For our second day in Iceland, we tackled another popular tour route: the South Coast. Along the way we stopped at several different waterfalls. The first was Seljalandsfoss, which featured the really cool experience of being able to walk behind the waterfall. We got pretty wet, but it was definitely worth it.
A short was away is Gljufrabui, which is hidden inside of a small chasm.
Our third stop was yet another waterfall: Skogafoss.
Finally done with waterfalls, we continued on to the glacier Soljeimajokull. It’s very dangerous (and illegal) to venture onto the main glacier without a guide, but we still got plenty of cool pictures from the sidelines.
The dirt deposited by the glacier is similar to fine kinetic sand.
We made a quick pit stop in the town of Vik to grab some lunch. I tried a marinated lamb sandwhich and Nick had arctic char, both of which are traditional Icelandic foods. Next we traveled to Reynisfjara, famed for its black sand beach and large basalt columns.
This beach’s dangerous “sneaker waves” have drowned many tourists, so we stayed well away from the water.A fish skull we found washed up on shore
Our final stop was the cliffs of Dyrholaey, where we enjoyed our final views of the beautiful Icelandic coast.
Heading back to our AirBnB, and tomorrow, to the USA!
With our arrival in Iceland, we have reached the final stop on our honeymoon trip. We’re staying in a “tiny home” AirBnB, which is only about 12×20 feet. It’s actually very cosy and pleasant. The only difficult thing is that during the summer it’s only dark for a few hours every night, so we need to use blackout curtains in order to sleep.
For our first full day, we set out on the Golden Circle, which is one of the most popular routes to tour in Iceland. We spent the entire day driving around in our rental car and checking out some of the most gorgeous sights on this side of the country.
Nick was a bit nervous about driving in a foreign country, but he quickly got the hang of it.
Our first stop was Kerid, a volanic crater that’s now filled with a lake.
Next, we stopped at the Secret Lagoon, which is naturally heated by the local geothermal activity. We’d originally planned to visit the more popular Blue Lagoon, but it ended up being out of our budget for now. We also enjoyed the less crowded and touristy vibe of the Secret Lagoon.
From there, we continued along the Golden Circle, passing some highly variable and often alien-looking landscapes along the way.
Next up: Gullfoss Waterfall.
Our last stop of the day was Geysir, one of the first geysers every described in print. We got to witness an eruption, which was very exciting.
When we finally arrived back at our AirBnB, it was after 11pm. However, the sun was still up!
Yesterday we escaped the chaos of the city and took a day trip to Howth, a small fishing village about an hour ouside of Dublin. We enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch before taking a short boat ride to Ireland’s Eye, a tiny uninhabitated island that’s also a water bird sanctuary.
Getting some lunch before we explore HowthFerry boat taking us to Ireland’s EyeIf you look closely, there is a wild seal that we saw while waiting to go to the Eye of Ireland. We saw another one on the island
After reaching the island, we hiked up to the summit to enjoy a great view of our surroundings. We also checked out the ruins of an old 8th-century church.
Ruins of an old church on the island
Made it to the summit of the isle
After we got back to the mainland, we set off on the Howth Cliff Walk, which featured some fantastic views of the Irish coastline.
Nick looking over the edge of a very steep clifsideNick watching the waves as we hiked around Howth
The next day we were pretty tired out from our active time in Howth, so we decided to take it easy a bit. We spent some time at the Chester Beatty Library and the National Archaeology Museum of Ireland before heading back to our AirBnB for a quiet night in. Tomorrow we embark to our final destination: Iceland!
Arabic geometry bookAstronomy book and compassesRobes that could only be worn by a Chinese emperor4000 year old cunieform tabletsDecorated rock from 1700 to 2500 BCMostly intact bog body. Improper care of the body destroyed much of the remains. He was strangled to death and left naked except for a fur capeBog body without lower body. Killed by an axe and disemboweled. Lower body accidentally destroyed by peat harvestersIntact bog body that was found in the 1800s
Yesterday was our first full day in Dublin. We spent the better part of our morning trying to understand Dublin’s very complicated and confusing public transit system. When we finally figured out how and where to purchase our bus passes, we made our way downtown to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately, the art was a bit too abstract and “postmodern” for our taste, so we didn’t stay very long. However, the museum turned out to have a very pretty garden around the back, which made the trip worthwhile.
After the museum, we headed to Dublin’s #1 tourist spot: the Guiness Storehouse. The self-guided exhibit was really interesting and informative. The tour ended on the top floor of the storehouse, where we each got a print of the original porter and enjoyed some great views of the surrounding city.
The next day, we started with yet another free walking tour. Our guide was a Dublin native who taught us lots about the rich and often turbulent history of Ireland.
This tower is all that remains of the original 13th-century Dublin Castle. The rest burned to the ground during the 1600s.Christ Church CathedralThe Bank of Ireland
After the tour, we enjoyed some shawarma and falafel for lunch and then headed over to check out the Irish Whiskey Museum. I actually enjoyed this more than the Guiness Tour. The history of whiskey is really fascinated. We learned that the process of distillation was originally invented by Spanish Moors for making perfume and was adapted for alcohol distillation by Irish monks. We also learned the different between single malt and blended whiskey. The tour ended by tasting three different types of whiskey ranging from a cheap blend to a fancy single malt.
Then we walked around Trinity College and St. Stephen’s Green before heading back to our AirBnB. Tomorrow we’re planning to take a day trip to a small fishing town called Howth.
The Science Gallery at Trinity College featured this cool exhibit that used 100 electrical circuits to stimulate the random propagation of neural signals.
Our final two days in Scotland were largely grey and drizzling, which is more typical for this time of year than the unseasonably warm and sunny weather we experienced last week. On day 3 we spent our morning at the Scottish National Gallery, which features artwork from the Gothic period up to the modern day.
Afterward, we braved the rain to hike up to the top of Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano that overlooks the city. Despite the weather, it ended up being a lot of fun and well worth it for the excellent views. After the hike we got some pizza for dinner and took the bus back to our AirBnB.
View from the upper floor of our double-decker bus
For our final day, we had to catch a 3pm flight so there wasn’t much time to do anything during the morning. We ended up just hanging out at the airport for much of the day before our flight to Dublin departed. We checked in to our new AirBnB, which is shared with several other travelers this time, and prepared to explore the city in the morning.
Yesterday we departed Glasgow and traveled by train to our new AirBnB in Edinburgh. It was immediately clear that these two cities have a very different vibe. Edinburgh is much more crowded with tourists, and also appears to have a lot more Victorian-era buildings (although we later learned that many of these are replicas). It’s a very interesting city but definitely gets exhausting at times.
Our first adventure, as usual, was a walking tour around the city. We checked out some of the local sights and noted what we wanted to explore in the future.
The Mercat Cross, which signified that a city had the king’s permission to engage in trade.After this night watchman died, his dog Bobby stood guard over his grave for the next fourteen years.Some of the Edinburgh skylineA nice view of Edinburgh Castle
After the tour ended, we decided to stop in to the National Museum of Scotland. We didn’t have much time before it closed, so we decided to come back the next day to explore further. We ended up spending over half of the day walking around this extensive museum.
Sperm whale skullOne of the first electron microscopes from the 1950sThe preserved body of Dolly the SheepCast of a T-rex skeletonBull elephant standing inside a blue whale’s jaw bonesSarcosuchus, an ancient crocodile which grew to be 50 feet longGiraffe mlemView from the rooftop of the museum
After leaving the museum, we made our way toward Edinburgh Castle. We got there only about two hours before closing, and the weather had turned rather chilly and rainy, so that meant the normally-packed castle had relatively few tourists to compete with for space. It made the experience a lot more fun for us.
Changing of the Scottish Guard
A replica of the castle’s dungeonsSaint Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh, dates back to the early 12th centuryA small graveyard for military dogs
A cannon that fires at 1pm every day, following an ancient tradition
We walked down the Royal Mile and then made our way back home to enjoy a quiet evening in. Tomorrow we plan to take a day trip to one of the nearby Scottish towns.
Our bodies still haven’t full adjusted to the local time zone. Yesterday we didn’t get up until noon, after being unable to fall asleep until 1am the night before. Luckily, we had only a few sites planned for the day and were able to fit them in without any problems. Our first stop was the Hunterian Museum, which is located on the campus of the University of Glasgow.
A collection of medical specimens.Roman sign etchings.Megaloceros (center) compared with modern elk (left) and moose (right).Plesiosaurus fossilLeg from a DiplodocusAllosaurus skull
From there, we spent some time walking around the University of Glasgow, which reminded us a bit of Hogwarts from Harry Potter.
After visiting the university, we continued on to the Glasgow Botanical Gardens.
The next day, we decided to escape from the city and enjoy a hike. We’ve really lucked on the weather so far; Scotland in May is typically mid-50s and rainy, but we’ve experienced 60s to 70s temperatures and lots of sun. We caught a train to Helensburgh and enjoyed a relaxing hike through the countryside. Halfway through we stopped to enjoy a simple lunch of boiled eggs, apples, and brie cheese. It was a great way to end our final day in Glasgow. Tomorrow we continue on to Edinburgh!
The first stop on my and Nick’s honeymoon is Glasgow, the most populous city in Scotland. We took an overnight flight from DC on Sunday with a 2am layover in Iceland, where we’ll be returning later for the final stop on our trip.
It was barely noon by the time we arrived at our AirBnB (a really nice apartment that’s a short walk to the city center), but we were so tired from the sleepless flight that we mostly just spent the day napping and relaxing. We enjoyed some sandwiches at a local shop and made a quick stir fry for dinner. It’s nice having plenty of time in each city, so that we’re able to take some time to chill without worrying that we’re missing out on anything.
This morning, we got up early enough to meet up with a walking tour led by a local Glasgowegian (I was surprised to learn that’s what people from Glasgow are called). The guide was very informative and enthusiastic. He took us around central Glasgow, pointing out many buildings that were several hundred years old.
Glasgow City Chambers, where the city government resides.Our guide gave us some Irn Bru, a soda that’s very popular here. Scotland is one of the only countries where Coca-Cola is not the #1 soft drink.
One of the most interesting stops on the tour was the Britannia Panopticon, the world’s oldest surviving music hall (opened in 1857). This theatre was where some of Glasgow’s poorest residents would gather to see plays, freakshows, and dancers. The crowd was so crowded and raucous that it was common for attendees to urinate on the floor. Historians actually believe this contributed to why the building still stands today; many music halls of this era burned down due to stray pipe and cigar ashes, but the urine-soaked floors of the Panopticon likely prevented sparks from spreading.
From there, the tour continued on, with lots of fascinating sights along the way.
The Tolbooth Steeple was once part of a much larger building during the 17th century.This mural depicts Saint Mungo (Glasgow’s founder and patron saint) as an infant being gradled by his mother, Saint Teneu.The companion mural depicts Saint Mungo as an adult, surrounded by the red-breasted robins that are one of his many symbols.
At the conclusion of the tour, Nick and I headed to a local pub and ordered some fish and chips. The piece of cod was absolutely massive and tasted delicious. We also tried out some Tennent’s Lager, one of the most popular beers in Scotland.
This is only about a quarter of the entire fillet. It looked so good that I forgot to shap a photo until I was nearly done eating.
From there, we headed over to the famous Glasgow Cathedral, an ancient and imposing structure. We also checked out the large cemetary called the Necropolis located on a hill behind the church, with features some of the best views of the city.
The church’s lower crypt houses the grave of Saint Mungo.
From there, we spent a little while relaxing in the Glasgow Green (the city’s large central park) and then walked back to our AirBnB along the River Clyde.
The Doulton Fountain is the largest terracotta fountain in the world.
Brains and Backpacks 