GOD MORGEN, VENNER! (SCANDINAVIA, ETC. PART 1)

Good Morning, Friends! (Kudos to those Norwegians who didn't need the translation.)

I am back from a month of travels and with 3 weeks recovery time behind me I finally have some energy to sit at my computer to unravel the trip, share some insights, and allow you to witness my vow never to travel again.  (Just kidding.  I think.  Pretty sure.  We will see.)

Some of you followed my daily Facebook posts which I love doing because I love it when others post their travels too -- nice sharing!  But also because my posts and photos act as a travel journal and documentation of the where and when and what of our trips.  These post-travel blog posts go a bit deeper into the why and how, with info and insights gained.  Here goes...

Overview:  The intention was a 14-day tour with Rick Steves Europe travel gurus.  Locals know that Rick, of PBS and ubiquitous travel guide fame, lives just down the freeway from us and we feel like we are old friends.  We've met him, chatted with him, go to all of his public travel forums; I even took a travel writing class from him.  He would not know us, so don't ask him.  This was our 5th tour with his company and it was excellent, as were all the others.  There are quirks that seem to be unique to his tours that can be challenging, but overall the good outweighs the challenging (most of the time, but some frustrations add up, that's for sure!).  I've come to realize that travel is uncomfortable sometimes, challenging most of the time, exhausting all of the time.  It is not vacation.  Vacation is for chillin' out in a beautiful place with no agenda beyond getting dressed (maybe) and seeing what unfolds organically.  Travel has a relentless itinerary.

Anyway, this was Rick's "Best of Scandinavia" tour.  It is one of his company's most popular and we had to be waitlisted to get in, and we were lucky enough to score entry.  Since we were flying Icelandic Air from Seattle to Stockholm, we were able to take advantage of their layover in Reykavik option, so we planned 4 pre-tour nights in Iceland before heading to Sweden.  

The overnight flight to Iceland was as they all are for me -- interminable, uncomfortable, claustrophobic, sleepless.  At least it was only 7 hours.  Hub and I always try to get an exit row, aisle seats across from each other when there are no seat configurations that are just two together.  Hub is able to sleep on planes (with a little help from a gentle sleep aid) so he had his new hearing aids tuned into music, a neck pillow, a blanket, and a cozy little snooze.  I was across the aisle alternately trying to sleep and stay conscious.

After a few hours of sleepless discomfort, we were about 2/3 of the way into the flight when I started to feel lightheaded and a bit nauseated.  I've had unexplained fainting episodes before (many years ago) and this felt like that.  My legs felt weak, my pulse slow, things started to get a bit dark around the edges of my vision, I was shaky and sweaty.  So of course I was also in a bit of a panic, but I recalled all my tools for warding this thing off so I started doing my slow diaphragmatic breathing with long exhales; started contracting large muscle groups in my lower extremities to get the blood flowing upward from my legs to my brain; lowered my head as close to my lap as I could get it...

And then I heard the thud.  A man in the window seat in the row in front of Hub apparently got up to use the restroom and crashed to the floor in a dead faint.  He was a larger man.  I have no idea how he ended up prone between the seat rows, but I saw his feet sticking out into the aisle and a seat-mate racing to the back of the plane to get the flight attendant.  Two of them immediately brought him an oxygen tank, staying with him until he was alert enough to sit again.  They opened the shade of his window seat to  reveal a dawn sky.  Others opened their shades too, letting light into the dark cabin. Cooler air seemed to be coming into the cabin too, which had been hot and stale throughout the whole flight.  With light and air, I started to feel better also.

When we landed I mentioned to the flight attendants as I deplaned that I, too, had a near fainting episode and wondered if there was a problem in that part of the plane.  They admonished me a bit for not letting them know.  They said some people do not react well to the decreased oxygen levels in the pressurized cabin and it's important to alert the flight attendants.  Noted.  

A quick Google search later revealed that the FAA has approved cabin pressure when flying to mimic the O2 level of being at 5,000-8,000 ft. elevation.  And when necessary (storms, I guess) they are authorized to go to 10,000 feet cabin pressure for brief periods.  Yikes!  I realized that when I visited a friend in Boulder, Colorado (elev. 5430 ft) I felt the same "lack of air" and dizziness, as well as when I tried to walk (unsteadily) at the Maunakea Observatory (elev. 13,797 ft) on the Big Island Hawaii.  So I am one of those who doesn't respond well to the rarified cabin pressure which might explain why I am so miserable on most flights and always feel sick.  I thought I was just a wimp. (⬅️ Theme) 

But we made it to Iceland and went immediately from the airport to the Blue Lagoon.  It's famous.  Big tourist attraction. Here's what Mr. Google says:  

"This stunning lagoon holds six million liters of geothermal seawater, which is naturally renewed every 40 hours. The lagoon is shallow, with an average depth of 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) and a maximum depth of just over 1.5 meters (about 5 feet). The average temperature of the water is a warm and inviting 37-39°C (98-102°F), perfect for bathing in Iceland's cool climate.

The water in the Blue Lagoon is unique due to its rich content of silica, algae, and minerals, giving the lagoon its famous milky blue appearance. These components have skin-healing and rejuvenating properties, distinguishing the Blue Lagoon from any other spa in the world and making it a unique experience for visitors seeking relaxation and wellness benefits."

It was also surreal.  Iceland turned out to be way more barren and stark than I anticipated, like driving through a moonscape.  In the midst of the moon rock, the lagoon was unique and inviting and huge enough that it didn't feel crowded at all.  And the warm water felt heavenly in the 52-degree air temp.  We stayed a couple of hours there, did the silica mask thing, got our free drinks at the water-y walk up bar, tried to take it all in.  But I was so jet lagged and still a bit on the queasy, shaky side.  It just all seemed like a dream I was having.

After some sleep that night at our apartment, the rest of our Iceland visit was interesting and I'm glad we stopped there.  I've always wanted to go.  In photos it looks exotic and other-worldly and very beautiful.  All true. 

We wandered around Reykjavik and liked it, so colorful and peaceful.  Iceland is known to be one of he safest countries in the world.  People seem to be uninterested in killing each other.  Maybe they are too busy being in awe of their surroundings or trying to learn their indecipherable language.

We drove the Golden Circle and saw beauiful waterfalls, including the amazing Gullfoss, a geyser (not as big as Yellowstone's), and Pingviller National Park where we walked in the rift between tectonic plates.  

We stopped at a greenhouse restaurant, Frioheimar, that was very fun.  The greenhouse grows tomatoes and offers unlimited tomato soup and homemade breads, serving diners at tables literally tucked inside the warm and cozy greenhouse, next to growing plants. 

One day we went for a bit of the Ring Road drive (to the south) where we found more green and less barren surroundings, more varied landscape with hills and mountains and small picturesque towns , more spectacular waterfalls (Seljalandsfoss, Glijufurarfoss,Skógafoss, a glacier (Solheimajokull), and a black sand (actually, pebble) beach (Reynisfjara Beach).  

For Game of Thrones fans, Iceland was the location for many scenes in the TV show so at the Skogafoss stop I dialed up a YouTube video with theme music and sat on a bench before a huge waterfall featured in a pivotal scene in the show, listening with volume up in my ear buds, and was transported there again.  I watched all the tourists who had been merely annoying suddenly turn into majestic citizens of the North, as they approached Winterfell. (Sorry, nerding out on GOT there.)  

Oh, one more thing about Iceland.  We saw an outdoor menu posted that featured Icelandic Horse and Smoked Puffin.  Cute creatures, beware!

And so our trip began.  More to come.

At least, that's the view from here...©