Iceland Places Wednesday 17th March 2010
There there. There there. That’s me consoling my bank account, for it has just been taken by surprise by a rather hefty withdrawal.
Yes, I’m off again to somewhere new. This time, it’s Iceland, the land of… Well, I’m not too sure actually. I haven’t really had time to read about it. The period of time from having the idea of going, to booking it, to actually going is 11 days. This is certainly one of the most impulsive things I’ve ever done. Normally, I like to book several months in advance and plan to meticulous detail. This time though, there’s really not much time for that. All I can do is continue to batter my bank balance by booking excursions and transfers, pack my bag and go.
So really, what am I expecting? Bear in mind, I really haven’t done any research yet, so I’m basing my assumptions on tittle-tattle, here-say and national stereotypes.
It’s so expensive
Yep. It’s true. Iceland is an expensive place. It’s what happens when you’re stuck in the middle of the ocean, miles from anywhere, with no natural resources and having to import everything, even lettuce and cucumber. Due to the recent collapse of their economy, it’s not nearly as expensive as it used to be, so now’s a great time to go. That said, give or take the odd bargain hot-dog or entrance fee, most things are on the pricey side. I’m braced for that though. Money’s for spending and life’s for living as far as I’m concerned.
They’re all nuts
Living in a remote place like Iceland surely must affect the brain. Look at Bjork. Nuts! I’m expecting to sense an aura of kookiness from the general public.
Whales
Yep, Whales. Chopped up and served with chips and a side-salad. Iceland has to make do with what they have (unless they import it) and what they have a lot of are Whales, Puffin, Guillemot and Sheep. They eat all of these in a variety of ways. I’ll be steering clear of the Whale, but I’ll probably give the others a go.
Pardon?
The Icelandic language seems a world away from what I’m used to. Most words seem festooned with accents and syllables. Luckily, much like the rest of Europe, English is widely understood and spoken.
Amazing Natural Wonder
Iceland is the result of the Eurasian and North Atlantic plates pulling apart. It is home to a lot of tectonic activity and the result is not only Iceland itself, but a land of eerily beautiful scenery, geysers and hot thermal pools. In short, there’s lots to gawp at.
That’s all that springs to mind right now. Subscribe, follow and revisit over the course of the next week for live updates, photos, audio and video from the land of… well, stick around and we’ll find out together.
Personal Sunday 7th February 2010
If you’re reading this, the big move has been a success. You might find a celebratory high-five would be appropriate before reading on. I’ll wait while you find someone.
As you can see, very little has changed. The site is still white and red and there’s still the same trip notes and travel tips as before. It’s the stuff behind the scenes that have seen the most dramatic alteration.
While before, the site was marooned on an island of its own, Here To Geneva is now proudly nestled into the fabulous Tumblr community. This won’t mean a great deal to a majority of you, but for me, it’s big. Managing the site is now much easier and I hope the added active community will bring me a larger readership.
One of the biggest changes for you, the reader is the addition of the Disqus comments system. Whereas before, your comments were dealt with in-house, I now let Disqus deal with them. The main benefit for you is that you can keep track of all your comments and, if the conversation gets interesting, subscribe to them. I’ve allowed you different ways of logging in to Disqus, so if you’re on Facebook, you can comment on this site. Give it a whirl and add your comments to this article.
To kick my Tumblr residency off, how about a round of Q&A? Once you’re done reading this, click here to ask me a question. You can ask me anything and it can be done anonymously. While I’d rather answer travel-related questions, anything will do, so go nuts. The best questions will be posted in an article in the next few days.
For your convenience, you can find the link to Formspring in the footer of every single page.
Just as soon as the locals have left for their summer holidays, I head for mine. Summer wouldn’t be the same without a weekend in Paris. Here are some more snaps from my city break.
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Podcast Paris Monday 17th August 2009
In this festival of noise, I visit Paris for a weekend of walking, cycling and sightseeing. You’ll hear me wandering aimlessly, visiting some unique gardens, enjoying music from the multitude of street buskers and cycling with the Fat Tire Bike gang.
There’s some bits in this edition that aren’t quite as self explanatory as I would like. So, take my hand and I’ll guide you through;
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00.44: Riding the Paris Metro.
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02:25: Paris Plage is an annual summertime event. Every July and August, roadways on the right bank of the Seine are blocked off and host various activities, including sandy beaches and palm trees.
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04:53: A brass trio playing in a highly touristy area on the left bank.
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13:50: A Ukulele player deep within Paris’ metro system.
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14:22: Here, I refer to a problem with my mobile. My operator was having problems with roaming all over the world.
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26:34: As Adam wraps the tour up, a stranger sits on the luggage rack of one of the bikes in the group and starts shouting, much to the surprise of the female rider.
And that’s not all there is from Paris. I recorded so much stuff, there’s a bonus second programme from Paris coming soon.
If you have no idea what a podcast is, this video will tell you everything you need to know to get started.
If you do know what you’re doing, the address you need to subscribe to is below. Or, if you find it more convenient, subscribe via iTunes.
Cut & paste this into your podcast application:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/HereToGenevaPodcast
As usual, if you have and feedback or questions, send me an email, or message me on Facebook or on Twitter.
Another year, another trip to Paris. *Sigh* Life is difficult sometimes. Allow me to take you on a short guided tour of my weekend, HTG Postcard style.
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In this second edition of my trip notes from Spain, I muse some more on the Spanish and Spain itself, I have a splashing time at the Water Park and we visit the smart and sophisticated city of Alicante. Sun block and hats at the ready! Let’s go!
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In part one of my trip notes from my first visit to Spain, I discover that some Spaniards like A-ha, that Spain is a bit like Iraq and that no one seems to need any sleep. Oh, and I also come last in a Go-Kart. Phoar, is it getting hot or is it just me?
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Podcast Friday 10th July 2009
In this scorchingly hot fifth edition of the podcast, I visit Spain for the first time with some friends. You’ll hear soundscapes from the beach, from our dinner table, from the Go-kart track, from a tunnel leading to a castle in Alicante and from our apartment as we set up to play some cards. More ambiance and less chatter make this edition a good listen. Enjoy!
If you have no idea what a podcast is, this video will tell you everything you need to know to get started.
If you do know what you’re doing, the address you need to subscribe to is below. Or, if you find it more convenient, subscribe via iTunes.
Cut & paste this into your podcast application:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/HereToGenevaPodcast
As usual, if you have and feedback or questions, send me an email, or message me on Facebook or on Twitter.
Podcast Thursday 18th June 2009
In this high-pace edition of the podcast, we head for the beautiful highlands of Scotland for a wedding, but not without travelling on the Caledonian Sleeper first, or without establishing whether some horses are dead or alive. Just for fun, the programme is brought to you in the style of Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe. Don’t worry, it’s a one off!
If you have no idea what a podcast is, this video will tell you everything you need to know to get started.
If you do know what you’re doing, the address you need to subscribe to is below. Or, if you find it more convenient, subscribe via iTunes.
Cut & paste this into your podcast application:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/HereToGenevaPodcast
As usual, if you have and feedback or questions, send me an email, or message me on Facebook or on Twitter.
Introducing HTG 10.5
While I’ve got you attention, may I introduce HTG 10.5, the latest batch of modifications to this website. If you’re reading this in your feed reader, drop in and have a look. The major changes are:
- Wider pages to help make reading more comfortable.
- Larger, higher quality photos. The roll-out of larger photos in posts is on-going.
- More delicious white-space between elements.
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Contact form now up and running.
- Less-conspicuous adverts.
- Big red footer to finish things off nicely.
Hope you like both the changes to the site and the podcast.
Last weekend, my sister and I headed to Scotland for a wedding. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to go. Scotland has long been absent from my list of visited countries, so to tick it off was great. It would have been nicer to have spent some more time in the mountains rather than tearing about from one place to another, but in all, it was a very nice weekend. The photo above was taken from the edge of Loch Achray.
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