When Anders first suggested Iceland for our summer vacation trip, I wasn’t all that enthusiastic. It’s expensive. People mostly go there for the scenery and outdoor activities. It’s small. But the more I’ve learned and read and heard, the more excited I’ve started to get about it. I’ve seen Jeanine’s photos and heard colleague’s accounts and it sounded lovely but what was there really to do for someone who doesn’t do bathing suits and isn’t thrilled at the prospect of horseback riding or nature hiking for days on end?
I’ve heard Iceland compared to the moon and heard that it’s like no other place on earth and photos certainly seem to bear that out, so maybe going there just for the natural beauty is enough. But I tend to like vacations where there’s a little more on the agenda. So we’ve scheduled a guided tour of the Golden Circle where we’ll get to see the original Geysir (the one that all other geysers are named for) and the Gullfoss waterfall and some other lovely things, and we’ve scheduled a whale & puffin watching boat tour (yay seasickness!) and we’ve planned 2 nights around the southeast end of the island and we’ll stop and see things along the way. And of course, we’ll go to the Blue Lagoon, though I’m not 100% the hefty entrance fee is worth it.
Iceland, despite the ongoing economic crash, and the devaluation of the krónur, is still plenty pricey. I can’t do any of the conversion math in my head. Things cost TENS OF THOUSANDS of Icelandic krónur. It’s like what I remember Italian lire doing before, though I’m not sure they still do. 1 million krónur equals 55,128 Swedish kronor, which is $8,588.11 … $1.00 / SEK 6.41 / ISK 115.88
So the prices are giving me palpitations and even Anders’ conversions don’t do much to lessen the panic, as even SINGLE THOUSANDS equals a lot of frickin’ money. Anyway, too late to back out now. We have plane tickets (non-refundable) and downpayments paid on hostels booked for both Rejkjavik and Hofn and 2 tours booked and paid for.
We’re going to Iceland!
And I found this, isn’t it cool? http://www.reykjavikcentermap.com/
So I can look to see what kind of shopping is available and where all the art galleries and museums and sights that don’t require special outdoor equipment are. 🙂
A few days after we get back, my mom arrives and maybe my brother will have a baby by then! Whee! Good things!
More Good Things
♥ Strawberries & cream
♥ Re-reading a fantastic book I haven’t read since college: Was by Geoff Ryman
♥ Swedish summer sunshine
♥ Ripe raspberries and ripening cherries in our backyard!
♥ Gigantic Bombardier June Bugs!
♥ Electric fans
♥ 2.5 more days of work before vacation starts!
♥ iPad puzzle/quest games
♥ The extremely clean & empty garage (Yay Anders!)
♥ So many things thwacked off my to-do lists!
Tomorrow I am going in for the allergy operation-treatment thingy. I am still scared of it, but I’m trying not to think about it and just go and get it over with in the hopes that it will work and make things better and I won’t be stuffed up all the time and can quit blowing my nose TENS OF THOUSANDS of times a day. That might only be a thousand times in Swedish terms, but still: enough, already.
Bombardier Bug Attack! Belated Birthday Wishes to thehula and verian!