Iceland

Iceland...as cold as the name suggests, but full of natural beauty and well worth braving the freezing temperatures.  While in Iceland, we encountered rain, snow, sleet, hail and a bit of sunshine.  The weather changed frequently, but it was never a problem since we were prepared with our warm clothes and boots.  (We thankfully decided to hold on to our hiking boots instead of shipping them back home with our sleeping bags after Kilimanjaro.)

Reykjavik, the northernmost capital city in the world, is relatively small and we spent just one morning walking through and around the city center.  Brightly painted houses with various colored rooftops line the roads.  We were able to take an elevator up the clock tower of the main church (I will not attempt to spell the name of it) and get a nice view of the city.  The area is only partially enclosed and with the howling wind and freezing temperatures we didn't last very long at the top.

On our second day we joined the crowd, loaded onto a coach, and spent the day touring "The Golden Circle." Gullfoss (the golden waterfall) was the highlight for me.  Snow had fallen the night before making the waterfall incredibly picturesque.  The water was various shades of blue and looked spectacular even under the gray sky.  

Our next stop was the Geysir geothermal area.  The original "geyser" from which all geysers are named is now dormant, but we still saw "Strokkur," which is now the only active geyser there.  Several hot springs that are boiling and bubbling quite a bit are expected to take over from Strokkur in the future.  Strokkur erupts every 5 - 10 minutes and even when waiting in anticipation it still managed to surprise me when it finally shot up.

 The last stop on the Golden Circle tour is Thingvellir National Park - the site of Iceland's first parliament.  The Park is also located on the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  Here we crossed over from the Eurasian to North American plate passing from one side of Lake Thingallavatn to the other.  Lava fields, fissures, and faults give this area a very unique landscape.    On our last day in Iceland we visited the famous Blue Lagoon for a day in the geothermal pool. We floated around, put the silica mud on our faces, sat in the steam room and sauna, and just generally relaxed.  Our only disappointment in Iceland has been that the weather stayed too cloudy to get a chance to see the Northern Lights....I guess we'll just have to come back some time.   

Florence - Pisa - Genoa - Venice

From Rome we traveled by train to Florence for a few more days of visiting churches, museums, and amazing sites.  We then went to Genoa for a bit of time by the sea.  When we bought our train tickets, we found that we would have to switch trains in Pisa.  So, we visited Pisa for about forty minutes and took the obligatory pictures holding the Leaning Tower up.  Grey skies greeted us in Genoa and on our only full day there it rained.  We still managed to see a lot of the city and enjoy some snacks from a few of the many focaccerias.  The train to Venice took us out of the rain, through some snow covered mountain villages, and finally across the bridge to sunny, but cold, Venice.  There, we spent two days getting lost in the maze of narrow pedestrian roads, cruising around on the water buses, admiring the ornate gondolas, and of course indulging in gelato despite the freezing weather.  

Ponte Vecchio

Florence Views

Dome Interior

Genoa  

Lunch by the canal (Murano)

Venice

   

Rome

The past week has been filled with culture...and gelato. We spent four full days in Rome. The first day, finally having our own room with our own bathroom and unlimited hot water, I wanted nothing more than to take my clothes to a laundromat so that I could put on something clean (meaning not washed in a sink) after a hot shower. So, the morning was spent relaxing and watching Italian television, while our clothes were washed.

In the afternoon, we ventured to the Borghese Gallery to reserve tickets, then began to explore the city. Since it was Sunday, the park surrounding the Villa Borghese was full of people out for walks, cycling, rollerblading, and lounging. It was a gorgeous day. Following the recommendation of good friends, we headed to the Gelateria del Teatro, which took us on a nice walk along the Tiber. We found the Gelateria tucked away in a residential area and I wondered, "Could the gelato here really be any better than the gelato at the numerous shops we've already passed?" The answer: yes. I still haven't had any gelato as tasty as that first cone from Gelateria del Teatro.

After thoroughly enjoying every last bit of our gelato, we browsed our handy tourist map and found that we were close to the Piazza Navona. Then we discovered that we were only a short walk from the Pantheon. From there, it was not far to the Trevi Fountain. Finally, with the wind blowing and the rain starting to come down, we made our way back to our hotel. On our first day, which started with laundry, and was planned to consist of only a short walk around the city and some gelato, we ended up seeing several of the major sites.

On our second day, we did the obligatory tour around the ancient sites: the Forum, the Colosseum, and Palatine Hill. It took a bit of imagination to picture the ruins as they once were but I thoroughly enjoyed walking the paths of the ancient Romans, especially with my handy Rick Steves audio guide telling me exactly what I was looking at.

The highlight of our trip to Rome was probably Vatican City. We had heard that the only time there is any chance of seeing St. Peter's without tons of people and hideously long lines was first thing in the morning. So, we set our alarm and arrived in Vatican City by 7:15am. There was hardly anyone in the square and we walked inside without waiting in any line at all. The majority of the people inside were worshippers. It was incredible to experience the church this way. There was so much to see inside that we didn't leave until it was time to get in line for the Vatican Museums at about 8:30am. We definitely could have stayed longer and if the wait wasn't about two hours long when we came back by around noon, we probably would have gone in a second time. When we reached the Vatican Museums there was already quite a long line to get in, but as soon as it opened at 9am, the line began to move quickly and we were inside (having checked our bags and purchased tickets) within ten minutes. By passing through the other museums quickly, we were able to make it to the Sistine Chapel before any tour groups and had about twenty peaceful minutes there as well. I was taken back to my art history days and the hours spent pouring over every detail of the Sistine Chapel. No matter how many times I've seen it in pictures, there is just nothing like seeing the real thing. After taking in the Sistine Chapel, we started over and went through all of the museums again to have a look at the incredible art collection that we had quickly walked by before.

On our final day in Rome, we visited the Borghese Gallery...yet another incredible art collection. We toured a few more churches and of course, had more gelato.

Petra

Petra...one of the most incredible places I've ever been. The ancient city is full of massive monuments, tombs, and even an amphitheatre intricately carved into the sandstone 2000 years ago. The most well preserved is Al-Khazneh (the "Treasury") which is featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We spent two days within Petra. The first day we hiked for 7 hours and never tired of the sandstone canyons and ancient tombs and palaces. On day two we went off the main paths and found our way to a cliff overlooking the Treasury for a birdseye view.
Simon walking through the Siq.

The alleged best view in Petra.

"The High Place"

Overlooking the Treasury

Royal Tombs

Inside a Royal Tomb

The Monastery