Thanksgiving - October 2015

It was the Dodds family year for Thanksgiving so we caught the last flight from BWI to Love Field, with Keith's dad picking us up at 11pm.  Lily and Boone were staying the night so we got to play with them a bit when we work up Thursday morning.  Thanksgiving lunch was at The Omni hotel's restaurant Texas Spice.  Margaret arrived with Josie and Owen and Graham was able to make it - he was jammed getting ready opening his new restaurant but broke away for a couple of hours.  The buffet was pretty good and the kids had fun serving themselves.  It was drizzling a bit but we played a small game of tag outside the hotel afterward to burn a bit of the kid's energy off - and to exhaust Keith.

Josie, Boone, Lily, and Owen

We had riven separately so we drove over to Bob and Ginny's to see the whole Phoenix clan after lunch.  We chatted for a couple of hours before going back to the house to meet Keith's parents to see the Bond movie Spectre.  It was absolutely pouring rain so we got drenched going back and forth to the car.

We woke up Friday morning and got a call from Shawna's uncle telling her that her Dad (who was in a nursing home) might not make it through the night.  We scrambled to find ways to get to St Francisville and finally decided that the best way was to rent a car and drive.  So we cancelled the plans in Texas, picked up a rental at DFW airport, and made the 6.5 hour journey to see her dad.  We arrived at the Country Manor nursing home to see Jim - with Honey, Wayne, Barbara, Nicole, and a few others already there.  Shawna was able to say her goodbyes before he died at 6am the next morning - Wayne was with him the whole night.

We spent the rest of the weekend planning the funeral - which was to be on the Thursday since it seems coroners don't work weekends.  Keith flew back to Baltimore from New Orleans  for three days of work while Shawna stayed in Louisiana  since she was able to work remotely.  Keith made it back late on the Wednesday night for the Thursday funeral.  The wake and funeral was in Moreauville so Jim could be buried with Danny, followed by a lunch at Honey's house.

Since the Thanksgiving plans were changed, we decided to fly back to Texas the following weekend.  We got the flights on points from Alexandria on the Friday afternoon.  Keith's dad picked us up and we drove straight to North Park Mall to do some quick Christmas shopping.  Keith's mother and sister were already there - we saw them and then walked to Banana Republic for shirts and then to REI for a jacket for Shawna.  The five of us then met at Amberjax Trinity Grove so Keith could make good on his dad's birthday IOU.

The next morning we went for a 1.5 hour walk around the neighborhood.  We had Zabars cheese for lunch and then went over to see Peter, Jen, and the kids for a couple of hours.  After our visit, we drove over to Margaret's house and then shared an Uber with Margaret to go to the final friends and family night at Wayward Sons, Graham's new restaurant.  Keith's parents were there with Sandy and Harold - they had an earlier reservation since they had a show to go to.  Graham had said that the first couple of nights had been rough - our night was much better.  The entire meal was comped - sweet!!

On Sunday, we went for another walk and went home for more cheese for lunch.  Boone and Lily were at the house by then - Keith's dad had picked them up so that they could attend Owen's birthday party.  We all then went to the party at a trampoline park.  Keith did some jumping but took it a bit easy so he would not pull anything like he did last time he attempted the trampolines with Ria.  We went straight to the airport from the party and made it home to Baltimore by 9pm.  

Raleigh Suppa Club - Oct 2015

The weekend after a short trip to New Jersey, we hopped on a flight to Raleigh - being on the East coast again makes it really easy to see our friends here!  Shawna had been in Hartford so she got a connection through BWI and Keith met her for the second leg of that journey.  John picked us up at the airport and we just went back to his place for a beer since it was late.

On Saturday, Keith needed to visit a potential acquisition for his company.  He gave Jo a ride to work and then spent the morning looking at apartments while Shawna caught up on some work at the house.  We then met back at the house and walked to First Watch on Glenwood for lunch.  The evening was an Olive Garden themed Suppa Club - this one with low attendance since quite a few people were out of town.  We did get to see Phil, Kim, Brandon, Teresa, and John/Jo and had a really fun night catching up.

One Sunday, we went for a couple of walks - first around the neighborhood and then around Lake Lynn before heading to see The Martian.  We then hopped on the short flight back to Baltimore.

New Jersey - October 2015

While we were in transition between the Denver and Baltimore houses, we were living on the ground floor of the Baltimore house on a four-inch foam mattress.  We thought it would be more fun to get away for weekends so we headed up to New Jersey to see Kim and Tom and the kids.

We drove out on the Saturday morning in the Audi (sadly too cold for convertible) and made it to their place in about 2:45 - a pretty easy trip with little traffic.  When we arrived at the house, only Kaley and Kim were home - Tom was wrapping up a round of golf.  We chatted with Kaley for 15 mins while Kim was getting ready - then headed out to lunch at Food in Summit with Kim.  We then learned what suburban parenthood was all about by shuttling kids back and forth to their sports events - we were exhausted and suggested that Kim might have vodka in her Starbucks tea that is always at her side!  After that exhausting afternoon, we unwound with some beers on the patio before Danelle showed up.  We then all got ready for dinner and went to Serenade for a delicious meal.  

We all went to bed after dinner, with Danelle staying the night as well.  Breakfast was Starbucks and bagels before we drove Danelle to the station - then we drove back to Baltimore.  

Sweden and UK - Sept 2015

Keith was able to manage 3 weeks time off between Aimco and Continental so he decided to catch up with friends in Sweden and the UK.  Shawna could not get extra time off but was able to join for an extended weekend in London.

Sweden

Helena, Victoria, Keith, and Kerstin

Friday Sept 11 was my last day at work (though it was technically extended to Oct 2).  I ran the 9:30am stand up meeting, said a few goodbyes, and then headed home to pack and then to the airport for a 2pm flight.  There was a 4 hour connection in Chicago, which worked out well since the SAS flight to Stockholm was in the international terminal which took some time to get to.  That flight was easy with a 4 hour hour sleep.  Stockholm was very quick to get through so I was out the airport seeing Helena within 20 minutes of landing.  Helena drove me to Kerstin's house where we had a delicious lunch of tomatoes/mozzarella and reindeer stew - delicious!  Helena stayed for lunch and a chat and then headed home as she had a dinner that evening.  Kerstin and I went for a walk down to Lake Malaren before having a shower and heading to a party of her friend Sofia with a crazy cat theme.

Keith, Andreas, Victoria, Kerstin, and Lasse

The next morning (Sunday) Kerstin and I took the subway into the city and then the boat to Skansen which is an open air museum that has houses like the traditional Swedish villages.  We then left the museum to meet Victoria, Lasse, and Andreas for a brief lunch.  We then all walked along Strandvagen and through Gamla Stan (old town).  The last stop was at the old city hall where we were hoping to go up the tour - unfortunately the tour was sold out.  Helena met all of us on the water side of the city hall - we then walked a bit more to Sodermalm, passing the "smallest house" and seeing the view from Fjallgatan.  Victoria and family then headed home, with Kerstin, Helena, and I grabbing a beer and sitting outside at the Beefeater Inn.  Dinner was at Rolfs Kok - it is a favorite of a friend of Kerstin's.  Dinner was delicious - and Hakan joined us and we had a really enjoyable evening.

Mia and Keith

Monday I got up early and took a cab to the airport for an 8am flight to Ostersund.  Security was light for the domestic flight so I was at the gate quite early and even slept on the flight.  Mia was working until 11:30am so I took a bus to town and camped out at the cafe in the library near Mia's school.  Mia picked me up and we dropped my stuff at her office before heading to Arctura for lunch - this is a restaurant at the top of the city hot water tower so provided some fantastic views.  After lunch we walked over to Froson where we got to see the house that Mia and Bryon had bought and will move in to in November.  The house has a great view of the lake and 2 floors plus a cellar so heaps of space - they will rent out part of one of the floors.  We walked past the ski hill and then grabbed a coffee before heading back to the school to get my stuff and then back to Mia and Byron's rental flat.  Mia's parents were in town so it was fantastic to see them - I had last seen them exactly 10 years prior at the wedding on Froson.  The kids were also great - three years older than when we last saw them in Australia.  Mia's mother made dinner for us which was delicious.  We stayed up chatting for a while - then had to sleep as I had a 7am flight the next day to Edinburgh.


Scotland

Val, Keith, and Lorraine

Bryon drove me the next morning to Ostersund airport - I connected through Stockholm and made it to Edinburgh by 10:30am.  I picked up an Avis rental and then drove to Valerie's house.  Val is selling the place and moving a couple miles down the road, so there were a few boxes around as she was still packing.  We had a bit of a chat before heading to Vittoria on the Bridge for lunch with Linda and Lorraine.  It was fun to catch up with them.  Valerie then drove me around central Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat before going back to her house so I could pick up my car.  I then headed over to Kirsty's place which was about a 45 minute drive in the afternoon traffic.  Kirsty and I went for a walk along the river before heading to dinner at The Outsider - which funnily enough was immediately next door to where I had lunch.  Dinner was delicious - starting with a couple of G&Ts and a bottle of wine - and another bottle of wine back at Kirsty's!

Kirsty and Keith

Grace, Kate, Paddy, and Pete

The next morning I headed out at 7:30am (same time as Kirsty goes to work) to head up to Dunfermline to see Pete and Paddy.  I was not sure of the last time I was at their house - but it was fun to see the house again.  We had a delicious breakfast and then Kate stopped by with her youngest Grace who is about two years old.  We chatted for a total of 5 hours before I drove to Glasgow.  The first stop was Anne's house so I could drop off my stuff.  It worked out really well as Anne was getting home at exactly the same time to pick up Eloise to take her to work - so I got to see both of them and then could get sorted at the house for an hour.  Anne came back and we chatted before she ran me into the city - she lives on the east side and I was meeting Kevin on the west side.  Anne dropped me at the subway station and I went a few stops to then meet Kevin for dinner at the Hanoi Bike Shop.  Kevin and I had not seen each other in 30 years since my summers in Berwick so it was really fun to catch up with each other and family stories.  At 9pm I took a cab back to Anne's - she was home by 10pm and we drank wine until 2am, including chatting with Eloise when she got home at 12:30am.

Keith and Kevin

Anne, Eloise, and Keith

On Thursday morning Anne made a bit of a breakfast fry up before we drove up to Falls of the Clyde.  This is an old wool mill that is now a world heritage area.  The buildings were very well preserved - we did a walk up the river and then a tour of the old mill.  Following that we went to Anne's friend Mary to take the dogs for a walk and have tea and scones.  We had to leave to get Anne's iPhone at the store so picked that up and headed home.  I had an hour nap as I was wrecked - it was just what I needed for the night out!  Before dinner we stopped by Anne's parents who I last saw in 1990 on our way to the Irish reunion.  We picked Eloise up from work and then went to dinner at the Ox and Finch.  We stayed up chatting until past midnight - when I had to go to bed as I had a 7am flight to Gatwick.

London

Keith and Shawna

It was an easy drive to Glasgow airport.  The only drama was that the front left tire went flat a quarter mile from the rental place - so I just drove slowly the rest of the way and dropped it off.  This was before the place opened so I left a note and caught my flight.  It was only an hour to Gatwick and I was able to sleep most of the way - before catching the Gatwick Express to Victoria and then the Circle Line Tube to Temple station.  The ME hotel was only a 5 minute walk from the tube stop on the Strand.  The hotel is quite cool - perhaps
my Duke shorts were not fitting for the place.  However, the great news was that I was able to check in early so was in the room by about 11am.  I did a heap of clearing emails until Shawna was able to get here at about 2:30pm.

Keith and Shawna

Friday night dinner was at Opera Tavern, a tapas style restaurant only a block from the hotel - the lamb cutlets were excellent.  It was an early night since Shawna was wrecked from the trip.  Sat morning I grabbed breakfast from Starbucks and then we headed out for a food walking tour of East London with Eating London.  We met the  group at Spitalfields Market and went to about 8 restaurants trying items like cheese, fish and chips, sticky toffee pudding, and beer.  The neighborhood is quite dynamic - much better than the old reputation of East London.  After eating we went for a walk through St James Park, Green Park, and Hyde Park before heading back to the hotel - in time to get cleaned up for dinner at Kopapa - another tapas joint in the Covent Garden area.

Sunday morning we went for a walk, had lunch at Cote Bistro, where my parents have been, then got last minute tickets to The Play that Went Wrong.  It was a slapstick play and pretty funny.  We then picked up our luggage and headed over to Melissa and Sebastiano's place near the Fulham Broadway tube stop.  Sadly their daughter Elise had been ill the night before so we cancelled our dinner plans and just ate at home.  Elise is adorable even when she is sick! Sebastiano grilled some tasty ribs which was paired with a light salad.  We had a few bottles of wine as well and caught up on our lives.  Shawna's flight to New York was the Monday afternoon so we were able to go to Borough Market for a walk around (Rak and Sim had recommended it) and grabbed Indian and Lamb at the take away counters.  We then walked along South Bank before getting the tube back to Melissa's.  I had dinner at Melissa's and then an early night.

Keith, Melissa, and Sebastiano

Keith, Peggy, and John

On Tuesday I headed out for a day trip to see John and Peggy.  I was able to get the 10am train from Marlybone to Wendover.  John picked me up and we headed to their new house in Ashton Clinton.  After chatting a bit we walked across the road to The Bell - a historic old pub where I had the fish and chips plus sticky toffee pudding.  I caught the 3pm train back, headed to Melissa's for a shower, and then headed back out to meet Susi and Mike at Skylon.  I had not seen them in ages so it was a great chat and catch up.  The following day time was free so I did a lot of walking around Regent's Park and Primrose Hill - I had never seen them before.  I returned to the house yet again to meet Loveday for dinner at the Greek Larder.

Loveday and Keith

South of England

Keith, Amy, Oli, Emma, and Rachel

The following morning I left London and took the train to Colchester. It took almost an hour and a half to cross London during rush hour to Liverpool Street.   I did manage to make the 9am train and then got a cab to the Europcar rental place before driving to Rachel and Oli's place in Dedham.  Rachel and I were able to get a few hours of catch-up in, including lunch at the Essex Rose Tea Room and a walk around Dedham Vale, before going to the school to pick up the girls.  Amy and Emma are really cute kids - we first stopped by The Sun pub for a drink and then went back to the house for dinner once Oli got home from work.

Keith, Amy, Daphne, Thomas, and Dave

The Friday morning I left the house and headed around the M25 to head to Daphne and Dave's house in Fleet.  There was no traffic so was going to be an hour early - so made a game-day call and drove over to Guildford where I stopped by the University of Surrey and my old stomping grounds during my exchange year.  I parked near the Hotel and Catering School - walked around that and peeked into Lakeside restaurant before walking to the other side of campus to see my old dorm - Mole 3.  I was able to get up the stairs but could not get into the actual common area.  I then had to dash back to the car and head over to Daphne's to see her, Dave, and the kids. We had a chat at the house and then all went to lunch at Chequers at Well and ate outside.  From there we all went for a walk around Fleet Pond before going back to the house so I could head over to Rachel's.  It was only another 45 minutes or so to Corhampton.  Rachel and I were able to catch up for a couple of hours before Quentin came home from London - when we started off with some Prosecco before walking over to dinner at The Shoe in Exton, accompanied by several more bottles of wine.
 

Keith and Rachel

On Saturday I drove the 2.5 hours to Taunton to see Kathy, Keith, and the kids.  We went straight to
lunch and then walked around town and some fields before driving off to Charlton to see Dawn and Stuart.  They live in a 200+ year old house Stuart was cutting the grass so Dawn and I had a tea in the back garden and then took the dog for a walk before heading to dinner at the Mendip Inn.

Keith, Molly, Kathy, and Daniel

Keith and Dawn

Ewan, Keith, Madeline, Lewis, and Sharon

I had to get up at 7am for the 4 hour drive to Ewan's place in Hertford.  I got there around noon because of some motorway work - Sharon and Madeline were home so I chatted with them until Ewan and Lewis came home from rugby.  Ewan, the kids, and I went to town and ended up at the local fair taking in a few rides - then we headed back to the house, saw Sharon's dad and brother-in-law, and then headed back to town to have a few beers at The Old Barge where we last went with John and Jo and learned the finer points of what is a coot.  Dinner was a delicious lamb tagine at home and then off to bed.

Keith, Martin, and Michelle

I left Chez Parry at 8am with Sharon and the kids to head to Heathrow.  Traffic was rough as expected but made it to the airport in plenty of time.  The flight was out of Terminal 2 so was a good experience other than the long lines.  I took Iceland Air through Reykjavik as that was the cheapest flight - so the first leg was quite quick.  I was reading my Kindle in Reykjavik airport and I hear a "hey Keith" and look up - there were the Haiders on their flight home from Paris.  I slept a bit on the leg to Denver.  Shawna was in California so I used that as an opportunity to see Kelly for dinner at Lola before heading home at 10. 

Sedona - Sept 2015

Hot Air Balloon Ride over Sedona

We decided to meet Rakesh and Simran in Sedona for the long Labor Day weekend, renting the Sedona Cliff House on VRBO. We flew to Phoenix on the Thursday afternoon, meeting Simran and Ria at the airport at 7:30pm.  Unfortunately, Rak needed to extend a trip to London so he was not able to meet us until Saturday night.  We rented a minivan and arrived at the house at 10:30pm.  Glendon, the owner, lives in the house next door so he and his two chocolate labs met us when we arrived and showed us around the place.  The house was wonderful - it has simple, yet modern architecture with a very open feel to it.  There are three bedrooms and bathrooms with a large kitchen and family room and multiple decks for viewing the scenery.

Sedona Cliff House Rental

Keith was up early on Friday so got some work done.  He and Sim then headed out to town to get stuff for breakfast from Whole Foods, Safeway, and the obligatory Starbucks run for he and Shawna.  Breakfast was then served in the house at 8:30am.  Shawna needed to catch up on some work so we did not leave the house until about 11am.  We decided to stop by Whole Foods again to grab some stuff for lunch.

The first stop of the day was Oak Creek Canyon Vista.  We had thought of eating our picnic there but picnic spots were sparse so we decided to move on to Slide Rock State Park.  After our picnic by the water, Ria went for a swim while Keith had a nap.  It took a few tries for Ria to get comfortable sliding down the rocks and one time, Shawna had to 'rescue' her but once she tried it, we couldn't pull her away!

Slide Rock State Park

Next stop was Page Spring Cellars for wine tasting - we did a couple of white wine flights - the wine was as good as you'd imagine for an AZ vineyard!  We opted to then drive home so we could grab an early dinner.  We ate at Elote Cafe - no reservations are allowed so we showed up at 6pm.  The idea was that if the wait was silly we'd get take out, but it was only 45 mins so we had a couple of drinks on the patio and were called to sit down in less than 30 mins.  The food was delicious - we shared fish tacos and short rib tacos, as well as the elote for appetizers and then shared the fish special as well as the carne asada for entrees.  Keith was wrecked so was in bed by 8:30 - as soon as we got back to the house.

On Saturday, we had breakfast at the house, enjoying cheese and bread.    The four of us then headed out for the Pink Jeep tour.  We did the Broken Arrow tour with Ed the driver.  It was a really fun drive, with some of the trails at 45 degrees.  There were a couple of stops to take photos - just gorgeous.  We also saw the 'white line' which is where mountain bikers ride along the rock at dizzying heights and angles!  We stopped by Wildflower Cafe to grab some bread and sweet treats, and then headed home for Simran to make lunch with leftovers from Elote with eggs and fried bread - excellent!  A nap was had by all, then we headed out to Tlaquepaque shopping area and then back to Whole Foods to grab the ingredients for dinner.  Shawna played DJ until Rak showed up at 8pm - when Shawna served dinner of salmon, corn, asparagus and tomato salad.

Pink Jeep Tour

We had to wake up at 4:30am on Sunday for our hot air balloon flight with Red Rock Balloons.  The flight was gorgeous, starting in the canyon area, then traveling about 7 miles to a landing site.  It was spectacular to see the surrounding scenery in the early morning light.  The company served breakfast (mimosas with muffins and a fruit tray) and then dropped us back at the car.  We headed back to the house and had a brief nap while Rak wrapped up a couple of conference calls.

Hot Air Ballon Ride

We then went to Enchantment Resort for lunch, followed by a hike up the Vista trail.  Following that, we headed to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which is in an amazing location.  The traffic back to town was a disaster so we decided to take the long route back to the house via Jerome, an old ghost town cum hippie colony. It was interesting to walk around there and see a town that went from 15,000 to 50 people - and now back to 440 people.  We stopped by Whole Foods again on the way home and grabbed the food for dinner - plus another 6 bottles of wine.  Dinner was yummy rice bowls with grilled chicken and sausage.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Jerome

After we woke up on Monday, we went for a walk with Sim at Red Rock Crossing (Rak and Ria stayed at the house).  We followed that with a lunch of leftovers before we packed up and headed out.  Traffic was pretty rough on the way back to Phoenix.  However, we did make it in enough time that we were able to get an earlier flight and make it home by 8pm.

Baltimore House Hunting - Aug 2015

New House in the Moorings

Keith accepted the job with Continental Realty, with a start date of Oct 5.  Shawna was in Hartford the week before so Keith flew to Baltimore Friday after work for a day of house hunting.  We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Harbor East.   Shawna arrived in the late afternoon so had dinner at Roy's where she had the Mahi Mahi.  Keith arrived late - Shawna was asleep when he got to the room.

Saturday we had breakfast in the lobby and then met Jeff, the real estate agent referred to us by a colleague at Continental.  We had identified a list of 7 places we would consider in Fells Point, Canton, and Brewers Hill.  We then went to have lunch at Plug Ugly's on Canton Square to work on the pros/cons of the two places we liked.  We then went back to Jeff's office and put an offer on the place in the Moorings. Dinner was at Wit and Wisdom in the Four Seasons.

Our flight back was early Sunday morning - we then met Chris and Athena for lunch at La Sandia and then met Ralph and Kelly at the Toto/Yes concert. 

Iceland - July 2015

The Trip That Required "Suits" for Every Activity

This trip to Iceland has been on our bucket list for a while, especially as we have had several friends tell us how beautiful it is. So, we started our planning almost a year ago and booked a week long trip with our friends Kim, Tom, John and JoAnna. We spent part of our time in Reykjavik, making day trips to see sites nearby and part of our time near Hofn so that we could spend a few days exploring Skaftafell Park. The scenery was stunning (as were the people), the weather was mostly cooperative (50's during the day and only drizzled a couple of times), the food was tasty (and adventurous at times) and the activities were quite fun (although most of them required some unflattering gear/suits). We had an amazing time and would definitely return in retirement to explore the entire island.

Reykjavik

Accommodations:
Brilliant Apartments - Located in Reykjavik, about a 10-15 minute walk to most sites/restaurants. We stayed here one night when we first arrived. We rented the 3 bedroom apartment. Apartment was clean but rooms were small and there was only one bathroom. However, it was an affordable option as most of the hotels in the city center are quite expensive.

Fosshotel Vatnajokull - Located about 10km outside of Hofn in a beautiful valley with nice views of the glacier. We stayed here three nights. We each got our own room - rooms were relatively small but clean. Hotel had a nice lobby and bar where we would get beer even after they closed as the hotel staff were quite happy to oblige! Breakfast was included - basic continental options.

Fosshotel Vatnajokull

Laugavegur Apartments - Located in Reykjavik, about a 10-15 minute walk to most sites/restaurants. We stayed here four nights and rented the 3 bedroom apartment. Similar review to Brilliant Apartments above except the kitchen / living area was much bigger. We ate breakfast in the apartment most mornings by grabbing some items at the local grocery store.

Activities:
We all flew in on overnight flights arriving within 15-30 minutes of each other early Saturday morning. Unfortunately, Shawna pulled a muscle in her lower back at the Denver airport before we left so she was in quite a bit of pain throughout the trip and was walking rather slowly - however, with some drugs and beer, she managed to participate in all but one of the activities. We had rented a car (cheapest option available through Hasso) which was located a few miles from the airport so someone met us at the airport to drive us over.

Our first stop was the Blue Lagoon to wake us up from our jet lag. It's a large open air hot spring located about 15 minutes from the airport. They offer robes, towels, showers and even spa services. There is also a 'swim' up bar in the lagoon which of course with some arm twisting (you can guess by who), we opted to share a few beers. The water was nice and warm which was quite helpful for Shawna's back. We applied some facial mud which we never really understood what benefit it provided but did it to look silly. While commercial and pricey, it's a 'must do' activity.

Blue Lagoon

While our dip in the lagoon helped to wake us up a bit, the beer we drank offset this so after checking in to our apartment in Reykjavik, we took a quick nap before exploring the city. We joined a 2.5 hour walking tour with City Walk in order to get our bearings of the city and to learn a little history. The guide was entertaining and we learned a bit about their politics, Vikings and financial crash. Apparently Tom did not have enough of a nap as he fell asleep on the tour while leaning against one of the buildings - we only knew this because he fell over while sleeping!

We spent the next 3 days in the southwest part of the island near Skaftafell Park so that we could explore that area and see the Vatnajokull Glacier. We stayed in a hotel near Hofn which was nice but it took 1.5 hours each way to get to the park each day - there was another hotel about 45 min closer but was booked. Our drive out to Hofn took all day as we stopped along the way to see a few sites:

• Hverageroi: A town about an hour outside of Reykjavik that has a geothermal park. The park was quick to go through - best part was trying the bread that they bake underground using the steam from the hot springs. 

Geothermal Park

• Seljalandsfoss: A beautiful waterfall that can be seen from the ring road. You can walk behind the waterfall which was pretty cool. We also walked along the path to see some of the other smaller waterfalls nearby, one if which you can stand under by sneaking through a crack in the hillside.

Seljalandsfoss

• Dyrholaey: Stunning cliffs overlooking the ocean near Vik. We walked along the black sand beach, climbed up the hillside to the lighthouse and saw puffins perched on another hill. 

Dyrholaey

• Vik: Cute town on the water with black sand beaches. We stopped here for a very late lunch.

On the rest of the drive to Hofn (which was still another three hours from Vik), we admired the scenery, napped and enjoyed the tunes being spun by DJ Jazzy John!

During the next two days, we spent our time enjoying the activities in and near the park:

• Skaftafell: Hiked for 3 hours, seeing the glacier, mountains, grass huts and the Svartifoss waterfall (which is surrounded by black basalt columns). The scenery was stunning and there were quite a few people on the trail. 

Hike in Skaftafell

• Jokulsarlon: A lagoon near the glacier that is filled with floating icebergs. There is a channel that takes some of the icebergs out to the ocean (some of which take 5 years to get there). The glacier is retreating at 120 meters per year. We did the one hour zodiac boat tour which was really cool, especially the flattering 'Minion' looking outfits that we had to wear to keep us warm! While on the tour, a huge chunk of ice broke off from the glacier which caused quite a bit of waves - we were close enough to see but not close enough to top us over thankfully! We also learned on the tour that a couple of James Bond movies were filmed here and during one, they froze the lagoon so that an Aston Martin could drive across it. After the tour, we pretended to be Minions walking on the moon so that Tom could video us - we thought it was funny but I'm sure everyone else thought we were a bit nuts! We then walked over to the ocean to see some of the icebergs that had made its way out.

Jokulsarlon

• Glacier Walk / Ice Climbing: We did a three hour tour with Icelandic Mountain Guides which was a lot of fun. JoAnna was enamored with the guy who helped us suit up with boots and crampons and our guide looked like Spencer Pratt from the Hills. After getting our equipment, we drove over to the glacier and walked for a short while until we found a wall to climb. The guide gave great instructions and each person (except for Shawna who opted to be the photographer) tried it and made it to the top. Keith and Shawna shot a video to send to their friend Sarah who was getting engaged a few days later. After walking a little more, we found another wall to climb where everyone except for Shawna and John did it. John said he 'retired' from his ice climbing career! The scenery was really beautiful and we lucked out to have a nice day.

Glacier Walk / Ice Climbing

On our drive back to Reykjavik, we stopped at Skogafoss which is another beautiful waterfall that can be seen from the ring road. After taking a few pictures, everyone (except Shawna who was in quite a bit of pain) did a small part of the hike to Posmark which crosses the Fimmvorduhals Pass and has great views of the Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalskokull Glaciers. To do the whole hike takes about 16 hours but the group only hiked for a couple of hours. While the group hiked, Shawna read at one of the cafes near the waterfall. John and JoAnna joined her (after hiking for a bit) and so we had a few beers which we were then joined by the rest of the gang. 

Skogafoss

View on Hike

During our last four days, we enjoyed the sites in and around Reykjavik. We also spent one day in the city doing a bit of shopping and sightseeing but mostly eating our way around the city!

• Pingvellir: A historic park about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik. It's known for where their Parliament first assembled as well as where you can see the fissures of where Europe and North Atlantic plates are separating. We walked around for about an hour.

Pingvellir Park

• Geysir: Where all geysers are named after. It was more impressive than we expected. We watched one of the geysers erupt a few times.

Geysir

• Gullfoss: An amazing waterfall that drops down two tiers into a canyon. We walked around for about an hour taking lots of photos. 

Gullfoss

• Hallgrimskirkja: A very tall modern church in Reykjavik. We went to the top of the tower where there are great views of the city and waterfront. 

• Inside the Volcano: A tour we took where they take you inside a 4000 year old volcano (so it's aptly named). They picked us up at our apartment and the drive out took about 45 minutes. Our guide was quite funny - while she said she knew nothing about volcanoes since she is an actress, we were able to learn a few things. The hike out to the volcano is about 2 miles on fairly flat but rocky path. At the base of the volcano is a hut where we saw a very cute arctic fox and relaxed while we awaited our turn. To get to the bottom of the volcano, we took a steel open elevator that descends 120 meters. At the bottom, we walked around for about 45 minutes looking at all of the amazing colors in the rock. After we got out, we had some hot soup at the base camp and then hiked back to the shuttle and drove back to the city.

Inside the Volcano

• Whale Watching Tour: We went with Whale Safari and did a two hour tour on the zodiac boat. We had to suit up again in not-so-flattering but very warm suits. The boat went quite fast in the water but it was a surprisingly smooth ride. We saw puffin, minke whale (otherwise known as stinky minke as it emits quite an odor), humpback whale and some playful dolphins. The tour was nice but not nearly as cool as the one we did in Cabo.

Whale Watching

Each night we enjoyed some yummy meals and tried out several of the bars. Kim was a dancing fiend and so we stopped a few places to dance. Because it doesn't get dark until 1:30 in the morning, many nights we were out late enjoying the nightlife. One evening, we stopped at a local street party and had a few beers while enjoying the music, meeting a few locals and reliving our youth by attempting double dutch jump roping! We also met up for a few beers with Roope, a friend of Keith's from Kandersteg in 1990 who was traveling on his way to Greenland to lead a kayaking tour.

Dinner at Pakkhus in Vik

Restaurants / Bars:

Reykjavik
Reykjavik Chips - A place entirely focused on french fries. We stopped here twice and had chips with your choice of dipping sauce. 

Bjarni Fel - A sports bar. Stopped here for a few beers. 

Kitchen Eldhus - Indian restaurant. Food was tasty and spicy. We all shared the chicken kabab, lamb vindaloo, veggie curry, and naan.

Bada Bing - Gelato place. Odd name considering this is the name of a strip club on the Sopranos. Good gelato nonetheless. We stopped here a few times for dessert.

Kaldi Bar - Had beer here twice. Nice bar. 

Grillmarkadurrin - A very trendy restaurant that specializes in grilled meats. We shared the trio of sliders made with whale, puffin and langoustine. We also shared the meat platter served with steak, duck and lamb. We got a few sides for the table including fries, grilled veggies and mushrooms. Everything was very yummy! 

Mezze - Mediterranean restaurant. We all shared a few apps for the table - grilled cheese, hummus and feta and spinach app. Keith and Shawna split moussaka for their entree and we all shared baklava for dessert. The restaurant is nice and the food was very good.

English Pub - Had a few beers here but the options for English beer was not great so we opted for Icelandic beer.

Baejarins Betzu - A popular hot dog stand near the water - there is usually a line. Several people told us we had to try it so we did. Not that impressed.

Celtic Cross - Had a few beers here.

Public House - Great place for shared food and beer. We snacked on fries, edamame, takki (reindeer carpaccio), and langoustine dumplings.

Bunk Bar - Another great bar with yummy tacos.

Kjallarinn Kichen - We shared a langoustine app and lamb for dinner. Food was good.

Lebowski Bar - Danced here for a few hours. Played mostly 80s music.

Reykjavik Fish - Located near the harbor. We grabbed a quick lunch here before heading to the airport. We shared fish and chips and fish curry soup.

Vik
Halldorskaffi - Had lunch here on the way out to Hofn. Shared a pizza and beer. Service was slow and food was OK.

Sudur-Vik - Had lunch here on the way back to Reykjavik. The place is very cute. We split a pizza and seafood soup which was quite good.

Hofn
Pakkhus - Had dinner here two nights. Great wooden interior with a bar downstairs and tasty food. One night, we split the feta app and grilled langoustine (which is what the town is known for). And the other night, we split the langoustine soup, carpaccio, and lamb. The lamb was very tender and one of the best we've ever had. Kim thought one of the guys at the table next to us looked like Ryan Gossling so we had to try to get a picture. The next day we realized that he really didn't look anything like Ryan Gossling - I guess the beer had something to do with that!

Humarhofnin - Had dinner here one night. Another great restaurant We all tried Black Death, a liquor that tastes like caraway - it was not a group favorite! We shared smoked cod and langoustine bisque for starters and grilled langoustine for our entree. The group shared an Icelandic biscuit for dessert which is essentially yogurt with granola and creme brûlée.

For more photos of this trip (click on the photo and it will take you to the album):