USA 2022 – Seattle Days 2&3 – Cruise, Aquarium & Airport
[Photos taken 02 – 03 August 2022, posted online 26 March 2023. Second confirmation party of the season later today, three more to go!]
Our second day in Seattle was in large part dictated by the Seattle City Pass options. We thus found ourselves on a sight-seeing boat that went up and down the Seattle sea-side. Afterwards the kids opted for an unscheduled ride on the local Ferris wheel, before we went hunting for lunch. The second activity was checking out the aquarium, which was pretty nice, but didn’t quite match the monster aquarium in Monterey, California. Oh, the dangers of having traveled.
Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel, with a quick side-tour to Walmart where we found almost all the products hidden behind lock and key (?!?!). Dinner was at a nearby Indian restaurant, and I’ve rarely gotten so sleepy in my life. Back at the hotel Finnur thus got to pack the bags for the next hop, while I lay near-comatose in bed, yay jetlag!
The following day we found yet another hipster café to eat a bit of breakfast, before taking the train to the airport. This time the mental patient on board was a young overweight man with random splotches of blue paint on him who sat facing us on the side, who constantly talked to himself (somewhat threateningly), while staring intently at us, like he was waiting for something to happen. We did our best not to make eye contact. Some fare-checkers came on board, talked to the guy, handed him some leaflets and took off. Thankfully, the guy left the train a stop before we did.
I highly recommend signing up for the speedy security line at the airport if it’s on offer, it made the airport experience more bearable. And then we were off to Spokane, and then N-Idaho! (65-ish images total)
Tuesday 02 August 2022
USA 2022 – Seattle Day 1 – Glass, Pop & Needle
[Photos taken 01 August 2022, posted online 25 March 2023. It’s still freezing outside, it’s a bit unusual.]
Our 2-week-long vacation to the US was a complicated one. We began by spending two whole days in Seattle to get over the worst of the jetlag. Then we spent a day traveling east to Idaho to meet up with my Stanford advisor and his wife at their second home, where we spent three whole days. We spent a day traveling to Colorado, where we spent a further five whole days with old friends, before flying back home to Iceland.
For our stay in Seattle, I settled on buying the Seattle City Pass, and using it at five attractions. The first day we thus visited 1) Chihuly Garden and Glass, 2) Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), and 3) Space Needle. (70-ish images total)
Monday 01 August 2022
Horse-Camp, Laugarvatn, Birthday-Boy & Graduation Party #2
[Photos taken 24 – 30 June 2022, posted online 19 February 2023. Today is Emma’s second family birthday bash, and there’s a storm coming.]
Emma’s first two weeks at horse-camp came to a close with a ‘show’, where the kids paraded in a line, demonstrating speed and direction control. The following week saw the start of a new two-week camp.
We decided to visit Finnur’s parents at their summer house in Laugarvatn over the weekend, where Finnur helped his dad build yet another deck. Then Bjarki turned 15 years old, we had a celebratory dinner, and then a party with Finnur’s family where we also celebrated Anna’s graduation, as so many had been traveling when the actual graduation took place. (45-ish images total)
Friday 24 June 2022
Graduation Trip, Mr. Weeding & Gorgeous Days
[Photos taken 01 – 07 June 2022, posted online 21 January 2023. After multiple weeks of an unusually deep freeze, with multiple days in a row at -12C/10F, this weekend is The Big Thaw.]
With Anna on a graduation trip in Mexico, the house was a little emptier than usual. The days were filled with weeding (aka Bjarki’s hunt for money), I attended a choral performance, the kids’ school closed for the summer, we visited the house in Skorradal for a long weekend (where an epic mowing job awaited in glorious weather), and I socialized with the people at work. (60-ish images total)
Wednesday 01 June 2022
May-Mayhem: E-biking Lundarreykjadalur & Eyrarfjall, Recitals & Scotland-Soccer
[Photos taken 08 – 15 May 2022, posted online 20 November 2022. I fell in to serious TV-binge mode this weekend, been a long while since the last one. I’m in denial about Christmas being around the corner.]
The madness that was May continued with two e-bike rides in one week, two music school recitals, trying to figure out what to do about Emma’s somewhat injured foot, a bike-to-work challenge, rushing to clear the yard of leaves and branches, and Finnur traveling to Scotland to play in a soccer tournament (“old boys” division). (85-ish images total)
Sunday 08 May 2022
Copenhagen Days 5-6: Planetarium & Journey Home
[Photos taken 15 – 16 April 2022, posted on 21 August 2022. New little nephew named yesterday! In other news, I’ve resigned from my job (as seems to be fashionable), my last day will probably be in late October. No new job lined up, I’m open to suggestions!]
By the fifth day in Copenhagen, we’d sort of finished doing what we’d planned to do, so were a little at a loss on what to do with ourselves. After looking over the available Copenhagen Card attractions, we ended up walking to the big Torvehallerne food hall to eat lunch, and then took the train (not the metro! just a little confusion!) to the Planetarium.
That evening we played it safe with dinner, packed most of our bags, and got ready to leave for Iceland in the morning. The trip home was uneventful, but I discovered I was pretty exhausted upon return. The schedule had perhaps been a rather packed one? (40-ish images total)
Friday 15 April 2022
Copenhagen Days 3-4: Aquarium & Go Monkey Climbing
[Photos taken 13-14 April 2022, posted online 11 20 August 2022. The first part of this was composed in Colorado, USA!]
The Wednesday had been designated “shopping day” for Anna and myself, so Finnur took the other kids to the aquarium. On Thursday we took the bus into the suburbs to go on a tree-hugging adventure course, which was great fun. (65-ish images total)
Wednesday 13 April 2022
Copenhagen Days 1-2: Tivoli & Experimentarium
[Photos taken 11 – 12 April 2022, posted online 27 July 2022. It’s pouring with rain outside, the plants are happy.]
We hadn’t really planned what to do in Copenhagen before arrival, but thankfully a friend had told us about the Copenhagen Card, which gives you unlimited access to public transportation, and entrance to most of the main attractions in town.
With Copenhagen cards active in our phones, we spent the first day in the Tivoli Gardens. Day two was spent at the Experimentarium. (75-ish images total)
Monday 11 April 2022
Comedy, Spring, Birthday #2 & Denmark!
[Photos taken 01 – 10 April 2022, posted online 25 July 2022. The weather is calm.]
We took the big kids to see a year-end-themed comedy show that had been scheduled for late December. It was interesting that the audience-appetite for covid jokes was low, it seems like we kind of just want to be done with the whole thing.
Then spring began to really spring forward, and it was time for some gardening. Just before departing for Denmark, we managed to host the 2nd birthday party for Emma for my side of the family. Then we departed for Denmark as the Easter holiday was up on us! (50-ish images total)
Friday 01 April 2022
Tenerife Lady-Trip: More Golf, Shopping & Departure Jog
[Photos taken 03-05 December 2021, posted online 03 April 2022. Spring rain outside, yesterday I cleared out the bonfire-sized heap of stuff that seems to collect in the garage every winter.]
In an attempt to “lock in” some of the golf-info we’d gotten during golf lesson #1, we booked another lesson two days later with our very patient teacher. Unfortunately for me, I’d probably injured something when I struck the ground two days prior, so hitting the ball became an exercise in ignoring a flaring pain in my right forearm. I’m stubborn like that.
Later that day we ventured into a shopping mall, for a bit of last minute shopping. The morning after my shins had finally stopped threatening to split, so I ventured out with Hildur on a morning jog. Then we finished packing and took a taxi to the airport.
It was clear that Tenerife authorities weren’t too concerned with infections among the departing population, as hand disinfectant was hard to find in the terminal, and the food and waiting areas were packed like sardines. Masks kept being required though.
The 5 hour flight home was uneventful, but upon landing we had to get a PCR test (free), and then quarantine until the results came back. Finnur had therefore taken the kiddos to house #2, and Adda stayed overnight with me. Around 2 pm the following day we got the all-clear, and that was the formal end of our absolutely wonderful & glorious lady-trip to Tenerife! (70-ish images total)
Friday 03 December 2021
