Day 9 - Iceland (day 5)

Ok so the hostel was interesting  last night. we called it the Adams family hostel because it looked like the Adams family house. Ok then today first stop after we escaped the the Adams family house was "Petra's rock gardens" (fun for some) there was heaps of rock, I mean heaps and heaps of rocks (tehehehehehe I got some nice flower pictures though which was my highlight of that stop). Anyway then we went down to the beach looking for rocks and found a couple (I got a golf ball). So yeah really "interesting" start to the day for me :P next stop was morning tea where we had a fantastic apple and cinnamon cake and   Some great coffees and hot chocolate.

While at morning tea we saw some caved granite eggs an washed the for free (a job we really needed to do) 

Afterwards we went a glacier lookout while stopping on the edge of the road twice to look at the coast and a huge scree slope. So yeah.... The glacier look out was very nice and we had lunch there. Also there was REINDEER which was amazing. After lunch we went to the nearest town and took a scenic route while looking for a toilet. Ok found toilet And began around journey towards the now called road F (f for fricken). It was a very very curvy steep road that let up to the top of a glacier. The glacier was 

fantastic but the road up left a bit to be desired. Mummy freaked out on the way up (and I mean she was absolutely terrified) but the way down was much better (daddy drove well). Ummm.... Ok then we went to a huge glacier lake which was fantastic because it had big icebergs floating in it and there was a seal (we called Sammy) who had a huge samon in his mouth. Ok then we went to the youth hostel. Now a quick run down of this one is.......... One word which = CRAP!!!! The showers don't have locks and are push button, the locks on the doors are crap, the toilets don't work we'll, the power point don't work and the kitchen is way to small (with one stove and sink between the 50 of us) so yeah 

Goodnight all I'm really tried 

Day 8 - Iceland (day 4)

Started the morning early leaving at 7:30 to avoid the big group that was staying at our hostel. I has a room to myself lat night which was fun :D (watched a bit of YouTube). My room was good except that my blinds were crap so there was quite a lot of light in my room (24 hour sunlight in Iceland at the moment) which meant that I had to go to sleep with an eye mask. The drivings going well (dad is good at keeping on the right) and we have discovered how to connect my iPod  with the car via Bluetooth. I have a great series of books on my iPod which I am plowing through with great excitement. Mummy is enjoying the book i brought (which i haven't read yet) We had a nice chat with a family from holland last night which was nice, they had heaps of things to recommend to us. We saw this family at another hostel earlier in Iceland.  (Hey Kate just a side note the guy from this family looked like Dello :P.  ) ummmm.... I think that's all the random news so on with today. So yeah left early and headed off to see how much a puffin watching boat trip was (this was one of the things the Dutch family had recommended) turned out the first was at 11 which was far to late for us so we decided to go look for them our self which turned out....... Well lets  say it was interesting. We stopped on a little road near the main road. So we went through an open gate into a paddock and began walking toward what we thought was a cliff (it was actual a very steep slope) it turned out that the paddock we were walking through was a huge nesting side for heaps and heaps of birds and they weren't happy.  We got swooped a lot and they didn't actually touch us. Mum found this amazing, I found it petrifying!!! I saw a baby arctic tern and we almost stepped on some eggs as well. Anyway the bird we saw were: arctic terns (they were the main ones attacking us), ptarmigan (a very rare bird) and lots of other that we don't know the names of. Anyway no puffin in sight though.  once we finally got back to the car after jumping a barbed wire fence we headed off to another puffin bird stop were we found no puffins and I lost one of the binocular lenses covers.  then we headed off to Asbyrgi were we had our first coffee and hot chocolate and went for a walk to a little lake in a box cannon. It was nice and it was the first actual forest I've seen in Iceland (which was very nice) 

while I'm on that let's talk about the Icelandic landscape. Iceland as a majority is made up of generally flat green valleys (with no trees) and big flat topped mountains covered in snow. Then you get the flat desert like plain covered in black sand ash and dried lava from the volcanos. Also there is a very little bit of mars like terrace with lots of steaming volcanic things. So really Iceland is very lacking on the tree side of things. 

So yeah anyway fourth stop was dettifoss which is a bloody enormous waterfall it was pumping. This one was simply huge nothing pretty about it. Also while we were there it poured down and was really really windy, our full water proofs bennies and gloves got a good work out. Next stop was a toilet and lunch stop and then went to a small farm where we all has another hot chocolate and a traditional Icelandic twisted donut. Then we drove lots until we reached a magnificent waterfalls where dad and i ran to the top of the hill and got close to it where mum stopped a little way down and took pictures (I'm so unfit its not funny) anyway there were magnificent waterfalls all down that valley. Ok so after that we got to a major town and went shopping (shopping was a bit expensive this time). So yeah that's where we are up at the moment because I am writing this in the car like a cool kid :P chicken curry for dinner which should be nice. I hope everyone is happy wherever you are. 

P.s please leave a comment if you can because it would be nice to see how many people actually read this thanks :D

Alastair 

Day 7 - Iceland (Day 3)

Ok breakfast was the same as yesterday. We got out of the hostel a bit later than expected and then missed a turn because we were looking at a old town and took a slight (20 mins) detour. (No ones fault). Once we were on the right route we the first stop was godafoss (a huge epic water falls that was amazing) and coffee/hot chocolate. Second stop was lake of the midges (which was very well named) there was midges everywhere but the view over the late was nice and we got some nice pictures of a midge eating bird.  Second stop was a spot near the lake (in a different spot) where we went for a very short walk. Third stop was the dimmuborgir lava landscape where we went for a stroll (aka an hour walk) and had lunch. Fourth stop was some hot spring baths (that we didn't go in because they cost lots). Fifth stop was some bubbling spring that went blub :P sixth stop was a pointless walk to a lava feild and back (I got a bit shitty). Seventh stop was a volcano crater with blue water in it. Ok then we drove lots and got to the youth hostel where I am attempting to right a legible blog 

Goodnight 

Day 6 - Iceland (day 2)

Well not a huge day but I'm really tried anyway. 

Woke up at about 6 had a Breakfast of cereal and some toast. Left at a time I can't remember.... Anyway first stop was another waterfall ( this on was actually quite epic though) after this we got lost and ended up at a dead end. Second stop  was  turf church which was very unique. Third stop a little turf house village/museum and look at them but didn't go In because it cost. 

Now the third stop was very interesting...... We had lunch....... On a picnic table...... In the middle of nowhere.... In the wind and it was "fricken cold" as daddy put it :P (yes it was really really really cold) third stop (no wait fourth wow I can count) was the youth hostel but it was  closed so we went and asked the tourist info person 2 sensible question and the heaps of "mummy wants to know random facts about" questions e.g. What are all the horses for? (There are heaps of horses in Iceland and we now know they export them because they are tuff and they also eat them.... The guy said about half of Icelanders do and half don't). Walked to the (very small) botanic gardens and walked around them. Then went back to hostel dumped our stuff and went shopping. Mummy quote of shopping: "oh safety trolly" the Trolleys were yellow (and Kate And Morgan you'll understand this because we were talking about smash and grab in New Zealand :P.     ) 

So yeah that was today just another random things that happen: I fell asleep in the car because I'm cool like that!!!

Disclaimer: look at the other disclaimer because I can't remember what I wrote and I don't want to make it different.

Day 5 - Iceland (day 1)

(Side message for Kate and Morgan: we found another cleaning cupboard shower) 

Ok woke up at 5:30 and read for half an hour till the others woke up. Breakfast was supplied and was very satisfying (I got my first taste of un sweetened yogurt.... Not nice) drove into the centre of Reykjavik (mummy directing) found tourist office and got directions to A big shopping centre. Attempted to drive to shopping centre (mummy directing)..,, got lost. Tried again and got to shopping centre (me directing :P.  ) 

So yeah bought some stuff and drove out of Reykjavik. First stop was a waterfall (it's hard to explain it so I won't try.... Yes I'm lazy get over it :P.  ) second stop was some hot springs (and when I say hot I mean hot. They pump out something like 200L of boiling water every second and also happen to be the biggest in the world.... Yeah they were pretty cool) third stop extinct volcano (the first of many for this trip... We walked up the crater full filling our price family tradition of walking up a volcano almost every holiday) fourth stop youth hostel (I really like this one it's warm comfy and there is plenty of room) 

Ok so daddy did all the driving (he's a bit tried) and it was all on the right hand side of the road (very scary and confusing for all) mummy did most of the directing and I help until I hit the wall at 2 and tried to sleep :D the route today was very "scenic" and but we did see a lot of things that weren't on the main (much quicker) route

So yeah (woooo success first time I've written that this blog) doesn't look like a huge day today but believe me it was very long D:

Post again tomorrow 

Day 4 - London (bus ride, British museum and a "stroll" back)

Well I'm really tried!!! Before I start this I'd like to say that we are going to Iceland in a couple of hours so Internet might not be available (and blog won't go up) so yeah. My wrist is better and everyone else is in good working order :D other than very sore feet D: 

Ok soooo today we woke at about 5:30 (not deliberately bloody 18 hour sunlight) left at 8:45 and took a tube to a bus a stop where we took a bus out to woop woop because we could. Bus ride was actually quite good because it went past all the big sites but it finished in the middle of no where and went for a bit long. Ok then we tubed to the British museum. The museum was: amazing, tiring, huge, interesting, informative, diverse and..... (ahhhhhh run out of adjectives dammit :P ) so yeah :P ummmmm...... We saw: (tehehehehehe get really scared when you see :::::::  ) upstairs and saw the Celtic, roman, Greek display, (then), the Egyptian mummy's, the Lewis chessman (an old chess set), the royal game of ur (first ever board found) then down stairs we saw: the Rosetta Stone, some Assyrian carved walls and the Elgin marbles (from Parthenon). Down down stairs we saw the head of king ife (a small metal head of an African king) and up up up up stairs (flour 5) we saw some samurai armor and swords :D (they were amazing).

Ok so yeah (I say that a lot don't I) 

Some one tried to pick pocket use at the Rosetta Stone but other than that everything was amazing :D 

I liked the Celtic and roman displays because I have done research on both the topics and it was nice to see the things you have done research on (e.g. A Celtic torc) 

Ok so then some one (not me) had a "fantastic" that we should walk home from the museum. " It was only one tube  stop they said not far" they said. It was a stroll (meaning quite a way and my feet are punishing me for it) Anyway on the way home we (all of us not the royal we) got very disorientated and were 180 out (fun times) we worked it out in the end though (it was partly my fault because I had been telling them the hostel was one bubble when it was another bubble on the map) 

So yeah (I really do say that a lot anyone got a replacement phrase?)

We are in the airport now ready to go to Iceland :D security was amazingly efficient and strict but all is good :D 

I hope I will be able to get another blog up soon but it will be a maximum of a week if there isn't wifi in Iceland 

Ttfn (tar tar for now)

Day 3 - London (kew gardens)

So I'm just going to talk about London as a whole for a sec. London is: crowed, busy, expensive, amazing, old, very crowed (yes I know I've said said that),  easy to get around and the free wifi is great!

So yeah now today we went to kew gardens! I managed to take 136 photos in one day woooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! :D 

Woke up at 5 o'clock again (fun stuff) get out of the hostel at about 8 (I think) the tubed to kew gardens (stood up most of the way it was quite painful). 

Ok got to kew a bit early so we went to a supermarket and bought lunch and some pastries. Then had a coffee (hot chocolate for me) and the ate our pasties (Armond croissants) 

Got into kew and went straight to the tree walk. It wasn't great (the Tazmanian one was much better) but it got us a nice view of the gardens 

Ok so then we went to the green house where we saw a nice Australian area but the house is about to under go renovation so all the plants were getting dug up and re potted which was a bit disappointing!!!! Then we went to a few note green houses ( and water lily houses) had lunch, saw a big pinapple in the middle of a pond (i think it was a fundraiser)

Ok the saw pretty flower and some pretty alpine plants (had lunch which was..... Have a guess...... Ham and cheese roles)

So then went to another cool greenhouse         . Then went to the kew kitchens and kew palace (both part of the gardens) they were Interesting but not great! Then went to platform 9 and 3/4 and I got a picture :D. Went home had dinner and I need to sleep good night.