Nicole's History in the Making: September 2014

I am going to attempt to update my blog about this summer on top of everything else that I am trying to do at once this semester... Hopefully it goes well and I don't get too ridiculously behind. The fact that reliving my summer in Europe will be way more enjoyable than OChem homework means that I may have a chance at writing this ;)

WARNING: These posts will be on the long side!

The time leading up to Cambridge was unreal. It didn't seem possible that I was actually finally going to get to go. I was working two jobs all spring which kept me busy, one of which was sometimes grave shift which kept me from associating with people during normal hours of the day. I planned out where I wanted to go before Cambridge during my grave shifts and the day to pack and leave came quickly!
The night before my flight, I stayed with Miranda and we had the adventure of trying to get a lock off my suitcase so that I could use the special TSA locks I bought. No one had the little generic keys to the lock, so Miranda and I slowly were able to cut through it with some tools she had at her apartment. With that overcome, I was off the next morning to Iceland with a short layover in Canada!

On the airplane leaving the continent for the first time!

ICELAND

I tired to sleep on the plane, but it was super bright the whole time and the good movie options were a bit distracting. I did watch the Secret Life of Walter Mitty on the way over. I thought it would be fitting as I flew to Iceland. I landed about 6am Iceland time and got my luggage and went out to try to find my hostel. I figured a taxi would just be the easiest to find where I was supposed to go. The driver was super nice and my hostel wasn't too far away. I got there I think a little after 7am and the paper said to call. I did (forgetting how early it was) and the guy who answered, whom I obviously woke up, told me to just put my stuff in the kitchen. I took some tourist pamphlets with me to their little kitchen and found out that nothing really opens in Reykjanesbaer until 10am. So... I took a nap on the table. A few hours later another lady joined me in the kitchen who also couldn't check in yet. She said she would watch my bags while I went out and grabbed some food. It was super cold, windy, and rainy so my exploring didn't last too long. I did walk up the road to see the ocean though.
When I got back, the guy at the hostel let me check in even though it was still technically too early. I didn't really do much the rest of the day as I was so exhausted and it wasn't very good weather outside. I did decide that I wanted to go to the Blue Lagoon the next day though and called to make the reservation.
I really liked the drive there as I was able to see more of Iceland. Really, it reminded me of Craters of the Moon, just with more green between the lava. The Blue Lagoon was beautiful! it was raining when I got there so everyone was soaked walking up the path. We also were supposed to rinse off in a shower before getting in the lagoon. That was the worst part as I had to walk outside into the rain and wind already being wet! But once I was in the Lagoon, it was super warm and the steam rising kept your face warm even in the rain. There was a waterfall that you could stand under for a massage, a few saunas to sit in, and buckets of silica mud for a face mask. It was kind of funny seeing people everywhere with white paste all over their face and neck. I stayed for a while and when I finally left, it had stopped raining!
When I got back to Reykjanesbaer, I walked down to the Viking Museum. It was small and I'm pretty sure I was the only one there the whole time. It was pretty cool though. I went through an exhibit that was all about Thor and the other Norse Gods (Don't worry Kerissa, I still like Loki best;) ) but the best part was the viking ship. They had a big viking ship replica that was suspended over the first floor. Well, come to find out, Iceland is awesome and lets you play on their exhibits! I went up to the second floor and there were stairs to walk down into the ship! So of course I did mainly because I could!
After I left the museum, I walked around Reykjanesbaer for a few hours. And by a few I mean until like 9/10ish at night. It was a pretty small town and really cool to explore.
I ate dinner at a really nice place that I found a coupon for. I wanted an Icelandic meal, but I had a really hard time finding one. I passed all the places with pizza, burgers, chinese, etc and this place seemed to be the most Icelandic. It was a bit pricy even with my coupon so I got an appetizer. It was so cool though as I was at a table over looking the ocean while I ate! As I was waiting for my food though, Forever and Ever Amen by Randy Travis started playing. I know there are plenty of songs in Icelandic, but no, I'm sitting in a fancy resturant looking at the ocean in Iceland listening to country music! The American family at the table next to me thought it was really funny too.
It was so wonderful just wandering around after that. I walked along the ocean and through the town a bit past the city limits. I was attacked my a seagull that repeatedly yelled at me and flew down like it was going to literally attack my face!
I got back to my hostel and my room was full of Asian girls in their early teens. The first night, I had the room to myself. They unfortunately were not accustomed to the time as I was, and woke up about 3am and were not the quietest from then on. I finally got out of bed a few hours later and left for the airport. Met a very nice middle-aged man from the midwest (I think Michigan) named Steven and then stood in line to check my bag which was the only line I had to wait in at an airport the whole time I was in Europe.