ABBA, IKEA, Blondes...SWEDEN!!!

Ok so I haven't seen the first two- but I've seen my fair share of blondes.

Willkommen to Goteborg, Sweden! I arrived here by ferry yesterday afternoon. It's a great little city on the west coast. I've found there's quite a lot to see here despite it not being a huge city.

I checked into my private room with my own bathroom in a hotel not far from the train station. I'm so excited to have a clean bed and shower! It also includes breakfast which is more meats, cheeses, some raw veggies, muesli, yogurt and cornflakes. It's funny, but cornflakes are everywhere from Iceland to Scandinavia. They love em.

Today I walked to the older neighborhood called Haga. There are cobble stoned streets with small clothing boutiques, vintage shops, sidewalk cafes and more. I picked up a jaunty little hat in one of the vintage stores for my personal souvenir. The cafes are adorable. Most have some sort of counter to order from and then you can sit outside or in by a window watching the people. Lunch options are decidedly un-Scandinavian with things like tomato soup, salads or my selection today which was some kind of lentil cake, hummus, cabbage and tzatziki sauce rolled in a pita.

Following lunch I went a little further to find the Botanical Garden. It was a really big place with everything from trails through the woods to flower gardens. They had the most amazing dahlias I have ever seen. They were all different colors, shapes and some were the size of dinner plates- huge! While I was walking one of the trails I saw a giant hare. This was no ordinary bunny. This guy was straight out of Alice in Wonderland (except for being brown). He didn't have a bushy tail either, but he had a tail that looked like the white tailed deer I've seen up north. He leapt across into the woods while I scrambled for my camera. Unfortunately I was too slow so he will remain a myth. Walked around until I saw the dark clouds rolling in. I just made it to the gate when it really came down. I stood under shelter for a while until I just couldn't stand anymore.

Now I have walked A LOT since I've been travelling. When I get to a new place I scope out the map and I'm quite proud of my navigational skills. I got myself to Haga and then to the Garden. The problem is that I was now in a position of needing to walk back ill-prepared for rain. Today was the day I decided to get all cute in a dress and leggings with my (cute slingback and not white trash style) crocs as opposed to army green pants and lesbi-gal hiking boots. Walking through the rain it became apparent to me that this was something I should remember. Walking in the rain is another one of those things you do when you're a kid and it's fun. So I sloshed around on the streets of Goteborg and as I neared my hotel I looked for a cafe. The rain had stopped and I was drying out but I needed a latte and berry cake with whipped cream please. A treat always make everything better.

Exploring

Today I set out to explore the very brief taste I would have of Denmark. I walked along the pedestrian street next to the river canal. It's lined with lots of small cafes where you can sit outside and people watch.

I made my way up to the Aros Museum. It's a fantastic modern structure with several floors of exhibits. They had a special exhibit with photography from a Danish man that photographed Americans. He started in the 1970s and has followed people through their lives. It was really fascinating and I spent quite a bit of time reading about his travels.

I also visited Den Gamle By. This is a recreation of an old Danish town as it was around 1700s. A lot of the buildings were originals and had displays of old wares in them. It reminded me of St Augustine back home but way less touristy. It was fun to walk around and imagine life as it might have been here.

Den Gamle By sat next to a botanical garden so I wandered around and got a little bit of nature in the middle of the city.

Tonight I'm taking it easy back at the prison doing my own laundry. Ah- life on the road. Tomorrow I'll take a train up to Frederikshavn where I'll take a 3 hour ferry to Sweden.

Somebody send a little wish out that the train has 1st class!

Assault to the senses

You know that feeling when your foot falls asleep and as you're moving it slooowly to get the blood flowing it's all pins and needles? Well that's what it felt like to leave the natural, wild beauty of Faroes and arrive in Arhus Denmark.

After leaving the ferry which arrived in Esjberg Denmark, I took a bus to the train station. I finally got my shiny, new Eurail Pass stamped for travel. I got on my first train which took 1 1/2 hours to get to a connecting train. Upon boarding my connecting train I threw myself into a seat and let my pack fall to the floor at my feet. The ticket guy came around and I flashed my "I can go anywhere" Pass. He says to me, "Ah your pass is valid for 1st class. We have 1st class on this train just up to the next 2 cars. We have coffee, newspapers and danish." (I wanted to giggle and say you have Danish in the train in Denmark but I restrained myself) Let me first explain that I didn't intentionally buy a first class rail pass. When I purchased it there was only 1 option for the Global "I want to see 22 countries in 2 months by myself" Pass. They have 2nd class options for students, people travelling together, etc. I guess Eurail presumes that if you're throwing down for the mac daddy rail pass you should be travelling in style- right before you check into a hostel. So I gathered my stuff together and made my way to the plush chairs. I was the only one in there with a huge pack but I didn't care. They had hot coffee and bottled waters. The guy came around with a basket of apples, crackers and Valrona chocolate squares. Oh yeah- first class is goood.

The train brought me to Arhus. This is the second largest city in Denmark. When I left the train station I stepped out into the harsh jungle that is modern civilization. There is a university here so lots of young people. A lot of cars but a lot of people riding bicycles.

I took the local bus to my hostel- City Sleep In. Now at first glance the place looks kinda seedy. At second glance it's just not great. The place reminds me of a school for delinquents. There are several rooms to hang out in with brightly colored walls and worn out furniture. The kitchen is really bright but the fridge is pretty gross. I put a small package of brie in there and worried it might come out with something growing on it. My room is 6 bunk beds and I got a lower bunk this time. I'm sharing with a very cool girl from Sweden that just moved here to study to be a doctor. She's looking for apartments since she'll be here 6 years.

The shower facilities are pretty scary. There's one toilet and one shower room at the end of the hall for EVERYBODY. I finally broke down for a shower and it's the scariest place I've been on my trip.

I'm missing my beautiful nature but finding beauty in the city is a great new adventure.

My new Sunday ritual

Today I was determined to spend my last day in Faroes seeing another island. I hopped the bus to the northernmost island Nordoyggjar to see the town Klaksvik. It took an hour and a half driving through spectacular roads where the land rises up sharply from the water and waterfalls tumble back down to the sea. This is the kind of country where the bus has to stop to let sheep cross the road. The road system is marvelous including a subsea tunnel with exposed rock walls. I got to Klaksvik and got out to walk around. It was Sunday so everything was closed, raining and cold (just breaking 50 deg fah). I walked around a bit and determined it was not exactly one of the quaint villages so I grabbed the bus back the next hour. I had seen a Faroese art museum at the edge of the little forest that was opened today so decided to go there.

The art museum had a great permanent collection with local artists in different mediums both old and new. I really enjoyed it. As a weird observation the floor was made from wood shaped like bricks. It was very unique.

After I left the museum I was heading back to the forest path when I heard it. The sweet sound of a crowd and athletes warming up. Hooray!! It was soccer time! I went to the field and this time it was a proper game with a home team and away team from another island. I arrived just before it started. I asked the guy selling tickets if I could buy 1. He asked me which team I was for. So I asked him what team he might recommend. He sold me the ticket for the home team (HB in the red/black stripes) and asked me where I was from. When I told him he asked what in the world I was doing there. I casually admitted I came to Faroes to watch futbol of course! He checked on me at halftime to see if I was enjoying the game and to make sure I knew which team I was rooting for.

This makes the second Sunday in a row I've caught a soccer game. I'm beginning to think this is a sign.

After the game (my team won!) I was hungry again since I survive off mixed nuts, a banana and the fuel from my free breakfast so I headed to town. I was really craving something familiar and healthy. I remembered seeing a Faroese Japanese cafe that looked very modern and interesting. It is decorated sparingly with orange and black accents in an Asian meets Ikea way. I ordered green tea, miso soup and vegetable sushi. The vegetable sushi included snow pea, tofu pouch and roll with asparagus, cucumber. It was exactly what I was craving and I was recharged. Sitting there sipping my tea, browsing a Danish gourmet magazine (looking at the pictures) and listening to Portishead overhead was another one of those quiet zen moments that will go in the archive.

Now I'm waiting to get on the ferry that will leave at 1:30am to take me to Denmark. Faroes have been exotically beautiful but I'm seriously craving some warm, dry weather. Hopefully Scandinavia will deliver and I can finally wear some different clothes!

A walk through the forest

I'm so used to taking walks now that after my quiet day yesterday of looking in a few stores and sitting around I needed to get out and stretch my legs. I figured there had to be more to Torshavn than what I had experienced. I pulled out the little city map and there it was. A green patch up in the corner with little trees. I mapped the route and set out. I finally came upon the little path that started along a stream and wound its way into a little forest. There were small paths that led to open enclosures with large boulders for climbing or sitting on. There were small benches to rest on facing the creek. There were adorable little footbridges crossing the creek. At the edge of the forest was the soccer field where I watched a bit of the practice. It was set apart from the city up the hill a bit so was very peaceful. It was a great way to close out my day. I said goodnight to nature and headed back to my cozy room.

Another homage to eating

I have found that travelling in foreign countries can be quite exhausting to the old budget. One of the most interesting ways to take a slice out of expenses is to be creative with meals. As I have readily admitted I'm super excited about eating. One of the first things I like to do in a new place is check out the market. Of course eating in a sit down restaurant is ok- but there's nothing like the quest through the aisles of a local market to decipher foreign packaging and compile a small picnic. I literally can't pass by a market without going in to see what they have.

So today I purchased some brown bread with seeds, REALLY stinky sliced cheese and lemon cookies. This is what I took to eat in my little graveyard.

Last night I sniffed out a local take away counter for fish and chips. Order at the counter, she asks if I want salted or not- hello I'm American and we LOVE sodium can I get extra. I get my order and it is wrapped in butcher paper and then newspaper. It's like I dreamed of the most charming packaging for take out and the owner read my mind. I took it back to my room (too cold to eat outside) and ate it way too fast. It was really good.

Finally this evening I found a small coffee house on the harbor with outdoor seating. I ordered a cappuccino and apple tart and went out to the patio overlooking the boats in the harbor to wait for it. The apple tart was warmed and the side was similar to a sour cream. A fantastic balance between sweet and tangy.

This is why despite all the walking I'm doing my pants still fit the same and I still can't see the cheek bones in my face. No matter- my lungs are really healthy! And when we stop to evaluate priorities isn't it only about the inside that matters?

Quiet day in Torshavn

After my ambitious hike yesterday I decided to spend today exploring downtown Torshavn. My leisurely breakfast in the hotel (included with the room cost) included delicious coffee, fruit, pear banana yogurt and a heavenly chocolate croissant.

As it turns out I'm glad I took today to look around town because all the shops will be closed tomorrow. They close today, Saturdays, at 2pm. I didn't go into many stores because I'm trying to curb my spending and my pack can get so damn heavy, but I did find a teeny little store I'm pretty excited about. It was hardly a closet of a store and I had to take off my backpack to move around, but it had the loveliest local wool items. It's a co-op where a group of women- and a few men- make all the items from local wool and sheep's horns. The lady that was working is from the Faroes and we talked for quite a while. She gave me some pointers on things to see in Sweden and we talked about this country she was born in. I had also heard about the whaling issue in Faroes that has got some outsiders pretty upset. According to what I've read- and seen some gruesome pictures of- the local fishermen wait for a small group of pilot whales to come into the bay where they kill them quickly with a knife blow to the spine. They butcher them right there and everyone in town gets a share for food. It's a tradition this culture has been doing for many, many years. She brought it up so I asked her. She said they have always eaten whale to survive but now with the ocean getting dirtier they really couldn't eat them anymore. She didn't have much more to say other than it has always been part of their culture. I did end up buying some pretty beautiful little wool items- and thus my pack gets heavier. I wanted to send some things home but, alas, post is closed on Saturdays.

I went in search of a market to buy some snacks and bumped into the SMS. Turns out Faroese have a shopping mall. I'm talking 3 stories of new clothes, cheap costume jewelry and The Body Shop. It even had a food court with Burger King. The first floor did have an amazing grocery store. I walked every aisle and let me tell you these people love their meats. My favorite was a tie between cheese and cookies. Europeans love their "biscuits". After I left the market, checked out the 2nd floor I just couldn't bring myself to look at the 3rd floor so I headed out.

Ended up at a quaint little cemetery with gravestones dating to the 1800s. How's that for extremes? Shopping mall to cemetery. I must admit it was much more peaceful amongst the non-breathing. I sat and ate my small snack listening to the wind swirl through the grass.

Live from the Faroe Islands

Now I have gotten numerous questions from people back home wanting to know what/where the Faroes are. So here goes- they are located between Iceland and Norway in the heart of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic. The archipelago is composed of 18 islands covering 545 sq. miles. One of my favorite facts about them is that at no time is one more than 3 miles away from the ocean. The population is 48,778 and Faroese is the national language. While they are owned by Denmark they are allowed to self govern and so have their own flag and parliament.

So after arriving at 4:30am this morning I bumped into an old cyclist I had met on the bus back in Iceland. We kept running into each other and he has been to Faroes before so gave me some pointers. His name is Edward (I think) and he is a physician from the Swiss Alps. He's a little Mr Magoo minus glasses and Inspector Clouseau. He talks a lot and seems to know several languages. He always wears his hard helmet so he doesn't forget it and carries several different shopping bags in addition to his bicycle (which I have yet to see him ride) and overnight pack.

He offered to walk me towards my hotel since he thought he knew where it was (he didn't) but instead we ended up at the hostel he would be staying at where he fixed me a cup of tea and I shared my cookies with him. We pored over the map to each decide where we would go when the sun came up. I was grateful to him for showing me some pointers for the bus system.

After I dropped my pack at my hotel I boarded a bus for Vagar. I got off in a little village called Sandavagur for a little look around then walked about 2km to the next town called Midvagur.

I checked in at the information center where she told me about a hiking path out around the lake next to the ocean. It would take about 2-3 hours. Now at this point I'm tired, day pack is heavy and I couldn't find the trail head, but a friend had given me some advice to never give up at the first sign of a struggle so I persevered. I ended up hiking through heather and grasses with sheep to greet me next to a beautiful lake. The hike ended at the lip of the lake which emptied into a waterfall that fell away to the ocean. It was poetry in motion. I was all alone staring out at this scenery- with the exception of some birds and sheep- to absorb all the majesty. The entire hike out and back was around 3 hours. I took my snacks (mixed nuts, apple, cheese) and took my time.

On the way back I was walking down a residential road where a man was working on the ditch. He stopped to ask me where I was coming from. He was so friendly and wanted to talk about his country with me (I think I understood half of what he said). He was very excited that I had hiked out to see the waterfall. He agreed with me that this is a most beautiful place.

I realized today that while I miss my home, there is no place in the world that I'd rather be than where I am at any given moment on this adventure.

Getting out of Iceland-

...otherwise titled "You thought I was done talking about Iceland"

Yesterday as I was getting ready to leave my guesthouse for the ferry I saw a guy with his bicycle loaded up so I decided to ask him what was up. I had seen a lot of cyclists when we were driving around and it seemed freakin' insane to me. We're talking serious weather changes, wind, zero visibility fog and steep inclines so I needed to know someone that had braved that. I asked him and he told me he was from Germany and had cycled around the south and east of Iceland some 1200km through all the weather conditions mentioned above and 8 degree Celsius weather for the last three weeks. He did say it was a beautiful way to see the country but he was really done. He was going home to Germany to try to catch some summer before it was over.

So I made it to my ferry, dropped my pack in my 4 berth shared cabin and went outside to watch Iceland fall away from me. That is, I tried to watch Iceland wistfully until some European dude decided to stand in front of my chair so I got a full view of his foreign butt. "Excuse me" I finally said very tactfully in my best American accent and he moved out. Maybe I used my British accent- whatever- I was back to my view.

Just as we get out of the bay the old Norrona starts her tipsy dance. That baby pitched and rolled like a drunk girl on Saturday night. People were walking the halls doing the zig zag and laughing (unless they were holding the freebie barf box and those people weren't laughing). Because the ferry would arrive at 4:30am I decided to get a little rest. Took a nap and then went in search of dinner. I ended up at the upscale dinner buffet which cost around $39 USD. There was the unextraordinary buffet offerings but then there was the cheese and bread selections followed by dessert. Hello Denmark!

I sat next to a window eating until I couldn't stuff another camembert or pepper crusted soft cheese down my throat looking out at a gray sea with nothing but white caps for miles. Oh yeah- it was still rolling around to the tune of the single stabilizer trying to kick in periodically. It actually was quite soothing when I went back to take my second nap.

Next up....arrival in Torshavn!

Last night in Iceland

I took the bus today back to Seydisfjordur where I will catch my ferry to Faroe Islands tomorrow.

I love this little village with only about 700 inhabitants. It was rainy and cold when I got here but I still wanted to walk around and go for a hike. There are waterfalls everywhere and some steep mountains so I put on the waterproof clothes and headed out. I looked around town a bit and then went to the local art gallery/cafe for some mocha. After getting all warmed up, rained had finally mellowed out, I went in search of a good hike. I found a path off the road going up to a small waterfall. I climbed to the top and sat there on a mossy rock, in the wind and damp, reflecting. The town looking tiny below and the sound of water tumbling next to me was a sweet melody from nature.

A side trip to a fishing village

Yesterday I got up early to catch a bus for the short ride to Husavik. This little town is best known for whale watching tours. Apparently they have a 97-99% chance of spotting whales. Well I didn't do a tour but I did spend time in the little town checking out some museums.

I started with the whale museum. They had many skeletons from all the different types of whales around Iceland. There's a smaller whale called the minke that I saw while staying at Skalanes. There's also a whale that has a single tooth that grows out of its jaw like a unicorn's horn that is really cool. Can't quite remember the name though. They also had exhibits on whaling and why it was important for the culture to feed people in the harsh winters. There was also the exhibit on sustainability and the harsh pollution of the ocean.

Next stop was the Culture House. This was very cool where they had lots of antique displays of old Iceland paraphernalia including hunting equipment, a recreated setup room of the first co-op for farmers and lots of other interesting things. Downstairs was a black and white photo exhibit and a maritime exhibition with old boats and a whale skull in the picture below on the right. It was really interesting to see how not much as changed. For instance there was a small boat used for seal hunting that was used up until about 1994.

I went to the local bakery for a little treat and got a delicious cake donut with chocolate frosting. I love these small places!

Ok so last stop in Husavik was the Icelandic Phallological Museum. Yes you read that right- a penis museum. Let the jokes begin....

So before mothers start to cover delicate children's' eyes let me explain. This place is dedicated to the scientific study of the reproductive organ of local Icelandic animals. Who am I kidding- it was a museum with pickled whale peepees. There was everything from a hamster dealio complete with magnifying glass for accurate inspection to a blue whale dingaling. For the record that thing was the size of my whole body. The owner even had lamp shades made from reindeer scrotum- the whole place was very tastefully decorated. I only stayed about 15 minutes because a girl can only absorb so much carnal science before things go blurry and you feel a weird nausea coming on.

I finished off the day back in Akureyri with a relaxing swim at the pool and just as I was going for a little walk stumbled upon the local football (soccer) game starting. I'm pretty sure it was high school. I heard music, found the field and asked what was up. Cost of admission: 1000isk- 1 ticket please. It was great fun to sit in the stands with families cheering for the boys and kids beating homemade drums, chanting for the home team. It was raining like crazy and I didn't have waterproof pants so I left after about 25 minutes but it was super cool to be a part of the spectating crowd.

Some good meals in Akureryi

Yesterday when I left my group I checked into a pretty decent hotel downtown. It felt so luxurious to have a private room, toilet and shower and my own space.

I decided it was time to check out the local food scene. There is a super cute little street with many cafes and some shops directly across the street from my hotel which is just up from the bay.

For lunch I went with the diminutive Yellow Indian Hut. A tiny little building with a walk up counter and small menu operated by an Indian couple speaking Icelandic. I love this stuff! I went with the vegetable korma. It took about 10 minutes and they presented me with the little aluminum take away containers of rice and vegetables in sauce. I actually got 2 meals out of it the portion was so generous. It was really delicious and fragrant as only Indian food can be.

Now for the last two weeks our food is provided by our hosts. We had gone grocery shopping and were responsible for making lunches to take to work and preparing our own dinners. Breakfast was usually some toast or cereal and good strong coffee. We usually always had hot tea or hot chocolate in the evening after work to accompany good talks before sleep. Lunch was usually some form of sandwich which I made with slices of Gouda and some form of cucumber or red bell pepper or a PB&J with a piece of fruit. Dinners were more fun and we ended up with some interesting concoctions. Rudolfs experimented with a coconut milk tomato sauce with vegetables to go over pasta. Don't gag- it actually worked and was tasty.

There were always hot dogs available and usually some form of beef. Yes I tried all the meat options. Icelanders LOVE hot dogs. I couldn't leave without sampling.

Dinner last night was my nicest experience yet. I had walked past a small restaurant called Rub23 that boasted sushi and fish dishes. The chef had fresh fish options and then a selection of rub marinades that you could pair with the fish you ordered. The decor of the place was super chic. A little light techno music with concrete floors, votives on the table with red accents and white tablecloths. I ordered a glass of Spanish Tempranillo which was delicious. They also brought out fresh bread with a side of seasoned sesame oil for drizzling. For a starter I went with the maki roll of arctic char, chives, black sesame and soya-chilly sauce. It was super fresh and delicious with a small dab of wasabi to accompany. For dinner I selected the flounder with a garlic coriander rub. It was pan seared with a very light crust and so moist and flaky. It was served with a small green salad (hallelujah do you know how long it's been since I've seen dark greens???) and roasted root vegetables. The salad had a sesame oil vinaigrette dressing and some carrot slivers and the vegetables were tasty. It was a superb dinner.

Reflections on the SEEDS experience

The last evening we were all together as a group Uri asked everyone what they would take away from the two weeks experience. We were sitting in the Blaa Kanann (Blue House) Cafe drinking coffee- or in my case a delicious local stout- and each person shared something special.

I have too many things to list but I'm going to share a few:

- hiking the steep hills in the fog and picking wild blueberries to snack on

- remembering how amazing it feels to lie in the grass and not care if I get dirty

- sharing jokes and being totally silly and then turning around and having a seriously good conversation with the same people

- listening to a new perspective from someone I didn't expect that challenges the way I think

- not caring how loud I laughed because it made me happy

- I had no idea how much I love to work with my hands, outdoors

I'm still sad I said goodbye to people that I learned to care for and respect in a short period of time, but I'm awfully glad I can count them as friends.

Moving on to week 2 or BIG SMALL WET DRY

The second week of our workcamp had us travelling north to the capital of Iceland, Akureyri. We stopped along the way to look at a geothermal power plant and the sulfur mud pots nearby. We also stopped for a short walk through a lava field near Lake Myvatn. Our best stop, though, was a massive waterfall where we sat right on the edge with no railing and ate lunch listening to the thundering water crash below us.

Our work this week was in the nursery next to the small forest above town. We stayed in a tiny cabin affectionately nicknamed "the box" by the girls where we had a tiny kitchen with a hot plate and mini fridge. We also had one big room with all seven of our sleeping bags and a separate common room for staying up late or eating indoors if it was raining. When our host first opened the box everyone was a little put off. There were dead flies everywhere and the toilet room was outside for public to use if they were hiking the trails. There was no shower facilities. After a minor coup we all came together and tidied the place up to make it habitable. It ended up being a favorite spot for all of us.

Work at the nursery was split into two groups. I was in the weed pulling group the first week. Our work day started at 8am and we worked until 10:15am when everybody stops for mandatory coffee break for 15 minutes. Then back to work until 12:30pm when everybody meets back at the break room again for 30 minute lunch. The work day was over at 4pm. Coffee breaks are mandatory in Iceland. Everybody comes together, takes off their shoes and has a snack and coffee. It's sociable and a nice reprieve from the manual labor.

The last 4 days I worked at a table sorting tree seedlings. The goal with the first batch was to pull the little trees out and re-sort them into new trays based on big or small size thus creating new trays. The last couple days we sorted different trees based on whether they were wet or dry. This task was so monotonous we all joked about everything being wet, dry, big, small. The fabulous thing about this was it created a very healthy environment to make it interesting. We had great conversations over the wet/dry tables. It also necessitated some form of entertainment to keep it interesting. We sang songs trying to think of the worst tunes we knew, made up lyrics and dared each other to do silly things like running to the top of the storage shed and doing 3 greek poses. These were some of the times when cultures and perspectives were most interesting.

3 course meal fit for a tourist

While we were responsible for making our own meals in the Skalanes kitchen we were occasionally treated to something the owner or British botanist volunteers cooked for us. The exception was breakfast. There were two volunteers from the U.K. studying the ecology and documenting bird life. Every single morning they made hot porridge- proper porridge. This stuff was like oatmeal only way thicker. There was always syrup and cinnamon sugar to top it and raisins if you wanted. I preferred the homemade local jam while it lasted. All of our meals were family style so it was always entertaining.
One night Olli had some paying guests he had to provide a 3 course meal for. He decided that as long as he was making it we could taste a few things. He had an arctic char starter. It was locally caught in the river in town and he cured it with spices and herbs. He sliced it super thin and layered it on buttered toast. It was very similar to salmon but much better. He also had some root vegetables he had roasted with honey and seasoning that were really good. He made a phenomenal dessert from skyr, vanilla and chocolate ice cream with a homemade rhubarb sorbet made from the rhubarb right on property. He drizzled honey over the top. It looked like an Icelandic volcano on a plate. The skyr was tart and the rhubarb sorbet was refreshing crisp.

Iceland workout

Over the course of the last two weeks I have awakened almost every muscle in my dormant body. Imagine hiking up steep vertical inclines carrying cases of small trees and buckets of fertilizer. I've practiced stepping over hidden streams buried in tall grasses and balanced my way over slick rocks to cross waterfalls. I've been thankful for waterproof boots EVERY DAY!

Want more? Ok- build a duck house. First you need the massive fallen trees transported down to the edge of the cliff. We don't need no stinkin' machinery. We got (wo)man power. It took a couple hours but we moved those things by god. It's time for sod. First load each heavy ream into the wheelbarrow and boy did I learn how to move a wheelbarrow loaded with turf. I just knew my shoulders were going to turn green and bust out of my t-shirt Hulk style. Then create the little individual duck apartments. Take a hammer, turn it around to get the claw in good on the edge and smack a piece of wood to split it into smaller pieces. Repeat over and over. Then take the boxes and attach to aforementioned heavy beam using nail and hammer. I also took a go at the sledgehammer, electric drill and a couple other medieval looking manual tools. They started teasing me that I was turning into a man and would have to buy new clothes- not for losing weight but for my massive muscles I was forming.

But all that can't compare to the cardio. One day alone we walked over 18km into town- with a detour UP a mountain to see the waterfall. My lungs are working like they'll never stop.

Skalanes as home

Skalanes is a private conservation site where the emphasis is on studying and preserving the area's nature and cultural heritage. It sits on a hill facing the ocean, mountains and cliffs behind, black sand beach with huge windswept rocks, waterfalls and the evil yet beautiful lupina plant with its blue blossoms. The farmhouse itself is almost quaint. It has a large sunroom for sitting and reading. It has a small room with a huge driftwood mantle over a couch facing a fireplace. There are fossils, animal pelts, skulls and bones, strange rocks, smooth driftwood and old bottles displayed everywhere. In addition to volunteers and naturalists that come out here to study, they also have a small tourist trade. It is no frills but the natural beauty alone is worth the exorbitant cost of staying. Fortunately we were volunteers workers so food and bunk was provided.

Our work at Skalanes started with cleaning the rocky beaches. The beaches are cleaned once per year so there was a minimal amount of trash. We mostly picked up discarded fishing equipment like ropes, styrofoam and small plastics. There are small gorges where the water from the ocean crashes against the cliffs and sea birds nest. The volcanic rock is black and slick against the bright green of the grasses. The air is wet with mist and fog and lends a most mysterious aura to this secluded place.

Our host guided us on a short walk to the cliffs and gave us a lesson in soil erosion and how the land is changing. Our next task here would be planting trees. He is very passionate and committed to his land. He doesn't do it for money but rather for love of the area.

The second day we started our work planting small tree seedlings on a steep hillside. Our host, Olli, has a long term vision where the trees will mature and protect the mountain soil against erosion and volcanic eruptions. We spent a few days in pairs planting our baby trees and walking through knee high grasses, sitting on spongy moss against a craggy rock to eat a snack and look out at waterfalls tumbling past us. To attempt to describe the natural magic of this place that seduced me is almost impossible. It didn't matter that we were working in the rain and wind. It was a beauty that inspired serenity. I worked with Rudolfs and we talked about so many things. Conversations about cultures, his passion for his country, prejudice, life's path and we laughed a lot. I heard a lot of "we have a saying in Latvia"... It's amazing how many times I had an equivalent from the US. It made me laugh every time he said it.

Our last task was building a duck house- or as we preferred to name it- the Duck Motel. Skalanes has a very active bird community. They have eider ducks that nest and then they gather the down to make blankets to sell for additional income. I slept under one of these down comforters all week. I might as well have been lying under a cloud it was so fluffy. So they needed some good nesting boxes for these guys and we were put on the task. We all got to put our hands to good use using hammers, nails and other manly tools to build this thing. I had no idea how much I loved to whack stuff with a hammer. It didn't hurt that it was a bright sunny day on the edge of a cliff looking at the ocean either.

I realized sometime during the week that I was no longer afraid to walk to the edge of these cliffs and admire the view. Somehow, standing on the precipice of epiphany I realized fear of heights or getting too close to the edge had receded so far back that it was a fuzzy memory. I walked outside late one night- almost midnight- when the light was so dim and I would've sworn I was standing on the edge of the world. There were no sounds but nature.

Where to begin when it ends

Today I said goodbye to my group. I'm sitting in the equivalent of Barnes and Noble in Akureyri drinking chamomile tea reflecting on the last two weeks. It has been an intensely awakening experience so I'm going to try to break it down into small parts to relate. I've fallen in love with nature. I realized I never really knew her before. But I digress.

Two weeks ago I made my way to our meeting place where I met our group leader and five of the other volunteers. Our leader was the youngest of our group. Rudolfs is 23 from Latvia and is a long term volunteer for SEEDS doing his internship for 3 months here for hospitality and tourism he is studying back home. I also met Guiomar from Asturias in Spain, Carmen from Madrid, Michele from Italy and Uri from Israel. Later we would meet up with Ulbina from Russia. More on everyone later...

So we left Reykjavik with our Hungarian driver cruising Road 1 around the perimeter of the country. You can't cross through the middle unless you are in an "I mean business 4x4". Starting out in a new group everyone was a bit quiet trying to figure group dynamic- except Rudolfs and the Hungarian. Both young guys, long term volunteers they sat up front planning our route including stops and, almost as important, which cd to play. We rode through rugged scenery stopping at 2 waterfalls (one of which we walked completely behind), a lagoon with floating icebergs, the biggest glacier in Iceland and countless petrol stations for snacks and toilet. All of this to the sounds of Nirvana, Coldplay, The Doors and a little Hungarian gangsta rap. We arrived in Seydisfjordur almost 10 hours later. At the very end of the fjord is a little privately owned conservation site called Skalanes. We had to switch from our minivan to a 4x4 to cross the rivers and traverse the rugged road. It was late and the light was low, a quiet fog hung mysteriously on the cliffs that would be the backdrop of our home for the next week.