Good grief- i can't believe it's almost finished. EEEEEEEEKKKKK My holiday i had been waiting for, for such a long time is nearly finished and i will have to go home to normal life and work.
My sister left this morning and that was a bit sad for me. I did put on a brave face for her but when she left i felt a wee bit sad in my eyes.... if you are smart you will know what i mean. But as we are bestest friends we always stay in touch and who knows- maybe she'll be back in the lovely NZ before i know it. :) (crossing my fingers) We have had such an awsum time together going to spend time with our 2 fathers together, picking blueberries in the countryside, doing a late night ice cream mission and just generally hanging and talking about life and the way of the world. Now that she is gone my main focus is to catch up with people like family and friends and then it's off to the airport on Saturday morning for the long trip. This time it wont be so lavish as when Matt and I were able to stop in Dubai, Paris and London... this time it will be 3 hours to London- 10 hours there- 7 hours to Dubai- 3 hours there then about 20 hours to get to Auckland via Melbourne... Siiiigh- I guess since Matt managed to do this and live to tell the tale about it then i should be able to as well. ( and i have had a couple of goes at it before so I should be ok)
As much as i have been loving my holiday i am feeling the need to go home too and am missing Matt, the girls and my Kisa terribly.. as well as my bed, my house, my friends and my creature habits. I guess that is what holidays are for- getting time away lets you appreciate all the things that you end up finding routine-ish in your every day life.
Reykjavík awaits me- must dash.
xxx
Sif.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Too busy to blog...
I believe that i was complaining about nothing happening and not having enuff to blog about a few weeks ago- well now my problem is quite the opposite. I am too busy making stories to even blog about them. And here is something to trip you out completely. I have been in Iceland for a week and it is affecting my English- even my thinking English. Right now as i write this i am thinking in English with a very strong Icelandic accent!!!!!!! hahhahaha Gwad only knows how the brain works.
So far we have been pretty none stop. We spent the Saturday in the Blue Lagoon and floated around in there for a while. Then we caught up with Dísella, Kolla and Stína later that night for some drinks and a giggle. Sunday we went for a drive to a big waterfall with Kolla in her hangover and i have to give her massive credit for actually coming with us as she was not having her shiniest moment. And that night Matt met my Dad and his whoooooole clan- there were 12 of us for dinner and it was loud and crazy but lots of fun too and a real moment for me. ;)
I turned 31 on the Monday and it was a very nice day. My girlfriend Stína had made her way all the way to Iceland for only 3 days so she could spend the day with me as it is her birthday as well. We had a 2 hour lunch together and then did a bit of shopping for a dinner we were having at her mum's that night. Then i was off to hang with my man for the rest of the day and we strolled around Reykjavík a bit before getting ready to go to the dinner where we had a lovely feed and a spa.
Tuesday we started early by getting on the road at 11.30 and making our way to Þingvellir which is the oldest parliament in the world and a very scenic place. After that we headed to Geysir to see some amazing hot springs going loonie speed in the air. And after that we drove to Gullfoss- a very big and beautiful waterfall. After all of those places we had a 4 hour drive to make our way to Skaftafell where we were spending the night in a tent. It was up to my driving to get us there before dark so that the putting up of the tent wouldn't have to happen in the dark- and we made it. The place is right at the base of Europe's biggest glacier so it was a little chilly, 10c degrees actually-but we zipped our sleeping bags together and made it through the night. We were however woken up at 5 the next morning by the biggest thunder storm i have ever experienced in Iceland. That might not mean much to allot of you but we hardly ever get thunder and lightning in Iceland- I think in the 18 years that i lived here i only saw it twice... very odd!
The next morning we were packed and ready to go at 8 and drove to a meeting point where some dudes with big jeeps picked us up and took us up to the glacier Vatnajökull for a ski-doo trip. I kinda wish it could have been sunnier and not so grey but it was still pretty magic to stand on a glacier in the summer time and know that there is an active volcano right under your feet. That tour lasted about 4 hours and our next stop was Jökulsárlón or the Glacier Lagoon where for the last 70 years the glacier has been melting into a pond at the base of the glacier and then running to sea but there is also seawater running inland into the lagoon so the Ice melts very slowly in the lagoon- I would have to say that it is a must see if you ever come to Iceland- totally worth the 5 hour drive from the city. We did a boat ride in one of their amphibious car boat thingies and got to eat some of the 1000 year old ice that was floating around us. We also saw a seal!!!!!! ;)
6 hours later we were back in town (after stopping in a couple of places for photos and dinner) and we had a couple of hours to chill before racing off to the airport to get my sister who was flying in from England. It's so great that all these people have come over to Iceland while i am here since i have so far to go. (Yay for Dísella, Stína, Hrefna and Tolli)
We just got back from spending a night at a summer house with My mum, Barry (stepdad) , Tolli, Karen and Hrefna (my siblings) and we had a lovely time with them eating good food- going for walks, having spa's and playing games. Now it is unfortunately time for Matt to pack his bags and have me take him to the airport tomorrow morning so he can go home and cuddle Chantelle, Becky and Kisa while i do my social thing here in Iceland and in a week it will be my turn to go home.
xxx
So far we have been pretty none stop. We spent the Saturday in the Blue Lagoon and floated around in there for a while. Then we caught up with Dísella, Kolla and Stína later that night for some drinks and a giggle. Sunday we went for a drive to a big waterfall with Kolla in her hangover and i have to give her massive credit for actually coming with us as she was not having her shiniest moment. And that night Matt met my Dad and his whoooooole clan- there were 12 of us for dinner and it was loud and crazy but lots of fun too and a real moment for me. ;)
I turned 31 on the Monday and it was a very nice day. My girlfriend Stína had made her way all the way to Iceland for only 3 days so she could spend the day with me as it is her birthday as well. We had a 2 hour lunch together and then did a bit of shopping for a dinner we were having at her mum's that night. Then i was off to hang with my man for the rest of the day and we strolled around Reykjavík a bit before getting ready to go to the dinner where we had a lovely feed and a spa.
Tuesday we started early by getting on the road at 11.30 and making our way to Þingvellir which is the oldest parliament in the world and a very scenic place. After that we headed to Geysir to see some amazing hot springs going loonie speed in the air. And after that we drove to Gullfoss- a very big and beautiful waterfall. After all of those places we had a 4 hour drive to make our way to Skaftafell where we were spending the night in a tent. It was up to my driving to get us there before dark so that the putting up of the tent wouldn't have to happen in the dark- and we made it. The place is right at the base of Europe's biggest glacier so it was a little chilly, 10c degrees actually-but we zipped our sleeping bags together and made it through the night. We were however woken up at 5 the next morning by the biggest thunder storm i have ever experienced in Iceland. That might not mean much to allot of you but we hardly ever get thunder and lightning in Iceland- I think in the 18 years that i lived here i only saw it twice... very odd!
The next morning we were packed and ready to go at 8 and drove to a meeting point where some dudes with big jeeps picked us up and took us up to the glacier Vatnajökull for a ski-doo trip. I kinda wish it could have been sunnier and not so grey but it was still pretty magic to stand on a glacier in the summer time and know that there is an active volcano right under your feet. That tour lasted about 4 hours and our next stop was Jökulsárlón or the Glacier Lagoon where for the last 70 years the glacier has been melting into a pond at the base of the glacier and then running to sea but there is also seawater running inland into the lagoon so the Ice melts very slowly in the lagoon- I would have to say that it is a must see if you ever come to Iceland- totally worth the 5 hour drive from the city. We did a boat ride in one of their amphibious car boat thingies and got to eat some of the 1000 year old ice that was floating around us. We also saw a seal!!!!!! ;)
6 hours later we were back in town (after stopping in a couple of places for photos and dinner) and we had a couple of hours to chill before racing off to the airport to get my sister who was flying in from England. It's so great that all these people have come over to Iceland while i am here since i have so far to go. (Yay for Dísella, Stína, Hrefna and Tolli)
We just got back from spending a night at a summer house with My mum, Barry (stepdad) , Tolli, Karen and Hrefna (my siblings) and we had a lovely time with them eating good food- going for walks, having spa's and playing games. Now it is unfortunately time for Matt to pack his bags and have me take him to the airport tomorrow morning so he can go home and cuddle Chantelle, Becky and Kisa while i do my social thing here in Iceland and in a week it will be my turn to go home.
xxx
Friday, August 15, 2008
The puffin is in the cliff nest.
I have just published my Paris and London blog coz we haven't really had much computer access lately- by choice really coz we've been so busy seeing everything possible in such a short time.
Rachel came and got us from the Eurostar and took us to her place to drop the bags off before taking us out to dinner at her local pub. We didn't make it a late one coz we were all tired and we also wanted to get up early the day after and go touristing. The 2 days we spent walking around were filled with none stop walking, museums, tours, trains, people, things to do, things to see and everything between. We went to Tower of London to see some castle stuff then crossed tower bridge to a pub called Horniman to have some lunch before going to a floating museum from second world war and the Korean war - called the HMS Belfast. Very impressive and when we boarded one of the men working there said to us "if you get lost just find one of us uniformed guys to help you". We didn't really take him seriously ... i mean how lost can you get on a ship, right? But wouldn't you know it- it took us ages to figure out how to get of the thing once we were far far into the belly of the ship. Lots of fun and the whole thing has been set up with wax sailors doing things all around. Very educating. Then on we went to another world war 2 museum and then after that we went to an old surgery where people used to come to watch doctors cut up patients in them olden days. Rachel's tummy was turning a bit at some of the stuff we saw in there. :-/ We also stopped at the Shakespeare Globe theatre but couldn't do the tour coz there was a show going on so we moved on a few meters down the Thames and went to the Tate modern museum. That was the last stop for that day of the touristy stuff. We had some tickets to go see a show called Spamelot that night so we grabbed some Thai food before we went to see it. I swear i have never had hot Thai food like that!!!!! My mouth was on fire and i had to send the food back and beg the staff for a glass of milk.
Spamelot is faaaaantastic and i suggest to anybody who has the oppertunity to see it, to do so- it had me in tears of laughter. Just genius!
Day two was a just as busy and we left the house just before 10 which is late compared to what we were getting used to. We had bought a London pass which got us into 3 main attractions for a small price. We started out at Madame Tussauds and hung out with some famous people- then on to the London eye for a 30 minute ride with a great view and the last one was called The London Dungeon and was a place dedicated to all the horrors that happened in London during the plague, all the serial killers of London, all the torture devises that have been used and so on and so on. Lots of scary moments. After that we found a bar for me and Rachel while Matt went to Forbidden Planet to have a look at some comic books and movie thingies while Rach and I got drunker and drunker.. to the point where we were painfully slurry and found most things very funny... even if they were just faces drawn on our thumbs. ;)
This meant that I was up at 6 this morning getting some panodol and water to ease my sore head before dragging all the suitcases and bags to the train for Stanstead airport. The Flight to Iceland was easy and Mum and Barry were waiting for us on the other side of the sliding door when we got there with big smiles for us. We waited around for my brother to arrive from his flight and then we were off on a mission to find a hot dog... I'm not just talking about any old hot dog here.. i'm talking about the ICELANDIC PULSA the one and only- I have been craving it for aaaages now- 2 years in fact.. or since i was here last time. :)
Matt and i are settled well in now and are having a relaxing time at home tonight for the first time in a week.
Tomorrow we plan on going to the Blue Lagoon! ;)
Later.
xxxx
Rachel came and got us from the Eurostar and took us to her place to drop the bags off before taking us out to dinner at her local pub. We didn't make it a late one coz we were all tired and we also wanted to get up early the day after and go touristing. The 2 days we spent walking around were filled with none stop walking, museums, tours, trains, people, things to do, things to see and everything between. We went to Tower of London to see some castle stuff then crossed tower bridge to a pub called Horniman to have some lunch before going to a floating museum from second world war and the Korean war - called the HMS Belfast. Very impressive and when we boarded one of the men working there said to us "if you get lost just find one of us uniformed guys to help you". We didn't really take him seriously ... i mean how lost can you get on a ship, right? But wouldn't you know it- it took us ages to figure out how to get of the thing once we were far far into the belly of the ship. Lots of fun and the whole thing has been set up with wax sailors doing things all around. Very educating. Then on we went to another world war 2 museum and then after that we went to an old surgery where people used to come to watch doctors cut up patients in them olden days. Rachel's tummy was turning a bit at some of the stuff we saw in there. :-/ We also stopped at the Shakespeare Globe theatre but couldn't do the tour coz there was a show going on so we moved on a few meters down the Thames and went to the Tate modern museum. That was the last stop for that day of the touristy stuff. We had some tickets to go see a show called Spamelot that night so we grabbed some Thai food before we went to see it. I swear i have never had hot Thai food like that!!!!! My mouth was on fire and i had to send the food back and beg the staff for a glass of milk.
Spamelot is faaaaantastic and i suggest to anybody who has the oppertunity to see it, to do so- it had me in tears of laughter. Just genius!
Day two was a just as busy and we left the house just before 10 which is late compared to what we were getting used to. We had bought a London pass which got us into 3 main attractions for a small price. We started out at Madame Tussauds and hung out with some famous people- then on to the London eye for a 30 minute ride with a great view and the last one was called The London Dungeon and was a place dedicated to all the horrors that happened in London during the plague, all the serial killers of London, all the torture devises that have been used and so on and so on. Lots of scary moments. After that we found a bar for me and Rachel while Matt went to Forbidden Planet to have a look at some comic books and movie thingies while Rach and I got drunker and drunker.. to the point where we were painfully slurry and found most things very funny... even if they were just faces drawn on our thumbs. ;)
This meant that I was up at 6 this morning getting some panodol and water to ease my sore head before dragging all the suitcases and bags to the train for Stanstead airport. The Flight to Iceland was easy and Mum and Barry were waiting for us on the other side of the sliding door when we got there with big smiles for us. We waited around for my brother to arrive from his flight and then we were off on a mission to find a hot dog... I'm not just talking about any old hot dog here.. i'm talking about the ICELANDIC PULSA the one and only- I have been craving it for aaaages now- 2 years in fact.. or since i was here last time. :)
Matt and i are settled well in now and are having a relaxing time at home tonight for the first time in a week.
Tomorrow we plan on going to the Blue Lagoon! ;)
Later.
xxxx
Paris and London- Bon jour & ‘ello Govenor!
The flight to Paris was sooooo easy compared to the long 20 hours it took to get to Dubai. We had 3 seats for us and the plane was only half full. Matt was glued to the window the whole way, looking at all the landscape that was going by. Unfortunately the sky-map wasn’t working so we never knew what we were flying over.
We arrived in Charles de Goolie goolie airport (excuse the French accent.. hehee) and had to make our way to the train and transfer over to the metro to get to the hotel. It was the smallest and the hottest room in the world but we didn’t really mind as the plan was to only sleep and keep our bags there. And that we did. The first night we spent in a French café eating some delicious food before going back to the room and crashing for the night which was good because we spent all next day walking around Paris. In fact we walked for the crazy amount of 11 hours and saw the Eiffel tower (and went up there) , Seine river (crossed it a few times), Notre Dame (went inside but not up the tower) and much much more- The biggest buzz was to just walk around with no real plan and scope things out as we found them. Our feet were pretty exhausted at 6 so we took a bus back to the hotel and the plan was to have a little rest and then go and see the Eiffel tower at night all lit up—but no.. The last ting I remember was closing my eyes for a minute and then there was no more. I passed out in a serious way and slept like the dead until 4 in the morning while Matt watched some movies til midnight.
The next day was spent walking around some more seeing the Arc de Triumph and climbing up the 277 steps to get to the top and have a look at the view. Pretty amazing stuff and absolutely mind-blowing how they built all these amazing structures. Matt got a text from NZ that day from Ando saying that we should make our way to Versalles to see the HUGE place that Marie Antonette lived at before she lost her head. And so we did. The place was RAMMED with people so we opted to not go in there as we had a train to catch to London later that day but we walked around and found a gate that lead into the castle garden so we made like a king and a queen and had a little picnic in the grass.
Afterwards we slowly made our way back to the hotel to get our bags and leave Paris on the Eurostar.
We arrived in Charles de Goolie goolie airport (excuse the French accent.. hehee) and had to make our way to the train and transfer over to the metro to get to the hotel. It was the smallest and the hottest room in the world but we didn’t really mind as the plan was to only sleep and keep our bags there. And that we did. The first night we spent in a French café eating some delicious food before going back to the room and crashing for the night which was good because we spent all next day walking around Paris. In fact we walked for the crazy amount of 11 hours and saw the Eiffel tower (and went up there) , Seine river (crossed it a few times), Notre Dame (went inside but not up the tower) and much much more- The biggest buzz was to just walk around with no real plan and scope things out as we found them. Our feet were pretty exhausted at 6 so we took a bus back to the hotel and the plan was to have a little rest and then go and see the Eiffel tower at night all lit up—but no.. The last ting I remember was closing my eyes for a minute and then there was no more. I passed out in a serious way and slept like the dead until 4 in the morning while Matt watched some movies til midnight.
The next day was spent walking around some more seeing the Arc de Triumph and climbing up the 277 steps to get to the top and have a look at the view. Pretty amazing stuff and absolutely mind-blowing how they built all these amazing structures. Matt got a text from NZ that day from Ando saying that we should make our way to Versalles to see the HUGE place that Marie Antonette lived at before she lost her head. And so we did. The place was RAMMED with people so we opted to not go in there as we had a train to catch to London later that day but we walked around and found a gate that lead into the castle garden so we made like a king and a queen and had a little picnic in the grass.
Afterwards we slowly made our way back to the hotel to get our bags and leave Paris on the Eurostar.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Camels and sweat
We have made it to camel land after 20 hours on the flight from Auckland. It all went very smooth and we managed to watch a few movies, play some games and even sleep for a little while. We then arrived in Dubai at 6 ish in the morning of the 9th of August ready to see as much as we could- and BOY did we ever. The room wasn't ready when we got to the hotel (which was only a 10 minute ride from the airport) so we went for a little walk to just get the feel of everything. It was mega hot and we didn't find much in the way of shops that were open but we did find a little family of cats that lived under a dumpster. Very cute. The mummy cat told us "meow- welcome to Dubai- have you got some cat food with you?" so we told her no and took a couple of photos of her 4 kittens and left. 2 hours later when we were all settled into the hotel and ready to see some stuff we booked into a city tour that took us to 2 museums- some palaces- the Burj hotel by the sea and we went to see the indoor ski are as well- very trippy stuff and lots to absorb- but also a lot to finish in this town. Most of the new areas have cranes and cones all over the place.
Later on when we had finished the 4 hour tour we went back to the hotel for a quick rest and then we were booked into another tour with the same guide. This time it was time to go out of town a bit and thrash around on the sand dunes in the desert. WHAT A LAUGH!!! There were about 20 jeeps all over the place just going hell for leather all over the dunes and most of the people in our car were cracking up laughing. We stopped a couple of times to take some photos of the sunset and then drove on to the camp where we were to have dinner and some entertainment. The first thing we got to do was to ride on a grumpy old camel called Hiro Hiro then snowboard on the dune- belly dance show and fab food. can't say enuff good things about it but my flight is leaving to go to Paris so we must dash. :) Must finish the Dubai tale later.
xxxx
Later on when we had finished the 4 hour tour we went back to the hotel for a quick rest and then we were booked into another tour with the same guide. This time it was time to go out of town a bit and thrash around on the sand dunes in the desert. WHAT A LAUGH!!! There were about 20 jeeps all over the place just going hell for leather all over the dunes and most of the people in our car were cracking up laughing. We stopped a couple of times to take some photos of the sunset and then drove on to the camp where we were to have dinner and some entertainment. The first thing we got to do was to ride on a grumpy old camel called Hiro Hiro then snowboard on the dune- belly dance show and fab food. can't say enuff good things about it but my flight is leaving to go to Paris so we must dash. :) Must finish the Dubai tale later.
xxxx
Friday, August 1, 2008
Less then a week to go ...
I'm in count-down mode- can ya tell? Only 6 more days to figure out what to take with me- wrap up work and look forward to my trip that i have been talking about for the last 6 months... actually.. more.. !!
Lately i have been going to the movies a lot. Went and saw mamma mia last Saturday with Matt and the girls and absolutely loved it. As well as the story and the music being fab, there was nothing cooler then seeing the girls sing a long to all the songs. ;) they call all ABBA songs "mamma mia music" now and have no comprehension of what Abba is.
Then on the Monday 2 of my friends had arranged a charity movie night where you pay a little extra to see the movie and all the money goes to a charity called CureKids. Felt pretty good to sit down with my popcorn and relax knowing that my money was going to help out little kids with life threatening illnesses rather then just go into some rich guys pocket. We saw Miss Pettigrew lives for a day and it was very sweet. It felt a little like a play because the acting was very extreme and over the top and also because there were only really 2 locations in the whole movie. Very lovely story and a nice night out with some girls. :)
THEN the day after (on the Tuesday) Matt and I teamed up with his mate Paul to go and see Batman.. sorry The Dark Knight, at the IMAX cinema and WOW- what a good dark action movie with some crazy moments!!!!! I DO recommend it and all the stuff that has been said about the Joker ( i must admit i was one of those sceptics that thought it was all said because the man was dead and you don't speak ill of the dead) it was all true- HE WAS AMAZING! You wouldn't even know him for the same guy.
Now- just before you guys think that i have set up some sort of a movie review page I would just like to say that ... ahm.. It was the highlight of my week ;0) I just had to mention it but all done.
Another highlight of the week (excuse the pun) was that i went to get highlights for my hair and get it cut... and yes- i actually managed to break from the norm a little and get Francis to do it a bit differently this time. :) I have shorter hair now and a fringe. Very liberating after having the same hair style for the last .. ahm... 7-8 years!!
One of my mates has just put together a band and asked me to sing backup for him. He is the same guy that talked me into doing my first Shakespeare and he has also directed me in one other play after that. That is what I'm doing today so that should be a bit of fun.
Right-- I have big plans to Blog while I'm away so get ready for it! ;) (probably more in Iceland then the first week in Dubai and Paris and London)
Love to all.
xxxxxxx
Sifter.
Lately i have been going to the movies a lot. Went and saw mamma mia last Saturday with Matt and the girls and absolutely loved it. As well as the story and the music being fab, there was nothing cooler then seeing the girls sing a long to all the songs. ;) they call all ABBA songs "mamma mia music" now and have no comprehension of what Abba is.
Then on the Monday 2 of my friends had arranged a charity movie night where you pay a little extra to see the movie and all the money goes to a charity called CureKids. Felt pretty good to sit down with my popcorn and relax knowing that my money was going to help out little kids with life threatening illnesses rather then just go into some rich guys pocket. We saw Miss Pettigrew lives for a day and it was very sweet. It felt a little like a play because the acting was very extreme and over the top and also because there were only really 2 locations in the whole movie. Very lovely story and a nice night out with some girls. :)
THEN the day after (on the Tuesday) Matt and I teamed up with his mate Paul to go and see Batman.. sorry The Dark Knight, at the IMAX cinema and WOW- what a good dark action movie with some crazy moments!!!!! I DO recommend it and all the stuff that has been said about the Joker ( i must admit i was one of those sceptics that thought it was all said because the man was dead and you don't speak ill of the dead) it was all true- HE WAS AMAZING! You wouldn't even know him for the same guy.
Now- just before you guys think that i have set up some sort of a movie review page I would just like to say that ... ahm.. It was the highlight of my week ;0) I just had to mention it but all done.
Another highlight of the week (excuse the pun) was that i went to get highlights for my hair and get it cut... and yes- i actually managed to break from the norm a little and get Francis to do it a bit differently this time. :) I have shorter hair now and a fringe. Very liberating after having the same hair style for the last .. ahm... 7-8 years!!
One of my mates has just put together a band and asked me to sing backup for him. He is the same guy that talked me into doing my first Shakespeare and he has also directed me in one other play after that. That is what I'm doing today so that should be a bit of fun.
Right-- I have big plans to Blog while I'm away so get ready for it! ;) (probably more in Iceland then the first week in Dubai and Paris and London)
Love to all.
xxxxxxx
Sifter.
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