My runs have brought me to places far away from home, and while it has resulted in amazing trips it sometimes also makes it quite the undertaking outside of the run itself. It would be nice that I at least once in a while managed to plan a bit more convenient trip to find a run instead of having to fly half way around the world.
So a new project has seen the light of day; running marathons in the capitals of the 5 Nordic countries - Copenhagen (Denmark), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Helsinki (Finland) and Reykjavik (Iceland). I am considering also including the 3 autonomous territories Faroe Islands (Denmark), Greenland (Denmark) and Åland (Finland).
The 3 latter are a bit harder to do; while the Faroe Islands have an annual half and full marathon, Åland sometimes cancel their run due to lack of interest and Greenland, well - there is an annual marathon which I would consider an extreme run which I'm not to keen on, so I may have to try and find a half marathon instead if there is one (which I believe Nuuk has annually).
Some have already been run, some have recently been planned and others are still up in the air. The schedule is currently as follows:
Copenhagen - May 2019 Stockholm - May 2025 Oslo - September 2025 Helsinki - TBA Reykjavik - TBA
A small project compared to my other runs (past and likely future), but sometimes you just need to scale down and relax. Which I know is a bit of a contradiction when talking about running marathons. Oh, well.
We were woken early as we had to hand over our
bags by 0700 before going to breakfast. At 0815 most of us had disembarked and
were saying goodbye to the guides standing around outside the ship. The tour
had officially ended and we were now on our own.
As it was too early to check into my hotel I
had a walk around town with a few others and had some lunch (as if we really
needed more to eat) before retuning to my hotel and getting my room. As I entered
the room I decided to set my alarm to remind me to get to the restaurant I had
booked a table at, and it turned out to be a good idea as I ended up passing
out only minutes after settling in.
The 5275 pipes of the organ in Hallgrimskirkja.
When the alarm woke me up I realized I hadn’t
prepared for my northern lights tour that evening, didn’t know where I would be
picked up and was generally just a bit besides myself. I managed to eventually
sort everything out and left to go and have dinner. The place was basically a
meat restaurant where I started with langoustine/whale/puffin sliders followed
by a lamb/duck/beef platter and finishing off with a tasty chocolate &
salty caramel concoction, assisted by a large glass of red wine and port (of
course…) for dessert.
I had just an hour to spare so I went to a bar
in town where the ship’s musician had a gig to meet some of the guides and
other passengers before having to leave early to go on the night’s tour. At the
pickup point I bumped into 2 others from the ship and we had a blast. The
evening was improved by the fact that the lights were putting on an impressive
show almost non-stop for the entire time we were there. And we could agree on
trash talking some of the other people from the bus as they had no idea how to
adhere to the light-discipline necessary to have the best chance of seeing the
lights under the best of circumstances. Returning to Reykjavik around 0200 we
once again said our goodbyes and I went back to the hotel and straight to bed
for some much-needed sleep.
Last day in Reykjavik and as my flight was
during the afternoon and I had nothing planned I decided to wait until the last
moment to check out and then spend a few hours having my last walk around
before getting picked up and going to the airport. The lounge there was not
very busy, had an excellent selection of food (and desserts!) and had seats
pointed out towards the tarmac. Flight home was brilliant; awesome food, free
functioning wifi and great service. What a nice way of ending another trip!
The Icelandic Opera.
Big thanks to Lauren Farmer (expedition
leader), Catherine Ardagh (assistant expedition leader), Stephen Anstee (zodiac
master), Blaise Guld (musician), Kerstin Langenberger (naturalist), Mario
Placidi Spring (naturalist), Gerard Baker (BBC documentary maker/naturalist),
Dr. Annette Bombosch (marine biologist), Michael Bowen (firearms master), Phil
Hunter (naturalist), Bismarck Sommerfelt (naturalist), Vera Thaler
(naturalist), Heidi Krajewsky (marine biologist), Luyang Zhao (naturalist), Dr.
Trond Hansen (ship’s doctor) and Jacqueline Deely (photographer). Big thanks to
the captain Juraj Zeikan and the rest of the crew whose names I don’t remember
or don’t know. You all did some mighty fine work making this tour amazing.
Big thanks to Andre, Kimbrie, Brian, Daniel,
Lora, Brittany, Graham, Allison, Fiona, Yogin, Britta, Meg and everyone else I
should have mentioned but haven’t. You were a cool pile of people and I hope to
get to meet you again some time in the future.
Due to the crossing and having nothing important
scheduled there would be no wakeup call so I set my alarm to 0800 when
breakfast started which would still give me an hour to get something to eat.
Waking up a few minutes before the alarm when off I decided to skip breakfast
and instead just take my time getting up and ready. A while later I overheard
that a sperm whale had been spotted during the beginning of breakfast which
annoyed me to no end. It did help a bit when I later found out that not much
else than a dorsal fin was seen.
A recovery from the morning’s disappointment
was made when I was standing outside during the day looking for whales (or
anything else interesting that decided to make themselves noticed). With the
assistance of a helpful guide’s sharp eyes we saw a humpback whale breaching. I
only just caught the first jump out the corner of my eye but the second was
spot on as we now more or less knew where it was. It was far away with low
visibility but I was still satisfied as it was something I had been hoping to
see for some time.
Greetings from a humpback.
Pomarine jaeger.
A mother humpback and her calf.
The rest of the first day was uneventful and in
the evening the ship held its first Expedition Got Talent show where anybody
could step up and show off a (hidden) talent. While there was singing, playing,
recitals and a guide couple showing off skills in African Boot Dancing the
evening slowly turned into a karaoke show – which for the record wasn’t a
disappointment as it was its very own level of entertainment.
Things took a slight turn during the night as
northern lights were spotted above us. As opposed to last sighting we had
overcast weather so we didn’t get to see the lights directly. Instead they
lighted up the clouds in greens which resulted in a quite surreal view. But I
can’t help think that if the lights were enough to make the clouds that green there
must have been quite a lot going on above.
Second day of the crossing we were still having
great conditions. We were (still) on the lookout for whales as we were nearing
the point where it might be the last chance to get to see them on the tour. During
the period of 0900-1700 we had two confirmed spouts and 2 maybes. The wind
picked up during the afternoon when we first saw the coast of Iceland, followed
by light random drizzle devolving into rain, and while this did make it harder
to spot anything it felt like nothing but a wet desert.
Reaching the coast of Iceland.
Northern gannet.
Reykjavik by night.
We had our final briefing that evening with
cocktails and snacks with the captain, a raffle and as usual auctioneering off
the ship’s flag. Dinner was enjoyed and during
our drinks in the bar afterwards we docked in Reykjavik.
When returning home from Svalbard I agreed with myself that I wouldn't return; not because it hadn't been a great experience but due to it being fairly pricey.
Despite the trip to Svalbard was cheaper than going to Antarctica I decided to see the latter less than half a year later. And when returning home from Antarctica I agreed with myself that I wouldn't return; not because it hadn't been a great experience but due to it being fairly pricey.
Some time after coming back home from Antarctica someone from the trip created a group on Facebook to arrange a reunion in 2018 - and having said reunion on a trip to Svalbard. There were quite a few people backing up around this idea, and so was I, but I pointed out that as I had already been there, and recently, I wasn't totally convinced.
Having an excuse to go travelling I looked at the options and said that if I was to return to Svalbard I'd take the long option where you'd also pass by Greenland and Iceland.
So....
Yeah.
1st of September
Arrival in Longyearbyen where I'll spend a night before leaving.
2nd - 6th of September
We'll board the ship in the afternoon and spend the first couple of days sailing around Svalbard before starting the crossing of the Greenland Sea heading west.
7th - 8th of September
Crossing through Northeast Greenland National Park towards Greenland. Not much land to be spotted so I'm crossing my fingers for whales, orcas and the like.
9th - 13th of September
Reaching the coast of East Greenland and the Northeast Greenland National Park we'll be getting a close up of the Eastern fjords. We'll be visiting the village Ittoqqortoormiit and a look into Scoresby Sund.
14th - 15th of September
Crossing the Denmark Strait to Reykjavik.
16th - ? September
I haven't bought my flight tickets yet so I haven't quite made a final discision on how to end the trip. I might just go home after leaving the ship but there's a chance that I might spend a couple of days in town before leaving.
This trip is with the same company I traveled with last time I was on Svalbard and to Antarctica so I am very much looking forward to it, especially because I know the conditions we will be staying in for the two weeks and the crew and staff are absolutely amazing and worthy of any praise they can get. Too bad it's 10 months until departure. I'll have to find something before that to distract me.
It was
nice to be able to travel away like this if just for a few days. What
one needs to prepare for, though, is that you end up having to drive a lot.
There is plenty to see but it’s all spread out. And I think I wasn’t quite
mentally prepared to be sitting in a car more than half the time we were on
tours but there you go. And without the long drives I wouldn’t have seen what I
did, so I guess it’s fine. Just keep it in mind if you choose to go to Iceland
yourself. And gave plenty of time for the occasional nap, needed after only
6-hour sleeps for several nights in a row. :)
Also,
the weather wasn’t really impressive when I was there. A cloud coverage of
60-85% with high winds. Only a slight drizzle now and then, so we stayed dry.
But I would have preferred that there had been less clouds, even if the temps
of 5-8 degrees meant it was warmer than at home.
Anyway; a
quick thanks to my guides on the tours – Simmi, Björg and Mike. Cool guys, you were
a big part of making the trip memorable!
Anyways,
enough of this. Better start mentally preparing for the next trip. 3,5 months,
sigh.
Last day
in Iceland I took a trip by The Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport. The
geothermal spa offers the same options as a normal spa, the main difference is
the large pool which is heated by geothermal heat which has been through the
geothermal power plant next door. The water is on average 37-40 degrees, pleasantly
warm. It was very windy on the day so while the head was above water, slightly
cold, the rest of the body was heated by the waters. Only problem was the gusts
of cold winds now and then that managed cool down the upper 5-10 cm of water,
suddenly sending a chill through your shoulders.
Talking
about getting a chill – walking from the building to the water was something I
didn’t think of first, but going through the door to the outside it was
something I was reminded of very fast. If you thought it was cold when
arriving, think about how it feels when only wearing swimming pants.
After
this it was a short drive back to the airport and a pleasant flight home to
Copenhagen. Got better by the fact that the airline handed out free chocolate eggs
due to Easter.
This Saturday
was also an early departure, this time we were looking towards a 2½ hours’
drive to reach the Sólheimjökull glacier where we were to do some hiking on. Arriving
at the site it was hard not to notice that it is a very popular spot for
tourists to go, hiking on the glacier or not.
We got equipped
and started the trip up the glacier. We got a few talks on how much it has been
receding the last few years (since 2000 it has receded almost 100 meters) and
the problems people in the surrounding lowlands encounter when the volcanos
erupts and melts a lot of the snow and ice on the nearby glaciers.
We
finished off by trying to do some ice wall climbing – it was fun, but requires
much more technique than I had time to acquire on the 8-ish meter wall we had
to our disposal.
Driving
back we passed by the Skógafoss waterfall, one of the biggest in the country.
Coming
back to the hotel I decided to sign up for another trip out to see northern
lights. It was with another tour company than last night and it wasn’t until I
had gotten the ticket I realized that the meeting time was 1930. Less than an
hour to find a place to have dinner, so any fancy restaurant visits had to be
postponed to some other time.
The
drive out was good and standing outside for almost 4 hours we did see some
activity, none of it as impressive as the previous night. Due to the low
activity the ticket could be used as a rain check within the next 2 years for a
similar tour. That’s pretty good service! Back at the hotel at 0200-ish I
realized that this would not be a vacation where I got a lot of sleep.
Today
the Golden Circle was on the itinerary. The Golden Circle is a round trip that brings
you into central Iceland and looping back to Reykjavik. The trip passes by the Þingvellir
National Park, Gullfoss waterfall and Haukadalur, a geothermally active valley
know for it many geysers, Geysir and Strokkur as probably the two best known.
An hour’s
drive from Reykjavik we reached Þingvellir NP, where the North American and
Euroasian tectonic plates meet. These are very obvious as the ground is
littered with large fissures and cracks, clearly indicating where the plates
are. These often cause quite large earthquakes in the area even though we didn’t
experience any while we were there. Also, our guide informed us that due to
these plates and the fact that Iceland is basically located in the middle of
such geological activity, the country increases on a yearly basis with 2 cm.
The wall you can see is the North American plate.
After
another hour’s drive we reached Gullfoss, a waterfall of a total height of 36m.
A popular tourist attraction, it is a very nice area in which it is located,
but it is just… a waterfall with a bit of history attached. The water flows
down into a crevice, so looking at it from the right (wrong?) angle it looks as
if the water is just vanishing into the ground.
Having
had lunch short drive took us to Haukadalurso we got to see some of the many
legendary geysers of Iceland. They are all named after Geysir, the largest, but
it is only rarely active. Strokkur, on the other hand, erupts approximately
every 5 minutes, reaching a height up to almost 35 meters. The pools in the
area are filled with boiling hot water (literally) which is heated by the subterranean
deposits of magma. While there were quite a few pools around in the area, only
Strokkur is regularly active.
Strokkur erupting.
The tour
company added a small event to the classical Golden Circle trip; in the end we passed
by Leiðarendi lava cave. This time I left my camera in my car – I had already gotten
the shots I wanted and I would therefore not need to have to drag my bag after
me in the tight places because there wasn’t room for me to have it on my back.
We
arrived back at the hotel at around 1800-ish, 9 hours after departure. I
decided to go for a quick dinner somewhere so that I could then have time while
it was still light to find a place where I could have the city’s lights in my
back, hoping to see some northern lights after the unsatisfactory night last
night. Finding what I thought would be a good location I went back to the hotel
to get my equipment. I arrived at around 2045 and realized that a tour was
leaving in 45 minutes to go on a hunt for the lights, which convinced me to go
with them instead. Off we were, and half an hour outside of Reykjavik we
stopped and looked up. We got a flare now and then and not much more, but
suddenly the sky almost exploded and the lights were everywhere. An absolutely
stunning view. Coming back to the hotel at 0130 I felt much happier than
before.
Early
departure from Copenhagen Thursday morning resulted in not much sleep, but one
is willing to sacrifice much for vacation. At least the flight was on time
(they all were) so there were no problems involved there. One of the first
things the captain said was “Good morning this is your captain speaking.
Welcome to SAS flight to Oslo, the airline with some of the world’s best
stewardesses. Unfortunately we don’t have any of those with us today; instead
we have some good looking ones with us.”
Changing
flights in Oslo was without problems except for they wanted all through a
security check with only two lane open. It took a while, but there were people
in line who were getting quite stressed.
Arriving
in Reykjavik I got my pickup to the hotel and spent the following hours walking
the streets and relaxing in the hotel room for the coming night.
At 1800
I was picked up for the first activity of the trip. We exited the city and started
off by driving by a place where they had fish hanging to dry. Following that we
drove for another half an hour before we stopped in the middle of nowhere. A
short walk from the road there was a big hole in the ground which was the
opening to a lava tunnel and cave (Leiðarendi lava cave) which we walked and
crawled through. It was interesting to see such tunnels but there wasn’t much
room to move around in. If you are claustrophobic this was NOT the place for
you.
Something smells fishy...
Crawling our way through the tunnels.
Reaching the exit, the red is from iron.
Driving
an hour after this we ended up in a village called Eyrarbakki with the
restaurant Rauda Husid (“Red House”) where we had a lobster dinner with desert.
I was obviously a restaurant you would never find if you didn’t know of it.
After
the dinner we began driving around, trying to find a place without too many clouds
which was easier said than done as the clouds had been gathering throughout the
night. Also the northern light activity didn’t seem very impressive so the only
few sightings that we had were mostly fuzzy due to the cloud coverage.
After
this not so successful result we drove all the way back to Reykjavik, arriving
at the hotel at around 0200.
When normal people do some impulsive purchasing they usually end up with more clothes, gadgets or something similar. When I do it I end up with another trip... This time it's a quick trip to Iceland during the Easter holidays.
28th of March
Early departure to Reykjavik via Oslo. I would have preferred a direct flight but it wouldn't get me there until mid-afternoon. I arrive around midday where I have the afternoon by myself where I can have a wander and check in at the hotel. In the evening - if it doesn't get cancelled due to bad weather - I get picked up to go for a drive where we start off with exploration of some lava caves, a dinner at Rauda Husid restaurant in Eyrarbakki (which involves lobsters), and finishing off with driving out into the darkness to hunt for aurora borealis (northern lights). A late return to the hotel is to be expected.
29th of March
Visiting Golden Circle we will be seeing geysirs, Gullfoss waterfall and Þingvellir national park. This will be followed by visiting the Leiðarendi lava caves.
30th of March
Departing the hotel the aim for the day is to go to Sólheimajökull glacier on the southern part of the island where we will have a short hike before we get the chance of trying some ice wall climbing. On the way back we will be passing by the Skógafoss waterfall.
31st of March
Going to the Blue Lagoon (geothermal spa) in the morning for some relaxation, and catching a plane back home in the afternoon.
