Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
At Large In Reykjavik
by admin - 18:39 on 21 June 2014
“It's just like Shetland,” Matchgirl declared during our 50-minute bus journey from Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik, which featured a rocky, barren wilderness dotted with the occasional bungalow that looked to have no business in the middle of nowhere. I know what she meant, although the horizon is much less mountainous in Shetland and the sight of steam rising off hot springs is conspicuous by its absence.
Our journey to Iceland was undramatic, although it did begin with the retrieval of a dead great tit fledgeling from a reluctant Willow. Soo and Tony might have a busy time in our absence.
The slog down the A9, where average speed cameras are now being tested, was as tedious as ever, followed by a minibus trip to Glasgow Airport from the vast long-term car park where Son of Seat will spend the next eleven days. Bag drop and security were negotiated quickly – Glasgow Airport seemed a decent place for an unruffled getaway, especially when Matchgirl and I marked the start of our trip with Bloody Marys in the departure lounge.
Icelandair's 757 was comfortable and offered decent leg room all round but even more in the exit seats. However, by the time we'd landed and negotiated passport control, baggage and customs it was relief to step outside into a cool breeze and see grey skies – Glasgow, and then the plane, had been unexpectedly warm.
From Reykjavik Bus Station we had a ten-minute walk to our pre-booked apartment that took nearer twenty, partly thanks to Matchgirl hauling her biggest red travel case behind her, still bearing its official Icelandair 'heavy' label, but mainly down to our landlord's over-optimistic estimate of the time needed. Some unanticipated uphill sections didn't help either.
But the Moon Apartments (we're in Venus) are clean and comfy and just around the corner from the city's main shopping streets so we didn't have far to go to find a supermarket and stock up for a few days. Even the checkout operatives speak perfect English in Iceland. Impressive, especially as without pictures I can't even guess what most Icelandic words mean – they even have extra letters in their alphabet, the show-offs.
Their technology is also ahead of mine and Matchgirl's, which is why it took us half an hour to work out how to use the halogen hobs on the cooker. How were we supposed to know that the pan has to be in place before they work?
This morning involved a wander through the city where we gawked at shops and menus (one featured puffin and whale – I won't partake) and a successful expedition to find the start and finish point of Matchgirl's Midnight Sun Half Marathon. The Pentax took a few opening snaps but its real work will begin later when we're out in the countryside.
After that it was back to the apartment, via a cafe, to relax before heading out tonight in search of culinary delights that don't involve cute seabirds or giants of the deep. Or maybe we'll be lazy and dine in again, now we've got the cooker working.
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