Every trip ends.
Every beginning must have a conclusion. Open parentheses must have a close. Not for the first time, I wished I was the sort of person who could go to the same place, year after year. Like we did when I was a kid. The beach, all the time. First Myrtle Beach, with such regularity that we reserved the following year as we checked out. Then, as money got tight, vacations became a bit more spontaneous, but usually Panama City Beach, because my mom knew someone with a rental property there. Or camping in the Smokies, for a short trip. In my teens, when my dad entered that "dad" phase of working himself to death (and when overtime is double or triple time, who can blame him), he and I would get in the car and drive to Florida. Those were fun trips because we explored; but not so fun because it was just the two of us, something I never understood and still don't.
Maybe all of that is why, today, I take trips to far flung places. So my son will grow up with at least part of his wanderlust satiated. Probably, though, I go to those places because I can't work when I'm deep in a foreign country or riding my bicycle through tall mountain peaks. My dad had it good in that regard; when he left work, he left. There was nothing to take home. My job... not so lucky. If I don't keep up with emails, I risk the eventual accusation of slacking, though that criticism is very passive-aggressive.
So... the last day in Iceland, or the last portion of a day, dawned as had most of the others. Rainy. Dreary. Like the country was daring us to stay, to tolerate the weather which wasn't extreme yet because it was still August. We met that challenge head on by sleeping as late as we could, cleaning up our Air B&B, and driving early to return the rental car.
Note: if you rent a car from an off-brand rental company, go very, very early to return it. We arrived at the rental company three hours before our flight; we arrived at the airport just over an hour later.
Checking in to Wow Air, I realized I had only paid for a checked bag on the first half of our trip, not the return; it's not that difficult, honestly, to pay for a checked bag. But I had made the assumption that if I paid for it in one direction, it covered the other direction as well. I was wrong. That meant waiting in a line, paying some money, and then finally going through security. Reykjavik airport is a very efficient place, like most things in the country, and even though they had to inspect my bag, and even though we bought some alcohol at the Duty Free shop (which was cheaper than buying in the city... by a long shot), we arrived at the gate in plenty of time.
Our plane to Boston was like our plane over: three seats to a side, small, with no real amenities. I almost paid for food because our snacks ran out. But I didn't, even though the prices were reasonable, because I couldn't get the spirit of Iceland out of my mind.
I wanted to stay on the plane and go back.
Find a way.
Live. No. SURVIVE. That's what you do there. Living is the easy part; humans have been living since the dawn of time. Surviving is the hard part. It's in our blood. It's why people in cities create gardens in the tiniest of spaces: they want to get their hands dirty, to feel the earth, to struggle just a little and satisfy that carnal desire to interact with the world. Because our jobs don't give us that satisfaction. We don't get to see any accomplishment like you do when you grow asparagus or chop wood. No RFP response I've ever written has left me with any satisfaction. I don't complete business requirements and look back and say, "That's a wonderful thing I did." But configure a system, or perform complex data analysis... that's much akin to mowing my yard, in the cro magnon parts of my mind. There is a sense of accomplishment.
And that's why I go to adventurous places.
On my trip I skipped a rock across the North Sea. Well, threw it because the water was too rough to skip. But I did that. I gazed upon glaciers that could very well be gone when my grandchildren are my age. I walked on earth formed from cold lava. I saw the point at which two continents divided in their millennia-long divorce. These things I cannot do at work. No SalesForce case provides that experience. I can query until my heart stops beating and it will never provide the same titillation as standing in the drizzle, looking at a farmstead that has existed since before my ancestors even thought of escaping to the New World.
Back in the US, we drove to our hotel and prepared for the worst-yet-best day of my life: the day I watched my son turn into a Man as he headed off to college. That's another blog post, another chapter of my life, that might not ever get put down on paper. So to speak.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Sunday, September 16, 2018
A perfect sunny day
Our last full day dawned bright and sunny. We were up and out by eight, stopping at the bakery again for some croissants. Alas, they somehow forgot to put mine in the bag and we didn't discover that until an hour down the road. Luckily I had eaten a bit at home.
Our destination was the Golden Circle, or as much as we could do without a 4wd vehicle.
I could go on and on about the beauty we encountered. Read the previous posts, imagine I'm saying those things here, and you get the gist.
But damn. English doesn't have enough words to describe it, so go simple: very pretty.
There is a continental divide in Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates slowly spread away from each other:Þingvellir (Thingvellir). It's around 25 miles from Reykjavik. Like most other major tourist areas in Iceland, we had the place largely to ourselves. We found the road closed, which was good thing because that forced us to stop and talk to the person at the tourist information place; our GPS was taking us to someplace that wasn't the main focal point of Thingvellir.
The rift valley is a stark reminder that Iceland is a country constantly at the whims of geology. We did the short hike up the valley. Above us was a clear blue sky, beautiful with thin fingers of clouds here and there. Visibility was perfect; we could see the glaciers far to the east. It was warm, too, and the landscape seemed alive.
Another benefit of the road closure: we were forced to drive along the lake, where you can get cold-water certified in scuba diving as you descend between the continents. I made a note to tell my scuba diving friends of that little adventure, which would be a perfect thing to do on a cold, rainy day.
We headed to Bruarfoss, a waterfall that required a short hike through a field of horses.
It's an easy walk of two and a half miles through a field and a neighborhood of vacation cabins, flat for the most part but occasionally rough. Like pretty much any walk in Iceland, it's well worth the minimal effort to get there. Never have I seen a cascade like Bruarfoss. It's not just that it is pretty. It's so peaceful there. I could feel my stress and anxiety diminish in that steady roar of water making it's long tumble down the gradual set of falls. Water, by the way, that was an amazing color of blue that contrasted wonderfully with the sky. We spent an hour there, my wife and son taking photographs, me helping when asked but mostly sitting beside the water relaxing.
On the way back the horses had decided to come to the walking trail. The sign at the trail entrance that says "don't pet the horses" was clearly not communicated to the horses, who eagerly walked up to everyone. They are beautiful animals, like all horses, sturdily built and friendly.
Near where we parked is Efstidalur, a dairy that has diversified to now have lodging, a restaurant, and an ice cream cafe. While I cannot vouch for the quality of the lodging, it is in a wonderful location and I found myself wishing I'd dug a little deeper into my options. We went for the ice cream. There's nothing in the world quite like ice cream made fresh by the milk of cows you can see just outside the window. Efstidalur didn't disappoint.
From the dairy we drove to the famous Geysir, a few miles up the road.
I want to say it was awesome. But if you've been to Yellowstone, it's hard to get too excited about the smaller Geysir. I walked up the hill above the geysers and surveyed Iceland. I could see for miles. It was breathtaking.
We ate a snack in the visitor's center and continued to our final destination: Gulfoss.
It's like the Niagara Falls of Iceland, so powerful that it's a wonder the rocks can contain all that water. The crowds made it slightly less enjoyable; everyone was crowding around for the perfect selfie, making it difficult for me to do what I like to do: relax and reflect, purge my mind of negative thoughts and refocus on the positive.
We didn't spend long at Gulfoss because of the people. That's not to say it wasn't worth the effort to get there; it definitely was, if or no other reason than it confirmed my feeling that a 4wd vehicle would be a lot more fun in Iceland. From Gulfoss the road becomes a road where only off-road vehicles are allowed, and there were many large Ford Expedition and Mercedes tour vehicles, massive and kitted out for going off road into Iceland's back country. I wouldn't do that sort of tour, but would like to have had something that would make that trip. Next time.
As I drove back to our apartment, I was firmly convinced that there would, in fact, be a next time.
Our destination was the Golden Circle, or as much as we could do without a 4wd vehicle.
I could go on and on about the beauty we encountered. Read the previous posts, imagine I'm saying those things here, and you get the gist.
But damn. English doesn't have enough words to describe it, so go simple: very pretty.
There is a continental divide in Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates slowly spread away from each other:Þingvellir (Thingvellir). It's around 25 miles from Reykjavik. Like most other major tourist areas in Iceland, we had the place largely to ourselves. We found the road closed, which was good thing because that forced us to stop and talk to the person at the tourist information place; our GPS was taking us to someplace that wasn't the main focal point of Thingvellir.
The rift valley is a stark reminder that Iceland is a country constantly at the whims of geology. We did the short hike up the valley. Above us was a clear blue sky, beautiful with thin fingers of clouds here and there. Visibility was perfect; we could see the glaciers far to the east. It was warm, too, and the landscape seemed alive.
Another benefit of the road closure: we were forced to drive along the lake, where you can get cold-water certified in scuba diving as you descend between the continents. I made a note to tell my scuba diving friends of that little adventure, which would be a perfect thing to do on a cold, rainy day.
We headed to Bruarfoss, a waterfall that required a short hike through a field of horses.
It's an easy walk of two and a half miles through a field and a neighborhood of vacation cabins, flat for the most part but occasionally rough. Like pretty much any walk in Iceland, it's well worth the minimal effort to get there. Never have I seen a cascade like Bruarfoss. It's not just that it is pretty. It's so peaceful there. I could feel my stress and anxiety diminish in that steady roar of water making it's long tumble down the gradual set of falls. Water, by the way, that was an amazing color of blue that contrasted wonderfully with the sky. We spent an hour there, my wife and son taking photographs, me helping when asked but mostly sitting beside the water relaxing.
On the way back the horses had decided to come to the walking trail. The sign at the trail entrance that says "don't pet the horses" was clearly not communicated to the horses, who eagerly walked up to everyone. They are beautiful animals, like all horses, sturdily built and friendly.
Near where we parked is Efstidalur, a dairy that has diversified to now have lodging, a restaurant, and an ice cream cafe. While I cannot vouch for the quality of the lodging, it is in a wonderful location and I found myself wishing I'd dug a little deeper into my options. We went for the ice cream. There's nothing in the world quite like ice cream made fresh by the milk of cows you can see just outside the window. Efstidalur didn't disappoint.
From the dairy we drove to the famous Geysir, a few miles up the road.
I want to say it was awesome. But if you've been to Yellowstone, it's hard to get too excited about the smaller Geysir. I walked up the hill above the geysers and surveyed Iceland. I could see for miles. It was breathtaking.
We ate a snack in the visitor's center and continued to our final destination: Gulfoss.
It's like the Niagara Falls of Iceland, so powerful that it's a wonder the rocks can contain all that water. The crowds made it slightly less enjoyable; everyone was crowding around for the perfect selfie, making it difficult for me to do what I like to do: relax and reflect, purge my mind of negative thoughts and refocus on the positive.
We didn't spend long at Gulfoss because of the people. That's not to say it wasn't worth the effort to get there; it definitely was, if or no other reason than it confirmed my feeling that a 4wd vehicle would be a lot more fun in Iceland. From Gulfoss the road becomes a road where only off-road vehicles are allowed, and there were many large Ford Expedition and Mercedes tour vehicles, massive and kitted out for going off road into Iceland's back country. I wouldn't do that sort of tour, but would like to have had something that would make that trip. Next time.
As I drove back to our apartment, I was firmly convinced that there would, in fact, be a next time.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Did I mention the rain?
On Tuesday we piled in the car around eight and drove to the bakery up the street for a couple of croissants. It was cloudy and the weather forecast said it would be partly cloudy with a chance of rain and possible clearing, hedging their bets so that, technically, they'd be right no matter what the weather.
Our apartment's location made getting out of town very easy, and within minutes we were passing the commuters on their way to work as we headed north towards Snaefellsjoekull National Park on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Don't ask me how to pronounce that. This language... man, it's a bear to get my hands around.
The roads in Iceland have been mostly uncrowded, even around major tourist areas. Maybe it's because there are so many places to visit per-capita. Maybe people are on tours on the notorious F roads, where only off-road vehicles are allowed. Maybe we were there at the tail end of the season.
Either way, we had the roads mostly to ourselves, which was good because I was busy ogling the landscape. From sea level the landscape swept up dramatically, more green than Ireland. It is a landscape out of Tolkien. When the vikings came upon that island, no wonder they fell in love with it's juxtaposed hard lines with soft colors. It took me less than a day to reach the conclusion that I could live there, if not permanently, then at least for awhile, just to prove I could stand in front of such beauty and survive.
North we went, following route 54 as it turned to the west. We stopped at budakirkja, the black church. It is an improbably place to build such a building. Set in the middle of a vast lava field, in the shadow of the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano. It wasn't a popular church, and maybe only exists so we tourists can imagine the harsh life that might drive parishioners to such a church, when in reality none ever came because nobody lives nearby. Still, it is beautiful, and regardless of why or when it was built, everyone should stop and see this church and walk among the lava field, imagining the trolls and demons that lie within the nooks and crannies.
On we went on a road Google Maps calls "Útnesvegur" (not surprising, Google has no problems pronouncing road names in Iceland, though the pronunciations don't always jibe with the spelling, from my American perspective; I have a strong desire, now, to learn Icelandic). Rain never achieved anything more ambitious than a heavy drizzle, but it was persistent, just enough to require the wipers. I had no destination; this was my son's trip, my wife's, not mine. All I wanted was to not be at work, to relax and simplify my life ever so slightly through an escape to a foreign country.
Around the peninsula, nibbling on snacks because there weren't many places to stop and get food. But there were so many places to stop. So many things to see in that landscape equally meant for sun and rain. Gradually the rain ceased as we turned back to the east along the north shore of that finger of land. Not that the sun came out, not truly. We gradually entered civilization again and got a hotdog in Hellisandur. It was as good as anything in Reykjiavik, maybe a bit more so because we were starving.
One thing that's interesting about Iceland: on that drive we encountered very few cars. Yet every place we stopped there were people. Not a lot, not always. And some came by tour bus. How could the roads be so lonely, so empty, yet the destinations so populated?
Our final official destination is just east of the town of Ólafsvík. The town is fairly large and we were tempted to stop, but we were tired; had we planned things differently, a stay in that town would have been a good idea.
Bæjarfoss waterfall is a few miles east of Olafsvik. It is billed as a major destination. A legend about the waterfall is that long ago some boys drowned there while fishing, and their mother put a curse on the river that nobody else would ever drown there and no fish would live. Or something like that. More impressive than the waterfall is nearby Kirkjufell (or Church) mountain. It is accessible from the same area as the waterfall. It's called the most photographed mountain in Iceland, which might be because it's right there and is beautiful.
That's Iceland, though. That one stop is all you need to know about Iceland. Pretty waterfall, that pales in any other country would be the prettiest around, but in Iceland is only par. Across the road, a dramatic, scantily-clad hill that belongs in a fairy tale. Beyond... the ocean, wild and harsh, where the human body would quickly shut down in waters barely warmer than the freezing point. It's all so much that it can really be too much, yet still not enough at the same time. That's something difficult to grasp until you see it.
As with pretty much any calm body of water we've come across, my son and I skipped rocks. It's gentle competition between us, but there are no lack of compliments.
We drive on towards home and run across another waterfall.
Actually, we came across a large open valley where a tour bus had stopped, and one thing you learn as a traveler is that tour buses often mean a place is worth seeing. Not always; and they certainly don't stop in all the cool places. But it generally holds true, and we stopped to find the Sheep's Waterfall.
Something about that cascade made a firm impression on me. It was not the waterfall or the resultant stream, except perhaps that such a small amount of water made such a powerful torrent that had eroded the landscape so harshly; that's life, if you want to think of it that way. No matter how weak we might seem, there is a power in us that just needs the proper landscape to bring it out.
It was everything else that fascinated me. The verdant landscape. The lake. The fog shrouding the distant hills. To say it was like a painting seems a bit trite, but it's accurate not for the beauty but the composition of all that was on the tapestry.
More than maybe any place that day, we wandered around and explored. Then we got in the car and drove home, stopping at a grocery store to get some salmon to cook for supper, some milk, and other snacks. It was a longer drive home because I didn't want to go back to civilization. I hadn't worked on my vacation at all; checked email a time or two, but that was all. The city, though, was an ever-so-subtle reminder that I was a person inexorably tied to the modern world, completely unable to escape the drudgery of a job that sees me as a means to an end I have no control over.
At home we ate the salmon and enjoyed each other's company.
Our apartment's location made getting out of town very easy, and within minutes we were passing the commuters on their way to work as we headed north towards Snaefellsjoekull National Park on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Don't ask me how to pronounce that. This language... man, it's a bear to get my hands around.
The roads in Iceland have been mostly uncrowded, even around major tourist areas. Maybe it's because there are so many places to visit per-capita. Maybe people are on tours on the notorious F roads, where only off-road vehicles are allowed. Maybe we were there at the tail end of the season.
Either way, we had the roads mostly to ourselves, which was good because I was busy ogling the landscape. From sea level the landscape swept up dramatically, more green than Ireland. It is a landscape out of Tolkien. When the vikings came upon that island, no wonder they fell in love with it's juxtaposed hard lines with soft colors. It took me less than a day to reach the conclusion that I could live there, if not permanently, then at least for awhile, just to prove I could stand in front of such beauty and survive.
North we went, following route 54 as it turned to the west. We stopped at budakirkja, the black church. It is an improbably place to build such a building. Set in the middle of a vast lava field, in the shadow of the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano. It wasn't a popular church, and maybe only exists so we tourists can imagine the harsh life that might drive parishioners to such a church, when in reality none ever came because nobody lives nearby. Still, it is beautiful, and regardless of why or when it was built, everyone should stop and see this church and walk among the lava field, imagining the trolls and demons that lie within the nooks and crannies.
On we went on a road Google Maps calls "Útnesvegur" (not surprising, Google has no problems pronouncing road names in Iceland, though the pronunciations don't always jibe with the spelling, from my American perspective; I have a strong desire, now, to learn Icelandic). Rain never achieved anything more ambitious than a heavy drizzle, but it was persistent, just enough to require the wipers. I had no destination; this was my son's trip, my wife's, not mine. All I wanted was to not be at work, to relax and simplify my life ever so slightly through an escape to a foreign country.
Around the peninsula, nibbling on snacks because there weren't many places to stop and get food. But there were so many places to stop. So many things to see in that landscape equally meant for sun and rain. Gradually the rain ceased as we turned back to the east along the north shore of that finger of land. Not that the sun came out, not truly. We gradually entered civilization again and got a hotdog in Hellisandur. It was as good as anything in Reykjiavik, maybe a bit more so because we were starving.
One thing that's interesting about Iceland: on that drive we encountered very few cars. Yet every place we stopped there were people. Not a lot, not always. And some came by tour bus. How could the roads be so lonely, so empty, yet the destinations so populated?
Our final official destination is just east of the town of Ólafsvík. The town is fairly large and we were tempted to stop, but we were tired; had we planned things differently, a stay in that town would have been a good idea.
Bæjarfoss waterfall is a few miles east of Olafsvik. It is billed as a major destination. A legend about the waterfall is that long ago some boys drowned there while fishing, and their mother put a curse on the river that nobody else would ever drown there and no fish would live. Or something like that. More impressive than the waterfall is nearby Kirkjufell (or Church) mountain. It is accessible from the same area as the waterfall. It's called the most photographed mountain in Iceland, which might be because it's right there and is beautiful.
That's Iceland, though. That one stop is all you need to know about Iceland. Pretty waterfall, that pales in any other country would be the prettiest around, but in Iceland is only par. Across the road, a dramatic, scantily-clad hill that belongs in a fairy tale. Beyond... the ocean, wild and harsh, where the human body would quickly shut down in waters barely warmer than the freezing point. It's all so much that it can really be too much, yet still not enough at the same time. That's something difficult to grasp until you see it.
As with pretty much any calm body of water we've come across, my son and I skipped rocks. It's gentle competition between us, but there are no lack of compliments.
We drive on towards home and run across another waterfall.
Actually, we came across a large open valley where a tour bus had stopped, and one thing you learn as a traveler is that tour buses often mean a place is worth seeing. Not always; and they certainly don't stop in all the cool places. But it generally holds true, and we stopped to find the Sheep's Waterfall.
Something about that cascade made a firm impression on me. It was not the waterfall or the resultant stream, except perhaps that such a small amount of water made such a powerful torrent that had eroded the landscape so harshly; that's life, if you want to think of it that way. No matter how weak we might seem, there is a power in us that just needs the proper landscape to bring it out.
It was everything else that fascinated me. The verdant landscape. The lake. The fog shrouding the distant hills. To say it was like a painting seems a bit trite, but it's accurate not for the beauty but the composition of all that was on the tapestry.
More than maybe any place that day, we wandered around and explored. Then we got in the car and drove home, stopping at a grocery store to get some salmon to cook for supper, some milk, and other snacks. It was a longer drive home because I didn't want to go back to civilization. I hadn't worked on my vacation at all; checked email a time or two, but that was all. The city, though, was an ever-so-subtle reminder that I was a person inexorably tied to the modern world, completely unable to escape the drudgery of a job that sees me as a means to an end I have no control over.
At home we ate the salmon and enjoyed each other's company.
Monday, September 3, 2018
So it's raining.
Reykjavik is, in terms of population and land area, about the same as the city of Knoxville in East Tennessee, close to where I grew up. Our third day in Iceland found us wandering the city, taking things a bit more slowly; we were all tired, me more than others, perhaps, because of the long driving of the previous two days.
First a note on our Air B and B that we chose. About ten minutes by foot from downtown, it was a small, one-bedroom flat on the lower floor. The sofa became a comfortable second bed. There was free wi-fi, a stocked kitchen, and everything we needed to be cozy.
The rain didn't keep us from heading downtown on Sunday night. It's not accurate to call it rain, at least what we had that day. It was like a really heavy mist that every so often coalesced into a light drizzle.
I got the feeling there are two sides to Reykjavik. One is that which is shown to the tourists; the bars with happy hours, hot dog stands, souvenir shops, stores with overpriced coats and rain gear. Somewhere, though, there is that other side, where the locals go. Every city that has a heavy tourism element knows these two faces, the sometimes opposing market forces of foreigners flush with cash alongside locals whose average income is barely $50K - not bad, on the surface, but only when you consider a hot dog costs five dollars and a beer over ten.
We went to get a hot dog, because that's what tourists do, and also because my son and I wanted a hot dog; in Iceland it's called Pylsur (initial cap because #respect). They make them slightly differently in Iceland. The wiener is very similar to an American hot dog, but is more like a true sausage in both taste and texture; the difference is that the Icelandic hot dog has lamb in it. The bun is a basic white bread bun. It's really the toppings that makes it unique. First the onions: we opted for one with everything, and one without the raw onions (because I hate raw onions). The deep-fried onion bits added a nice flavor. There are three sauces on the typical Icelandic hot dog: ketchup, pylsusinnep (a sweet brown mustard; I hate mustard, but this has a very nice flavor), and a type of mayonnaise that has capers and a few other ingredients. It all combines for an amazing taste experience.
After eating the Pylsur, we walked around the town a bit, and headed to the apartment.
The next morning, my wife and I woke up early and, while our son slept, walked to a local coffee shop: Kaffihús Vesturbæjar. It was surprising to find such a place in a residential area. Inside we found a cool vibe, with minimal decoration and good seating space. The breakfast looked incredible, but we only had espresso drinks and a croissant. The barista knew what she was doing, and the coffee was superb; the croissant lived up to the expectations you should have when getting a croissant anywhere outside of America. Next door is a bakery: Braud & Co. It wasn't as surprising to find the bakery there; what was surprising, though, was the quality of the bread. We got our son a croissant for breakfast, and would visit the bakery twice more before we left, choosing a variety of other breads. All were excellent.
Our son drug himself out of bed and we drove to a large church: Hallgrimskirkja. Initially we planned to walk there; but the rain became actual rain, fairly heavy, and it made no sense to walk. It was started in the post-war 1940's, but not completed until the mid 1980's. It's stunning on the outside, simple with hard lines like you'd expect in a Lutheran church. Inside is a massive pipe organ, but little decoration.
We headed down the street from the church to Sandholt, a restaurant known for excellent pastries. Even though it was early, I had a beer, because that's how I roll. My wife got a sandwich, my son a cinnamon bun. Our conversation was lively, full of the expectation you should have early in a trip.
From Sandholt we walked in the general direction of the Penis Museum, going to stores for some shopping, but really just as a way to get out of the persistent rain.
The official name is the Icelandic Phallological Museum. Everyone calls it the Penis Museum, because that's what it has on display. Lots and lots of male members from a variety of animals.
It was bit uncomfortable going to a penis museum with my son. He's 18 (almost 19), and we have a very friendly relationship. Still, he's my child, and the museum had examples of sex toys and statues from both modern and historical times. There is a picture of the man with the largest penis measured, which hangs down to near his knee.
Yeah. It was a bit odd.
The museum is compact, and most of the male organs on display are from whales. They are quite impressive, either because they are very large or very pointed.
From the museum we got another hot dog from a smaller place; it was just as good as the hot dog from the day before, if not better. Then we walked back up to the car and went home.
Home wasn't very fun, and we decided after a couple of hours to go to a local brewery, the first brewpub in Reykjavik: Bryggjan Brugghús. I didn't want to drive, since I'd have a couple of beers. But it was raining. That meant we had to make a decision, and in the end we made up our minds to walk. My son being the only family member smart enough to bring a proper rain coat, it was pretty miserable. I had a small umbrella, and my wife had one slightly larger, and they did absolutely nothing to stop the brutal wind that drove rain almost horizontal and turned the umbrellas into sails.
The beer was excellent, but we were too tired to fully appreciate it. We went next door to Kaffivagninn for supper, which was minimal. All of us were exhausted and needed sleep more than food, so we hoofed it back up the hill to our apartment and, drained, fell asleep.
First a note on our Air B and B that we chose. About ten minutes by foot from downtown, it was a small, one-bedroom flat on the lower floor. The sofa became a comfortable second bed. There was free wi-fi, a stocked kitchen, and everything we needed to be cozy.
The rain didn't keep us from heading downtown on Sunday night. It's not accurate to call it rain, at least what we had that day. It was like a really heavy mist that every so often coalesced into a light drizzle.
I got the feeling there are two sides to Reykjavik. One is that which is shown to the tourists; the bars with happy hours, hot dog stands, souvenir shops, stores with overpriced coats and rain gear. Somewhere, though, there is that other side, where the locals go. Every city that has a heavy tourism element knows these two faces, the sometimes opposing market forces of foreigners flush with cash alongside locals whose average income is barely $50K - not bad, on the surface, but only when you consider a hot dog costs five dollars and a beer over ten.
We went to get a hot dog, because that's what tourists do, and also because my son and I wanted a hot dog; in Iceland it's called Pylsur (initial cap because #respect). They make them slightly differently in Iceland. The wiener is very similar to an American hot dog, but is more like a true sausage in both taste and texture; the difference is that the Icelandic hot dog has lamb in it. The bun is a basic white bread bun. It's really the toppings that makes it unique. First the onions: we opted for one with everything, and one without the raw onions (because I hate raw onions). The deep-fried onion bits added a nice flavor. There are three sauces on the typical Icelandic hot dog: ketchup, pylsusinnep (a sweet brown mustard; I hate mustard, but this has a very nice flavor), and a type of mayonnaise that has capers and a few other ingredients. It all combines for an amazing taste experience.
After eating the Pylsur, we walked around the town a bit, and headed to the apartment.
The next morning, my wife and I woke up early and, while our son slept, walked to a local coffee shop: Kaffihús Vesturbæjar. It was surprising to find such a place in a residential area. Inside we found a cool vibe, with minimal decoration and good seating space. The breakfast looked incredible, but we only had espresso drinks and a croissant. The barista knew what she was doing, and the coffee was superb; the croissant lived up to the expectations you should have when getting a croissant anywhere outside of America. Next door is a bakery: Braud & Co. It wasn't as surprising to find the bakery there; what was surprising, though, was the quality of the bread. We got our son a croissant for breakfast, and would visit the bakery twice more before we left, choosing a variety of other breads. All were excellent.
Our son drug himself out of bed and we drove to a large church: Hallgrimskirkja. Initially we planned to walk there; but the rain became actual rain, fairly heavy, and it made no sense to walk. It was started in the post-war 1940's, but not completed until the mid 1980's. It's stunning on the outside, simple with hard lines like you'd expect in a Lutheran church. Inside is a massive pipe organ, but little decoration.
We headed down the street from the church to Sandholt, a restaurant known for excellent pastries. Even though it was early, I had a beer, because that's how I roll. My wife got a sandwich, my son a cinnamon bun. Our conversation was lively, full of the expectation you should have early in a trip.
From Sandholt we walked in the general direction of the Penis Museum, going to stores for some shopping, but really just as a way to get out of the persistent rain.
The official name is the Icelandic Phallological Museum. Everyone calls it the Penis Museum, because that's what it has on display. Lots and lots of male members from a variety of animals.
It was bit uncomfortable going to a penis museum with my son. He's 18 (almost 19), and we have a very friendly relationship. Still, he's my child, and the museum had examples of sex toys and statues from both modern and historical times. There is a picture of the man with the largest penis measured, which hangs down to near his knee.
Yeah. It was a bit odd.
The museum is compact, and most of the male organs on display are from whales. They are quite impressive, either because they are very large or very pointed.
From the museum we got another hot dog from a smaller place; it was just as good as the hot dog from the day before, if not better. Then we walked back up to the car and went home.
Home wasn't very fun, and we decided after a couple of hours to go to a local brewery, the first brewpub in Reykjavik: Bryggjan Brugghús. I didn't want to drive, since I'd have a couple of beers. But it was raining. That meant we had to make a decision, and in the end we made up our minds to walk. My son being the only family member smart enough to bring a proper rain coat, it was pretty miserable. I had a small umbrella, and my wife had one slightly larger, and they did absolutely nothing to stop the brutal wind that drove rain almost horizontal and turned the umbrellas into sails.
The beer was excellent, but we were too tired to fully appreciate it. We went next door to Kaffivagninn for supper, which was minimal. All of us were exhausted and needed sleep more than food, so we hoofed it back up the hill to our apartment and, drained, fell asleep.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Overwhelming beauty
There's probably a point when you can no longer look upon wondrous things and still see them for what they are.
There's probably a point when you gaze at beauty, but no longer see beauty.
A point where the amazing is humdrum.
I'm not there yet with Iceland.
When I see the emerald green hills contrasted with the steel gray sky, I understand why the Vikings stopped - and stayed. I cannot tell you if it's worth enduring the harshness of winter, but I know that, in the two days I've been here, it has penetrated deeply into my soul. And if that sounds melodramatic, well, it is.
The second day started with me unintentionally trying to get a free breakfast at our hostel. I didn't know we hadn't paid for it, and they promptly told me in the kindest possible way. They could have at least let me take the toast that I'd started.
Breakfast was Belvita crackers brought from home and some French bread eaten on the road East.
Our first stop was also the most distant from Reykjavik that we'd go: Jökulsárlón lagoon. Less than a century ago the lagoon didn't exist; the glacier covered the land almost to the sea. In my lifetime the lagoon has increased four-fold, and it keeps growing as the glacier retreats. When you look on that living field of ice, it's difficult to imagine that it once was larger. Now, the body of water left in its wake is a tourist attraction. Boats take visitors out to the icebergs that float slowly towards the sea. There's a variety out there, from kayaks to converted amphibious landing craft.
We walked amongst the tourists as they all stared in awe at the massive blocks of ice. My son and I, having found a secluded area, skipped rocks on the mirror-smooth water. I've never seen an iceberg before, and cannot imagine what it must be like to see their larger cousins out on the open sea.
From the lagoon we headed to Skaftafell waterfall. Along the way we stopped a few times to take in the views. The rental car company warned me to not pull over on the side of the road; the embankments are soft and will give way easily. We saw a vehicle that didn't heed that and had rolled down from the road. That led to a discussion on hospitals and healthcare and ambulances; it made us all realize how rugged Iceland is in the most basic sense. Yes, we had LTE coverage pretty much everywhere we went; but what good is that when there is no easy ambulance service and no quick trip to an emergency room?
One spot we pulled over two had gorgeous views of a tongue of the glacier extending down from the mountain. My wife and son walked over to where it ended, while I took a rest in the car; driving makes me tired, and while the jet lag wasn't too bad, I felt the tension of the past year drain away from me. It's hard to hold onto it in such a place. That stress will return, I know. It's waiting for me. Once I nearly stepped off a cliff rather than return to a world that cares so little for humanity; but it's not worth that sacrifice, and luckily I can let it go this time.
The hike up to the waterfall was steep and many people struggled. We hustled past them through a landscape that had more vegetation than any other we'd been in. Up and up we walked, and then down and down.
Honestly the waterfall was a disappointment. Beautiful, yes. Dramatic... not so much. It looked much like other waterfalls I'd seen back home, and compared to the cascades of the day before it paled in comparison.
We had to head to Reykjavik after the falls, a four hour drive away. Close to the city we encountered the only traffic of the trip so far, a backup that lasted a half hour or less. I was exhausted. Our Air B and B waited; Google didn't take us to the correct place, which was fine. Inside we found a wonderful apartment. After a short decompression we headed downtown for a hot dog. That's a popular thing to eat here, and it was wonderful; it was the sauce they put on, a thousand-island-dressing-like sauce that was creamy and had just the right sweetness. After buying a couple of things at the grocery store, we headed back to our apartment to wind down the day.
There's probably a point when you gaze at beauty, but no longer see beauty.
A point where the amazing is humdrum.
I'm not there yet with Iceland.
When I see the emerald green hills contrasted with the steel gray sky, I understand why the Vikings stopped - and stayed. I cannot tell you if it's worth enduring the harshness of winter, but I know that, in the two days I've been here, it has penetrated deeply into my soul. And if that sounds melodramatic, well, it is.
The second day started with me unintentionally trying to get a free breakfast at our hostel. I didn't know we hadn't paid for it, and they promptly told me in the kindest possible way. They could have at least let me take the toast that I'd started.
Breakfast was Belvita crackers brought from home and some French bread eaten on the road East.
Our first stop was also the most distant from Reykjavik that we'd go: Jökulsárlón lagoon. Less than a century ago the lagoon didn't exist; the glacier covered the land almost to the sea. In my lifetime the lagoon has increased four-fold, and it keeps growing as the glacier retreats. When you look on that living field of ice, it's difficult to imagine that it once was larger. Now, the body of water left in its wake is a tourist attraction. Boats take visitors out to the icebergs that float slowly towards the sea. There's a variety out there, from kayaks to converted amphibious landing craft.
We walked amongst the tourists as they all stared in awe at the massive blocks of ice. My son and I, having found a secluded area, skipped rocks on the mirror-smooth water. I've never seen an iceberg before, and cannot imagine what it must be like to see their larger cousins out on the open sea.
From the lagoon we headed to Skaftafell waterfall. Along the way we stopped a few times to take in the views. The rental car company warned me to not pull over on the side of the road; the embankments are soft and will give way easily. We saw a vehicle that didn't heed that and had rolled down from the road. That led to a discussion on hospitals and healthcare and ambulances; it made us all realize how rugged Iceland is in the most basic sense. Yes, we had LTE coverage pretty much everywhere we went; but what good is that when there is no easy ambulance service and no quick trip to an emergency room?
One spot we pulled over two had gorgeous views of a tongue of the glacier extending down from the mountain. My wife and son walked over to where it ended, while I took a rest in the car; driving makes me tired, and while the jet lag wasn't too bad, I felt the tension of the past year drain away from me. It's hard to hold onto it in such a place. That stress will return, I know. It's waiting for me. Once I nearly stepped off a cliff rather than return to a world that cares so little for humanity; but it's not worth that sacrifice, and luckily I can let it go this time.
The hike up to the waterfall was steep and many people struggled. We hustled past them through a landscape that had more vegetation than any other we'd been in. Up and up we walked, and then down and down.
Honestly the waterfall was a disappointment. Beautiful, yes. Dramatic... not so much. It looked much like other waterfalls I'd seen back home, and compared to the cascades of the day before it paled in comparison.
We had to head to Reykjavik after the falls, a four hour drive away. Close to the city we encountered the only traffic of the trip so far, a backup that lasted a half hour or less. I was exhausted. Our Air B and B waited; Google didn't take us to the correct place, which was fine. Inside we found a wonderful apartment. After a short decompression we headed downtown for a hot dog. That's a popular thing to eat here, and it was wonderful; it was the sauce they put on, a thousand-island-dressing-like sauce that was creamy and had just the right sweetness. After buying a couple of things at the grocery store, we headed back to our apartment to wind down the day.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Iceland
I write this from the small Monk Cafe in the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland. that's a lot of letters for one town name, and it takes about as long to say the word as it does to drive through the small village. My lodging for the night is Klausturhof Guesthouse. It is as quiet and peaceful a place as a busy soul could want. A light wind blows the sturdy trees. Clouds fill the sky. Outside, it smells like nature should: pure and clean, wholesome and honest. I am drinking an Einstock Porter. Normally summer is a time of lighter beers, but it's in the mid 40s outside, which is Porter weather.
There is really no way to describe Iceland. At least there's no way I've figured out from my first day. "Dramatic" is close. There's more to it than that, though. There are few trees anywhere we've been, which is the area around Route 1 between the Reykjavik airport and here. In one day I've seen more waterfalls than in the whole year prior, and each one is something out of a JRR Tolkien novel. No, even that master couldn't have dreamed up these wonders of nature.
Here's the thing about waterfalls. From far away they look like this steady stream of water cascading down in a never-ceasing flow. Up close, though, they are filled with little incongruities. A sudden rush of water in now one place, then another. Some areas veil thin, others thick. Humans are like that, too; except when we see those differences in a waterfall we admire the beauty of it, whereas we criticize and, sometimes, hate those same qualities in our fellow humans.
I have slept maybe four hours in the past thirty one hours. And those few hours of sleep were not peaceful in any way. Then we drove and drove and drove. I am not a fan of these vacations that make me drive all the time, though we always go to beautiful places and that makes it okay. I wish, though, we could sit still for a bit and relax. Just a little.
Now I'm off to bed, finally, the porter finished and my eyelids dragging down. It's been a long day. Walked almost nine miles all total. That's a lot on such little sleep.
There is really no way to describe Iceland. At least there's no way I've figured out from my first day. "Dramatic" is close. There's more to it than that, though. There are few trees anywhere we've been, which is the area around Route 1 between the Reykjavik airport and here. In one day I've seen more waterfalls than in the whole year prior, and each one is something out of a JRR Tolkien novel. No, even that master couldn't have dreamed up these wonders of nature.
Here's the thing about waterfalls. From far away they look like this steady stream of water cascading down in a never-ceasing flow. Up close, though, they are filled with little incongruities. A sudden rush of water in now one place, then another. Some areas veil thin, others thick. Humans are like that, too; except when we see those differences in a waterfall we admire the beauty of it, whereas we criticize and, sometimes, hate those same qualities in our fellow humans.
I have slept maybe four hours in the past thirty one hours. And those few hours of sleep were not peaceful in any way. Then we drove and drove and drove. I am not a fan of these vacations that make me drive all the time, though we always go to beautiful places and that makes it okay. I wish, though, we could sit still for a bit and relax. Just a little.
Now I'm off to bed, finally, the porter finished and my eyelids dragging down. It's been a long day. Walked almost nine miles all total. That's a lot on such little sleep.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Mexico City - 4
This would be our last full day in the city that captured my heart so quickly. It was also the day the street food finally caught up with me.
But that didn't matter. The trip was nearing its conclusion and we still had things to see.
The morning started with a croissant from a local shop, washed down with coffee. The one thing that disappointed me on the trip was the coffee. For some reason - and I have no explanation for this - I expected the coffee to be better. In general it was weak and lacked bold flavors. But the croissants were excellent, and as an American I'm used to weak coffee, so it was okay.
Near our hotel in the old city is the National Palace. I could make all sorts of arguments that calling the seat of power a palace is related to many of Mexico's troubles; but I was on vacation and a visitor, so I won't.
It was very cool.
The Palace opens at 9:00 and we were up well before that, so we wandered around the neighborhoods. In the old city there are dozens of churches. Many are in need of repair, but are nonetheless beautiful structures, maybe in part because of their dirty facades with weeds growing out of the cracks that have formed. Maybe they are a good metaphor for what happens to a society that neglects its moral underpinnings (and I'm talking about my own, here). Beauty neglected is still beautiful in its own way, perhaps because we see things as they were, or could have been, or still could someday be.
Those churches we visited were not tourist destinations. We visited the national cathedral as well, a spectacular building. I prefer the smaller places that aren't as photogenic. Behind the Palace we saw places that are anchors for their neighborhoods, places of safety in neighborhoods whose struggles are visible on the faces of its inhabitants and colorfully illustrated by the graffiti painted on every surface.
Only one other obvious tourist was there, another good sign.
Finally the palace was open and we went inside.
I admit to having a naturally rebellious nature; that's why terms like Palace give me an immediate negative reaction without first considering why it is called that. Some would say it's part of being an American, but that's not it; my nation isn't immune from romanticizing people in power and putting on pedestals people who have no right to be there. It's part of my Appalachian culture, at least how that culture was imparted to me.
There was great beauty in the Palace, a focus on history to remind us of what it was like in an era when the struggle for recognition was closely tied to the whims of our European overlords. Mexico's path was different than America's; but the similarities are tangible and should be a reminder that my country's Southern neighbor isn't so different than my own.
One thing in the Palace that reminded me of how different Mexico is. Gardeners were trimming the hedges and working on the topiary, and lying on the wall a fifty feet away from the nearest gardener was a machete. In the Palace. It's something unimaginable in America, where our concern for things overwhelms us and prohibits us from being human. My first instinct was amazement; my second, envy at an environment that laid back. An official laughingly reminded the gardeners to not leave a machete lying around, and they all laughed about it. That is awesome.
From the Palace we headed back to Chapultepec after a quick stop in our room. That morning I was reminded that communication is truly bi-directional. I could ask for directions to a bathroom; but I didn't have the language skills to understand the instructions on how to actually get to one.
First we needed lunch. We headed back to La Condessa. Specifically: Azul Condessa.
Some food is so pretty you are hesitant to eat it. Such was the case with my salad at Azul. Brilliant presentation, something I rarely care much about. Eat it I did, and it was wonderful. The only thing better than the food was the service. Kind, professional, attentive without being oppressive. And the setting was incredible, a place that inspires conversation and relaxation.
From Azul we walked the short distance to the castle at Chapultepec, again appreciating the quiet streets of Condessa. It was a rambling trip. Our legs were tired from the previous day's long trek. And in the end we didn't go into the castle. The entry fee felt a bit high and we were both tired. We got as far as the gate and turned around, preferring the serenity of a park bench to the crowds at the castle.
Somewhat refreshed from our siesta in the park, we hopped on the subway, and then to the hotel for a bit. Finally we headed off for supper. Our destination was Bosforo, but we were a little disappointed in the offerings. No, that's not entirely correct; the offerings didn't mesh with what we wanted. We had a drink and looked for another place, but didn't find anything that we could say with certainty that we wanted. In the end we went to a restaurant that we contemplated on our first night, a seafood place across from the Palacio de Belles Artes. It wasn't the greatest meal I'd ever had, but far from the worst.
But that didn't matter. The trip was nearing its conclusion and we still had things to see.
The morning started with a croissant from a local shop, washed down with coffee. The one thing that disappointed me on the trip was the coffee. For some reason - and I have no explanation for this - I expected the coffee to be better. In general it was weak and lacked bold flavors. But the croissants were excellent, and as an American I'm used to weak coffee, so it was okay.
Near our hotel in the old city is the National Palace. I could make all sorts of arguments that calling the seat of power a palace is related to many of Mexico's troubles; but I was on vacation and a visitor, so I won't.
It was very cool.
The Palace opens at 9:00 and we were up well before that, so we wandered around the neighborhoods. In the old city there are dozens of churches. Many are in need of repair, but are nonetheless beautiful structures, maybe in part because of their dirty facades with weeds growing out of the cracks that have formed. Maybe they are a good metaphor for what happens to a society that neglects its moral underpinnings (and I'm talking about my own, here). Beauty neglected is still beautiful in its own way, perhaps because we see things as they were, or could have been, or still could someday be.
Those churches we visited were not tourist destinations. We visited the national cathedral as well, a spectacular building. I prefer the smaller places that aren't as photogenic. Behind the Palace we saw places that are anchors for their neighborhoods, places of safety in neighborhoods whose struggles are visible on the faces of its inhabitants and colorfully illustrated by the graffiti painted on every surface.
Only one other obvious tourist was there, another good sign.
Finally the palace was open and we went inside.
I admit to having a naturally rebellious nature; that's why terms like Palace give me an immediate negative reaction without first considering why it is called that. Some would say it's part of being an American, but that's not it; my nation isn't immune from romanticizing people in power and putting on pedestals people who have no right to be there. It's part of my Appalachian culture, at least how that culture was imparted to me.
There was great beauty in the Palace, a focus on history to remind us of what it was like in an era when the struggle for recognition was closely tied to the whims of our European overlords. Mexico's path was different than America's; but the similarities are tangible and should be a reminder that my country's Southern neighbor isn't so different than my own.
One thing in the Palace that reminded me of how different Mexico is. Gardeners were trimming the hedges and working on the topiary, and lying on the wall a fifty feet away from the nearest gardener was a machete. In the Palace. It's something unimaginable in America, where our concern for things overwhelms us and prohibits us from being human. My first instinct was amazement; my second, envy at an environment that laid back. An official laughingly reminded the gardeners to not leave a machete lying around, and they all laughed about it. That is awesome.
From the Palace we headed back to Chapultepec after a quick stop in our room. That morning I was reminded that communication is truly bi-directional. I could ask for directions to a bathroom; but I didn't have the language skills to understand the instructions on how to actually get to one.
First we needed lunch. We headed back to La Condessa. Specifically: Azul Condessa.
Some food is so pretty you are hesitant to eat it. Such was the case with my salad at Azul. Brilliant presentation, something I rarely care much about. Eat it I did, and it was wonderful. The only thing better than the food was the service. Kind, professional, attentive without being oppressive. And the setting was incredible, a place that inspires conversation and relaxation.
From Azul we walked the short distance to the castle at Chapultepec, again appreciating the quiet streets of Condessa. It was a rambling trip. Our legs were tired from the previous day's long trek. And in the end we didn't go into the castle. The entry fee felt a bit high and we were both tired. We got as far as the gate and turned around, preferring the serenity of a park bench to the crowds at the castle.
Somewhat refreshed from our siesta in the park, we hopped on the subway, and then to the hotel for a bit. Finally we headed off for supper. Our destination was Bosforo, but we were a little disappointed in the offerings. No, that's not entirely correct; the offerings didn't mesh with what we wanted. We had a drink and looked for another place, but didn't find anything that we could say with certainty that we wanted. In the end we went to a restaurant that we contemplated on our first night, a seafood place across from the Palacio de Belles Artes. It wasn't the greatest meal I'd ever had, but far from the worst.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Mexico City - 3
You get a feel for a place when you walk around that you cannot get from a car. There's nothing wrong with moving around by car; Uber is very cheap in Mexico City, and we made use of it later in our trip. But on our second day we walked. A lot.
We planned to go on foot from our hotel to Chapultepec Castle. Well, that was our intent, anyway. It's around six miles or so, depending on how you go, and the way we went was over fifteen miles round trip. The most direct path might be a straight line, but it's rarely the most interesting, and we wandered a lot, referring to Google Maps periodically to get our bearings.
The day started with churros and hot chocolate. Mexican hot chocolate is something I never knew existed until that morning. My wife guided us to a well-reviewed local shop: El Moro (Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 42, Centro Histórico). I knew what a churro was, but I have to apologize to all of my Mexican friends because the only reason I knew was because of Taco Bell. I never ate one at Taco Bell; but I had seen the ads.
It's obvious to say that El Moro was not Taco Bell.
We ordered a plate of churros and I got a Spanish hot chocolate. That was a mistake. I should have gotten the standard Mexican hot chocolate. I don't know why I didn't get the standard, but I will forever regret it. The Spanish hot chocolate was like a cup of melted chocolate. It was very good, but incredibly thick. I don't know if it was a faux pas, but we dipped our churros in the cup because the consistency was more of a sauce than a drink.
Those churros were amazing. No other words are needed. If you are nearby you should go; if you're not nearby, you should go. You should just go.
From there we wandered over to the main boulevard; Paseo De La Reforma.
That street has a lot of major hotels and tall buildings with international company logos. The street has massive roundabouts with fountains and statues in the middle. The sides of the road are like a long park. There are abundant restaurants.
As we approached Chapultepec, we knew something was wrong. There weren't a lot of people around. Turns out we had made a rookie mistake and didn't confirm if the park was open. You should never make assumptions when traveling, and we had.
Never ones to let something like that get in our way, we pulled out our phones, got our bearings on Google Maps, and headed to our next destination: La Condesa.
The La Condesa neighborhood is on the upscale end of the spectrum. There are cafes that face out to tree-lined boulevards. Traffic is light. Pedestrians are common. We headed to Lardo, a nice gastropub /coffee shop on the corner of Augustin Melgar and Avenida Mazatlan, near the roundabout. There was a short wait. My wife walked around taking pictures while I sat and rested my tired feet. After the crowds of the historic district, it was refreshing to be in a place of relative quiet and peace.
I ordered a croissant and latte, my wife a latte. We ate at the bar and talked. That in itself was interesting. Our son, 18, was on a trip of his own. My wife and I hadn't taken a vacation together - just the two of us - in a very long time. It's frightening. We are a tight family. When my son was younger he and I would take trips to Florida to watch spring baseball, because my wife didn't have any interest in that; and she had gone on solo trips a few times. But Mexico City was the first trip as a married couple since before my son was born.
It's a good thing we still like each other.
From Lardo we walked around the area before wandering back towards our hotel. The City Park was excellent, with workout equipment and dog walkers and a massive playground for children. Along the way back we ate some street food and talked about the interesting buildings around us. At the Plaza de la Republica we encountered a heavy police presence, which can be somewhat frightening.
That night we headed towards a restaurant that my wife had anticipated visiting, but we gave up as the streets grew darker and the people fewer. Instead, we ate excellent tacos and a nice quesadilla at a small restaurant, where we encountered that most despised of tourists, the person that thinks talking in English really loud makes up for no understanding of the language. We laughed; we weren't good at Spanish, but we tried.
My wife slept well, and, as with every vacation, I had trouble falling asleep. Life's stresses weighed on me, work was going in completely the wrong direction, and I was at a loss for what to do. It didn't help that the street outside our window was busy with either cars or yelling people.
Eventually, though, I slept, and deeply.
We planned to go on foot from our hotel to Chapultepec Castle. Well, that was our intent, anyway. It's around six miles or so, depending on how you go, and the way we went was over fifteen miles round trip. The most direct path might be a straight line, but it's rarely the most interesting, and we wandered a lot, referring to Google Maps periodically to get our bearings.
The day started with churros and hot chocolate. Mexican hot chocolate is something I never knew existed until that morning. My wife guided us to a well-reviewed local shop: El Moro (Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 42, Centro Histórico). I knew what a churro was, but I have to apologize to all of my Mexican friends because the only reason I knew was because of Taco Bell. I never ate one at Taco Bell; but I had seen the ads.
It's obvious to say that El Moro was not Taco Bell.
We ordered a plate of churros and I got a Spanish hot chocolate. That was a mistake. I should have gotten the standard Mexican hot chocolate. I don't know why I didn't get the standard, but I will forever regret it. The Spanish hot chocolate was like a cup of melted chocolate. It was very good, but incredibly thick. I don't know if it was a faux pas, but we dipped our churros in the cup because the consistency was more of a sauce than a drink.
Those churros were amazing. No other words are needed. If you are nearby you should go; if you're not nearby, you should go. You should just go.
From there we wandered over to the main boulevard; Paseo De La Reforma.
That street has a lot of major hotels and tall buildings with international company logos. The street has massive roundabouts with fountains and statues in the middle. The sides of the road are like a long park. There are abundant restaurants.
As we approached Chapultepec, we knew something was wrong. There weren't a lot of people around. Turns out we had made a rookie mistake and didn't confirm if the park was open. You should never make assumptions when traveling, and we had.
Never ones to let something like that get in our way, we pulled out our phones, got our bearings on Google Maps, and headed to our next destination: La Condesa.
The La Condesa neighborhood is on the upscale end of the spectrum. There are cafes that face out to tree-lined boulevards. Traffic is light. Pedestrians are common. We headed to Lardo, a nice gastropub /coffee shop on the corner of Augustin Melgar and Avenida Mazatlan, near the roundabout. There was a short wait. My wife walked around taking pictures while I sat and rested my tired feet. After the crowds of the historic district, it was refreshing to be in a place of relative quiet and peace.
I ordered a croissant and latte, my wife a latte. We ate at the bar and talked. That in itself was interesting. Our son, 18, was on a trip of his own. My wife and I hadn't taken a vacation together - just the two of us - in a very long time. It's frightening. We are a tight family. When my son was younger he and I would take trips to Florida to watch spring baseball, because my wife didn't have any interest in that; and she had gone on solo trips a few times. But Mexico City was the first trip as a married couple since before my son was born.
It's a good thing we still like each other.
From Lardo we walked around the area before wandering back towards our hotel. The City Park was excellent, with workout equipment and dog walkers and a massive playground for children. Along the way back we ate some street food and talked about the interesting buildings around us. At the Plaza de la Republica we encountered a heavy police presence, which can be somewhat frightening.
That night we headed towards a restaurant that my wife had anticipated visiting, but we gave up as the streets grew darker and the people fewer. Instead, we ate excellent tacos and a nice quesadilla at a small restaurant, where we encountered that most despised of tourists, the person that thinks talking in English really loud makes up for no understanding of the language. We laughed; we weren't good at Spanish, but we tried.
My wife slept well, and, as with every vacation, I had trouble falling asleep. Life's stresses weighed on me, work was going in completely the wrong direction, and I was at a loss for what to do. It didn't help that the street outside our window was busy with either cars or yelling people.
Eventually, though, I slept, and deeply.
Friday, June 8, 2018
Mexico City - 2
Some people travel and seek out the comforts of home. Others, to leave those comforts behind. Neither approach is necessarily right or wrong; travel is the best way to relax while also broadening our minds, and far be it from me to define what that means for another person. We spend far to much energy criticizing the way others live their lives, creating that counterpoint humans seem to need to make us feel good about ourselves.
I grew up on those vacations. Myrtle Beach every year, before we discovered Panama City Beach. Those were great trips. Then my dad and I would do these long drives to wherever the hell we wanted to go, as long as it was in Florida, which I never really understood. But while at the time I wanted to go anyplace BUT Florida, now, as a grown man and father, I get it. Dad was blue collar; he didn't want to work on his vacation, but needed to relax and play, and that's what we did.
As a white collar drone, I seek vacations that get me out into the wild. Places where I can disconnect from email and the incessant complaints that it is never enough, whatever it is. One good thing about my job is that I get to travel a lot, though this year that has been cut down drastically; I have tried to explain that travel is the one component of my job that doesn't stress me out. People don't get that, I'm afraid; travel does, in fact, stress people out, much of the time. Not for me. There is a very simple pleasure in getting on a plane, or even standing in the security line, watching people, looking at the process they go through. I love people. I love processes. The mechanics of life, little things, fascinate me.
Our flight was a little after 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday. The day before, our son drove with is friends to Florida. He'll be off at college in the fall, and the Mexico City trip would be the first vacation my wife and I have taken - as a couple - in almost eighteen years. Strange to think about in that way.
It's cheap to fly to Mexico City. Technically late May is the off season. It's the hottest month of the year. Sometime in June the rainy season starts, then the hurricane season, and then in December the high season ramps up. lasting until Easter or mid spring. The flight was uneventful.
Immigration was quick and efficient. Less than a half hour after touching down we were outside the airport waiting for our Uber.
It's a short trip to downtown from the airport, a few miles (give or take, depending on your destination). It's possible to take the train, a bus, taxi, or Uber. All of these options are good. We chose Uber for the simplicity; it's a little cheaper than the taxi, quite a bit more than the bus or subway.
A half hour later we were checking in to our hotel. By four in the afternoon we were walking the streets.
Our hotel was the Hotel Ritz Mexico. The hotel was very affordable. Reading the reviews for hotels in foreign countries is always fun; you can tell which of the writers is an experienced traveler because those that aren't complain about things that you should know about in advance. Like the lack of air conditioning. In much of the world, hotel rooms don't have AC, especially in the mid-range hotels (or lower). And you learn that is the norm in Mexico City after a little research. Yet many people take off a few stars for this, which is unfair.
That afternoon we went to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a short ten minute walk from the hotel. The pedestrian street was crowded, and I was annoyingly paranoid about the security of my wife's camera, which I felt she was carrying far too insecurely. (After some very direct commentary from her, I lightened up a bit.) The museum is free on Sunday, though you still have to get a ticket, which was an odd waste of paper; and they told my wife to check her backpack, even though plenty of people were walking around with their backpacks. We were more impressed with the architecture of the museum than with the exhibits, and we were done in a half hour.
And we were hungry.
Food in the old downtown is a fun adventure. There are a thousand choices of places to eat, but most serve basically the same things. After wandering around we opted for The House of Tiles.
You can't miss the building. It is a gorgeous facade of blue and white tiles, spectacular and beautiful. We learned quickly that finding a waiter who speaks English wouldn't always be easy, but with our fumbling Spanish (thanks Dora! Seriously. I think that's where I learned Spanish.) and their fumbling English, combined with Google Translate, we were able to get some food.
As the day wore down to evening, we found ourselves in a very large Sears that faces the Palacio de Bellas Artes. There is a cafe there with a view over the Palacio. It was small and crowded, the coffee was mediocre. But the view cannot be beat. Sometimes in travel you have to simply stop. Cease movement and you notice the movement around you. No longer do you react to that ebb and flow. You become the constant, everything else the variable.
We sought that out on this trip. Not consciously. There was no intent. Not really. Yet there we were, on top of a mega-Sears, drinking shitty coffee while looking North across one of the world's largest cities, with an old palatial building dominating the view. There we were. Just sitting, talking, and enjoying... nothing, really. There wasn't anything particularly great about any of it. Our table didn't even have a view.
But we stopped doing. We stopped caring. We stopped worrying.
We wandered around some after that and wound up at a taco chain restaurant that was hands down the best tacos I've ever had up to that point (that situation improved). Then we wandered to the hotel, took a shower under this shower that came from straight above and shot out in ten directions, mostly down if slightly askance.
I didn't sleep. I never sleep. I want to have more than five hours of sleep a night, and that was my vacation goal. But the world outside our window was loud late into the night.
I grew up on those vacations. Myrtle Beach every year, before we discovered Panama City Beach. Those were great trips. Then my dad and I would do these long drives to wherever the hell we wanted to go, as long as it was in Florida, which I never really understood. But while at the time I wanted to go anyplace BUT Florida, now, as a grown man and father, I get it. Dad was blue collar; he didn't want to work on his vacation, but needed to relax and play, and that's what we did.
As a white collar drone, I seek vacations that get me out into the wild. Places where I can disconnect from email and the incessant complaints that it is never enough, whatever it is. One good thing about my job is that I get to travel a lot, though this year that has been cut down drastically; I have tried to explain that travel is the one component of my job that doesn't stress me out. People don't get that, I'm afraid; travel does, in fact, stress people out, much of the time. Not for me. There is a very simple pleasure in getting on a plane, or even standing in the security line, watching people, looking at the process they go through. I love people. I love processes. The mechanics of life, little things, fascinate me.
Our flight was a little after 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday. The day before, our son drove with is friends to Florida. He'll be off at college in the fall, and the Mexico City trip would be the first vacation my wife and I have taken - as a couple - in almost eighteen years. Strange to think about in that way.
It's cheap to fly to Mexico City. Technically late May is the off season. It's the hottest month of the year. Sometime in June the rainy season starts, then the hurricane season, and then in December the high season ramps up. lasting until Easter or mid spring. The flight was uneventful.
Immigration was quick and efficient. Less than a half hour after touching down we were outside the airport waiting for our Uber.
It's a short trip to downtown from the airport, a few miles (give or take, depending on your destination). It's possible to take the train, a bus, taxi, or Uber. All of these options are good. We chose Uber for the simplicity; it's a little cheaper than the taxi, quite a bit more than the bus or subway.
A half hour later we were checking in to our hotel. By four in the afternoon we were walking the streets.
Our hotel was the Hotel Ritz Mexico. The hotel was very affordable. Reading the reviews for hotels in foreign countries is always fun; you can tell which of the writers is an experienced traveler because those that aren't complain about things that you should know about in advance. Like the lack of air conditioning. In much of the world, hotel rooms don't have AC, especially in the mid-range hotels (or lower). And you learn that is the norm in Mexico City after a little research. Yet many people take off a few stars for this, which is unfair.
That afternoon we went to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a short ten minute walk from the hotel. The pedestrian street was crowded, and I was annoyingly paranoid about the security of my wife's camera, which I felt she was carrying far too insecurely. (After some very direct commentary from her, I lightened up a bit.) The museum is free on Sunday, though you still have to get a ticket, which was an odd waste of paper; and they told my wife to check her backpack, even though plenty of people were walking around with their backpacks. We were more impressed with the architecture of the museum than with the exhibits, and we were done in a half hour.
And we were hungry.
Food in the old downtown is a fun adventure. There are a thousand choices of places to eat, but most serve basically the same things. After wandering around we opted for The House of Tiles.
You can't miss the building. It is a gorgeous facade of blue and white tiles, spectacular and beautiful. We learned quickly that finding a waiter who speaks English wouldn't always be easy, but with our fumbling Spanish (thanks Dora! Seriously. I think that's where I learned Spanish.) and their fumbling English, combined with Google Translate, we were able to get some food.
As the day wore down to evening, we found ourselves in a very large Sears that faces the Palacio de Bellas Artes. There is a cafe there with a view over the Palacio. It was small and crowded, the coffee was mediocre. But the view cannot be beat. Sometimes in travel you have to simply stop. Cease movement and you notice the movement around you. No longer do you react to that ebb and flow. You become the constant, everything else the variable.
We sought that out on this trip. Not consciously. There was no intent. Not really. Yet there we were, on top of a mega-Sears, drinking shitty coffee while looking North across one of the world's largest cities, with an old palatial building dominating the view. There we were. Just sitting, talking, and enjoying... nothing, really. There wasn't anything particularly great about any of it. Our table didn't even have a view.
But we stopped doing. We stopped caring. We stopped worrying.
We wandered around some after that and wound up at a taco chain restaurant that was hands down the best tacos I've ever had up to that point (that situation improved). Then we wandered to the hotel, took a shower under this shower that came from straight above and shot out in ten directions, mostly down if slightly askance.
I didn't sleep. I never sleep. I want to have more than five hours of sleep a night, and that was my vacation goal. But the world outside our window was loud late into the night.
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Mexico City - 1
There are many anxieties that seep in when thinking about travel to Mexico that isn't one of the major resorts. As is the way with the world, negatives often overpower positives. We are fed the doom and gloom, no matter how much we might crave the happiness and light.
Initially Mexico City was going to be a family trip over Spring Break. Then my son got accepted into a good university and we had to go visit that campus. Eventually we found time to go; my son was on a trip to the beach with his friends, so it would be the first trip by my wife and me as empty nesters.
Mexico City in the off season is fairly cheap; and it's not a very risky off season, which is very long thanks to the rainy season and the persistent threat of hurricanes during the summer and autumn. We went in late May, Memorial Day Weekend (plus a couple of days). The average temp was supposed to be upper seventies; Mother Nature decided to be an overachiever, though, and it grew steadily hotter every day we were there, peaking at ninety on the Wednesday we left.
Understand that, for me, ninety isn't all that hot. I'm from Tennessee. From July to early September we long for days with a high temperature of only ninety. Plus, we have humidity, the sort that feels like a physical weight on your body, pressing in from all sides.
But damn it was hot. We found ourselves often walking east-west through the historic district, so there was almost no shade. And when there was, people crowded into it making it very crowded on one side of the street and almost empty in the middle.
Finding shade became an obsession, and my wife and I were quick studies. I have no accurate way of knowing how much the temperature dropped in the shade. It was enough to make a difference, even if it was just a light pole. You might laugh at that, but I challenge you to try it.
Another tidbit: our hotel had no air conditioner. There was a fan. And a window, the sort that tilted in from the top. That worried me a lot on day one. But the problem with our room wasn't the temperature; at night temps dropped to the mid fifties, and the room became cold enough to need a light blanket. The problem was the noise from outside.
Mexico City is a noisy place. That's a generalization, of course; for the most part we stayed around the historic district. And one person's "noisy" is another's "lively." It's hard to keep a city of nine million people quiet.
One final general note: there are some parts of Mexico City that are not safe. Mexico has a bad reputation for gang activity, kidnapping, etc. But never once did we feel nervous, other than the way you should feel nervous in a big city, such as when you find yourself on a deserted dark street at night. Because that's what Mexico City is: a big - huge - metropolitan area with all sorts of people. Cities are melting pots. Of course there are gangs in Mexico City. There are parts of Los Angeles that I wouldn't go to if I was paid. It's a fact of life that there are bad people in the world.
Having said that, it is incongruous that a nation of such incredibly nice people can actually have such violent elements. Because that was the big takeaway from the trip: despite the obvious hardships of life, people were smiling, laughing, always willing to help. Nobody bumped into you on the street, and when I sneezed there would be a few people calling "salud" from the crowd. I've seen this before, both in my home in rural Appalachia and in India: the more poor people are, the happier they seem to be. There are lessons there, I'm sure, and complex reasons. Perhaps it's best summed up as this: hardship makes you appreciate life. Humanity has tens - hundreds - of thousands of years of evolution behind that. Hard living was just the way it has been for us. The easy life was unknown for pretty much everyone in your and my family tree.
Mexico City is just a nice place.
More on the particulars of the trip in Part 2.
Having said that, it is incongruous that a nation of such incredibly nice people can actually have such violent elements. Because that was the big takeaway from the trip: despite the obvious hardships of life, people were smiling, laughing, always willing to help. Nobody bumped into you on the street, and when I sneezed there would be a few people calling "salud" from the crowd. I've seen this before, both in my home in rural Appalachia and in India: the more poor people are, the happier they seem to be. There are lessons there, I'm sure, and complex reasons. Perhaps it's best summed up as this: hardship makes you appreciate life. Humanity has tens - hundreds - of thousands of years of evolution behind that. Hard living was just the way it has been for us. The easy life was unknown for pretty much everyone in your and my family tree.
Mexico City is just a nice place.
More on the particulars of the trip in Part 2.
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