Ireland Picture Post #6: Conor pass

These photos are from Day 8, Part 1, where we drove from Doolin to Dingle via Conor Pass.

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Our little Fiat Punto, in one of Conor Pass's several overlooks/pull-off areas. These are a good place to pull aside when another car is coming through the pass.

Internationale Spieltage 2013 - Trip Report

This year, my husband and I attended Internationale Spieltage for the first time.  Held in Essen, Germany, it's the largest board game convention in the world.

This is just a small portion of the convention - there were three massive expo halls, packed to the gills with people walking around and sitting at the many tables, playing games with friends, families, and strangers alike.

Iceland Day 7: Blue Lagoon and goodbye

Our seventh and final day in Reykjavik - the feeling is bittersweet.  Though a short trip, each day was so action-packed that the trip somehow managed to feel much longer.

We catch a shuttle bus from the Hilton to Blue Lagoon - our last destination before we fly out of Reykjavik.

Guilty as charged: I took pictures of the moss along the pathway leading to Blue Lagoon.  

Iceland Day 6, Part 2: Golden Circle - Geysir, Strokkur, Gulfoss, and Þingvellir

We continued along the Golden Circle route: our next stop took us to the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. 

Iceland Day 6, Part 1: Golden Circle - Kerið and roadside waterfalls

We awakened to more grey drizzle - not an uncommon sight for us, as February in Iceland very closely resembles Seattle's late fall through early spring (though definitely with more wind chill.)

However, we weren't about to let the clouds get in our way.  Today was our the Golden Circle photo tour with Tony, the owner of Iceland Aurora.  He's another Englishman who fell in love with Iceland.  It's no wonder he has so many amazing pictures on his website; from his backyard hot tub he has an absolutely spectacular view of the aurora borealis.  

Giantbomb's Iceland Travelogue

Quick post today, because I'm still working on writing the rest of the Iceland blog.

This video, sans snow and EVE conference, pretty much sums up our trip to Iceland.  Including the phallological museum!

It's really strange to watch someone else's travelogue and say, "I've been there!" or "I know that street!"  Definitely feeling the nostalgia right now.

Iceland Day 4, Part 2: Snæfellsness peninsula photo tour

Foggy landscape near the Spirit of Snæfellsness

Much of the drive is still obfuscated in fog, but as we make our way around the tip of the peninsula, there's a break - first in the mist, and then in the clouds. Suddenly, what was a dark and rainy day becomes sunny and too warm for jackets. Now that we've rounded the peninsula, Owen explains, the mountains are boxing the fog in behind us. We're hopeful that the rest of the drive will be this clear.

It's time for lunch, so we stop at the local gas station in a town. Here, unlike in the US, the convenience store food is actually made fresh and to order. They have hot dogs (pylsur), fish and chips, hamburgers, soft serve ice cream (popular in all seasons), and a gambling machine. In a small village such like this, it's one of the main gathering places.  It's much different than I expected - with its several industrial buildings, it's a pragmatic and modern, rather than being the quaint, fishing town I imagined.