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  • Iceland

    Phone # & City Centre Visit #2

    10 августа 2023 г., Исландия ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    We were lazy this morning but eventually got around to go downtown to a Siminn store to get McKelvie's Icelandic phone number. During that trip, we finally received confirmation that her Icelandic residency has been approved, but now we need to go to the directorate offices to have her photo taken and finish some paperwork in order to receive her kennitala (Icelandic social security number). After that, we can finally purchase a phone/Internet plan and enroll her in classes. Government bureaucracy really sucks.

    We spent the rest of the day exploring the city centre and shopping, eating ice cream, watching people, and we finished up with cake at the Cafe Loki right across the street from the Hallgrimskirksja.

    The couple beside us was eating fermented shark for the first time. They went for their whiskey (which is traditionally paired with it ) very quickly because it tastes awful. McKelvie tried it 4 years ago and says it's the worst thing she's ever eaten in her life. She was too young for whiskey then, so she was given black licorice instead. She says it didn't help.    Читать далее

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  • Iceland

    Reynisfjara (Black Sand) Beach

    12 августа 2023 г., Исландия ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    One of the top ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches, according to National Geographic back in 1991 and Iceland's deadliest beach thanks to powerful sneaker waves that can knock people down on shore and suck them right out into the sea. Look it up! They're scary, and after witnessing them in person, I can see how five tourists have been killed at Reynisfjara Beach in the last several years.

    Still, it was absolutely beautiful, and I'm glad we made the trip! The beach was the only place I've ever been truly cold since I arrived in Iceland. We even saw some puffins, although they don't show up well in my pictures.    Читать далее

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  • Iceland

    Skógafoss Waterfall

    12 августа 2023 г., Исландия ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Supposedly, there is a chest of gold buried under the Skógafoss. It's 60 m high, and you can walk right up to it. People were literally camping there even though there was a full parking lot, tour buses pulling in and out, and a restaurant nearby. There were also working farms on either side and a village about a half mile away. There were a lot of people riding bicycles along the route we took to get there, and while we were standing and looking at the waterfall, three people rode by us on Icelandic horses.

    I really didn't appreciate the bicyclists at all. While the highways were pretty good this trip, there are no shoulders on the roads, and the bicyclists would often take up the entire lane, forcing cars to swerve around them into oncoming traffic. Between the bicycles, the rain, the roundabouts, and the random goats in the road, it took us 2 1/2 hours (187 km) to get to Reynisfjara. Skógafoss was our first stop on the way back to Reykjavik.    Читать далее

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  • Iceland

    Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

    12 августа 2023 г., Исландия ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We walked behind the waterfall, which wasn't the easiest thing to do because I'm not quite as nimble as I used to be. We didn't get completely soaked, but it was a near thing.

    After that, we walked about 550m down the path to visit the Gljúfrabúi Waterfall and the Kverkarhellir Cave. McKelvie called the cave the "Lady Troll Hole," because the gorge we were in is called "Troll Woman Gorge."

    It was an awesome day trip, and we made it back to McKelvie's apartment at about 6:00 p.m.    Читать далее

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  • Iceland

    FINALLY!!!

    14 августа 2023 г., Исландия ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Good news! McKelvie is finally able to enroll in her classes!! Her kennitala is in the government's system (though it isn't activated yet), but with her ID #, her passport, and the record of her acceptance into the master's program, a lovely lady at Student Services went ahead and gave McKelvie her school email and access to UGLA. In turn, this will let her register for classes, set up her Internet, and do a variety of other necessary tasks.

    We've both been absolutely stressed out by how slowly the immigration directorate has been moving, despite the fact that we've met or beaten all of their deadlines, so today's good news is a BIG step in the right direction!

    It was a beautiful day, so after we stopped in at the campus bookstore, I snapped a few pics of her route back to the apartment. It will be a 12-15 minute walk each way for her - there are a couple of different ways she can go - but I'm pleased at how safe everything seems. There are also several bus stops on campus, so she'll be able to get around Reykjavik as needed.    Читать далее

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  • Iceland

    Sundskálavík

    14 августа 2023 г., Исландия ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Kelv and I took a walk this afternoon after getting her registration credentials from the university. It's the first day we've had time to explore the coastline near her apartment. There are bicycle and walking paths, playgrounds, soccer fields, and big open spaces with benches for people to relax and enjoy the sunshine. McKelvie says it's "very cinematic." We estimate it's about a half mile away because we had to take a meandering route. It's more like a quarter mile away if we could have taken a straight shot, but Icelandic streets are never straight.

    Apparently there used to be warm water at Sundskálavík and an enclosed swimming area where "brave Reykviks" would swim. It's a beautiful place, and I'm glad I got to see it with McKelvie on my last day here.    Читать далее

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  • Окончание поездки
    16 августа 2023 г.