Day #7 in DC: Beachtime!
[Photos from Wednesday 05 August 2015, written up on 04-05 October 2015. It’s looking very autumny out there! ]
We followed our hosts to the town of Lewes in Delaware, about three hours away by car. (33 images total)
Our trip to the beach, which took about three hours with stops.
Day #6 in DC: Swimming with Torie & the Twins
[Photos from 04 August 2015, posted on 03 October 2015. How’d it get past midnight already?!]
While our hosts were frolicking on the beach (that we would join them on the day after), we accepted Torie’s invitation to go swimming with her and her twins at their local pool. (Todd was at work, poor thing.) (13 images total)
Cars loaded and ready to go! We stopped by downtown first to get some Greek food for the grownups for lunch.
Day #5 in DC: Home Alone, Cabin John Park Playground and Shopping
[Photos from 03 August 2015, posted online on 03 Octorber 2015. Almost makes me weep!]
Our hosts took off with their other friends and left us all by ourselves for a couple of days (at which point we drove and met up with them).
Since the day before had been kind of hectic, we took it easy by visiting a nearby park/playground, eating lunch at a restaurant, napping a bit, and then venturing out again for some shopping. (12 images total)
On the train in Cabin John’s Park.
Day #4 in DC: Brunch, Zoo, and Musical
[Photos from 02 August 2015, text from, ahem, 01-02 October 2015. How’d that happen?!?!]
It was a warm Sunday, and me and the kids followed the other Icelanders down to the Adams Morgan neighborhood to have brunch at a trendy cafe. Our hosts and us then walked/hiked (it was hilly!) to the National Zoo (free entry!), where we walked around in the crowds for a bit before giving in to the moaning children, and walking back.
I went on an emergency shoe trip, since we were going to see a musical at the Kennedy Center that night, and I only had sneakers. The only drawback: my feet grew a size last winter, and I’m now a US 12/European 43. This means I can walk into most shoe stores, ask if they have anything in my size, and generally walk right back out again.
Happily, I did score some nice silver sandals at one store, so all was not lost. But, we ate dinner outside at a restaurant by the Kennedy Center where, as I would discover a few hours later, some flies took advantage of my uncovered feet and went to biting town. Grrr!
The Book of Mormon musical was a lot of fun, probably made even funner by the fact that we got to know quite a few Mormons when we lived in California: Lovely people all of them, but just ever so slightly different. (37 images total)
A street in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.
Day #3 in DC: Visiting Todd and Torie + Air & Space Museum
[Photos from 01 August 2015, text and layout from 24 September 2015. August has made it into existence!]
We didn’t publicize that we were going to be in DC (the internet spawns bad habits) so we probably missed meeting up with some friends that were/could have been there at the same time as us. Now we know better.
But, with my limited brain functions, I did remember to contact the few people I remembered lived in DC. Among them were Todd and Torie, who we met in California. (Todd and Hrefna started EE grad school at Stanford at the same time. T&T’s wedding remains one of the few weddings we actually made it to during the wedding bonanza.).
Since our Icelandic hosts were busy with their other friends on some tourist tour or other, we decided to drive to T&T’s and spend the day perusing their town. We also skipped on over to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum at Dulles at the very end of the day. (34 images total)
All of us at the Air and Space Museum surrounded by cool stuff!
Day #2 in DC: Downtown Bethesda, and a BBQ
[Photos from 31 July 2015, written up on 23 September 2015. Easy!]
We weren’t the only Icelandic friends of Elsa and Þráinn’s in the area during our stay. Another couple with two teenage kids was also hanging out, and we all enjoyed a BBQ together that evening.
The day started, though, with Elsa taking the other mom and her daughter to a hot yoga session (I opted out since I’d almost hurt my back during a similar yoga class the previous morning) in downtown Bethesda. I’d seen a playground close by, so we decided to get a head start on the heat, and let the kids play outside before lunchtime.
Once we were there, I spotted a sports store I wanted to visit with Anna, so Finnur got stuck minding the smaller kids. He had no internet connection on his phone, so he almost diiiiiiiied of boredom. But, Anna and I lucked out, and got some items on a sale at the store. (I got sports bras! Not, one, but three! In my size! On sale! In the store!!!)
After lunch, I vaguely recall there being grocery shopping, but Elsa also headed out to the airport to pick Þráinn up. In the late afternoon, the other family arrived, and we all ate way too much!
Photos! (13 images total)
Bored-to-metaphorical-tears Finnur at a playground by downtown Bethesda.
Day #1 in DC: Gymnastics, Shopping, and Playgrounding
[Photos from Thursday 30 July 2015, written up on 23 September 2015. Say it ain’t so!]
It was pretty darn warm in DC the first few days that we were there. To escape both the house, and the heat, we took the kids to a gymnastics club that offers 50 minutes of playtime every lunchtime. After playing and eating lunch at Subway, we split up, with Finnur taking the younger kids back to the house, while the moms and Anna went off to find the nearest H&M store during a thunderstorm.
Once we got back, we took it easy, except for a dusk-time visit to the local school playground, where I got my first bug bites, and eeek, they sure got nasty the day after!
Photos, or it didn’t happen! (26 images total)
Emma attempting to open the door to the gymnastics center.
To Washington DC!
[This happened on 29 July 2015, but is being blogged on 10 September 2015. No wind!]
In late May I got a fly in my head (Icelandic idiom) to go visit and stay with our friends Elsa and Þráinn in Washington DC during our summer vacation.
Long story short, a plan was hatched, tickets were bought, and on Finnur’s 41st birthday, we took off for a two week vacation! (16 images total)
You can tell by the cart/stroller that we’re at Keflavik airport! Yes, we decided to buy proper headphones for all but one unlucky soul. They were worth it!
Hrafnagil Day 3: More Horses!
[Photos from Wednesday 22 July 2015, but text and layout from 01 $#^@$ September 2015. How?!?!]
Our super fun horse ride along a beach on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula had us hungering for more horse-time. We decided to book a tour with Pólar hestar a little ways north of where we were staying.
This time, Finnur also wanted to try riding, so our hosts graciously offered to babysit Emma for a few hours.
On the way to the horse rental we picked up Solla and Gunni’s oldest daughter, Arndís, who tagged along with us on her first horse ride.
All in all it went well. It was a little troublesome to only have one guide out in front, because some of the horses were fairly willing, but Bjarki’s was not, so he kept falling behind. Bjarki was also still pretty traumatized from the last ride (where his horse took off like a rocket for a short spurt) so the overall speed was kept down low.
At one point, the guide tried to allow us to sprint away from her (and Bjarki) and back again, but the horses were unhappy to leave their lead horse, so that didn’t go so well. I did learn though that shorter stirrups beat long ones (Hello there, near fatal accident!).
We were a happy group at the end though, so that’s all that matters. (13 images total)
Horses!
Hrafnagil Day 2: North Along the Coast
[We did this on 21 July 2015, but I’m writing it up on 31 August 2015. It’s been a while!]
Our hosts decided our ignorance of the northern parts of their fjord was a travesty, so they set out to fix it.
First we drove to Dalvík where we visited the Hvoll folk museum, and then went to eat a late lunch. Afterwards we drove further and through one tunnel to Ólafsfjörður where everybody except the old geezers took a dip in the excellent swimming pool.
We kept driving on, passing through two long tunnels, to arrive at Siglufjörður. There we had a quick cup of coffee in the surprisingly lively town, before arriving at the herring era museum fifteen minutes before closing. It was nifty to see the entrance exhibit, but we decided we’d return when Emma was a bit bigger to investigate further.
With that we returned back to home base. (54 images total)
The house Hvoll houses Dalvík’s Folk Museum.