

An attempt at proof of us, in a train, beside trucks, in a ferry!

Getting off the train to go to the upper decks of the ferry

I’ve only just arrived in Copenhagen, and it’s already great.  I arrived as the sun set, it was cool, but not too cold.  The hostel is everything it promised – hip, stylish, but affordable.  The rooms are great – the list of ‘things I could have brought’ for this place include: an s hook or a coat hanger for my coat, a padlock for the locker, thongs (my feet want to be free of shoes!).

Golden hour for me to fall in love with the city by

The train trip started around 7am, and I arrived around 6.30pm, so a long day.  I was well equipped by a delicious snack pack from my friend.  And I bucket load of throat lozenges as I battle the start of a cold.  The journey was quite enjoyable – I saw a lot of really pretty countryside and wind turbines. I passed most of the time listening to podcasts – some I’d pre-downloaded, but many I listening to using the wifi on the trains.

Have you been to Denmark? Any recommendations?

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Podcast overload

I recall when I used to feel overwhelmed by the quantity of blogs I had to read and comment on.  Some how, with some natural attrition, I have overcome the overwhelm.  Now, my issue is podcasts! Figuring that some people may be seeking some podcast recommendations, I thought I’d list them.

By ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) or at least, their employees! – 5

  • Pineapple Project – a podcast by a female comedian, pitched at women getting their finances in order.  Currently on hiatus.
  • Ladies, We Need to Talk – by Yummi Stynes, who I LOVED back when she did radio in the afternoon with Chrissie Swan.  She touches on many topics, money is one, but also female orgasms, mental load.  All sorts of things.  Erratic posting schedule.
  • Bang On – by Zan Rowe and Myf Warhurst for the ABC digital radio service Double J.  I loved Zan when she did mornings on Triple J, before moving radio stations.  They talk about current events, including music (both have been involved with Eurovision) and parodies to fashion.
  • Chat 10, Looks 3 – it’s like Bang On, but I feel like for an ‘older’ audience, just my read of it.  Hosted by Leigh Sales, a journalist* and Annabel Crabb who is a politics journalist.  They steer clear of work (politics) and are firmly in books, baking and random other things that enter their mind, like show tunes and podcasts.
  • Download This Show – my celebrity crush is on the host, Mark Fernell.  He used to do short movie reviews on Triple J.  Now he has two co hosts (who vary) and they discuss the week in technology and media with humour and lightness.

*thanks for the suggested edit 🙂

Other Aussie content – 2

  • Straight and Curly – found based on a recommendation from the Chat10 Facebook group.  Two ladies riffing on life hacks and productivity.
  • The Teacher’s Pet – by The Australian’s journalist about a crime from 1982 that remains unsolved.  If I’m honest, I’m starting to grow tired of this podcast, there’s a LOT of repeating information and using the same descriptors of characters in the narrative.

NPR content – 4

  • Hidden Brain – I love the host’s voice, and he uses interesting academic research and often the experts to discuss how the brain works in so many scenarios.  The topics always pique my interest and his voice has a lovely lilt.
  • Planet Money – two hosts who talk about all sorts of things that relate to economics.  Release FAR too often for my appetite though!
  • How I built this – Guy Raz interviews the entrepreneurs of major companies, most of which I know of.  There’s an occasional company that’s very US centric.  In any case, it explored their journey to wealth and success.
  • Invisibilia – hasn’t been an episode for ages, so I almost forget the details! Should add it to the ‘fade out’ list down below.

The rest – 8

  • Ear Hustle – inside San Quentin jail, this has some incredible into an insight into life in prison. Short seasons and long breaks, so I’m always wanting more!
  • Kind World – in hiatus lately, but a lovely short podcast of serendipitous kindness.  Always warms my heart.
  • Reveal – investigative (US) journalism with person of colour host (he’s never said it, but you can just tell!)  Goes deep into issues in the US and makes you thankful not to live there.
  • Savage Lovecast – a gay advice columnist, with a very liberal political and sexual perspective! Every episode starts with a politics rant which I find keeps me up to date with the US current affairs!
  • Young House Love Has a Podcast – a married couple who had a fabulous blog and then retired from it.  They returned with a podcast about renovating their beach houses.  They are such an upbeat couple – serious relationship goals!
  • The Guilty Feminist – only recently added it to rotation and always a live taped show with guests.  I enjoy the opening where they admit to ‘I’m a feminist but….’ and also, assess whether the day or week has been ‘guilty’ or ‘feminist’.  Lovely plummy British tones of the core host.  Her guests are as diverse as someone with Cerebral Palsy and disability activists.  Really causes me to think, but also laugh out loud.
  • The Shortest Longest Time – a parenting podcast.  A recent change in host has put this into the maybe pile, but they’re current on a break for the US summer.
  • Death, Sex and Money – topics we should talk about more.  Currently doing a ‘summer loving’ series about dating.

That brings the count to 19 podcasts so far!

Things I’m drifting away from – 3

  • Where should we begin – Esther Perel’s recordings of her couple’s counselling.  I find them a little longer than I can handle.  I might find them more insightful in a relationship?
  • Ask a Manager – I found this recommended so I started listening, but I think the host’s voice grates on my ears, even if her ‘work life’ advice is probably well placed.
  • Dear Sugars – two advice columnist who always seem to be able to recall literature that emulates the writers life! Cheryl Strayed is great, but… I get a bit over advice, or the styles of questions which are asked.

Things to devour (ie not on current rotation) – 6

  • The Habitat -about a group of six people who go into a bubble for a year to simulate being on Mars.  It explores every facet of life, including the interpersonal relationships and the simulated delays in emails.  Fascinating, consumed my whole Saturday prepping food!
  • Making Obama – I only listened to the season of Making Oprah, but didn’t get far with Making Obama.  One day?
  • Myths & Legends – I subscribed to this in summer when I took a month off, and would listen to learn about Greek and Roman myths whilst doing jigsaw puzzles.  I imagine I’ll dip back into this when I have a curiosity on certain myths from certain regions, as it’s quite diverse.
  • Getting Serious with Jonathan Van Ness – he’s a little too flighty to continue listen to, but asks innocent questions in serious issues.  His voice isn’t quite the timbre I enjoy.
  • Casefile – an American podcast with an Australia host.  I did the three parts of Silk Road in binge form, but realise I don’t need to hear lots of crime.  The music or sound is really well done however, really improves the mood of the podcast.
  • Alone – A Love Story – two seasons of a woman’s divorce.  Some have reviewed it as self absorbed, but I found it well done, and could really walk in her shoes and know how she felt.

What are your favourite podcasts? Do you listen to any that I do?

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Pottery Wheel classes

As regular readers would know, I keep and use my bucket list to enrich day to day life.  To do things out of the ordinary or things I’ve ‘never’ done.  One of the simple experiences was to trying ‘throwing clay’ or making pottery on a wheel.

All my school art classes focused on making clay items out of a coarse, dark brown clay that was quite rough.  You could never achieve the smooth surface of modern ceramics.  Cross hatch and slurry and coiling to build a vessel just didn’t excite the imagination the way the movie Ghost did!

The exterior of the Pottery Shed in Surry Hills, NSW

For many reasons, I’ve decided to take four weeks off work to reflect on my career, but also to pepper this time at home (and not travelling overseas) with some enjoyable activities I’ve ‘always wanted to do’.  So I booked three pottery classes, which start with using a pottery wheel, followed by trimming (making the foot of an item) and then glazing.

There’s a few places in Sydney you can do it, but I chose Surry Hills.  It is ‘my’ part of town – not too far from where I have often lived.  I also liked the chances it was more of a diverse age range, as I feared some daytime, weekday classes may be populated by recent retirees or stay at home mums of teens in private schools – I know, I had STRONG ideas of who might be in my class! In the end, my class was about a dozen, and I’d say the majority were my age, I think one group of three girl friends, two couples and one older woman.  The instructor was a young man, and he did remarkably well teaching us the three steps without once stepping into any innuendos.  He also was incredibly perceptive to our needs for encouragement, guidance and help.  Our searching eyes as things went off kilter, or didn’t quite look anything like we’d hoped!

The unsullied wheel

I loved that the class started with mentioning that there’s minimal waste – if we got ‘over’ our clay or what we made it can crumble and remix with water and ultimately be reused.  Woo hoo.  Of course, once it’s fired and glazed, it’s a different story, but it was nice to know we weren’t wasting in the learning phase on the wheel.

They are missing a graphic or two which were ripe for innuendoes

The clay was wonderfully silky and smooth on the hands too – though also, I was alarmed as how much of the clay did come off on my hands, and bewildered that my huge lump was whittled away – sometimes making something a lot smaller, or finer, than I’d initially envisaged.  I think beginners ultimately need to be guided by whatever their hands form, that starting with an objective in mind!

My handiwork

I return a week later to trim them, and a further week will be to glaze them.  Interesting, there’s not set structure in doing the three classes, which means there’s options: you can come and glaze some existing pieces.  You can pay to have your piece trimmed for you.  All sorts of variations for the busy and time poor.  I have no need or intent for these bowls, but a friend said she like them, and they’re as good as hers now!

Have you tried a pottery wheel?  Where you any good at it?

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June summary

The other day, my mobile phone recharged (yes, I’m on prepay) and I realised a month had flown by since i got back from Europe.  I spent a week or two after returning recovering from mild but lingering cold.  Work gobbled me up, however, these summary posts remind me, that’s not ALL that happened!

Culture

I started thinking I’d done nothing, but then I found photos of a band I went to with my brother.  Simon doesn’t know them, but enjoyed them, and said more than once that he couldn’t believe I like this genre of music.  Shrugs.  They sung a cover of a song I love too – a cover that they adjust the words to, and make EVEN better!

Thundamental concert – Blue Mountain’s born and bred

I also had my turn of doing flowers for the church.  There was a funeral, right after I did it, and I had requests for the colours and flowers.  I hope they were happy!  In any case, I was proud of the outcome.

Church flowers, for a funeral

Romance

We should rename this section “photos I took of food when I ate out”, because none of the following were at ‘dates’!  I’ve really slowed down from dating.  Some of this is due to focusing more on my fitness.  But also, you get fatigued with profile reading and become very judgemental.  So instead, here’s snippets of a breakfast with friends, a great cafe near my parents, so I spent the night at their house.  Actually, three Friday nights I stayed with my parents, once for the flowers, once for this brunch and once to take them to the airport on Saturday morning.

German pancakes

I have a lovely friend who I met at church who also lives locally, and when he’s in town we catch up for coffee or breakfast prior.

Thia French toast

Work

I have settled back into a groove – the week or two post holidays I was clearly revitalised and much more perky and upbeat than some around me.  It’s worn off a little, but I’ve worked long hours again this week – really trying to take some load off my team, but also preparing to hit the ground running in the new financial year with all the ambitious targets and programs.  So much so, I left work late on Friday 30th June, and was mighty angry at my boss <- it was NOT his fault, but being angry at myself was not fun :p

Health

I did  it – I joined F45.  I did a week’s trial and attended three classes, and still did my usual 2 Barre tone classes.  It’s around $580 for a 3 month membership, and I feel this is a timeline I can commit to.  I paid upfront, as I HATE automatic deductions and all the rules to cease the deductions.  And, to be totally hypocritical, I do happily pay $35 per week for two classes at Barre Body, and sometimes miss weeks due to illness.  Seems sometimes, the ‘cost per class’ I can stomach!?

I also did a special Barre class on the 30th, and was late, which was by candlelight.  I thought it would be darker, with the light dimmer more, but alas no.  Still, it was a different teacher and routine/style to usual so that was a mix up from usually doing F45 on Fridays and Barre on Saturday.

Bought

Shopping haul – pillow protectors, suction hooks, a moisture absorbing egg and candle making items

  • Candle wicks – to remake candles from leftover wax
  • Suction hooks to hang coats – sadly didn’t work on our loggia tiles, but the internal bifold glass is a winner!
  • Moisture absorbing ‘egg’ – ceramic with material inside that can be microwaved and reused!  An impulse purchase

New jacket

  • Marcs cropped Lani wool jacket – $100 off spot sale, so $179.95
  • White bra from Target
  • Wooden shelf and hardware to ‘expand’ storage in my pantry
  • Cancer council sunglasses – replacing the pair left overseas
  • Cancer council lip balm – an impulse purchase
  • Two pairs of runners – one pair for high impact, blue and pretty, one pair for lower impact, black and great for long walks

First work out done with the new runners

  • New (second hand) bed frame.  The Ikea Malm fell apart when I moved, and I made do, but it creaked and felt on it’s last legs.  I wanted a padded head so I could sit up and read, or blog.  $175!

  • The Ikea bed

    The new bed head, and the existing (hacked) ledge

Between paying for the F45 membership, and these little shopping moments, I feel quite cash poor.  Hopefully in coming weeks and months, it’ll feel better having prepaid the workouts at least.

Read

  • The bricks that built this house – Kate Tempest.  Very disappointing, I have NO idea why I read it to completion
  • Innocent – Scott Turow – a great author, I really feel like you get to know the characters but without making it long, and a compelling story that isn’t predictable.

Looking ahead to July, I hope to continue on the 5 weekly work outs, trying Dry July with a friend, and rewarding ourselves for those two feats with a fancy dinner at The Bridge Room.

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Last minute upgrade

Right after arriving in Amsterdam, Qatar Airways emailed with an offer to upgrade on either return sector of my flights.  Well timed – send that email when the pain of long haul is FRESH!  So I decided to take up the offer for the 14 hour flight from Doha to Sydney.  Overall, adding this upgrade STILL made my total fare less than what I usually spend to fly to Europe (given it was May, it was cheaper than July/August or around Christmas/New Year when I’ve travelled in the past).

Army planes at Charles de Gaulle – there were a STACK of men in the terminal in uniform and clearly travelling

Doha lounge

Never been SO happy to see a shower – I woke at 5.30am in Paris and skipped a shower, knowing I could get one in the lounge in Doha

This cannot even compare to my hostel sink the night before!

Oh what a shower! Though, I couldn’t get it cold enough!

Lounge area with refelctive pool

Lounge meal – from self serve buffet

The day’s cocktail, something with honey

Lounge desserts

Date cake post tongs. I really think some one needs to let Qatar know about cake slices (the utensil)

Another section of seats in the HUGE lounge

Section of the lounge known as the ‘Grill’ for sandwiches (and OF COURSE drinks)

Now, on the plane!!

Exited selfie – double chin at no extra cost

Honestly, no one needs a screen this big on a plane

The green stickers near the bottom, MIddle Eastern modesty

Delicious biryani for dinner

A hazelnut and caramel tart with some port before sleep time

Sorry it’s blurry – this is the ‘bar’ for Business class…

Blurry selfie of me in the complimentary PJs

A pre landing sweet snack… cause… why not?

I was well and truly getting a cold, and so my sleep was restless but I can ONLY imagine how much worse I may have felt elsewhere in the plane.

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South Coast of Iceland – day 2

After a night in a quaint guest house, we hit the ground running in the Southern side of Iceland.  The grand plan was a glacial hike, but first we returned to the glacial lagoon (some of the group booked a boat tour); then we went to another glacial lagoon where you can also see the glacial ice clearer.  Then we headed to the glacier to hike – I was nervous as heck I wouldn’t be fit enough but it was A OK.  Not too much of a climb (or at least gentle enough!).  Then we raced the wind storm back, and won (I think!?) to Reykjavik.  Of course, it was something like 8.30pm when I checked into my new hostel, but it’s bright so it’s hard to notice the time! I need food.  A shower.  A load of washing.  And… Instead I’m charging devices and uploading photos.

So you have an idea of where we were (ha! So I have an idea too!)

Black sand beach (again – third time did charm) and ice bergs melting

Sunshine for our beachtime

The blue tones are for where oxygen has been squeezed out of the ice

Just amazing right?

Same glacial lagoon from yesterday’s photos, but morning light

A temporary jetty around where one of us found seals and dragged me to see (thankfully!)

Copulating seals and voyeuristic ducks

Seems obvious not to walk onto icebergs, but 25 people did in one tour group and a full scale rescue was needed, as these drift out to sea and move around the lagoon

A cairn at another glacier lagoon, two lagoons south of the main one. It’s better as you can see the glacier better and where ice bergs cleave off

Pre Glacial hike selfie – pure coincidence to have a matching beanie and scarf

Blue in

So water/rain ‘drills’ down into the glacier, and runs under the glacier

I was sort of disappointed there was so much black – I’d not accounted for the ash which is inherent in volcanic areas.

Supposedly a heap of movies have been filmed on these glaciers (third largest in the world, after South Pole and Greenland)

I wasn’t actually cold at all – between wind proof pants with leggings underneath, and a 11 year old Land’s End jacket rated to 35C, I was toasty warm, so much so, I unzipped on my way down when there was no wind or rain 🙂  It was a long drive back to the capital, but we have wifi on all the minibuses (and I have a charging block – looks like a stone… the ones I’ve seen all over Iceland!).  The bus trip home was filled with spotify music, uploading to Facebook and chatting online.  It was quite lovely – given it was blustery and rainy a large portion of the drive home.

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South Coast of Iceland – day 1

Despite spending the better part of the day sitting in lovely coaches and mini buses, it takes it outta of you! Say nothing for eating service (gas) station food mostly!  So another photo heavy post.  Some day, I may come back and spell the heck out of Icelandic to help y’all!

This is a water fall you can walk behind… and get drenched!

Pretty day postcard

Coming up alongside it

Through on the other side

Over one shoulder is water the other is the walking path behind the waterfall. It used to be a sea cliff, back in the stone ages or some time a VERY long time ago. Our guide was a geologist, so we learnt a heap!

So remember this – when all the Europe flights were disrupted

Here’s the now dormant volcano, it’s to the top left of the last red roof

Transition of the ass all down the mountain

Another ‘foss’ or water fall… (Skogafoss Waterfall)

Before taking the waterfall photo, I noticed these sheep. Only in the past week have sheep (and cows) come out of stables. And with it, all the lambs. Watching them cross was so cute!

Black sand beach with basalt cliffs – fricking FREEZING as I ate lunch on a rock… Reynisdrangar sea stacks

The rocks are fokeloric – when trolls are hit by sun light, they become stone, so they are trolls – from the town of Vik

Vik church. Vik is the most South most town in Iceland, then it’s lava fields. I spoke to a cashier – sounded SO British, but he was French – so curious

Carins are built as a way to ensure safe travels eastward…

Lava fields – the moss takes 80 years to grow. It has to wait until the lava cools of course. It dies from footfall, and goes brown

I was curious as to how thick the moss was – WAY deeper than common moss in Australia!

Weather is so changeable in Iceland – this is our first glimpse of a glacier. We learnt what a glacier was – it’s compacted ice, losing all the air. 6m of snow ends up compacted to 50cm!

What a glacier – we’ll hike on tomorrow.

Gob smackingly gorgeous glacier lagoon (save for blustering rainy cold weather!) Jokulsarlon

There were both ducks and seals in the water. I took a video as some of these ice pieces were moving int he current.

The guide was so kind to wait til the other people were out of frame… Whilst I bemusingly smirked

We are staying in a guest house, and it was WONDERFUL to get a hot meal.  I’d just subsisted the past nights, with a cold noodle salad.  The price was eye watering, but thankfully a huge serve (even the Americans thought so!).

Dinner at Country Hotel Gerði