Sept 16, 2019: Copenhagen
Dad and I took a red eye from NYC to Copenhagen. We were exhausted after only catching a few hours of interrupted airplane sleep. As tempting as it was to take a nap on arrival, we only had one day to enjoy the city so we hit the ground running.
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| First stop: Smorrebrod for lunch! |
I was surprised that Dad's request was to go to Tivoli Gardens, but apparently it's a big deal in Copenhagen. Built in 1843, it's the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world (the first is also in Denmark). Each of us chose a ride to go on; Dad chose one featuring Hans Christian Andersen and I chose a thrill ride.
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| Beautiful trees and flowers everywhere |
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Dad's Ride: Den Flyvende Kuffert (The Flying Trunk).
Dad and I each only recognized 8 of the 16 stories. How many do you know?
The Tinderbox
It's Quite True!
The Top and the Ball
Thumbelina
The Little Mermaid
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
The Emperor's New Clothes
The Ugly Duckling
The Little Match Girl
The Nightingale
The Snow Queen (this inspired Disney's Frozen)
The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep
The Flying Trunk
The Swineherd (Dad pointed out that this is in The Sound of Music)
The Princess and the Pea
Clumsy Hans AKA Numskull Jack
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My ride: Vertigo. Dad opted out of this one - can't imagine why!
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We spent the rest of the day walking through the city. Copenhagen is quite charming, characterized by a multitude of bicyclists, colorful buildings, and sculptures. We took in some more sites by boat on a canal tour, and then we made our way back to Tivoli Gardens to see it lit up at night.
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| Favorite part of the city - colorful houses in Nyhavn |
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| Prettiest part of the boat tour - house boats along the canal |
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| On the canal tour, we had to duck for lots of ridiculously low bridges. I'm still not sure how we were able to fit under some of them. |
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| Dad walking by the building where Hans Christian Andersen lived. Dad really likes HCA. |
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| Tivoli Gardens at night feels like Christmas! |
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A whole wall of my favorite licorice brand at the airport.
Neither Dad nor I could resist buying some. |
After a quick flight to the Faroe Islands, we were picked up by our tour guide Annika who took us around the island of Vagar in her own car. It was an intimate tour with just Annika, me/Dad, and a couple from Japan who were on their honeymoon. Having been born and raised on the island, Annika had really interesting - and often depressing - stories, both fictional and non.
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I didn't take this photo, but I asked about this sculpture as we passed by. This is what Annika told us: it's based on a mystical creature that lures people to it but when they touch it, they get stuck to it. When someone tries to help a person who's stuck, they get stuck too until eventually there's a line of people attached to each other. Then the horse creature goes back home under the water and drowns everyone. The End.
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See the gap in the rocks on the ledge between the bodies of water? A few decades ago, a man wanted to prove he and his horse could jump over it. People lined up where we were standing to watch. The horse ran full speed down the hill and stopped right when it got to the gap. The man flew off the horse and died. His wife later remarried, and her daughters are now our tour guide's friends.
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Annika's friend's house, which was built around a rock to avoid killing the trolls/spirits that are thought to live inside.
Nearby, Annika also pointed out a cafe that secretly also functions as a slaughterhouse for a couple months each year. |
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If you look closely, you can see pilot whale meat hanging under the bridge to dry.
Annika had an interesting point of view about eating whales. She feels we should eat everything in the food chain, not avoid certain animals just because they're cute or majestic. It makes less sense to her when people refuse to eat whales, but instead overfish and kill everything the whales eat. Her philosophy is "Eat a little of everything. If there's too much of something, eat more of that. If there's too little of something, eat less of that."
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We hiked to this beautiful lookout Traelanipa. I asked Annika if any visitors or locals have fallen off and died. She replied: no... but during the Viking Age, injured or sick slaves were brought here and pushed off, earning its nickname "Slave's Rock."
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Mulafossur - one of the most famous images from the Faroe Islands
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| Sorvagvastn Lake - another famous image from the Faroe Islands. The colors of the water create an optical illusion, making the lake look far more elevated than it actually is |
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| An irresistibly cute dog at Mulafossur who kept bringing me this rock to play fetch |
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My favorite of Annika's quotes: "These nipples are made out of bird shit."
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| I got to eat a crow berry Annika found on the trail. I had never even heard of it. |
After our tour/hike, we were dropped off in Torshavn (literally translates to "Thor's harbour"), the capital of the Faroe Islands. Dad and I took a walk around the town and watched the sun set behind a lighthouse.
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| Cloud reflections in the water |
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| Sunset at Skansin Fort Lighthouse |
September 18, 2019: Faroe Islands - Northern Islands
We took a tour through 6 of the 18 islands that comprise the Faroe Islands. Dad and I were amused by our tour guide Jogvan's understated dry delivery as he described the horrors of Faroese history. He frequently interrupted his own stories to point things out, with no change at all in his voice inflection:
"In 1005 Trondur came to Sigmund's home at night. Trondur sent in 2 men to kill Sigmund and 2 heads came out. Then he sent in 3 men and 3 heads came out. Then he ordered to have the house set on fire. On the left, this building used to be a tuberculosis sanatorium until it was eventually turned into a school and then turned into an art studio."
I also liked whenever Jogvan described something as "hideously expensive."
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| Map of the islands we visited |
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| It was cloudy and rained on us for the remaining 7 days of our trip. I suppose this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise; there are ~300 days of rain each year in the Faroe Islands and ~213 days of rain each year in Iceland. |
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The Faroe Islands are connected by bridges, ferries, and 20 tunnels (3 of which are subsea!).
Dad and I decided early on that we would not attempt to hold our breath through these extensive tunnels; some of them are >6.5 miles! |
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There are 52,000 people and 100,000-120,000 sheep living on the islands.
Hitting sheep is included in all car insurances in the Faroes. |
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| There are no native trees in the Faroe Islands. |
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| Our hiking guide (standing next to Dad) is the man who owns the land we hiked on. |
September 20, 2019: Iceland - Reykjavik
We took an early flight to Iceland and spent the day walking through the capital Reykjavik. We enjoyed a 4D ride at FlyOver Iceland, played at the playground in Klambratun Park, visited the Perlan (a museum, planetarium, observation deck, and indoor ice cave all in one), and went swimming at Sundhollin (an outdoor heated pool that opened in 1937). I guess I'm out of practice with putting on and taking off layers, and I somehow managed to lose my rain pants.
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| Great view of the moon (upper right), sunrise, clouds and ocean from our airplane |
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| At FlyOver Iceland. The footage on the ride was phenomenal. |
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| My Dad was confused because he thought this place was advertising both cruelty and free food, and now I can't see this sign any other way |
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| I absolutely loved this ride at the playground in Klambratun Park |
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| Even Dad went on it a couple times! |
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| Cute exhibit at Perlan. In general, I was impressed by how interactive their exhibits were. |
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| Walking through the indoor ice cave. It probably goes without saying that it was very cold. |
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| Similar to cheesecake, but made with skyr (a dairy product that's like yogurt) |
September 21, 2019: Iceland - The Golden Circle
This was the first day of a 3-day tour of Iceland. We got a kick out of our tour guide Marek who had a dry sense of humor and did not attempt to conceal his more-than-occasional annoyance with our group. On the first day, we went to many sites along the Golden Circle, a popular 190 mile road in Southern Iceland. After being in the remote Faroe Islands it felt almost like a culture shock to suddenly have to navigate through crowds.
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| Thingvellir National Park: junction of the American and Eurasian tectonic plates. |
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| Hakadalur Geothermal Field: hot springs |
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| Hakadalur Geothermal Field: Strokkur geyser went off every 8-10 minutes and shot 65-95 feet into the air. The other geyser (confusingly named "Geysir") has been dormant for years and our tour guide referred to it as "out of order." |
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| Gullfoss: translates to "Golden Waterfall" and gave the "Golden Circle" its name. Love that rainbow! |
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| Gullfoss: I love when it's so windy that the waterfalls start flowing backwards up into the air |
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| Icelandic horses: They are unique to Iceland and are furrier/softer than other horses I've encountered. |
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| Kerid: a bright blue volcanic crater lake surrounded by red rocks |
September 22, 2019: Iceland - South Coast
Even though it was raining relentlessly, the highlight of the whole trip for both my Dad and myself was hiking on a glacier. Following our hike, we took a cold rainy walk along Reynisfjara, a black sand beach lined with towering hexagonal basalt stacks and caves. The last part of this incredible day was visiting 3 gorgeous waterfalls as the sun was setting.
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| Myrdalsjokull Glacier hike |
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| The volcanic ash over the icy glacier gave my photos the appearance that I had shot them in black and white. |
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| Walking on ice while wearing ice crampons makes me feel like I'm a superhero |
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We each got to use an ice axe: more superhero gear!
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| Vertical basalt columns at Reynisdrangar |
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| Swirly horizontal rock stacks |
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| First waterfall: Skogafoss from the top |
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| Skogafoss from the bottom |
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| Entrance to the second waterfall: Gljufrabui |
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| Admiring Gljufrabui. Dad liked this one the most. |
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| Sunset reflecting off the top of Gljufrabui |
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| Last waterfall: Seljalandsfoss |
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| Walking behind Seljalandsfoss |
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| Looking at the sunset from behind Seljalandsfoss |
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| Sunset |
September 23, 2019: Iceland - Glacier Lagoon
The last day of the tour was the most unique. We took a boat ride in Jokulsarlon, a glacier lagoon created by icebergs cracking off of Breioamerkurjokull glacier and floating toward the sea. About a dozen seals were swimming in the icy water around the glacier chunks. Next we visited Diamond Beach, where some of the ice from the glacier lagoon eventually washed onto the shore of a black sand beach. I had never seen anything like either of these two places.
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| We were greeted with a surprisingly beautiful morning at Nicehostel Seljalands. The blue skies were fleeting, and clouds quickly took over again. |
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| Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon |
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| Our amphibian boat |
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| Holding a crystal-clear chunk of ice from the lagoon |
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| If you look closely, you can see lots of seals in the water and birds perched on the ice |
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| Neat ice crystals |
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| Giant iceberg |
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| Ice washed up onto Diamond Beach |
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| More photos that appear black and white! |
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| Each chunk of ice resembled a piece of glass art up close |
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| The ice pieces were quite heavy! |
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| I realized too late that I was holding this chunk of ice with the black sand facing the camera, but my hands were already cold so I didn't bother redoing it! |
During the last stretch of the tour, we took a few more quick stops to see one more waterfall, a valley of moss-covered lava rocks, and a bridge monument. It was a 5 hour drive back to Reyjavik in the dark rain, and I was thankful that I wasn't driving.
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Skaftarhreppur: our last waterfall. Marek (tour guide) is on the right and our new friend Carman from Hong Kong is between me and Dad.
The other friends we made on the tour were Evelyn from Barcelona and Nancy from the UK. |
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| Skaftarhreppur: moss-covered lava rocks that look like they're the homes of trolls and elves. |
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| Skeioara Bridge monument: these 2 twisted pieces of metal are all that are left after a bridge was destroyed by volcanic heat and glacial floods. |
September 24, 2019: Iceland - Blue Lagoon
We had one free morning left and gave in to spending it at the notoriously overpriced and touristy Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa surrounded by lava rocks. It was a relaxing way to end the trip. I've read that it's extremely crowded but there were actually very few people there. I guess the secret is to show up at 8am on a Tuesday in an off-season during dreary weather!
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| The milky blue color is due to high silica content |
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| My friend saw this photo and commented on Facebook that I forgot to use color-safe bleach, which made me laugh. |
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| Silica mud masks |
After 1 day in Copenhagen, 3 days in the Faroe Islands, and 5 days in Iceland, it was time to head home. My dad was missing my mom more each day, and I think he was relieved our trip was coming to an end. As for me, I was ready to return home to a more colorful island of blue skies and plentiful green trees. I don't think I ever realized how much I take easy access to trees for granted.
