Iceland Adventures and Abandonment With Icebergs on Beaches!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Never meant to be away that long but have had maaaaaaaassive problems with both my internet and laptop's wireless network, still. Apparently the laptop issues are a Windows 10 thing (beeewwaaaarreee!)...... Keep it up Microsoft, it's all I need to go over to the dark iSide........... And the internet issues, well, Optus still can't figure out how to fix it........ But the internet is connected for now, so far so good (fingers crossed I didn't just jinx it) and have had to go Old Skool and connect the laptop via Ethernet cable. Heh, it's like the old days of dial-up down here! But then, it's pretty well-known that Australia has some really crap and expensive internet service, well, 'service' is the wrong word. Anyways, quick - will try to check in while I have the internet before the signal drops out again! And since I had time on my hands, I thought I'd give the little ol' blog a bit of a refresh - what do you think?

So yes, other than spending these last many weekends fighting with the phone company and the internet, life marches quietly on. Got the chores done, laundry clean and put away (ironing is still a whole 'nother thing), fluff and fur vacuumed up and away (still really, really want a robot vacuum, the height of first-world laziness if there ever was one!), plants are all happy and watered, the little balcony fountains have been scrubbed out and refilled, the kittehs are as desperate as I am for summer to be over once and for all but ol' Mother Nature has different ideas and has decided that summer will hang around until April at the very least. Yay. 85° with 70% humidity. And skies are fulla clouds that do nothing but stay up there and be fluffy while dumping rain everywhere else but here. Such is life in Brisbane! But, here we are now, got the hip n' groovy 80s tunes this time, something different, got a nice cold glass of the standby sparkling rose, yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Was pretty quiet for a long while there but I have a couple little things to do for the moment, which is nice because it helps pass the time. Not sure if I mentioned last time but our floor(?) area, group, whatever you call it, will be having a massive reorg in April, along with having our jobs reclassified, so, watch this space........... Fingers crossed the shuffling of the deck chairs only affects management, but then it's usually by them for them anyways, corporate feather-fluffing. Fingers crossed for us little worker bees. Otherwise, all has been good. Always happy to have a decent job (as long as I can have it)!

And then there were a fair few weekends in there......... One weekend I can remember was I went with a friend and his brother and his wife to go see Outback Spectacular's Salute to the Light Horse. It's basically dinner and a live horse show, so, kinda like Medieval Times. Y'know, they run horses around and around and do tricks and stuff, tell stories and sing songs while you eat a basic steak dinner. It wasn't a bad night out. Interesting. I've been wanting to go to one of their shows since I moved here and they change the shows every couple of years, so I think there's been six or seven different themes but still always with an Australian Outback theme. And this show, while it was good with some talented riders and patient, well-trained horses........ eeeehhhhhhh...... I should've gone to see it when I first moved here I think I would've gotten more out of it. Nowadays I think I've been here too long that the "charm" doesn't affect me like it would, say, a tourist from Europe or Asia. It was good but not really as impressive as I built it up to be in my head all these years. The things they do are pretty amazing, stuff I could never do if I could even get near a horse long enough. But.... yeah, it's hard to describe. Don't get me wrong, the tribute to the soldiers and horses that made up the Light Horse brigades was really good, sad, but respectful and well done. We weren't allowed to take photos during the show, which is understandable, I don't want a freaked-out horse and rider in my lap

while I try to eat dinner. But it was really good for tourists, and my friend and his family LOVED it, and they've been to every show. But for me, ehhh. And that's another thing, you have to loooove country music, and I really don't. But, it was a great night out, fun, different and the food was really good and plenty of it with snappy service that ran like clockwork. If you come down thisaway and you're interested, we'll totally go!

And what else has been happening on the weekends besides pulling

my hair out over no internet......... To be honest I think that's been it. The weather's been too hot and muggy to want to do much more than sit in front of the fan and eat ice cream! So, as always, you haven't really missed much!

And then it's back to my tales from The Big Nordic Adventure! And I had one more little tale to tell about our adventures in Iceland...... So. It was Day 3 of our tour around the south-western bit of Iceland. We had just come from seeing the beautiful waterfalls and black sand beaches with the murderous waves when we stopped in at the very lovely, quaint village of Vik to stretch our legs and check out the local souvenir shop, where the sweater/wool factory was just next door! We had a good wander and picked up a couple things, I caved and bought a proper Icelandic wool sweater as I've always wanted one, although I don't know where the hell else I thought I'd ever wear it living in Brisbane. But I got one. Then it was back on the bus for the two-plus hour drive to our next village, Kirkjubaejarklaustur and our hotel for the next two nights.

About an hour along the way our guide wanted to stop and introduce us to the desolate area of Laufskálavarða, known for hundreds of years as a rest stop for travelers who would build little cairns as offerings to the travel gods to continue safe journeys. So, those of use who were interested hopped off the bus to quickly build our little offerings. Kerry and I found a spot a little ways away from the others and got to building. I'd only brought with me a little bag of Macadamia nuts from Australia that I'd been dragging around for a snack (and to offer a couple to the travel gods) and my phone to take a picture of our little cairns and Kerry had just brought her camera. Midway through taking photos of our little monuments Kerry says, "Uh, Jenn, I think the bus is leaving." "No," I say, "it's not leaving without us. It wouldn't." She pauses as I take photos and says again, "No, Jenn, the bus is leaving." I say again, "No no no, the bus would never leave without us." She said, "Well, it is. It's going." I stand up and turn around to indeed see the tour bus, with all our worldly possessions on it, drive away, accelerating as it gained speed, turning into a small, then smaller speck, then vanished into the fading light of the day and it was gone and everything was dead quiet. We were in the honest-to-god middle of nowhere with no shelter and night falling rapidly along with a fine drizzle and a chilly breeze. The only thing we had was a broken-down truck cab that we were reluctant to break into but were happy to if it meant a place out of the cold and rain. Well, what else do abandoned girls do with only a cell phone with no reception bar that of an emergency call, a camera, and a bag of Macadamia nuts do but call emergency services (thanks Mom for their number before I left Australia. How I remembered it I will never know).

There were numerous conversations with the very lovely gals at emergency services, who spoke flawless English I must say, who were trying frantically to find our tour guide and who meanwhile called the police to come get us while we waited for our guide to be found, although it would be about an hour for the police to reach us. While we shivered and waited we vented our fury at the young Italian couple whom we'd sat next to that whole day and who apparently didn't notice we weren't sitting next to them when the bus drove away and failed to raise any alarm. Finally, a call came through and it's our very apologetic tour guide to say they were coming to get us and they'd called off the police. While we were happy they knew where we were and were coming to get us, we were also really very disappointed to not be rescued by what was sure to be a Viking in a policeman's uniform.

All up we were out there for nearly an hour. Not long by normal standards but it was pitch dark, cold, windy, drizzly, with no place to walk to, no shops, no houses, no lights, no nothing. And you wouldn't want to without a flashlight as all we needed to do was wander off in the dark and snap an ankle or a leg. So we rightly stayed put. Thankfully, we were stranded on the side of the main highway, Route 1, that circles all of Iceland, so we figured if we were that desperate (we weren't, but just in case) we could hitch a ride back to Vik, the last place we knew of as we had no idea where the hotel was but knew it was another hour or so away in the opposite direction. Interestingly and disappointingly, no one stopped to ask us if we were all right. That's right, there're just two gals hanging out in a pull-out on the side of the main highway just stretching our legs because our rig had broken down. Not one person stopped to ask if we were OK or needed a ride. So much for folks looking out for each other. Harumph.

Anyways, the bus finally appeared and reassuringly pulled up next to us and out slunk our guide, very apologetic as he bundled us into the big empty bus. Thankfully, waiting for us on the front seats were our handbags. We quickly checked our passports and wallets were still in our purses before settling in for the drive and the reason why they'd left without us, because lordy, we wanted to hear their excuse. It turned out that while we were all away building our little cairns two young women who had been hitchhiking approached our guide and driver and asked for a ride to the next town. As tour guides managing little groups they're meant to decline but he said he couldn't rightly leave two young women out there in the middle of nowhere on their own with no shelter as night was falling. We all had a very good laugh at that. So, after he gathered everyone back on the bus and did his head-count, well, he had all the right numbers and off they went. We're guessing they didn't know we weren't with them until everyone was tucked snugly into their hotel rooms when they noticed two suitcases still at the reception desk. And then the bits fell into place, eventually. Needless to say dinner was on them but unfortunately Kerry and I were too freaked out/angry to really appreciate it and didn't eat much (but what little we did have was really good). Funny, after we were settled in the restaurant, long after everyone else had eaten so we were basically the only ones in the dining room, up wander the Italian couple, asking if we were OK and that they didn't know we were left behind because for some totally bizarre reason they thought we got back on the bus but decided to sit up front with the guide. I could barely look at them let alone speak to them I was so angry, so left it to Kerry to smile slightly and say yes, we were left behind and weren't we sorry you two didn't say anything. We thanked them for their concern and made it so uncomfortable for them that they finally wandered away. Needless to say, Kerry and I manged to calm our nerves with a bottle of wine.

So folks, next time you go on a tour stop and take the time to get to know your seat mates and raise the alarm if you think something might be amiss, you can only look slightly foolish if not and heroic if so!

But I have to say, thinking back on our whole Icelandic Adventure, I had an absolutely fantastic time made even better for being able to share it with my good friend in always-interesting adventures - we'd first met when we lived in New Zealand, on our first scuba diving courses! It was a fun and excellent way for us to catch up after so long, I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Even tho the weather was cold and windy and rainy, at least it wasn't freezing-freezing like it could've been and we didn't have to worry about icy, slick roads, etc. It was a really great trip and one I'd like to do again, minus the whole abandonment thing. And, just in time of writing, Kerry's flash drive with all her photos from along the way has arrived in my hot little hands (as by now you're very aware all of mine were deleted)!

So, rather than launch into the next chapter where I continue over to Norway, I think I will save that for next time (fingers crossed it really is next weekend) and share some of her wonderful photos from Iceland instead!!!! Thank you so very much Kerry!!!!!

         

    

And if any of you up there are in need of a break from the winter that never ends, c'mon down here where summer never ends and defrost a while - you'd be more than welcome!

BYE!

J!