#it's a volcanic toot

[chaoticgoodthief]

Are You Ready, Kids?

OOOOooooh

Who lives in a magpie nest inside a tree?

ROCKJOE WEIRDPANTS

Volcanic and silver and fine-grained is he

ROCKJOE WEIRDPANTS

If arboreal humour will make you fly

ROCKJOE WEIRDPANTS

Then make like a bird and flap in the sky!

ROCKJOE WEIRDPANTS

ROCKJOE WEIRDPANTS

ROCKJOOOE WEIRDPAAAAANTS!!!

*Tooting noises*

[picklesabroad]

Santorini

We got to Santorini in the afternoon and caught the bus from the airport up to Fira (Thera) which was where we were staying. All the buses for the island go to and from Fira, so it was a very handy spot to stay for exploring. 

Our accommodation was lovely, and the staff were excellent. They suggested we go to the 24-hour bakery for lunch AND COFFEE (yes, you read that right, they are open 24/7), which we did. This bakery was like nothing I had ever seen, cabinets of pastries, pies, cakes, and donuts on one side, and more cabinets of huge slabs of cake cut into squares. Behind these cakes, there were chillers of homemade ice cream. Needless to say, my mind was BOGGLED.

Post lunch snack, we took the opportunity to explore the Chora (town). I had seen pictures of Greece and had thought that maybe it was just little parts of it that were that classic white-washed, blue-shuttered look, but really it is the whole town. Tiny cobbled streets take you in a rabbit-warren-esque style around towns built precariously on the side of a caldera. At the edge of town, the rocks give way right down to the clear, crystal waters of the Aegean Sea. It is like nothing I have ever experienced.

We did some exploring around the town, popping into shops, and avoiding the queues for the gondola that ran down to the old port. Donkeys hefted tourists up and down the winding stairs to the old port, leaving a pong and some rather green, sloppy obstacles in their wake. It was getting very hot, and the crowds seemed to be intensifying with every second we were out, so we decided to hit the mini market for some drinks, and head back to our accommodation, where we had a rooftop terrace.

After a break from the sun, we decided to check out Oia, so we jumped on a bus and went up to the top of the island. Navigating the bus system always seemed to be a bit of a haphazard and approximate process, wherein you would try and locate a bus driver, say where you were going, and be told either, "yes" and get on, or "no, that one over there", or "no, 5 minutes"", and be waved away. Somehow we managed to find the right buses and get around the Island with relative ease despite the chaos of the bus depot. To give you an idea of what it was like, these huge buses would pull into a concrete car park packed with hoards of milling tourists, execute a 180-degree turn through the hoard, and slot themselves between the already parked buses, tooting and honking at any unfortunate tourist who didn't move fast enough out of the way. The bus would pull up, tourists would stream out, while a mass of tourists trying to get on the bus would build around the bus doors. Once the bus was empty you could board, and the bus would go when it was ready.

Anyway. We got on a bus to Oia. There were A LOT of tourists in Oia, which is quite surprising considering this is the off-season, and getting to, from, and around Oia was quite hectic. To get back from Oia to Fira, you would have to queue for the next bus, and if you got in the queue too late, you would not be able to get on the first bus and would have to wait for the second. We strolled the streets until the sunset tourists made it hard to get around, then Rob and Ton headed back, and Lucas and Ayesha and I had a sunset dinner in Oia. We then bused back to our accommodation for bedtime. 

The next day we bused down to Kamari beach for lunch and a swim. To be able to use a beach chair you had to either buy lunch or a drink, so lunch it was. The beaches in Santorini are all formed from volcanic rock, so getting in and out of the water can be a bit treacherous. I slipped on a rock getting in, much to the amusement of all the other tourists who had seen me marching into the water with gusto. A little swim later and we were headed back to Fira, where we had a shower and then headed up to Santo Wines for a sunset wine tasting. A little bit fancy! 

The next day, I accidentally walked from our village, through FiraStefani and up to the Skaros Rock walk, so I did that and then met the others there. The walk through the villages along the cliff tops was a gently climbing path that had sweeping views out across the caldera and the ocean beyond. I had been trying to locate the entrance to a cafe I had seen from a lower vantage point and realised about half an hour into my stroll that at some point I had left Fira and was in FiraStefani, the next town along. Skaros Rock was a bloody good climb, I couldn't make it to the tippy top because I didn't fancy scaling a wall in my tevas, but I made it as far as I could.

Post walk we wandered back along the walk between the towns and grabbed a gyros on the way for lunch. You are really just strolling along the edge of the caldera, looking at the sparkling ocean below, not appreciating the fact that Santorini and the surrounding islands were all formed in a major volcanic eruption. 

As we were making our way down to Fira, I had a message from my friend Stacey who I was due to meet the next day, saying she had made it to Santorini, but her bag was taking the long way around and was still in Hong Kong. To get to us, her bag had to make it from Hong Kong to Istanbul, then on to Athens, and then on to Santorini. The airline carrier said they would have it to us the next day. We were not as optimistic. When Stace was on her way to her accommodation in Perissa, I ran down to meet her at the bus depot with a pair of shorts and a shirt to throw at her as she got off the airport bus and onto the Perissa bus. Her bus ended up arriving just as the Perissa bus left, so we had a half an hour wait to hit the 24hour bakery and quickly catch up before she was on her way again.

Once I had seen Stacey off with 1/3 of my packed clothing, I sought out my family again and we headed for dinner. This was our last evening together, so we had a fancy dinner at Volkan on the rocks, which was just delightful. 

The next morning, I saw the four travellers off to the airport for their flight back to Amsterdam with a little tear in my eye - the end of a chapter. What a lovely trip we had. 

From there, I bused down to Perissa to see Stacey which leads us into the next chapter of our trip... Stars Aligning in Santorini.

[writer59january13]

Spouse cannot forget mine suppressed flatulence upon our first date

While yours truly sat here at the desk housing MacBook Pro, pondering his next idée fixe apropos for gamut of anonymous readers, he unexpectedly, noisily and effectually exploded out rear end; perhaps ye heard or felt

the ground beneath your feet tremble; the missus didst not stir in her sleep yesterday (May 29th, 2023)

when my troubles

seemed so far away.

Jog me memory I did with a little help figuratively nabbed, pilfering, ransacking, et cetera compilation of previously written poems which involved scrolling thru screen after screen of feeble attempts to craft some stellar literary creation.

Worm I going with this line?

Just by a fluke, I came across a scenario where humorous embellishment will (clear as water) diminish credence, but slight fabrication will help revival encompassing an outing with then girlfriend, who eventually became the missus.

Upon the first date (mucho decades ago) not quite two score

and three and a half years ago

with the gal, whose troth aye did pledge allegiance to wed (anniversary inching itsy bitsy spider like up to seven and twenty earth orbitz),

we agreed to dine

at an avante garde Tex-Mex eatery

in North Wales, Pennsylvania,

where angels feared to tread

carefully scrutinizing bon appétit

the menu selection,

a touch of Latin lick QED

all American version sans

south of the border cuisine –

Quod Erat Demonstrandum –

translations spit out

in rapid fire Hispanic

by a beady eyed

pierced and inked kid named Ned,

whose couture favored a punkish style

with spiky gelled green hair,

piercings galore and necklace

with a genetically modified

sizable entombed glassy pricey jewelry

encased insect in amber lead,

which beastly fully intact organism

with a miniature grizzly bear like head

momentarily hypnotizing me

pray tell, yours truly nudged himself

out of trance sans this egghead

who made a selection

by randomly landing finger

on an item feigning to be well bred

unbeknownst choice promised

concussive radioactive fallout

squelched with utmost difficulty

nearly impossible mission to avoid loosing buttuck blast

if belched out the posterior; fart would have catapulted, delivered fatalistic deafening roar wreaking havoc to life and limb costing countless lives

regarding innocent restaurant patrons,

whose arbitrary choice

to partake of their repast

at aforementioned homey unnamed restaurant analogous

ending with tragicomic farce.

After this Señor ingested

an ample number of mouthfuls

of beans and rice

that quelled most severe hunger pangs

mine lower gastrointestinal tract,

felt a bubbling and gurgling sensation

played through impropriety struggled

with gaseous mounting perturbations,

what promised to be hot malodorous,

would induce an air raid

from this “wind bag,”

(whose puckered, preserved, pickled, et cetera

and stinky namesake

occupies a place

at the Mutter Museum,

whose saving grace erroneously divine),

when wallet of suede discover herd

visa vis tubby devoid of cash,

thus convenient excuse to beat

the tirade of volcanic eruption

on the cusp of belching forth

found me bolting out the restaurant door

fortunately not waylaid

and madly dashing

(like some fiery comet dancer)

performing a cheeky number

hopping on one foot than the other –

since forceful blast triggered kidneys

to be tapped, thus prancer two step

extemporaneously incorporated

while awaiting available ATM

only to espy debit printout slip

inadequate funds available

zero balance in checking account.

While expulsion of noxious fumes

from thine sphincter courtesy

brought relief as aye nonchalantly

prior to strolling inside cozy diner,

and slipped into me seat disinclined

to relate eave vents to future spouse,

the bodily aeration and stream of urine (freed to water secluded copse)

from me magic flute which,

amazingly synchronized

with the Maximus glute

after consuming food

triggered tushy to toot.

Nevertheless, shortfall of legal tender unfortunately and subsequently found yours truly shackled,

impressed, forced, et cetera

as dishwashing galley slave

dashed mine coveted bowed need for highstrung Cupid

annihilating, detonating, hexing, et cetera

opportunistic spell

to don and trumpet myself

as artful dashing romancer.

[bookofmormonmemes]

teenagers loopholing around parental convention in order to join ancient blood feud incident, 0 dead 2000 injured

[thetransatlanticphenomenon]

Our last show's playlist! "Between 1961 and 1966, the Congolese band Ry-Co Jazz produced 25 EP's..." We heard two songs from this time period in our playlist. 📻🎵🎶🎵🎶 "*Orchestre International Akweza ""Mademoiselle X"" [GABON] *Amade Cyrille & Les Volcans de la Capitale ""Ma Kpon Ne Soum"" [BENIN] *Rail Band ""Nantan"" [MALI] *Asnakech Worku ""Mengedegnaw Lebe"" [ETHIOPIA] *Zoulikha ""Ana habba nrouah"" [ALGERIA] *João Donato ""Me deixa"" [BRAZIL] *Cátia de França ""O bonde"" [BRAZIL] *Vicky ""Llorando estoy"" [COLOMBIA] *Los Robbins de La Ceiba ""La ceiba Honduras (Ceibita en verano)"" [HONDURAS] *Phyllis Dillon ""Perfidia"" [JAMAICA] *Alberto Beltran con Orchestra René Hernández ""Nuevas Ansias"" [DOMINICAN REPUBLIC] *Alberto Beltran con La Sonora Matancera y Otros ""Todo Me Gusta De Ti"" [DOMINICAN REPUBLIC] *Ry-co Jazz ""Maria De Mi Amor"" [CONGO] *Ry-co Jazz ""Mawa"" [CONGO] *Toots & The Maytals ""Monkey Man"" [JAMAICA] *Bembeya Jazz National ""Fatoumata"" [GUINEA] *Bembeya Jazz National ""Boiro"" [GUINEA] *Toots & The Maytals ""Reggae Got Soul"" [JAMAICA] *Marcia Griffiths ""Mark My Word"" [JAMAICA] *Marcia Griffiths ""Feel Like Jumping"" [JAMAICA] *Willie Colon & Ruben Blades ""Plástico"" [PUERTO RICO/PANAMA]" #communityradio #kcsbfm #rycojazz https://www.instagram.com/p/CLDoDqwg7N-/?igshid=1axnd5le5zgpn

[skyguyed]

cool crap i did this year

like honestly im pretty proud of myself; this year i visited three new countries and did lots of things that challenged me or were totally unique so let me toot my own horn here with some stuff i did

iceland

planned a whole road trip around the ring road and did it!

drove in a volcanic lava field through the snow

stood under a waterfall

found COLUMNAR BASALT like IRL DA:I

tried three (3) beers when i don’t generally drink beer

walked on a glacier

rode a horse across a river

italy

went in a cable car up a volcano

got my great-grandfather’s birth certificate despite speaking no italian

spent a day in rome entirely by myself

successfully navigated the train to naples by myself

took the train to sicily across the strait of messina via ferry

china

flew across the world (18 hours) by myself

ordered shanghainese street food despite speaking no chinese (had help from sister @en-perpetua and chinese-speaking friends, also pointing lmao)

stayed in a hotel room by myself

went up on a glass floor in a skyscraper

had a baijiu drinking contest with a local and won....kind of

rode the bullet train

got on a human-propelled river boat

thought i was gonna try stinky tofu, actually smelled it, then didnt!!

bonus: chicago

went to star wars celebration with @the-strongest-stars

braved a snowstorm

successfully navigated public transit with two dead phones and directions on a napkin

successfully transported a frozen deep-dish pizza through tsa

anyway im done bragging now but sometimes i feel like a complete failure when in truth i’ve actually done and accomplished quite a few cool and worthwhile things in this year alone so yeah. high five, self.

if you want, tell me some cool things u have done this year, travel related or not!

or make a post and tag me in it, i wanna see. let’s fuckin appreciate our lives, y’all.

[habitableplanet2020]

Not to toot my own horn AGAIN, but the most impressive and unique thing about me has to be my stable climate, which makes my body habitable for my human population. Sunlight is the key to this stable climate. As you are reading this, my body is receiving 170 quadrillion watts of energy from the sun, which arrives in sunlight, a small number of UV rays, the large majority of which is absorbed by the aforementioned ozone layer, or infared light. My body absorbs around 70% of this sunlight, and then heats it up internally, until it radiates that light back out as heat into the atmosphere. This process of reflecting light back out into the atmosphere depends on the existence of ice and ice caps on my surface, which does a great job of reflecting light out. Without the atmosphere to trap this heat, my body would be an icy graveyard, and absolutely uninhabitable. Greenhouse gasses are also integral to this light equation, and thus the stability of my climate. CO2, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and ozone are all greenhouse gasses that trap heat in the atmosphere and keep it from escaping into into space. Water vapor is important for its ability to blanket the earth, as it is an exceptional trapper of heat. It also helps trigger the hydrological cycle of evaporation and precipitation, which deliver water back to the earth so that more water vapor can be created. This cycle helps regulate my temperature, by cooling and re-heating via the reproduction of blanketing water vapor. Methane is important for its ability to react with oxygen in the atmosphere, which in turn creates more carbon dioxide and water. The processes I have begun to describe are examples of positive and negative feedback loops that produce and destroy certain natural entities and thus effect my stable climate. The plate tectonics feedback loop, which delivers fresh minerals into my body through the process of continental crust creation at mid ocean ridges and volcanoes, allows for the reaction of carbon dioxide with fresh minerals due to processes of erosion and change over time. The geological carbon cycle is another example of a temperature stabilizing feedback loop, in which the erosion of minerals in my body reproduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions. Light absorption and then distribution by the ocean, ice caps, and atmosphere as previously mentioned is also an example of a feedback loop. These processes all work together to ensure that my climate is stable. 

[beautifulmars]

Flow on the Rim of Tooting Crater

This oblique view shows a small part of the near-rim ejecta from Tooting Crater. The flow extending from upper left to lower right looks much like a typical lava flow, but doesn’t emanate from a volcanic vent. Instead, this must be either melted rock from the impact event, or a wet debris flow from melting of ice. The surface is dusty so color variations are minor. 

[thedesperatehousehusband]

Deuces

WARNING! This one may get a little intense for some readers.

As you know, I am not one to socialize or have meetings in the bathroom at work. In and out. No chit chat at the urinal. No eye contact coming out of the stalls. I have been pretty successful in accomplishing that life goal of late. But if today is an omen of things to come, I am in big, big trouble.

There must have been something in the water. Or maybe a full moon. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. There was a lot going on in the john today.

This morning I went into the bathroom just for a quick potty break. I really, really had to make it speedy because something was amok. Thankfully I do not know who was in the stall but I would recommend that person get himself to a gastroenterologist. Pronto. Knowing the person would have been a real tragedy. Like gouge your eyes out awful. I walked in to do my business and it sounded like an earthquake. Loud, echoing flatulence. Lengthy splarples, as Juan and I like to call them. I hope that it was food poisoning because if that’s how this person normally poops I am concerned for him. And it just went on and on. The whole time I tinkled and washed my hands. Consistent, boisterous, volcanic farts and explosive defecation.

It actually made me laugh because that’s just who I am. It also reminded me of the scene in The Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy. When the Klump’s are sitting around the table just letting them rip one after the other. That’s basically what it was like except it was only one person. A person who literally shit out his spleen.

Who’s grossed out? Hopefully most of you.

At the end of the day, I had a second experience. Nothing like the morning encounter but was kind of the icing on the cake. I was in the gym in the basement at work and there was another dude changing. As he was getting ready, he farted like three times. Stinky, stinky farts. It was as if I was invisible. He didn’t try to mask it. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has moments where little toots slip out but this was not a slip. It was a push ‘em out, shove ‘em out, waaaaaaaaaay out kind of moment.

That was my day. I am strangely compelled to eat broccoli and baked beans. I’m not entirely sure why.

[robngay]

Azores trip 4/15-4/25, 2017 / First 3 days, Faial & Pico

April 15, 2017

We caught the bus to Logan and had dinner before the 10:00 flight to Ponta Delgada Azores on the island of Sao Miguel. Chan and Marilyn Lyell arrived in mid dinner and the hoot of the toot started. The plane was an hour later taking off but no matter.

We landed in Ponta Delgada at 7:15AM Azores time, after a 5 hr flight, in time to catch a 45-minute flight to the island of Faial (22 km long and 15 km wide). There are nine islands in the Azores group and we did not have a clue about any of them.

At the small airport we had to wait a bit for the Hertz representative to drive up with our small car. Two of our bags were to sit in the car with us. The 15-minute drive to the hotel was cramped, but given the size of the roads we were to navigate, the smaller the car the better.

We drove to the small town of Horta. The Hotel do Canal overlooked the harbor which was good sized and hidden behind a good breakwater. All of the islands we saw were the same design: on the shore of volcanic slopes there is no such thing as barrier islands…you build a breakwater and hope it will hold being 800 miles from the nearest mainland. One of Horta’s claims to fame was that it was the mid-Atlantic stop for the first trans-Atlantic cable and an airport for the Pan Am float planes. It is now the gathering center for ocean crossing yachts where yachtsmen meet at the “famous” Peter’s Café Sport (a bit underwhelming).

Trying to stay awake, we found the hotel bar and ordered some sandwiches. It was a bad beginning as the service was slow and you could barely find the tuna fish between the dry bread, but it was Easter Sunday and nothing else was open, so we cut them some slack. We walked the harbor. Apparently a lot of sailors do visit Horta. There were two 100-foot sloops on one dock. One custom is to have visiting boats paint a 2’ x3’ picture for good luck, on the pier, and this offers a half mile of great viewing.

After a brief nap, we picked a local restaurant, Canto do Doca, for dinner: much better. We were surprised, but enjoyed pieces of raw fish served to the table. Each of us was given our own steaming flat lava stone and we cooked our own meal. Half way through the, they delivered new hot rocks, and we enjoyed a great meal of swordfish, tuna, octopus, squid, chicken, shrimp, and beef this way.

Day 2 After a pig out breakfast at the hotel, we started driving westerly. There was very little traffic with tractors and cattle often slowing the traffic flow. There were small garden plots, grazing pastures, and hay fields everywhere. There is no sprawl as the land is saved for farming. The overwhelming initial sense one gets are the stonewalls of black lava rock. Plots as small as 300 square feet are wrapped with five-foot tall walls to keep the wind out, cows in, and to use up some of the many lava rocks on the island.

We took one of the many small turnoffs and drove down to the shore to where a 400’ monolith rock stood. There were flowers growing wild and a nice picnic area. We were to find out that the Azores do picnic parks very well. Since we were before the summer tourist season, there were few people to use them.

We traveled to an abandoned lighthouse at the western end of the island. It had been buried two stories high in 1957 with volcanic ash and lava and the following year saw continuous eruptions and earthquakes. By the end of 1958, the islets off the point had been connected to the mainland by flowing lava and the island of Faial became a bit bigger and the half buried lighthouse was no longer on the most westerly shore of the island. The adjoining whaling village, Porto do Comprido was completely wiped out. More than 4000 Azoreans emigrated to Massachusetts that year.

Chan swam twice in a small clear cove which once was the embarking area for the whaleboats. The water was clear, blue, inviting, and not too, too cold.

Back in the car, we wandered around trying to find the La Caldiera, the deep volcanic crater in the center of the island. The road was very narrow. The map showed no distinction between a two lane paved road and a dirt cow trail. We stopped three times to ask farmers where to go. One jovial guy apparently could not make any sense of the map but had a great time listening to us yammer. Another on a motorcycle was going from small plot to plot to re-stake the few cattle in each one, so they could have a fresh place to eat. He had no interest in discussing directions. Finally, after many turnarounds and re-dos, the road we were on grew wider and we were at the Caldiera. There was a 100’ walk through tunnel to the rim of the crater. Here we found 1,300 ft high, steep walls surrounding a 100-acre lush basin, full of moss green algae with a walking path completely around the top. It was too late in the day to start off on the long hike.

We returned to Horta and chose the local favored seafood Restaurante Genuino. Unfortunately the service was awful and the food not much better. We finished at 10:30 and fell into bed.

Day 3 Across the Horta anchorage was a five-mile channel and then the island of Pico. A 6000’ tall volcano dominates the 15-mile long Island. We splurged and hired a marine biologist - Gissella and her assistant, Pedro, to take us around Pico Island.

After a 20-minute ferry ride, we filled a jeep and headed off to the shorelines vineyards. These dated back to the 1500’s when they sold wine to the Tsars of Russia. During the 20th century the local stock succumbed to blight and only recently has the EU provided money to resurrect them. It is an impressive chore. Scrub trees needed to be cleared and the lava rocks piled into 6-foot tall barriers. Most plots measured less than 30’ by 10’. There would be 4-10 vines in each plot. Apparently the lava rock has good nutrients and the walls provide wind protection and heat for growing.

We made a quick visit to a whaling museum in Lajes do Pico, on the south shore of the island. Whaling only stopped in 1984 so it provided a second income for much of the island. At 1:00 we drove down a small road to a local cafe. We had a sumptuous traditional lunch that Chan said rivaled the Lake Titi Kaka trout lunch in South America. The rich chocolate cake and homemade blackberry liqueur finished us off.

We then traveled inland through the National Forest- very small trees, endemic birds and plants. And there were cows everywhere. The forest was not impressive but again the many lush greens were good for the eyes.

We returned to Horta and had pizza at a local dive and watched a bit of soccer on the restaurant TV. Again, we were ready for bed.

[cabaretcapricho]

Seb Toots Montreal snowboarding run 2 from Seb Toots on Vimeo.

Mt Royal is a large volcanic-related hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal immediately west of downtown Montreal, Quebec (in Canada), the city to which it gave its name.

The hill consists of three peaks: Colline de la Croix (or Mont Royal proper) at 233 m (764 ft), Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of Outremont) at 211 m (692 ft), and Westmount Summit at 201 m (659 ft) elevation above mean sea level.

Filmed and Edited by Sunset Films with Red Digital Cinema, Angenieux lenses, Tiffen Filters, Core SWX, Gopro, Cartoni, Syrp

Instagram/twitter: @sebtoots / @sunsetfilms

Sponsors: O'Neill, Red Bull, Oakley, Nitro, Lifeproof, Giro, Empire shops.

[thegreatbigtriptogreece]

Sunday 7th October - Akrotiri and the local bus, just another day in paradise

You could have been mistaken for thinking Santorini was all about the perfect image and good times. However, at one end of the island a Bronze Age town had been completely buried in volcanic ash in the 16th Century BC. In an eruption documented as being seen in China the town was hermetically sealed and preserved. The site first discovered during the hunt for materials to build the Suez canal. In 1967 proper excavations began under a specifically built roof. Each of the sites we have visited in Greece have been different. This one all about the scale and the size.

You got to walk through one of the main streets. The highlight standing in a triangle shaped courtyard surrounded by three level houses. We arrived just before 9 and spent over two hours.

After the site we walked 20 minutes down the road to visit Red beach. The volcanic activity had given Santorini red, white and black cliffs the perfect backdrops for a photo shoot. We didn’t go all the way to the beach put off by the young kiddies posing for photos and the sign which warned of falling rocks.

Instead we settled for lunch on a pier over the water. I had a seafood salad and Trout prawns Akrotiri with tomato sauce and feta cheese. The place was very picturesque with boats, blue sky and the turquoise sea.

To get back to Oia we thought we would take a taxi but it was only 10 minutes until the local bus came. So we waited for the bus and it was actually pretty straightforward to catch. Thankfully, you got on and then they came and collected your fare. The first bus took us to Fira. The driver was hilarious he got very agitated and yelled and tooted at just about every other moving object. We thought he was going to pop a valve. In between yelling he would sing loudly, slightly manic really. In Fira we hopped off and identified the next bus that went to Oia. The next driver by contrast was completely different and extremely calm.

On the way back from the bus station we called in to get some water from the mini market and I couldn’t pass up a cute boutique brewery beer called Crazy Donkey. We came home and sat on the patio. We had a lot of laughs watching the various photo shoots out the front of our place. We had about 10 couples come and pose. We took a few notes and worked on our own glamour shots.

We had salad for dinner on the patio to offset the huge lunch. We watched the sun go down. The sky absolutely beautiful. At 7.30 pm I had arranged a surprise, Kasia, the Polish Amazon, from Santorini Santo Massages arrived with her portable massage table to give us a massage. The perfect end to the day.

[amtushinfosolutionspage]

Emergency NBA Summer Vacation Watch: All-Star Break Edition

Ah yes, the February NBA drought. A cruel time in a crueler month where a week goes by with nary a game in sight. It’s natural to feel edgy, but do not lose heart, for in this desolate week can also come a golden oasis filled with sun, sand, many contemplative photos of the ocean, and at least one obligatory trip to Disneyland. It’s the NBA All-Star Break and folks, we’ve got an emergency return of NBA Summer Vacation Watch on our hands.

Patty Mills

Starting strong with the crowned king of summer vacations himself. Patty continues to be a walking billboard for board shorts and proof that you never have to go too far in this life without somehow finding a beach—they’re honestly everywhere, and Patty has been to all of them. Here he is in Hawaii spending his mid-season respite wisely, the GOAT of good times appropriately catching a goatfish with his bare hands.

Rating: Practically prescriptive. Looking at Patty Mills’ Instagram long enough will cure your S.A.D.

Evan Fournier

Here’s Evan hanging out in a hammock in the ocean somewhere. No idea what this thing is attached to, but if you told me this was what Atlantis looked like, I’d believe you.

Rating: If the Catholic Church ever considers a rebrand they should start calling heaven an all-inclusive resort and use this as the lead photo.

Hassan Whiteside

Hassan is in Jamaica, playing Bob Marley from his phone and taking videos of the sunset, swearing this has got to be the best one he’s ever seen, as one does.

Rating: A misappropriated Bob Marley quote over a green, yellow, and red peace sign that’s morphing into a weed leaf.

DeAndre Jordan

Bucking the standard winter convention of traveling toward the equator, DeAndre has instead gone all the way to literally winter itself, a.k.a. Iceland. I love to picture him riding a shaggy and determined Icelandic pony up the side of a volcanic hill to take a dip in a steaming hot spring, belting the beginning of “Big Time Sensuality” to the hrikalegt land for miles, but that’s why they pay me the big bucks to write these and inspire people.

Rating: Bolludagur, Thorrablót, and Sprengidagur, all rolled into one.

JaVale McGee

JaVale got Disneyland duty this week but he seemed to make it work, wearing some Minnie Mouse ears and taking calls in a cartoon warehouse. Contrary to what this picture might make you believe, no child was mistakenly shipped to Goofy’s Bounce House, and the Gag Factory exceeded their quota for the week.

Rating: There’s a new Mayor of Mickey’s Toontown… in town.

Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot

Où es Timothé? Il visite les Bahamas, avec un cochon nageant et un gros lézard. Ce que c’est drôle!

Rating: C’est bon!

Spencer Dinwiddie

If there’s one thing Spencer didn’t take a break from this week, it was cooking! Dinwiddie took his talents off the court and onto the soundstage kitchen with an appearance on one of his favorite shows, Rachel Ray. He made some fajitas. He said it was nice.

Rating: A lack of scorching hot sun, but a spicy sizzler that satisfies nonetheless.

Amir Johnson

Here’s my sweet prince taking care of his sweet prince at a resort somewhere (my summer sleuth skills are incredibly ravenous this time of year but also you can tell because he’s wearing an all-inclusive wristband). The ocean is just yonder, much like the return of the regular season.

Rating: Would have loved to see some smiles here but we are in a Capital Vitamin D Deprivation drought so any old cerulean scene will do.

Zaza Pachulia

I have no idea where Zaza is and don’t care. It does appear, however, that he seems to be hanging off a cliff somewhere, which is very on brand for an evil villain.

Rating: One cliffhanger I am fine to miss the ending of.

DeAndre’ Bembry

Bembry was in a pool in Miami with his stunna shades on. JK, I believe these are Gucci. I’m not going to feel too bad for him because I’ve worn a scarf every day since November, but have you ever seen a pool look so lonely? Who took this? Why aren’t they in there with him? Why isn’t anyone?

Rating: A Marco Polo match for one.

Willy and Juan Hernangómez

Juan and Willy got lost in Mexico despite being right exactly there the moment this photo was taken. It’s a sad loss for the league but a boon for Mexican telenovelas, where this drama will play out for a decade or however long it takes them to get to China and sign new deals there, whichever comes first.

Rating: It’s called ¿Hermano Dónde Estamos? and it sweeps every category of the TVyNovelas for seven years straight.

Terrence Ross

T-flight has dug himself a fine hole in Nassau and he wants the world to see.

Rating: The new move is deleting all your other photos off the ‘Gram except the ones of you on vacation, so even your lurkers feel the burn.

Danny Green

Opting to potentially road trip this past All-Star break, Danny Green tooted around the Antelope Canyons in northern Arizona. The Spurs as an organization seem to be great at vacations, likely due to a strong enforcement of a healthy work/life balance policy and employing the patron saint of putting another shrimp on this barbie called life, Patty Mills.

Rating: Probably five days and four hours less than 127 Hours, but that’s about as much time as you’d want to spend in a remote subterranean canyon anyway.

Patrick Patterson

Two Pats is making sure that you know he’s on vacation here, with only the foreground in focus and the Mexican sun shining just so on his Solo cup. While I would have loved to see a brighter top here, the look is extremely casual and true to what ends up happening on vacation: you pack with the greatest sartorial intentions but end up wearing the same thing every day.

Rating: A cameo appearance on ¿Hermano Dónde Estamos? in the dramatic role of a beach vendor selling compasses who comes too late, narrowly missing the Brothers Hernangómez.

Reggie Bullock

Here we are rounding the contemplative-staring bend of the bunch. Reggie’s getting introspective staring at one of the seas here. Hard to say where that water’s been, where it’s going, if he’ll go in it again and have to dry his feet off again before putting his shoes back on.

Rating: “You have to reach the point.”

“What point?”

“The point right before you break.”

Dewayne Dedmon

Dewayne was hanging out in the Cayman Islands, staring appreciatively out at the Caribbean Sea, at the lunch buffet set up on the lawn, at the good work the resort’s animation team is doing—basically anything he can lay his eyes on, and he’s doing so wistfully.

Rating: The sweet freedom of getting that stiff, biting plastic all-inclusive bracelet snapped on.

Allen Crabbe

Behold, Allen Crabbe, in awe and a pair of appropriately ripped jeans.

Rating: Vaya con dios.

Emergency NBA Summer Vacation Watch: All-Star Break Edition syndicated from https://australiahoverboards.wordpress.com

[flauntpage]

Emergency NBA Summer Vacation Watch: All-Star Break Edition

Ah yes, the February NBA drought. A cruel time in a crueler month where a week goes by with nary a game in sight. It’s natural to feel edgy, but do not lose heart, for in this desolate week can also come a golden oasis filled with sun, sand, many contemplative photos of the ocean, and at least one obligatory trip to Disneyland. It’s the NBA All-Star Break and folks, we’ve got an emergency return of NBA Summer Vacation Watch on our hands.

Patty Mills

Starting strong with the crowned king of summer vacations himself. Patty continues to be a walking billboard for board shorts and proof that you never have to go too far in this life without somehow finding a beach—they’re honestly everywhere, and Patty has been to all of them. Here he is in Hawaii spending his mid-season respite wisely, the GOAT of good times appropriately catching a goatfish with his bare hands.

Rating: Practically prescriptive. Looking at Patty Mills' Instagram long enough will cure your S.A.D.

Evan Fournier

Here’s Evan hanging out in a hammock in the ocean somewhere. No idea what this thing is attached to, but if you told me this was what Atlantis looked like, I’d believe you.

Rating: If the Catholic Church ever considers a rebrand they should start calling heaven an all-inclusive resort and use this as the lead photo.

Hassan Whiteside

Hassan is in Jamaica, playing Bob Marley from his phone and taking videos of the sunset, swearing this has got to be the best one he’s ever seen, as one does.

Rating: A misappropriated Bob Marley quote over a green, yellow, and red peace sign that’s morphing into a weed leaf.

DeAndre Jordan

Bucking the standard winter convention of traveling toward the equator, DeAndre has instead gone all the way to literally winter itself, a.k.a. Iceland. I love to picture him riding a shaggy and determined Icelandic pony up the side of a volcanic hill to take a dip in a steaming hot spring, belting the beginning of "Big Time Sensuality" to the hrikalegt land for miles, but that’s why they pay me the big bucks to write these and inspire people.

Rating: Bolludagur, Thorrablót, and Sprengidagur, all rolled into one.

JaVale McGee

JaVale got Disneyland duty this week but he seemed to make it work, wearing some Minnie Mouse ears and taking calls in a cartoon warehouse. Contrary to what this picture might make you believe, no child was mistakenly shipped to Goofy’s Bounce House, and the Gag Factory exceeded their quota for the week.

Rating: There’s a new Mayor of Mickey’s Toontown… in town.

Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot

Où es Timothé? Il visite les Bahamas, avec un cochon nageant et un gros lézard. Ce que c'est drôle!

Rating: C’est bon!

Spencer Dinwiddie

If there’s one thing Spencer didn’t take a break from this week, it was cooking! Dinwiddie took his talents off the court and onto the soundstage kitchen with an appearance on one of his favorite shows, Rachel Ray. He made some fajitas. He said it was nice.

Rating: A lack of scorching hot sun, but a spicy sizzler that satisfies nonetheless.

Amir Johnson

Here’s my sweet prince taking care of his sweet prince at a resort somewhere (my summer sleuth skills are incredibly ravenous this time of year but also you can tell because he’s wearing an all-inclusive wristband). The ocean is just yonder, much like the return of the regular season.

Rating: Would have loved to see some smiles here but we are in a Capital Vitamin D Deprivation drought so any old cerulean scene will do.

Zaza Pachulia

I have no idea where Zaza is and don’t care. It does appear, however, that he seems to be hanging off a cliff somewhere, which is very on brand for an evil villain.

Rating: One cliffhanger I am fine to miss the ending of.

DeAndre' Bembry

Bembry was in a pool in Miami with his stunna shades on. JK, I believe these are Gucci. I’m not going to feel too bad for him because I’ve worn a scarf every day since November, but have you ever seen a pool look so lonely? Who took this? Why aren’t they in there with him? Why isn’t anyone?

Rating: A Marco Polo match for one.

Willy and Juan Hernangómez

Juan and Willy got lost in Mexico despite being right exactly there the moment this photo was taken. It’s a sad loss for the league but a boon for Mexican telenovelas, where this drama will play out for a decade or however long it takes them to get to China and sign new deals there, whichever comes first.

Rating: It’s called ¿Hermano Dónde Estamos? and it sweeps every category of the TVyNovelas for seven years straight.

Terrence Ross

T-flight has dug himself a fine hole in Nassau and he wants the world to see.

Rating: The new move is deleting all your other photos off the ‘Gram except the ones of you on vacation, so even your lurkers feel the burn.

Danny Green

Opting to potentially road trip this past All-Star break, Danny Green tooted around the Antelope Canyons in northern Arizona. The Spurs as an organization seem to be great at vacations, likely due to a strong enforcement of a healthy work/life balance policy and employing the patron saint of putting another shrimp on this barbie called life, Patty Mills.

Rating: Probably five days and four hours less than 127 Hours, but that’s about as much time as you’d want to spend in a remote subterranean canyon anyway.

Patrick Patterson

Two Pats is making sure that you know he’s on vacation here, with only the foreground in focus and the Mexican sun shining just so on his Solo cup. While I would have loved to see a brighter top here, the look is extremely casual and true to what ends up happening on vacation: you pack with the greatest sartorial intentions but end up wearing the same thing every day.

Rating: A cameo appearance on ¿Hermano Dónde Estamos? in the dramatic role of a beach vendor selling compasses who comes too late, narrowly missing the Brothers Hernangómez.

Reggie Bullock

Here we are rounding the contemplative-staring bend of the bunch. Reggie's getting introspective staring at one of the seas here. Hard to say where that water’s been, where it’s going, if he’ll go in it again and have to dry his feet off again before putting his shoes back on.

Rating: "You have to reach the point."

"What point?"

"The point right before you break."

Dewayne Dedmon

Dewayne was hanging out in the Cayman Islands, staring appreciatively out at the Caribbean Sea, at the lunch buffet set up on the lawn, at the good work the resort’s animation team is doing—basically anything he can lay his eyes on, and he’s doing so wistfully.

Rating: The sweet freedom of getting that stiff, biting plastic all-inclusive bracelet snapped on.

Allen Crabbe

Behold, Allen Crabbe, in awe and a pair of appropriately ripped jeans.

Rating: Vaya con dios.

Emergency NBA Summer Vacation Watch: All-Star Break Edition published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[sophiewriteswordsfromfaraway]

4: TYING UP LOOSE ENDS IN CHIANG MAI

The remainder of our time in Chiang Mai was filled with class (9-5 on weekdays), lesson planning, and studying. We did, however, manage to squeeze in quite a few more excursions and moments of excitement.

(Note: this blog entry varies slightly from my usual format, but I think you’ll get the hang of it.)

THE DAILY:

Stoop Kids. Almost every night, you could find our entire group sitting and talking together on the steps of our wide, open-air hostel entrance, more affectionately known as “the stoop.” After some shared snacks and a few bottles of Chang, we would spend the evening passing the soccer ball or volleyball in the side alley, shuffling through throwback playlists, or listening and singing along to the several talented musicians in our group. After a guitar and cajon were purchased, stoop nights rocketed to a whole new level. Even a version of “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” was re-written to be “Sittin’ on the Steps of La-Mer.” By far, these nights were some of my favorite moments of our time in Chiang Mai–pure joy all around.

Arroy Dee. I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the food scene in Chiang Mai, especially for vegetarians. There were so many incredible options available just a few minutes (or seconds) walk from our hostel in the Old City, but one haunt stood out above the others: Arroy Dee. This charming little restaurant featured an open-air wok kitchen and the absolute best staff of all time. They were so kind, welcoming, and personable. They also made insanely delicious spring rolls, so what’s not to love. A rotating group of us were pretty much there every day, loudly moving the tables together and grabbing our own drinks from the fridge. (I think it is also appropriate to mention that, at the end of the TESOL course, Ryan received the superlative award “Most Likely to be Adopted by Arroy Dee,” so obviously this was a special place.)

THE WEEKLY:

Pub Trivia. For a few of us, trivia at the local Irish pub became a staple activity on Thursday nights. For some reason, attempting to answer impossibly hard trivia questions with other expats (who clearly had explosive IQ levels) and inevitably losing every single week was a perfect way to spend a few hours.

Reggae Bar. The reggae bar (mentioned previously) was also a go-to place for live music and dancing. The band, incredible as always, continually blew us away with the variety and quality of tunes. I think it’s worthy to mention that a few of us even ended up on that stage with the band on a particularly rowdy night. Long live the reggae bar.

Other weekly activities included extremely cheap and equally as relaxing Thai massages, visits to both the hectic weekend walking market and the chilled-out night bazaar, and exploring new temples around Chiang Mai.

THE ONE AND DONE:

Bua Tong. Early on a weekend morning, a few of us ventured an hour and a half outside Chiang Mai city to experience the interesting beauty of Bua Tong, or the “Sticky Waterfall.” We arrived to the forest park and made our way over to the waterfall. What makes this waterfall different from any other waterfall is both the rocks and the water. The mineral-rich water deposits calcium onto the surface of the limestone rocks, making them porous and easy to grip on to. So, not only can you admire the beauty of the rushing waterfalls surrounded by vibrant green foliage, but you can also climb directly up the front. It was a wild experience. After climbing back up the face of the waterfall, we were able to watch as an afternoon rainstorm showered down upon a blanket of lush jungle. Raw and untouched beauty.

English Camp. Our group and the other group training in Chiang Mai had the opportunity to come together to teach at an English camp in a province called Tak. These camps are common for Thai schools to host during school breaks. We taught classes, facilitated games, led dances, and got a small taste of what being an ESL teacher is like. I, along with a few other teachers, even got to lead a tour in English to a few students on a miniature train. The students were smart, funny, and well-behaved; it was such a fulfilling and reassuring experience.

Tak. Outside of our time at camp, we were also able to explore the province of Tak, three hours south of Chiang Mai. We piled in tuk-tuks and raced our way down the small market across from the riverfront. With no other foreigners in sight, we ate from street stalls and watched the glowing sunset fade into the hills beyond.

Chiang Rai. While half of our group was off exploring the beauty and hip vibes of the backpacking town of Pai, the other half piled into a van for a day trip to Chiang Rai, a city about 3 hours north of Chiang Mai. We stopped halfway at a natural hot spring bubbling up from deep in the earth. Women stood around selling baskets of eggs to drop into the steaming water and hard boil. We challenged each other to wade across the volcanic water (which we did…like champions) and hopped back in the van. Our first stop in Chiang Rai was Wat Rong Khun or “The White Temple,” an infamously whimsical Buddhist temple that is completely white-washed and studded with silver accents. It is definitely a sight to behold. Our second stop was at another color-themed temple, Rong Suea Ten or “The Blue Temple.” The outside of the temple is coated in blue and gold, while the inside walls are covered with intricate murals. Our last stop in Chiang Rai was the Baan Dam Museum or “The Black House” Museum, which is a collection of wooden and concrete buildings filled with provocative and primitive art pieces by a world-famous Thai artist called Thawan Duchanee. He uses mostly animal skins, bone, wood, shells, clay, and other earthen materials to create his unique pieces. I found the whole museum to be beautifully haunting.

Cooking Class.  One of the major highlights of my time in Chiang Mai was a class at the Thai Farm Cooking School. We started the class by visiting a local market and shopping for supplies for our day of cooking. Then, we drove out to the open-air kitchens and farm owned by the cooking school. We began by picking some chilis and other veggies from the farm and learning the methods of cooking various types of Thai rice. The rest of our day consisted of making homemade curry paste, tom yum soup, spring rolls, a curry dish, a cashew stir fry dish, and mango sticky rice. Not to toot my own horn, but it was some of the best Thai food I have had the pleasure of eating.

The Grand Canyon. No, obviously not THE Grand Canyon, but a grand canyon nonetheless. This canyon is an awe-inspiring, man-made quarry and lake. Once a little-known spot for cliff-jumpers, its rise in popularity led to several reported deaths. So, a company purchased it, implemented the necessary safety measures, and filled the lake with giant inflatables. Remember that show “Wipe-Out”? Well, it may as well have been filmed here. Blobs, slides, climbing towers, and trampolines all added to the fun and hilarity.

Graduation. Sadly, our TESOL course and time in Chiang Mai had to come to an end. We presented our last lesson plan, took our final exam, and went to an ampitheater in a local park to receive our certificates and officially graduate from the course. It was a bittersweet event, complete with speeches, superlative awards (mine was “Most Like to Bail You Out of Thai Prison”), and congratulations all around. We did it!

THE BIG NEWS:

In the last weeks of the course, we also found out the information we have been waiting so long to hear: our placement locations and schools. DRUMMMM ROLLL PLEASEEEEEE!

Seekan (Wattananunuppathum) School in the Don Mueang district of Bangkok!

Seekan is a government high school located about half-an-hour outside the city center of Bangkok. It is within walking distance of the Don Mueang International Airport, which specializes in inexpensive domestic and regional flights (aka exactly what we need.) There are about 1,800 students ranging from age 12 to age 18.

So,

AWAY WE GO TO DON MUEANG!

[nataliemariesjourney]

Iceland - February 2017

A trip to Iceland. The mysterious island of fire and ice. It’s been on our bucket list for as long as we can remember and so six months ago we finally decided it was time. We explored loads of different options but as soon as we saw Rent.is we were sold! Having the flexibility to drive wherever we wanted (except of course the highlands) so that no matter where we ended up, we would have our own little space with us – what more could you want? WiFi, you say? Look no further! There is WiFi in the van and it was ten times better than ours back home in Scotland.

Arriving at Keflavik airport, we were frantically looking out of the window, waiting to see the land we had been waiting years to see! Unfortunately, we only saw the runway and landed in weather much like the weather we were used to back home but fortunately, picking up our little home for the week was effortless and we were off on our little adventure before you could say “Eyjafjallajökull”. We grew up hearing of the sagas, being close to and regular visitors to Orkney, and they had turned us into adventurers ourselves so finally venturing to Iceland was a huge deal for us.Top Tip: Buy the Premium Insurance Package when booking your camper. 

The weather can change very suddenly in Iceland and you want to make sure you’re covered for most things. It also lowers your self risk so you don’t have to worry about credit card limits (Thanks to Eleanor for the help with that one!)

We kicked off our road trip by heading north towards Borgarnes – home of The Settlement Center and a definite must see! It’s a great place to start off where you can learn all about the first settlers of Iceland and the famous Egil’s Saga, written by Iceland’s greatest viking chieftain and poet. Here we learned about the ‘Locatify SmartGuide’ which took us to a number of cairns dotted around the town marking important locations mentioned in the saga. This is also where we did our first food shopping in Iceland. We thoroughly recommend Bónus over all the other stores as it seemed to be the cheapest!A perfect follow up to Borgarnes would have to be the Golden Circle, especially now accompanied by the Smart Guide app and lots of snacks! It guided us round the road (thanks again, on board WiFi) passing some amazing places like þingvellir national park.

We had previously read that it was home to the oldest existing parliament in the world – named Alþingi – going right back to the good old vikings, and so of course it was on our list of things to do! Then on to Geysir, home of the geyser…no seriously! This place is the reason for the other worldly natural phenomenon’s name across the globe and we probably could have stayed here all night, just watching. It’s awe-inspiring and just pretty darn cool!

THE SECRET LAGOON

We started our next day with our first dip in a geothermal pool. The ‘Secret Lagoon’ or ‘Gamla Laugin’ – meaning ‘old basin’ – is no longer a secret but has not lost it’s charm. It was an amazing experience and one which we would one hundred percent recommend! Swimming around with volcanic sand between your toes while a local geyser erupts every few minutes sending streams of more hot water into the pool – What more could you want? Word of warning though – it’s hotter than you would usually run your bath! They let us camp out in their carpark so we were first in in the morning too! It’s the oldest swimming pool in Iceland and by far the best!

After we were washed and cleaned, it was time to make our way along the southern edge of the ring road. First stop: Vík, where we stretched our legs and had a quick lunch before carrying on our journey. Vik is said to be the rainiest place in Iceland and it sure lived up to it’s reputation as it was  cold and raining both times we passed through it. (It could give the west coast of Scotland a run for it’s money!)

We have to say, the best part about the camper was waking up to absolutely stunning views – no matter what the weather and no matter the location. Best of all was probably waking up and seeing the massively beautiful Skaftafellsjökull – a huge glacier visible, like most, from the Ring road. We rose early that morning and made our way towards it, mesmerised by the sheer size of this great barrier of ice. I don’t think there could be anything better to do in the morning and we had the whole place to ourselves. A spectacular sight to behold, especially with a cup of tea in hand! On our way back to the Skaftafell Centre we made sure to make use of the facilities, including using the sink in the washing and drying room to wash our pots and pans and grabbed ourselves some coffees for the road.

JÖKULSÁRLÓN ICE LAGOON

Next up was Jökulsárlón. Probably the most popular glacier lagoon which you actually pass on the Ring road. You can take a walk from the visitor centre here down to the coast line and watch icebergs battle their way towards the sea after breaking off from the glacier, Breiðamerkurjökull. This is also one of your best chances to spot seals on your trip as they’re often seen chilling out on the ice.

The icebergs here are incredible and just standing, watching, you can hear them creaking as they move about and smash into each other. The lagoon itself is not that old and actually a result of the warming climate but at 250 meters deep, it’s the deepest lagoon in Iceland and a place we recommend you save lots of time for.

A very brief stop over in Höfn was next (probably the funnest place name to pronounce by the way!) and after realising we were too late and everything was already closed we decided to head back along the road, finally spotting a few reindeer by the road side, before setting up camp for the night.The next morning there was sun. We could actually see the sky! Deciding to make the most of this weather, we went for a walk along Fjaðrárgljúfur, a great canyon in the Katla geopark, and took in the crazy heights and views of this ancient gorge. Of course the wind had picked up by this point, as had our appetites, so we headed back to our little home on wheels for lunch. Driving east we had spotted a few huge waterfalls (including Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss) which we were desperate to visit on our way back and so we kept our eyes peeled until eventually we spotted the familiar ‘foss’ (meaning waterfall) on the road signs and made our way towards them.Top Tip: If you’re looking for a nice dry visit, maybe don’t get too close to the waterfalls. On the other hand, if, like us, you don’t care about getting wet and muddy, do a circuit of those bad boys and get behind them if possible. It’s totally worth it and a bit weird, like looking at a painting from inside the frame…

REYKJAVIK CAMPING

As we approached Reykjavik we were desperate for a nice hot shower…or maybe we could find a geothermal pool? Look no further than Laugardalslaug Swimming Pool. We wandered in like lost little lambs and out pop some very friendly locals to show us the way. A nice relaxing hour or so spent in their 40 degree baths and steam rooms and we were good to go….and get lost in the city centre.Honestly, we’re usually very good with map reading but could not make sense of where we were…Finally we found what we were looking for – The Settlement Exhibition. An original tenth century long house still stands here, although now beneath the street level, and is now surrounded and protected by an underground exhibition detailing life during Viking times.Continuing with our viking adventure, we headed towards the Saga Museum and dressed up like the locals once would have. I like to think we would have fitted in quite well…The models in this museum have all been life-casted from local people which initially can be quite scary when you turn around thinking someones standing behind you but actually, it’s just a life-casted man in his late 30’s holding an axe. The models were so real that we thought there was a man sitting watching a short film for the whole duration of our visit, obviously so enthralled by the show that he hadn’t managed to move for the past hour…

We’d been invited round for Sunday dinner at a local’s house tonight so we whipped out the Sat Nav and made our way towards her family home. Upon arrival we were gifted with lovely Icelandic woollen hats which had been knitted especially for us – perfect for the cold weather we’d expect when we returned home! A Sunday Roast in Iceland is slow cooked lamb with a delightfully creamy sauce, potatoes and an assortment of vegetables. Foodie tip: ALWAYS try the lamb!It was late by the time we left their home and so we decided to look for the campsite we’d heard about. Right next to the swimming pool we visited this morning? SCORE! Upon arrival the campsite seemed to be closed so we popped in to the neighbouring hostel to ask about it and were directed into a field full of other campers and motorhomes. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with R….RENT.is!! (By the way, it is customary that when passing another explorer in a rent.is camper van, you give a little toot and a wave – you’re family now)In the morning we were guided (thankfully) around Reykjavik with our wonderful host from the night before and her daughter who was “starving”. This meant we got a wonderful locals tour of the city AND a stop at the famous Icelandic hot dog stand. We were told to get one with ‘the lot’ on it and quite frankly, I could have eaten the whole hut they were that good! Anybody care to share the recipe?

Whales of Iceland was up next. A museum filled with life size models of these gentle giants who grace our coastlines. We would have loved to see whales for real but were told before we arrived that February wasn’t a great time for spotting them in Iceland and so instead of heading off in a boat, we headed off to the world famous Blue Lagoon for our last chance at bathing in our new favourite geothermal pools.Iceland is a mysterious and beautiful wonder of the world and one which, for us, could only be captured with the freedom we had on the road. Our camper van was the perfect accompaniment to our journey and made our whole trip easy and stress free. We wanted to stay longer so we can’t wait to one day return to this wonderful island and explore some more!P.S. I miss our wee van!