Ísland

Hátíðalilja

Something about an ad that came from the Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto got me to thinking  … airfare, hotel, and an excursion  … a few days in Reykjavík … I could make it to coincide with a week off between semesters … time it for just after my birthday.  A mere 48 hours to make up my mind.  Quick consultations with Errol and Cait and a few minutes dealing with Icelandic Air and there I had it … a week in Iceland scheduled for the last couple of days in April and a few days in the first week in May. Happy Birthday to me!

Tjörnin

Once it came time for me to get serious about leaving, it was the busy part of the semester, with lots of marking, meetings, and a myriad of odds and ends that need to be done around a house in Spring.  So, I wasn’t terribly organized or prepared.  I had a few pages of family history that I’d gotten from Nelson Gerrard years ago but hadn’t really studied closely and so I included those, along with my camera.  The day before I left, there was a gathering of the London members of the Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto at Ardath Finnbogason-Hill’s house, and several folks gave me advice on things to see and do.

Harpa

Iceland Air has a nice set-up that allows a person to fly overnight and arrive in Reykjavik in the early morning.  It was lovely to check in to my hotel, the Nordica, at 9 a.m. and have a nice breakfast and a wee nap before heading out to explore the city.

It was May Day, so most things were closed, but I got a chance to see a parade and I walked down to the harbour and all the way back to the hotel via the Harpa, the newly opened concert hall and convention centre and the landmark church, Hallgrímskirkja.  I was a little pooped by the time my meandering took me back to the hotel, as there are some hills in Reykjavík … who knew? I checked my itinerary and realized the excursion was bright and early the next day, so tried to get some sleep, which was a bit hard due to time difference and lengthy daylight hours.

The band played 'Fernando's Hideaway'

The next morning, after a bit of a wait for a couple of sleepyheads, four intrepid Canadians and Vili, our guide,  headed off to explore some sights.  We deviated from the itinerary a bit, but did get to see Þingvellir, the site of the original icelandic parliament.  It is also the site of the rift valley between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and the continental drift that is causing Iceland to grow a bit every year. We went to a couple of waterfalls, Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, and to Langjökull, a large glacier and to Deildartunguhver Geothermal Spring and had a bowl of yummy Kjötsúpa or lamb soup at Meat soup at Húsafell. It was a good day. 

Icelandic Horse

Hraunfossar

Deildartunguhver

Vinarterta Mountains near Langjökull

Kjötsúpa

The next day found me heading off to a horse farm near Reykjavík.  I had read so much about how clever and spirited and wonderful the Icelandic horses are and had seen a few videos of the tölt, the fifth gait that Icelandic hoses have.  My horse, Verður, was a handsome guy, but I wouldn’t say we established the most effective working relationship.  We did get into tölt, very briefly several times, but getting there was elusive and remains a mystery.  I spent the afternoon at Blue Lagoon (Bláa lónið), a lovely thermal pool situated in the lava fields with water supplied by a nearby geothermal power plant.  The pool is huge and the minerals and silica are supposed to be very good for the skin.  Lots of people stop there on their way to the airport; it would likely ensure a very relaxed and mellow flight home. Good timing on my part, because when I wasn’t tölting, I was going bumpety-bump and I would have had a hard time sitting for a few days, if I hadn’t spent a couple of hours in the 38 °C water.

Rest Stop on our Ride near Laxnes

Verður, after our ride

Blue Lagoon (Bláa lónið)

Well, the next day was the absolutely best day and deserves a whole post of its own, but I will put it here for continuity’s sake.  I took an early morning flight to Egilsstaðir, in Eastern Iceland. One evening I had finally taken the documents Nelson had sent me and tried to make sense of them.  I had so much trouble identifying anything I could find on a map, but finally it came clear that my maternal grandfather’s side of the family had come from Western Iceland, while my grandmother’s family had come from Eastern Iceland. I looked in brochures for day trips to either place and found one trip to Seyðisfjörður in Austfirðir or the Eastern fjords. Unfortunately, it was too early in the season for that trip, but there was another trip called the Elf and Puffin Tour that would take me to Borgarfjörður, a name that also appeared in the family history. My thinking was that I would be able to see the part of the world where some of my forebears had lived before coming to Canada. So I booked it!

Near Selsstaðir in Seyðisfjörður

Ingibjörg and Arngrimur

Imagine my surprise when I found out I was the only tourist.  My guide was an absolutely lovely man, Arngrímur Viðar Ásgeirsson, and accompanying him was a beautiful young woman, Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir, who would be leading tours and was coming along to see what it was like.  Well, what wonderful people.  Before we were out of the parking lot, they had scrapped the itinerary for the morning and off we went to Seyðisfjörður, where my great-grandfather had been born and worked and where my great-grandparents got married. They were happy to look at my few pages of genealogy and quickly identified place names and farms and other places that were so utterly confusing to me.  Even their names, Siggeir and Sigríður, sounded so similar that I had a hard time keeping things straight.  But Arngrímur and Ingibjörg have a strong interest in Western Icelanders and seemed very happy to help me have a day I will never forget.  

Kind

Seyðisfjörður is a bit isolated, and you must go over a mountain pass to get there, but it is a real gem of a village.  Absolutely gorgeous.  We spent a little while there looking at farms where my great-grandparents had worked, Vestdalsgerði, in particular was lovely, with long-haired sheep of many colours wandering freely along the road and in the fields.  While there were a few farmhouses, structures from long-ago eras were no longer there.  It is avalanche country and it is possible they were swept away.

Vestdalsgerði

Kind

Vestdalsgerði

We spent the afternoon in Borgarfjörður eystri, which is where Arngrímur comes from. You approach it along a scree to a place called Njarðvík, with lots of folklore and a beautiful set of mountains on one side (Dyrfjöll) and the fjord on the other. The day was so bright and clear, that everything seemed to sparkle. 

Njarðvík

We had lunch at his parents’ house and met some of their 500 sheep and a few of their soon-to-be 800 lambs. Borgarfjörður eystri is also absolutely gorgeous.  . We saw the Álfaborg, where the queen of the Huldufólk, or elves, lives. We took a look at an iconic turf house and sat for a while in a church that has an altar painting done by Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval, one of Iceland’s most famous painters.  Arngrímur  took us to a museum that he and some others in the community have built to honour Kjarval, who was born in Borgarfjörður eystri. He and Ingibjörg and I went to a nearby place, Hafnarhólmi, to see puffins, but most of them were still on the water – visible but distant.  We did see lots of other birds – ptarmigans, kittiwakes, eider ducks, golden plovers, and grey geese to name just a few. Arngrímur gave me a lifelist which I promptly lost.  We finished up the tour with a little hike up to Innra-Hvannagil canyon, which is a rhyolite canyon seamed with black baslat.  It is so different from other things you see in Iceland.  Austfirðir is definitely not volcanic, like the majority of Iceland.  Geologically, it is very different and we saw lots of rocks from around Borgarfjörður eystri that you would never find elsewhere in Iceland.  When Arngrímur and Ingibjörg took me back to Egilsstaðir, I felt I had experienced something very special, and indeed I had.  What a wonderful day! I am so glad that I met Arngrímur and Ingibjörg; I could not have asked for nicer or kinder people to guide me through such a beautiful part of Iceland.

Lutheran church in Borgarfjörður eystri

Álfaborg

View from Álfaborg

Borgarfjörður eystri

Innra-Hvannagil rhyolite canyon

My last couple of days in Iceland were also wonderful.  I spent a day wandering Reykjavík and browsing in shops and museums and galleries. So much sculpture!  I saw a couple of groups of people playing accordions, and they were great! I took the bus here and there.  I went to the incredible thermal swimming pool near the Nordica, Laugardalslaug, a couple of times. And I went on the Golden Circle Tour, which took me to Geysir and Strokkur, the waterfall, Gulfoss, and back to Þingvellir. Again, the weather was amazing and it was another lovely day.

Harmóníkas on Laugavegur

A Knitted Tree at the Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum

My favourite sculpture near  Hlemmur

Strokkur

Gullfoss

It seems hard to believe that one impulsive moment in January could have culminated in such a great experience, but I am very grateful it did.  I hope this was my first trip (meaning there will be more to follow) because even though Iceland is a small country with a very small population, I did not even scratch the surface.  There is so much more I’d like to see and do. What I saw and did is captured digitally and displayed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/raven_chick/. Please do check out those pictures if you are interested.  There are way too many of them,

The Rock of Civil Disobedience - Thoreau would be proud - lest our consciences be atrophied

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig

In a week or so some of those weeds will be shasta daisies, blooming their heads off!

Back in London after just about three years of working abroad. It was hard to leave Vietnam, because I did love it there. I loved my work and my colleagues and the amazing resilience of the Vietnamese people and the wonderful students I came into contact with. But, Canada is my home and my family, house and pets are here and I had been away a long time. I will have to come up with short-term adventures from now on!

Gentle sunrise, leaving Saigon ... may there always be peaceful sunrises there.

So since I have been back, there has been a process of readjustment, for sure. I am very aware of the greying of Canada, compared to the youthful energy of Vietnam. Prices are higher, undoubtedly, but the scale of consumption is definitely larger here. And while litter is less obvious, I do think the amount of refuse per person is much higher here, so I will try and keep my acquisitive tendencies in check ... after I finish all my gardening purchases, that is.

A pale poppy ... so interesting when you take a closer look

Impssible to catch the vibrancy of this clematis ... purpleness personified!

My gardens are out of control, so my solution to that is to buy more plants. It has been a late and cool Spring in London, so it is not too late to buy plants that would normally go in the garden in May, and ignore the fact that 80 percent of my yard is infested with binderweed, grape ivy, creeping Charlie, and buckthorn ... you name it, I’ve got plenty of it. I shouldn’t complain too much, as the peonies are in bloom as well as delphiniums. I caught the tail end of the Siberian iris, and my clematis vines have been stunning. I do love meddling in nature. I have seen lots of birds in the backyard and butterflies and dragonflies as well. We have the hummingbird and oriole feeders filled and the tomatoes and green peppers planted and the chives and mint have minds of their own ... so, it’s a happening place, that is for sure ...(^_^)...

What a beautiful peony ... I love it

Siberian iris ... lovely, lovely

As far as family and friends are concerned, everyone seems to be bopping along. Errol has a number of doctor’s appointments that are helping him to understand more about what ails him. And perhaps I can be helpful with that. Cait will be heading off to Whitehorse in a couple of weeks to catch up with an old friend and her family. My mother, Lenore, is in relatively good spirits, despite declining vision and various other health issues. And Errol and I hope to make a quick trip to Oklahoma to see what’s going on there and to bring his brother Joe back for a visit.

Stephen and Rachel at Big Buddha

On my way back from Vietnam, I stopped off in Hong Kong for the nicest visit. I had only been there once, about ten years ago with a group of people I was teaching with in China, and had really enjoyed it. I really loved loved loved it this time – largely because I had the best tour guides possible – my former students Rachel and Stephen.

Rachel and Stephen at Ocean Park

Rachel and Stephen studied English at Fanshawe College a few years ago and are such a sweet pair. They are both very artistic and were extremely active when we were doing a lot of origami crafts to raise money for various causes. Their work was the best, as they are both very precise and extremely careful. At any rate, we stayed in touch over the years and I suggested we have yum cha when I got to Hong Kong. However, they really took me under their wings and showed me all over their amazing city. As it happened, Monday was a holiday and we spent 3 days looking at many different parts of Hong Kong. We travelled everywhere by public transit and I was so happy to have my own Octopus card, which allowed me access on all manner of public transport, as well as the ability to buy things in various shops. Stephen and Rachel were absolutely wonderful about telling me how to get places and although they live at the farthest possible stop from where I had booked my hotel, they invariably came to where I was to begin our day’s adventures.

First dim sum ... YUM cha

Rachel's little nephew playing on the iPad

The first evening, we had a lovely home-made dinner at Rachel’s sister’s place and met Rachel’s cute little nephew, who is amazingly adept at using the iPad (and he is just 3 or 4.) We went to Sai Kung, a small fishing village where we saw fishers selling their catch to people on the pier. They transferred both the fish and the money via long-handled fishing nets. It seemed as though the vendors had to skedaddle at one point and most of them added passengers before making their getaway. It was a lot of fun to walk around and see the Phoenix trees in bloom and I caught my first glimpse of black kites flying over the harbour ... the first of several sightings. I tried and tried to take good pictures, but ... to no avail. Like the flying foxes of Cairns, the sand hill cranes of Arizona, and the pelicans of Cuba, they are just black, blurry blobs on the backdrop of the sky.

Sai Kung

Transaction

Black Kite

Phoenix Blossom

We also went to the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island and had a wonderful time there.  Although the cable car was being serviced, the ride up on the bus was most pleasant and the day was glorious.  Wonderful mist floated about the mountain tops and there were lots of places to stop and drink in the glorious views. A saucy little girl showed us how to make water dance in a brass bowl.  I think she got her kicks from seeing people who couldn't do it ... haha. Hong Kong is a physically beautiful setting ... really a gem of a place!

Big Buddha on Lantau Island

One of 12 Devas that surround the Buddha

Making water dance

Another day we went to Ocean Park, a large park with a maritime theme ... some rides and lots of interesting features, among which were two panda enclosures, a huge aquarium, bird and dolphin shows and an amazing jellyfish centre. I hadn’t seen pandas in ages and I don’t think I had ever seen a red panda, so it was great to see them, although I am not really a fan of zoos. Rather, I should say I am conflicted; the redeeming element at Ocean Park is that most of the focus seems on educating the public, especially about preserving and maintaining water and getting people to recognize how important our water supply is.

Red Panda at Ocean Park

Great Panda at Ocean Park

It is an amazing place and seems to have two major parts separated by a mountain. Stephen had everything organized and planned and we went up and over the mountain on the cable car and back in a funicular railway vehicle. He did a great job of timing where we went and when! We went up the rotating observation tower and had a spectacular view of the city, harbour, and the sun just beginning to set. It was wonderful ... I didn’t have to plan or think about anything. He and Rachel said they were seeing things they hadn’t seen in a few years as well, so I am hoping they weren’t just being polite.

View from Cable Car, Ocean Park

We also went to the waterfront and went on the Star Ferry and had a boat ride and visited another fishing village, Tai O, where there are a lot of stilt houses and amazing fish markets and food stalls. And we saw Women’s Street, which is an amazing street of shops and booths and kiosks full of everything! And, of course, we had to eat. I had been looking forward to eating Cantonese food for a long time and Stephen and Rachel made sure that I had lots of interesting things to try. They were just amazing hosts.

Tai O Fishing Village

Tai O

Oyster Rockefeller ... high end street food!

Fisherman's Altar ... such a dangerous job, especially in a land of typhoons

I went on my own to the art museum and had another browse around the harbour front area. I really enjoyed browsing the art museum and the man in the gallery shop directed me to a place nearby to get dim sum. I had gone with my group to a dim sum place near the waterfront ten years previous and had loved a turnip pastry that has stayed in my mind ever since. Go figure, but it was really good! It turned out the place the man recommended was the same one and they had the turnip pastry. Still delicious!

Waterfront

Tourist junk on harbour

Delicious turnip pastries!

I spent another day visiting the Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Garden complex. What a beautiful place! All the buildings are constructed in a traditional style that involves no nails.  Everything is dry fit.  The birdlife in the garden was amazing. I really thought that perhaps the birdsong was a recording being played through speakers in the park, but there were just a large number of incredibly happy and chirpy birds there. It reminded me of a park I had been to in Tokyo, which also had a huge number of birds in an urban oasis. There were lots of ponds and fountains and water features and I really enjoyed watching some cute birds having baths.  Oh, and a beautiful restaurant with another delicious vegetarian meal.

Chi Lin Nunnery

Lan Nian Park

Vegetarian wontons

Birds enjoying water feature

On my final night in Hong Kong, Rachel and Stephen met me after their work and we went for dim sum at a place near my hotel that is famous for dim sum. We had to wait a while for a seat, but when we got in and started to eat, it was obvious why people stand in line for a spot at a crowded table. The food was exquisite. I was quite happy after that, but then we went to Victoria Peak to see the lights. We went up in the tram and had the loveliest evening looking at the lights of Hong Kong. Then we went back to Kowloon on the Star Ferry, to see the harbour at night ... so beautiful. My dear young friends insisted on accompanying me back to my stop, although I was practically a pro at getting around the MRT by then. I am sure it was 1 a.m. but the time they made it back to their own place. What a great way to top off five wonderful days in Hong Kong.

Beautiful evening, beautiful view ... beautiful Hong Kong ... I love it!

So, Hong Kong was a wonderful stopover on my way home from Vietnam and allowed me a bit of a breather between these two chapters of my life. I couldn’t have asked for two nicer hosts than Stephen and Rachel. I love them dearly and wish them all the best.

Rachel, so cute

Stephen, also so cute

I have lots and lots and too many pictures on my flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/raven_chick) and perhaps you would like to see more pictures of the pandas or the Big Buddha. I hope this post finds everyone well, wherever you are, Please stay in touch and let me know how you are doing.

Tai O