Joanna and I have been having such an incredible road trip experience hitch hiking on the ring road. While we wait for rides, we are surrounded by stunning beauty of various types!
On Sunday, we traveled from Egilsstadir towards Vík, stopping with our drivers to see a waterfall, light house and the Rocky coast along the real blue Atlantic. Our drivers dropped us off in Höfn and we waited a while till we got picked up by a kind father and son from Holland. They didn't take us very far and after getting a few more rides short distances, we got a bit stranded with no ride halfway to Vík. We decided to stay the night in a pricey but nice guest house on the beach and get a nice dinner since we'd spent the whole day traveling. We called the Dutch father and son (Rob and Reuben) and took them up on an offer to get a ride to Vík the following day. The next morning, they picked us up and traveled along with us, stopping at waterfalls and the glacier lagoon (though they had already seen them) so Jo and I could take photos. We stopped for hot cocoa just before the Vík and when we arrived, they treated us to a 'goodbye lunch' of burgers and fries at a nice restaurant in town.
After that, we walked up a hill to our hostel which was so precious and cozy and we were so glad to get Wi-Fi and journal with blankets on the couch in the common room. It was rainy and windy as heck outside so we decided to wake up early this morning to see the black beaches, rock formations and basalt columns we'd been dreaming of seeing since we heard of this place.
This morning we woke up at 5am and headed out for an hour long hike (we didn't anticipate the intensity of the steep climb, but the views were stunning and we were so glad we got to overlook the city as the sun peaked over the mountain and diffused through the clouds.
After hiking up and down the mountains against 30mph winds, we finally arrived at the black beaches. It was extremely windy and We had to lean against the wind to walk, but the sight of the beaches with the peach colored fog over them took our breath away. It's been a dream of mine to see those beaches for a few years and now I saw and experienced it in person.
We hitched a ride to the main road afterwards and walked half way back to the town, about 1.5 miles before someone picked us up and dropped us back at the hostel.
We were bummed we would miss the 8-9am breakfast buffet that was for a really great price, but when we got in, I was there was a good amount of food left though the dining room was empty. I asked the worker if we could take it and she invited us to eat as much as we wanted, free! We tasted an assortment of homemade jams (carrot orange, berry, and rhubarb jam), ham and cheese and Belgian waffles with homemade angelica syrup!
We are so overjoyed that we have been so blessed by kind drivers who pick us up and free meals along the way!
We have 9 days of traveling ahead of us. Right now, we are about to go out on the road and thumb for a ride to Skaftafell waterfall that is right off the ring road a few miles away. After that, we head to our turf roof hostel near the Westmann Islands where we'll stay for two nights. We plan to ferry to the islands today or tomorrow and see where we go from there.
Will keep you updated on future adventures!
Much love and greetings from Ísland,
AnaMichele
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Monday, June 1, 2015
Weekends and Workdays at Vallanes
These last two weeks here at Vallanes have flown by. I have had so many wonderful experiences and meaningful conversations to remember for each and every day here, but I am already cherishing every moment here. It feels so normal to live here, work every day, fellowship in the evenings and go adventuring on the weekends, sometimes I forget this isn't everyday life for me. Here at the farm, we have become a tight family. As people are beginning to leave, one by one, we are sad to part ways and talk often about how unique our experiences WOOFing here is because we have lived life together and each day has been special because of the people we live it with.
I am so blown away by what an incredible experience it has been building lasting friendships with these people. I love them all dearly and am sad to have to say goodbye in a few days.
Every workday for the last two weeks, I have been pricking (planting seedlings into trays that are put in the greenhouse to grow). We filled up both greenhouses at the end of last week and were very excited about that. Our host gave us the weekend off for the second time (we usually only get Sundays off) because we did such good work during the week. Last Friday night, we celebrated two weeks of hard work and each other's company as some people were leaving last weekend. Our house (The Monster House) cooked a few side dishes and some chicken (a novelty for us at this Vegetarian farm) and we all gathered in a greenhouse called The Lemon House for a dinner together with Eymundur, his wife, and a few random guests from their guesthouses that showed up as well. Eymi shared his famous barley gin and some other interesting alcoholic drinks with us as a special treat. I've discovered I don't like gin or beer that much. We had a good time together enjoying a meal and celebrating our french friend, Margo's fake birthday (just a reason to throw a party really) with cake and lots of cheers. It was a fun night and well deserved after our week of labor.
As we begin this new week, we are planting the grown seedlings in the earth and doing some other odd jobs as well. Today I did some heavy lifting, moving treebranches from the trees they were trimmed from and piling them up to be chopped into mulch for the gardens later. We are pretty exhausted after today's work, especially as we are working in the cold, rainy weather. Our host, Eymundur, tells us this is the coldest May they've had since 1979 (the same year he began farming here at Vallanes!). I'm pretty sure I'm not the only WWOOFer here who's getting pretty sick of the cold.
We've had a few freak nice days with sun and a bit of warmth, but no warmer than in the 50 degree range.
Last weekend, the four of us rented a car from a friend of Eymundur's for just $25/day and headed to two fjord towns within a couple hours away. Our brave Tess drove us up snowy mountains and along the ring road in our little manual car we named Edna. Saturday we went to the picturesque town named Seydisfjordur here we lunched in a cute cafe called Cafe Skaftafell and met some American art sstudents, then we walked the cute town and took photos of the colorful sail boats. We also ran around at the base of the large waterfall we stumbled upon right near the town. This country is really the land of waterfalls. We love driving around here and how much the landscape can change in a matter of miles on the road. When we drove back from that town, we decided to keep going past our farm and we pulled over by a large river and walked around the black sand beach and took in the sscenery. After that, we drove in and 'went chasing waterfalls' (we found three more within a mile of each other!), singing songs and taking silly selfies. Finally, we pulled over to visit and pet some Icelandic horses before heading home. The following day, we traveled to another fjord town a bit further away called Neskaupstaður where we bought some typical hot dogs and candy at a gas station and are then staring at the stunning teal sea and stark mountains. We drove to the end of the small town and stumbled across a nature park trail that overlooked sheer cliffs on the edge of the coast next to yet another waterfall that rushed into the sea. We breathed in the gorgeous view and fresh sea air and walked around for a bit before heading back along the road through a mountain and along the coast back home.
This weekend, after our long work week, we were happy to adventure together yet again. We got our faithful Edna again and headed north to the town of Mývatn, setting out for the natural sulphur baths there. Along the way, we were delighted to stumble across a suloher geyser at the base of colorful, rhyolite moutains, just on the side of the road! We took photos of that enchanting place and headed to the baths. We were happy to get a student discount for our entrance fee (which was also surprisingly cheap!) and we spent the next two hours relaxing in the natural, milky blue waters of the spring. We drove back happy and relaxed after this fun adventure, our bellies full of pizza and ice cream that we had for dinner. Yesterday, we relaxed at home together as a house and then went on a mini adventure to the grocery store for ccheese doodles and chicken and went to a small little restaurant in town. In the evening, the four of us headed to a nearby horse farm to let them and go on a guided horse 🐎 tour! Tess, Kathryn and I got a quick horse riding lesson and went off on a guided tour. The Icelandic horses are so sweet and it was such a cool experience to survey the beautiful landscape atop their backs, trotting and galloping through the fields at the base of the mountains. Our guide was so kind and when we got back, he rushed over to a sheep to deliver her baby and we got to witness that incredible moment! It was so cool to see the baby lamb be born and, within a matter of minutes, start walking!! He explained to us that since sheep are so defenseless, their bodies are able to adapt and grow rapidly so that within a matter of days, the sheep are almost impossible to catch! He gave us a really great price for the tour and we were so thankful for getting such an awesome experience.
Now we are looking forward to what adventures lay ahead after Joanna and I part ways with Tess and Kathryn and head on to see the rest of the island for 11 days. :)
I'll keep you all updated on our future voyages and excursions in Ísland!
💕 AnaMichele
I am so blown away by what an incredible experience it has been building lasting friendships with these people. I love them all dearly and am sad to have to say goodbye in a few days.
Every workday for the last two weeks, I have been pricking (planting seedlings into trays that are put in the greenhouse to grow). We filled up both greenhouses at the end of last week and were very excited about that. Our host gave us the weekend off for the second time (we usually only get Sundays off) because we did such good work during the week. Last Friday night, we celebrated two weeks of hard work and each other's company as some people were leaving last weekend. Our house (The Monster House) cooked a few side dishes and some chicken (a novelty for us at this Vegetarian farm) and we all gathered in a greenhouse called The Lemon House for a dinner together with Eymundur, his wife, and a few random guests from their guesthouses that showed up as well. Eymi shared his famous barley gin and some other interesting alcoholic drinks with us as a special treat. I've discovered I don't like gin or beer that much. We had a good time together enjoying a meal and celebrating our french friend, Margo's fake birthday (just a reason to throw a party really) with cake and lots of cheers. It was a fun night and well deserved after our week of labor.
As we begin this new week, we are planting the grown seedlings in the earth and doing some other odd jobs as well. Today I did some heavy lifting, moving treebranches from the trees they were trimmed from and piling them up to be chopped into mulch for the gardens later. We are pretty exhausted after today's work, especially as we are working in the cold, rainy weather. Our host, Eymundur, tells us this is the coldest May they've had since 1979 (the same year he began farming here at Vallanes!). I'm pretty sure I'm not the only WWOOFer here who's getting pretty sick of the cold.
We've had a few freak nice days with sun and a bit of warmth, but no warmer than in the 50 degree range.
Last weekend, the four of us rented a car from a friend of Eymundur's for just $25/day and headed to two fjord towns within a couple hours away. Our brave Tess drove us up snowy mountains and along the ring road in our little manual car we named Edna. Saturday we went to the picturesque town named Seydisfjordur here we lunched in a cute cafe called Cafe Skaftafell and met some American art sstudents, then we walked the cute town and took photos of the colorful sail boats. We also ran around at the base of the large waterfall we stumbled upon right near the town. This country is really the land of waterfalls. We love driving around here and how much the landscape can change in a matter of miles on the road. When we drove back from that town, we decided to keep going past our farm and we pulled over by a large river and walked around the black sand beach and took in the sscenery. After that, we drove in and 'went chasing waterfalls' (we found three more within a mile of each other!), singing songs and taking silly selfies. Finally, we pulled over to visit and pet some Icelandic horses before heading home. The following day, we traveled to another fjord town a bit further away called Neskaupstaður where we bought some typical hot dogs and candy at a gas station and are then staring at the stunning teal sea and stark mountains. We drove to the end of the small town and stumbled across a nature park trail that overlooked sheer cliffs on the edge of the coast next to yet another waterfall that rushed into the sea. We breathed in the gorgeous view and fresh sea air and walked around for a bit before heading back along the road through a mountain and along the coast back home.
This weekend, after our long work week, we were happy to adventure together yet again. We got our faithful Edna again and headed north to the town of Mývatn, setting out for the natural sulphur baths there. Along the way, we were delighted to stumble across a suloher geyser at the base of colorful, rhyolite moutains, just on the side of the road! We took photos of that enchanting place and headed to the baths. We were happy to get a student discount for our entrance fee (which was also surprisingly cheap!) and we spent the next two hours relaxing in the natural, milky blue waters of the spring. We drove back happy and relaxed after this fun adventure, our bellies full of pizza and ice cream that we had for dinner. Yesterday, we relaxed at home together as a house and then went on a mini adventure to the grocery store for ccheese doodles and chicken and went to a small little restaurant in town. In the evening, the four of us headed to a nearby horse farm to let them and go on a guided horse 🐎 tour! Tess, Kathryn and I got a quick horse riding lesson and went off on a guided tour. The Icelandic horses are so sweet and it was such a cool experience to survey the beautiful landscape atop their backs, trotting and galloping through the fields at the base of the mountains. Our guide was so kind and when we got back, he rushed over to a sheep to deliver her baby and we got to witness that incredible moment! It was so cool to see the baby lamb be born and, within a matter of minutes, start walking!! He explained to us that since sheep are so defenseless, their bodies are able to adapt and grow rapidly so that within a matter of days, the sheep are almost impossible to catch! He gave us a really great price for the tour and we were so thankful for getting such an awesome experience.
Now we are looking forward to what adventures lay ahead after Joanna and I part ways with Tess and Kathryn and head on to see the rest of the island for 11 days. :)
I'll keep you all updated on our future voyages and excursions in Ísland!
💕 AnaMichele
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Indescribable Iceland
My expectations have been shattered. Upon arrival, the landscape was so baffling and barren, I was astounded. I feel as if I´ve been transported to another planet. Here in Egilsstðir, hrossagaukur literally means horse cukooæ it´s a bird that sound like a neighing horse. Surrounding this valley where Vallanes is located, we see tsunami wave high walls of mountains joined by snow capped pyramidal mountains that stretch as far as the eye can see. At midnight, the sun looks as if it has paused mid-sunset, but it actually just dances aloug the horizon to the other side to begin it´s rise high into the sky. The forest that Eymundur, our farmer host, has planted is the first forest planted since the Vikings hulled down all the trees when they came and it is now thick and dense with brush, grasses, and mosses. The weather changes in an instant from icy cold to warm and breezy with the passing of the clouds overhead.
I had been completely mislead about this place because it is so much more stunning and stark than anything I imagined.
I am in love with this place.
Our daily duty is to dig our fingers into soil and laugh when we find big clumps of the horse shit. We joke about shit alot. ;)
We are planting baby vegetables, preparing them to thrive and mature into hearty, organic, and nutritient-rich sustainence in the greenhouses. We treat them with much care, as we bury their roots into the earth.
What I am treasuring most about this experience is the close community we WWOOFers have; we talk about culture, world issues, our different worldviews and societal norms each day as we plant. We serve each other by cooking and cleaning. We laugh hysterically together at dinner. Svavar, our fellow Icelandic WWOOFer tells us about Iceland´s history, plant species, and culture and we are fascinated by his tales and interesting tid bits. We are all learning so much about our world from each other. Among us are 5 Americans, 2 Germans, an Italian man, a basque woman, a french girl, two Norwegians, a South Korean girl, a british lady, and 2 Icelanders. I am so enriched by learning about each one of these friends´ lives, their backgrounds, their different perspectives on life and enjoying their wonderful, unique personalities.
These last three days here have felt like a year. I already don´t want to have to say goodbye to these people and this land. This feels like home and the place where I´m meant to be.
I praise God for giving me this opportunity and for being able to live life alongside these beautiful people.
Right now, people are buzzing in conversations of different languages and music is humming in the background. Our bellies are full of couscous, spanish olive bread, tzatziki sauce, and chickpea salad. The vegetarian diet is treating me well.
I am planning on renting a car with Joanna to drive to a fishing village on the ocean only 30 minutes away this weekend. I also hope to walk to the base of a nearby mountain and start scaling it once of these days. This property is so enormous, it must be thousands of acres large. There is so much space to explore and it is so safe as there are no insects, no animals or even people. ;)
I will let you all know what´s going on sometime soon. We are glad Eymundur has brought us an air card for the communal laptop so we can check in with our loved ones occasionally.
Much love and well wishes for you all.
AnaMichele
I had been completely mislead about this place because it is so much more stunning and stark than anything I imagined.
I am in love with this place.
Our daily duty is to dig our fingers into soil and laugh when we find big clumps of the horse shit. We joke about shit alot. ;)
We are planting baby vegetables, preparing them to thrive and mature into hearty, organic, and nutritient-rich sustainence in the greenhouses. We treat them with much care, as we bury their roots into the earth.
What I am treasuring most about this experience is the close community we WWOOFers have; we talk about culture, world issues, our different worldviews and societal norms each day as we plant. We serve each other by cooking and cleaning. We laugh hysterically together at dinner. Svavar, our fellow Icelandic WWOOFer tells us about Iceland´s history, plant species, and culture and we are fascinated by his tales and interesting tid bits. We are all learning so much about our world from each other. Among us are 5 Americans, 2 Germans, an Italian man, a basque woman, a french girl, two Norwegians, a South Korean girl, a british lady, and 2 Icelanders. I am so enriched by learning about each one of these friends´ lives, their backgrounds, their different perspectives on life and enjoying their wonderful, unique personalities.
These last three days here have felt like a year. I already don´t want to have to say goodbye to these people and this land. This feels like home and the place where I´m meant to be.
I praise God for giving me this opportunity and for being able to live life alongside these beautiful people.
Right now, people are buzzing in conversations of different languages and music is humming in the background. Our bellies are full of couscous, spanish olive bread, tzatziki sauce, and chickpea salad. The vegetarian diet is treating me well.
I am planning on renting a car with Joanna to drive to a fishing village on the ocean only 30 minutes away this weekend. I also hope to walk to the base of a nearby mountain and start scaling it once of these days. This property is so enormous, it must be thousands of acres large. There is so much space to explore and it is so safe as there are no insects, no animals or even people. ;)
I will let you all know what´s going on sometime soon. We are glad Eymundur has brought us an air card for the communal laptop so we can check in with our loved ones occasionally.
Much love and well wishes for you all.
AnaMichele
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Preparations
This trip has been a long time coming. I have been anxiously anticipating it and planning it for the entire semester and now it's finally here. I am so thankful for all the time that has passed between purchasing my ticket and now. God has taught me so much and blessed me richly with friendships and experiences over the last few months. Now, every test has been completed, every paper submitted and I am ready to embark upon this great adventure.
Here's the plan for my month long trip in Iceland in case you don't already know; I will be volunteering on an organic farm in east Iceland for 3 weeks and after that, I will begin my 11 day backpacking adventure on the ring road back to the capital, Reykjavik.
I am so excited for this trip! I will be updating you all here on this blog as much as I can (I'm not sure what to expect as far as internet access so no promises to post super regularly). Checkout my VSCO grid to see some phone photos of what I see (I'll try to do a photo dump from time to time so you can catch up on where I've been!); http://ana-mation.vsco.co/grid/1
Before I begin telling you about my journeys in future blog posts, I wanted to start by telling you how incredible it is that I've gotten here and what God's been doing to make this dream possible.
I feel SO supported by family and friends to be going on this trip. I will tell you that I was pretty apprehensive after the initial excitement of booking our flight wore off.
This is the first trip I've taken without family or my church family, it will be the longest time I've ever been away from home, and it's the first trip that is neither a missions trip nor family vacation.
It was meant to be my first independent adventure trip, but I now know I could never have done this on my own.
With counsel from my parents and friends' parents, conversations with mentors assuring me of my decision to go on this trip, loaned equipment and gifts from family and friends, and my parents' and sister's involvement in planning and preparing me for it, I am now ready to go on this epic trip.
It really does take a village.
In the last few days, I've run short on funds for this trip that was originally supposed to be uber cheap, but generous gifts from friends and family have come in out of the blue and covered the expenses of some outdoor gear and clothing I needed. My grandparents bought me hiking boots and lots of granola bars a few months ago, my aunt gave me a packable down vest, my grandma gifted me with a packable down jacket, a friend loaned me a brand new backpacking packpack, my parents got me some essential rain gear, and my friends' mom let me use her REI member card to get a huge discount on my purchases.
All the random to do's that have slipped my mind have somehow all gotten done and taken care of RIGHT in the nick of time.
I am overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and care for me leading up this trip. Even my bank tellers and professors are psyched for me to do this. It's an awesome and reassuring feeling to know I am so supported and have so many dear ones covering this trip in prayer and hoping the best for me.
To everyone who has wished me well, prayed for me, and helped me, THANK YOU.
I could not go on this dream adventure without your help.
I'll post sometime soon to let you know how the adventure is going.
Much love and many blessings
AM
Here's the plan for my month long trip in Iceland in case you don't already know; I will be volunteering on an organic farm in east Iceland for 3 weeks and after that, I will begin my 11 day backpacking adventure on the ring road back to the capital, Reykjavik.
I am so excited for this trip! I will be updating you all here on this blog as much as I can (I'm not sure what to expect as far as internet access so no promises to post super regularly). Checkout my VSCO grid to see some phone photos of what I see (I'll try to do a photo dump from time to time so you can catch up on where I've been!); http://ana-mation.vsco.co/grid/1
Before I begin telling you about my journeys in future blog posts, I wanted to start by telling you how incredible it is that I've gotten here and what God's been doing to make this dream possible.
I feel SO supported by family and friends to be going on this trip. I will tell you that I was pretty apprehensive after the initial excitement of booking our flight wore off.
This is the first trip I've taken without family or my church family, it will be the longest time I've ever been away from home, and it's the first trip that is neither a missions trip nor family vacation.
It was meant to be my first independent adventure trip, but I now know I could never have done this on my own.
With counsel from my parents and friends' parents, conversations with mentors assuring me of my decision to go on this trip, loaned equipment and gifts from family and friends, and my parents' and sister's involvement in planning and preparing me for it, I am now ready to go on this epic trip.
It really does take a village.
In the last few days, I've run short on funds for this trip that was originally supposed to be uber cheap, but generous gifts from friends and family have come in out of the blue and covered the expenses of some outdoor gear and clothing I needed. My grandparents bought me hiking boots and lots of granola bars a few months ago, my aunt gave me a packable down vest, my grandma gifted me with a packable down jacket, a friend loaned me a brand new backpacking packpack, my parents got me some essential rain gear, and my friends' mom let me use her REI member card to get a huge discount on my purchases.
All the random to do's that have slipped my mind have somehow all gotten done and taken care of RIGHT in the nick of time.
I am overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and care for me leading up this trip. Even my bank tellers and professors are psyched for me to do this. It's an awesome and reassuring feeling to know I am so supported and have so many dear ones covering this trip in prayer and hoping the best for me.
To everyone who has wished me well, prayed for me, and helped me, THANK YOU.
I could not go on this dream adventure without your help.
I'll post sometime soon to let you know how the adventure is going.
Much love and many blessings
AM
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