Iceland In Reverse!

Hey friends!

I'm home from our wonderful Iceland adventures with Craftours!

We had 21 wonderful quilters - No hubbies this time! (I've never had this happen before) plus myself and our Craftours tour manager Tommy.

This was the most relaxing, wonderful trip.

We stayed at the fabulous Foss Hotel in Reykjavik the whole time - and our day trips to different parts of Iceland were geared toward showing us the beautiful nature, as well as focusing on things like the wool industry.

It was a fun and fact-filled adventure, one I'm sure those of us who experienced it will be talking about for a long, long time to come.

Our last full day included a wonderful 3 hour whale watching tour - Yes.... "A three hour tour, a three hour tour..."

As far as weather in Iceland goes, we had the BEST weather for our trip.  Our only rainy day was a day when our activities were inside.

All of our outside days were met with bright sunshine and blue skies - the average temperature fluctuating between mid 50s to 60 f.

This is summer in Iceland!

I took this photo as we were walking from the bus to board our boat.  I love anything with water reflections...the color of those marine sheds  - so pretty!

Different boats and trawlers dockside.

As we left shore we spotted one of the first monuments we encountered on day one -

And here it is in all of its....green-hill-ness?

What is this thing?

Our Icelandic guide told us it was nothing more than an art installation. 

It has no purpose.  It was not put here by Vikings.  In fact...he agreed that it looks like an outhouse on top of a hill.

Here we are in all of our jacketed glory!

The funny thing he showed us was....it's covered in sod.  Not grass that just grows there.  It's sod. And the angle is so steep that gradually gravity takes over and the sod starts to slump down the hill.

But art is art, you know? And this one was kind of iconic.

Keep making art even if no one else understands it.

Our view of Reykjavik from the green mound.

And off in the other direction...

Just random shipyard stuff...

Rocky lava bed coastline.

Back to our whale watching trip - 

We waved toward the skyline as it grew smaller and smaller behind us....

And smaller still....

A few of our whale seekers!

Crazy windy, but so excited!

Did we see whales?? YES!

Did I get any good photos of whales? NOOO!!  

It was so crowdy at the bow of the boat that it was impossible to get a shot without someone's elbow in your view.

And of significance....there were 2 very tall dads who also had their children up on their shoulders blocking the view of anyone who wouldn't see from behind them.

Did I give up?  Partly.

I went down to another viewing point and watched from the side of the boat as blowholes spouted, as flukes made an appearance and just decided it wasn't about catching it in a photo for anyone else, it was about watching it in real time standing next to excited friends.

Sometimes the best memories are made uncaptured - experiencing them in real time, not trying to focus in and zoom from behind a phone screen.

There was time for this as I watched out the window, listening to the loudspeaker telling us what was appearing beyond the windows.

There were plenty that joined me in the cafe area...bringing out knitting or working on their embroidery for our Cat in the Flowers group project.

Back in port - disembarking -

I did my best to capture the flag of Iceland in the breeze.  It was a wonderful excursion!

Excursions also make me hungry!

Going to Iceland is much like a trip to Hawaii.  How so? Because everything has to be imported from far away.

That means that meals are going to be more expensive than you think they will be.

Think airport food prices - (For instance, I paid $16.00 for a simple breakfast sandwich at JFK yesterday on my way home.)

Or movie theater prices on snacks and candy...it's always a sticker shock.

This little medium sized cup with cherry gelato was the equivalent of $12.00.

It's better to treat the local currency like play money and just go with it.

My first day at the hotel I ordered a hotdog and fries at the hotel beer garden, and it came to the equivalency of $28.00.  With no beverage.

It is what it is - but think of it as going to Disneyland and paying resort theme park prices for food.

Went here for our last "out on our own" dinner...

Best fish & chips!

But it was the equivalency of about $30.00.

Just factor it in to your budget as you would any theme park or fancy cruise restaurant booked on a cruise as an "extra" not included meal.

And just know it is going to be delicious and worth the experience.

Our farewell dinner was included, prepared by the hotel staff and so delicious!

It was an amazing trip - each and every moment, and I look forward to sharing more photos with you over the next while.
I got as far as unpacking my suitcase and starting laundry last night.
I got as far as clothes-in-the-dryer this morning and am moving a bit more slowly than I would like, but I am moving.
Tomorrow we will be welcoming Irene's Sewciologists for their June retreat at Quiltville Inn, and I'll be back in the swing of things.
There is plenty of catching up to do - and this is happening tomorrow as well:

Fireweed PDF Pattern release day and gift-away!
Today I'll be getting the inn ready and spending time at my desk making sure everything will be ready for tomorrow.
I'm going to need another coffee. 

This is the mug I picked up last-minute at the airport before we left Iceland.
This morning I enjoyed it on my porch along with saying hello to the hummingbirds that darted to and from the feeders I refilled this morning.
It's good to be home!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -
I walked miles and miles over Iceland in the past week plus - and now I just want to settle in and be slow for a while.
Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!