Tag: retirement

The ADVENTURE part of Overseas Adventure Travels

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing” according to Laura, our wonderful guide.

Were we prepared for our walk in the rain forest? Thanks to Laura’s excellent instructions, we most certainly were.

We are wearing our waterproof pants, boots, ponchos and parkas.

Puerto Montt is usually very rainy, and today was no exception. That means we had an authentic experience, which got even MORE authentic as the day wore on.

First, we had an interpretive walk through Chile’s first National Park, Vicente Perez Rosales. The water is normally a clear blue, but rain and wind has carried volcanic ash into the water resulting in this brown color.

My new partner in crime, Janis, is another Massachusetts gal.

In other parts of the park, however, the water was a beautiful clear greenish blue.

While we were sauntering through the park, a light rain was falling. That changed to a torrential downpour while we were at lunch. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Lunch was quite a novel experience. First, it was a short boat ride away.

Second, lunch was in a private home in the middle of the National Park. How a private home ended up in the middle of a private part, I could probably remember if I hadn’t had that second glass of wine. But the “how” is not essential to the rest of our story.

What started as an Overseas Adventure Travel home hosted meal became so successful, the host built this addition on to his home, and transformed the addition into a restaurant, now open to other travelers.

Third, the menu consisted of whatever our host caught. For us, today it was rainbow trout.

And yes, it was every bit as good as it looked.

By the time lunch was over, the rain had let up a bit, but our adventure was far from over. You see, there is only ONE road into and out of the park, and when there are torrential rains, THIS is what could (and did) happen.

The guys in the foreground are on OUR side of the street. The ones in the background are where we need to be. And in between? Well take a good look.

Remember our motto “expect the unexpected”? Well, once again, we weren’t disappointed.

My new friend Janis, also known as my “partner in crime” and I were first off the bus to size up the situation. Braving rain and wind, we returned with this video.

Fortunately, heavy equipment magically appeared to do whatever heavy equipment does,

and within two hours we were on our way. I’m thinking Janis and I have a future in cable news. Whadda ya think?

What a great group to travel with! No one complained. Here are some of fellow travelers’ comments: “How lucky are we to be in such a warm, comfortable bus”, ” Good thing we used the baño before we left the restaurant”,”It’s an adventure!”

I LOVE this group!

Here’s how our day ended.

The lake across the street from the Radisson Hotel.

Tomorrow we hit the road again, so I will hit “publish” and hope for the best!

Santiago, Day Two

We started our second day in Santiago by congratulating ourselves on our wise decision to take it easy on day one. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep can do for a pair of weary travelers.

First on our list was La Chascona, one of the three homes of Pablo Neruda. Don’t feel bad if you don’t know who he is. I certainly didn’t, and this is the second time I’ve been in Santiago. Not only was he a Nobel prize winning poet, but he was also a politician, and a very quirky collector. What did he collect, you ask? Well, clearly houses, given that he had three of them, all kinds of art, books, knickknacks and women. I’ll let you read about the women and all the steamy stuff on your own. I’m doing this post on an iPhone so have to stick with the essentials, because I am so high minded.

La Chascona is now a very well run museum, complete with a short, but very informative video about Neruda’s life. You also get one of those “press the button” audio guides, which explains what you are seeing as you move from room to room. What makes this house so fascinating is it was built according to Neruda’s specifications and it is multi level.. Big deal, you might be thinking. LOTS of houses are multi level. Yes, but do you have to go outside to get from one level to the next?

No ranch style living for THIS aging Chilean!

We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the house, but I was able to get this shot of the dining room from outside. The table is very narrow, to facilitate conversation and extends almost the entire length of the room.

What I loved most about the dining room is something I unfortunately couldn’t photograph—the back wall. The left side was occupied by a hutch containing china and crystal. what looked like paneling on the right was actually a door to a secret passageway, with a spiral staircase leading to Neruda’s bedroom. The treads on the staircase were so small, I was afraid by very tall, very big footed husband wouldn’t be able to climb it, but he did. For him, the outside staircases were far easier to navigate.

See, I wasn’t kidding about multiple levels!

La Chascona is close to Cerra San Cristóbal, so even though we fully expected it to be a tourist trap (thank you, Esther, for the warning)it made sense for it to be our next stop. We rode the funicular to a viewing area for a look at the HUGE metropolitan area of Santiago. I knew the city was big, but didn’t know HOW big till then.

At the summit is an enormous statue of Mary. It appeared some sort of religious service was taking place there, so we climbed the 6o steps (yes, I counted) to ride the cable car. Although you get even more views of the city, to me it wasn’t worth waiting in line. And yes, the hill IS a bit of a tourist trap, although most of the tourists appeared to be South American.

On our return trip, I noticed a couple of clearly North American ladies in our funicular car. What are the odds, that among all the thousands of visitors to Cerra San Cristóbal, those two random strangers we encountered would be two of the other five travelers on our OAT trip? A quick question got us the answer. It was 100%. They too had come in a day early, and had been touring via the Hop on Hop Off bus.

Returning to the hotel, we met the remaining three OAT travelers who had arrived at the normal start date. Our guide took us on a short walking tour, which ended at Chile’s “ground zero”, the Plaza de Armas, where the Spaniards initially settled. At one corner of the square is a statue of the Moche’s leader, Caupolicán,

and diagonally across is Pedro de Valdivia, the Spanish conquistador.

Isabel Allende’s wonderful book “Inés of My Soul”, gives a historically accurate, but fictionalized account of the founding of Chile, as told by Inés Suárez, the only known female conquistador, and mistress of de Valdivia. It is well worth reading.

Our day ended with a fabulous welcome dinner at Casa Lastarria. We were the only patrons because we were dining at the ridiculously early hour of 7 PM, to make it easy to get up for our 6:45 AM departure for Easter Island.

Pisco Sours for all!

And if all goes well, my photos will upload.

Santiago, Chile

Expect to find these words carved on my tombstone: “She never passed up the opportunity to use a clean bathroom”. Good thing, because it took us two and a half hours to get our butts off the plane, thru Santiago airport and into a taxi. The airport’s long lines would have been even more of a challenge with a full bladder.

One reason it took so long was the computers at passport control went down for 30 minutes. Can you imagine what the crowd would be like if that happened in a NY airport? But here, everyone chilled. No groans, cursing or eye rolls. Free Wi-Fi helped. It gave everyone an opportunity to check in with friends and family.

Was this a regular occurrence? We will soon find out, because over the next six days we will be experiencing Santiago airport three more times: back and forth to Easter Island and to Buenos Aires.

Another reason for the long lines is Chile seriousness about not allowing agricultural products into the country. If the dogs don’t get you, the scanning equipment will, so there were no nuts or granola bars in OUR luggage.

We followed our tour guide’s instructions, paying for our taxi inside the airport. 20,000 pesos sounds like a lot, but it is only about $30, and they accept credit cards, so I didn’t need to stop at the ATM to the right of immigration, but I did anyway.

Although we don’t usually stay at Crowne Plaza Hotels, I signed up for their loyalty program when I made our on line reservation. Not only do loyalty members get free Wi-Fi, they also can request early check in. By the time we arrived at 10 AM, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that our room was ready.

A less pleasant surprise was how very tired we were. Or maybe we are just having to acknowledge that we no longer have the stamina that we did in our younger days. Back in “the day”, we would have ignored our weariness and started checking things off our (actually MY) list. Instead, our goals for day 1 are: eat, walk a bit, rest, get acclimated to the new time zone. That was ONE To-Do list we completely accomplished!

By 1 PM, we were so hungry that we ended up having pizza and beer at La Junta, a bar with outside tables. I tell you the name so that if you are ever in Santiago, you will avoid it. The only problem with outside dining—that’s where all the smokers hang out. We ate inside.

Yeah, it was every bit as bad as it looks.

Thanks to the OAT Forum and Trip Advisor, we fared MUCH better for dinner. Both recommended Boca Nariz, a wine bar offering tapas and entrees.

If you don’t have the time or the energy to tour a Chilean vineyard, this is a great alternative. Here, you can choose from a wide variety of wine flights. We opted for wines from the Pacific coast and were pleased with our choice.

Although it looks empty, that appearance is deceiving. Those empty tables are reserved. If you plan to visit, it is wise to make a reservation. We lucked out. Initially the hostess seated us at the only available table, one designed for munchkins. Poor Mike looked like he was at an elementary school parents’ night, sitting at his kid’s desk. The hostess took note and moved us to the big kid’s table as soon as one opened up.

Once again, my blogging is lagging behind our experiences. More about Santiago next time we encounter cooperative Wi-Fi

WAY South of the Border

So far, our South American adventure is off to a great start. We had been worried that our government would  shut down again,  resulting in TSA being under staffed and flights being cancelled. Once THAT got resolved, we turned our attention to the next potential spoiler, the weather.  

It was hard to believe that yesterday we had a snowstorm bad enough to cause flight cancellations, given that by today’s  2 PM pickup, the roads were clear and dry. Surprisingly there was very little traffic, so  we were at JFK, checked in and through security by 3:30. Pretty amazing.  Right now, we are feeling pretty lucky, especially because OAT was able to get us amazingly inexpensive business class tickets—much cheaper than we could have gotten on our own. I feel like we won the lottery!

My family will not be surprised to learn that despite my lists and careful planning, I forgot something. Not an essential item, like my passport, or credit cards or camera or Mike. Nope. I forgot my iPad. So much for my plan to run down the battery on one device while charging the other. But considering what COULD have gone wrong, this is a minor hiccup. Just be prepared for lots of typos, (or at least more than usual) as I peck out my blog on my iPhone.

We will be in Santiago by 7 AM tomorrow, a day ahead of our OAT tour group.  We built in that extra day because of the aforementioned weather worry, but also because it gives us time to adjust to the 2 hour time difference (Chile is ahead of us, so our bodies will think it is 5 AM when we land) and to get over that disoriented feeling that always accompanies an overnight flight.

It is not immediately obvious from the map above how great the distances are between the places we will

be visiting. Easter Island is 2,300 miles from Santiago, which translates into a 5 hour flight.

From El Calafate to Buenos Aires is 1,300 air miles, roughly the same distance as Boston to Miami. And, like someone whose vacation plans include an extended period in Boston, followed by an equally lengthy time in Miami, we needed to pack for the two climate extremes. We managed to jam everything in—at least I THINK we did. Of course, I also thought I packed my iPad, so we’ll see.

View from the lounge

Our plane is here, so time to sign off. See ya in Chile!

 

 

The Four B’s: Brixen, Bressanone, Bolzano, Bassano del Grappa

There is something about a snowy day in New Jersey that gets me thinking about our Northern Italy trip, which is a good thing, because those days wandering among these “B” towns definitely belong with my on-line memories.

Our base for our last days was the Goldene Krone Vital Hotel in Brixen/Bressanone. Yes, the town has two names, an Italian one and a German one. Like a few other areas on our lovely planet, this ground had been fought over many times, with the conquerors imposing their language and customs on the conquered. For the current inhabitants of German/Austrian ancestry, the preferred name is Brixen. The Italians opt for Bressanone.

Regardless of what you call it, the town is absolutely charming. We were lucky enough to be there during some kind of street fair. There was music, food and of course, lots of beer.

This alpine town is famous for its very realistic wood carvings. Admit it, if you look quickly, doesn’t this man and his dog look real? I was almost fooled. (But then, that’s not all that difficult to do.

At night, the streets quieted down, but the shops and restaurants were still open and within walking distance of our hotel. We took advantage of a “dinner on our own” night to enjoy a fantastic wine cellar type meal with two of the new friends we made on this trip–Julie and Roger. My only regret is I didn’t write down the name of that fantastic restaurant!

Our first hike, oh so many days ago, was in the Swiss Alps. Now we were given the opportunity to experience the Dolomites. We could either ride a lift way up the mountain to a station hiding in the cleft between the two peaks on the right, or we could go for a hike –but we clearly wouldn’t get as far up. Mike rode; I hiked.

It was hard to believe that it had snowed two days before we arrived, unless you chose to walk–then you were slipping and sliding on a trail that was quite muddy. Any guesses as to who ended up with a muddy butt?

This was the first year the trip was offered by OAT, so the itinerary was still being modified, based on feedback from prior travelers. One wonderful addition was a visit to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, home of Otzi, the “ice man”.

Otzi was found by two German hikers in 1991. What the archaeologists have been able to learn from that discovery is truly amazing. From his remains, they were able to recreate a model showing what they believe Otzi looked like. His tools, weapons, clothes and even the contents of his stomach were incredibly well preserved–for about 4,000 YEARS! Yikes.

The exhibits are accompanied by interesting explanations of what you are viewing. I apologize for the crooked photos that follow. I didn’t want to be a jerk, blocking the exhibits while I attempted to grab a perfectly centered, nicely squared off photo, but I figure you’ll get the idea.

The researchers finally determined Otzi was murdered, and that he probably bled to death from the arrow wound in his shoulder. But Otzi didn’t give up without a fight. From DNA analysis, scientists determined that there were traces of blood from at least four other people on his knife, coat and an arrowhead. Can you tell I really loved that museum?

Fast forward several thousands years to Bassano del Grappa. Over all those centuries, man’s inhumanity to man hasn’t changed.

You can still see the bullet holes in some of the the buildings in Bassano del Grappa’s old town from WWII, when the Italian partisans battled the Nazis.

This plaque tells the story about what happened along the river in 1944.

The trees from which the young Italians were hanged have been turned into memorials.

We all know how devastating WWII was, but when you see the long row of trees, each festooned with photos, names, dates and flowers, you get a feel for the very personal pain felt by the families in this area.

The town of Bassano del Grappa is also noted for (guess what) grappa, and we got to sample some after lunch at the Nardini Distillery. I’ll be honest. I didn’t like it. I’m more of a Franciacorta girl.

Overall, this was a wonderful trip to a part of Italy that I knew very little about. Next trip– to a different continent!

Mantua and Trent

Well, we are getting ready to hit the road (the one that leads to the airport) soon, so I figured if I had anything further to say about last fall’s trip to Northern Italy, now is the time to say it.

My last post was about the city of Verona. Although it was a lovely city, it was a bit crowded, so when we had the choice of spending another day in Verona, or going on an optional trip to Mantua, we (and everyone else on our tour) opted for the optional, and we were glad we did.

Yes, Mantua had the requisite castle, with beautiful frescoes, but the castle also had something I’d never seen before — a moat with lovely sculptures plopped in it. Were they ballerina or fairy costumes? I have no idea; either one works for me.

Mantua also had the mandatory clock tower, but this one was so beautiful, I felt compelled to include two photos of it- the one below to give you a sense of its placement and scale, and the one atop this post to show the beautiful craftsmanship. Just think how amazing it must have been before the frescoes were damaged.

Can you tell this tower has been repaired more than once?

Like other cities, Mantua has an object, which, if rubbed, promises thAt the rub-ee will grant the rub-er good luck. In Verona, it is Juliet’s right breast. In Mantua, it is Rigoletto’s hump. We avoided the fake Juliet balcony and statue, but we ladies couldn’t resist Rigoletto.

What was MOST memorable to me, however, was the “relic” in the Basilica of Saint Andrew. According to the plaque, the soldier that stabbed Christ (Who later became a saint –Longino– but not all that popular, because I’d never heard of him before. Had you?) was prescient enough to know that the blood soaked earth was worth preserving, so he did. For thousands of years. Quite a story, and I’ll leave it at that.

The legend
The relic repository
The artist’s interpretation of the event

Our next stop was Trento, the site of the Council of Trent, where Catholic bishops got together and did something important that I learned about in high school but have since forgotten. Here too, we encountered a magnificent cathedral. Could this be The Stairway to Heaven that Led Zeppelin sang about? Take a look. It sure doesn’t seem to lead anywhere else. If you took a tumble from the top, Heaven may be where you’d land, but probably only if you went to confession first.

Right outside the church, beside Neptune’s fountain, it was quite festive. Lots of young people holding flowers and plaques, wearing laurel wreaths on their heads were milling about.

Our group is nothing, if not astute. We immediately figured this was some kind of commencement celebration. I’ll tell ya, if I had been given the choice, I definitely would have gone with the laurel wreath instead of the mortarboard monstrosity we had to put on our heads.

If this cold weather continues, I may get it together to do one final post: the last days of our trip in the Dolomites and Alpine villages. Ciao!

The Divine Duomo

See how happy she is, wearing her new dress?

We’ve all been told you have to dress appropriately if you want to tour the Duomo.  That isn’t entirely true.  If you happen to be wearing something a bit too revealing, no worries.  The Duomo staff will give you a lovely, suitable outfit to wear.  Best of all, you get to keep it when you leave.  Take a look.

If you have been following this blog, you’ll recall that I toured the Duomo a few days ago, while in Milan on my own.  I am now on the OAT trip, which started with a walking tour of Milan, including a guided tour of the Duomo.  I’m glad I did both, because different tour guides emphasize different things, so YOU, dear reader, get the benefit of both, without having to endure an overnight flight.

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Both guides cited identical facts and figures: when construction started (1386), how long it was under construction (centuries), and on and on.  The main fact I retained was the Duomo has 52 columns.  Bet you can figure out why.

As you can see, each column is topped with statues of saints, but I have no idea who is who, and neither guide (quite wisely) bothered to tell us.

Only one called our attention to the beautiful marble floor’s embedded sun dial, with figures of the zodiac appropriately placed.  Check out Aries the Ram.

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As usual, the Duomo showcases art representing saints that died horrific deaths.  Catholics seem to have a deep appreciation for pain and suffering.

I missed the portrait of St Agatha on the first tour.  We had seen many portraits of her in Sicily, in the process of having her breasts chopped off.  In Milan, the painting isn’t quite so graphic.  St Agatha is shown being healed by St. Peter, who visited her in prison.  As you can see from her bloody garment, he is just starting to work his miracle.

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BOTH guides made sure we saw the statue of St. Bartholomew.  HE  was skinned alive and HIS statue leaves little to the imagination.

In case you’re wondering, that’s his skin draped over his shoulder.   Look to the right of his elbow.  His face managed to stay intact, and every hair on his head and beard is still in place.   Pretty terrifying for young Catholic children, wouldn’t you say.  No wonder we grew up so twisted.

Those Romans certainly dreamed up creative ways to launch Christians into the afterlife!

While touring the Duomo terraces a few days ago, I noticed what looked like a rooftop restaurant.  I figured it was probably super expensive and rather exclusive. 

What a nice surprise when  our OAT guide brought us over there for a drink and cookies.  We enjoyed yet another view of the Duomo, while sipping our cappuccinos. Here’s Elisa, our guide, explaining where we are going next.  Check out the chocolate shoes for sale  at gourmet chocolate shop inside.

 

Time to stop blogging and start experiencing…so I leave you with some Milan highlights.

 

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Two Days in Tremezzo

I LOVE Italy’s mass transit system.  Functional AND beautiful, Milan’s train station mixes old architecture with modern technology.  How appropriate to have an Apple sculpture in front of that classic building!  

This was my starting point for my two day solo adventure to Tremezzo.  Never heard of it?  Neither had I, prior to planning this trip, but Rick Steves recommended it, and I figured he knew what he was talking about.  The Hotel Villa Marie was reasonably priced, highly rated by Trip Advisor, within walking distance of the ferry and bus line.  It sounded like the perfect spot to, as they say in Italy “fare niente”, do nothing.

Well, I didn’t exactly do nothing, but I DID take it slower than usual.

This lakeside park is located between the Villa Marie and the center of Tremezzo.  I didn’t stop at the cafe in the park—there were too many other choices, but had I stayed in Tremezzo a few more days, I would have savored a Bellini by the shore.

Had I known there were going to be fireworks, I would have climbed to the terrace to watch the show.  Instead I leaned out my window and tried out the fireworks setting on my new point and shoot Canon.

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The tower made it easy to identify the Villa Marie

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The terrace is a romantic spot.  Too bad I was here without my sweetheart.

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I have no idea what we were celebrating.  My visit?

The Grand Hotel is indeed quite grand.  At €600 per night, I decided I could do without the grandeur.  I DID, however, have lunch there.   Soup, one Bellini and a bottle of water came to €52, but the view and the music were free.  A high point was when the pianist looked at me, played “New York, New York” then waved.  How did he know?  I hung around to watch him play the sax, but left before he got to the guitar.

My favorite spot was the majestic Villa Carlotta.  According to guide books, most people spend 45 minutes there.  For me, it was two and a half hours, wandering along the trails, ogling the flowers and exotic plants, and visiting the mansion.

The entrance, as seen from the villa.

Lucky for me, there was a free concert, with different orchestras,  playing very different music—from the Beatles to the William Tell Overture—during my visit.

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Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Tremezzo, I much prefer traveling with a buddy (or buddies).  It just is more fun making memories with someone else by your side.  And, I will confess, after navigating the train, ferry and metro with back pack and wheeled carry on, I very much like having someone else handle my luggage and logistics.  It was a great two days,  but I was quite ready to meet up with my man in Milano!

I’ll end this post with a few random photos of lovely Tremezzo.

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Three Wish Mountain

We were on a mission, leaving rainy Reykjavík in search of sunshine.  Would we need to squander one of our three wishes on a request for some respite from the rain?  Read on, if you want to find out.

First up on our way to Stykkishólmur was a stop at a wool studio.  CBAC040C-4A7C-4401-8DCE-BC4E43710BA3

When I had initially learned that the itinerary would exchange a visit to a waterfall for a wool demonstration, I was a bit distressed.  Was I ever wrong!  The presentation was quite wonderful.  The explanation of  the chemistry involved in dyeing wool was fascinating.  In the OLD days, cow’s urine was a key ingredient; it has since been replaced with ammonia, and not just because of the smell, although that alone was a good enough reason for me.  The problem is today it is too difficult to collect.  The cows are allowed to roam free and don’t take too kindly to someone following them around with a bucket.   The urine of old women also had characteristics that produced a particular color.  I don’t remember the color or the age requirement, I DO remember several of us volunteered to donate.

Our next stop was at the Settlement Center in Borgarnes, where we were treated to a very interesting Norse history,  including an opportunity to stand on the bow of a moving Viking ship.

Lunch in the second floor restaurant was delicious: a choice of tomato or lamb soup and a salad bar chock full of my favorite items.  A nice surprise was that this lunch was now included, where at one time it wasn’t.  Given the high price of food in Iceland, this was a welcome change.

Today’s drive was a long one, blessedly broken up by several stops.  Here we are viewing vertical lava flows.  Our guide explained the geology behind this particular effect.  I promptly forgot it.

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Luis is posing for all of the photography enthusiasts.  By now, I can identify everyone from the back. From left: Karen, Kathy and Nancy ( and the fuscia arm in the far left corner is either Helen or Debby)

Finally, we arrived at Mount Helgafell, where, if you climb to the top without speaking and don’t look back, you can face the east and make three wishes.  They have to be of positive intent, and you can’t tell anyone what they are.

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I’m facing the east, have made my wishes, and am now allowed to look behind me.

Being a generous soul, I gave one of my wishes for the good of our entire planet, (excluding Russia), one for Mike and me and one for a family member in need of a wish.   We’ll see if the Viking version of prayer works.  (At least none of us got turned into a pillar of salt!)

Mt Helgafell deserves a few more photos, so here goes:

The ascent was rather easy, because the path was well maintained, and the view was worth every step.  Although we hadn’t really found the sun, at least it wasn’t raining, and there were some patches of blue in the sky.

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The two Canadians: My blogging buddy Nancy (in red) and my newest friend, Sue.

Our second day on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula was also quite full, starting with a visit to a waterfall.  This short video, done by Mike, captures the beauty of the waterfall better than any of my photos, but if you don’t want to hop over to YouTube, this is for you.

 

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There’s one in every crowd. OURS is called Luis.

Kathy expressed an interest in bird life, so Hlynur took her for a little walk in a nesting area.  Wonder what happened?   Mike managed to get this action shot of Kathy being dive bombed by an angry mama bird.

It looked like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie. You know which one.

To be continued…

 

Fire and Ice Fun for Fifteen Friends

Some people collect stamps or coins or shoes.  Me, I collect people.  Once I decide I like someone, it is hard to get me to let go.  So what do you do when people you really like are scattered all over North America?  Why, you plan a trip with that assortment of very interesting souls.

Are you curious about what happens when you put 15 friends together for 12 days on an island, coming within 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle?   Me too.  For all you inquiring minds out there, I have good news.  One of my traveling buddies is also a blogging buddy, so for THIS trip, you will have two, yes TWO blogs to peruse–this one, and the Canadian version of our Iceland Adventure.  Nancy is a fantastic photographer who always provides excellent information about the places she visits.  Another plus: her blog keeps pace with the trip, while I usually lag far behind.  (Translated: Nancy will likely be doing MOST of the blogging).   If you sign up to follow her posts, they will be delivered automatically to your in-basket, just click on that blue link above to be transferred over.

Some demographics: Our group is composed of 5 men and 10 women: 4 from Boston, 4 from New Jersey, 2 from Ohio, 2 from California, 1 from Oregon and 2 from British Columbia.  6 have never been on a group trip before, and 8 have never been on an OAT trip before.  11 of us are retired. 2 of the husbands were foreign-born:  (Argentina and Jordan).   I’ve known some members of the group for decades (the longest friendship is 53 years,) but others are newer relationships, including 1 traveler who I’ll be meeting for the first time when we arrive in Iceland.

Where will we be going, you ask?  After exploring Reykjavik, we will be traveling west and north to places with unpronounceable names.  Akureyri, I am told, is located just 40 miles off the Arctic Circle, in case you were wondering.   We then are flying back to Reykjavik, for a visit to the Golden Circle, before heading home.

For all you visual people out there, I have included a map, of sorts.

I’m excited about seeing the wonders of Iceland–the land of fire and ice.  But I’m equally excited about spending time with this great group.

Several of us decided to fly in a day early, arriving at Keflavik airport around (groan) 6 AM.  It takes about an hour to get luggage and emerge from customs, then roughly another hour to get to our hotel.  I think it is a pretty safe bet that our rooms won’t be available at 8 AM, or for  at LEAST several hours, so I have loaded up on suggestions from the OAT Forum of what to do in Reykjavik till we can crash in our hotel rooms.

Hope you join us for what we expect to be a very fun party!