Meus Parem Locus

On Reykjavik

The quirky surprise piece of my itinerary, I have wanted to visit Iceland all of my life and this year, saw an opportunity not to be put off once again. A bus mistake and traffic chaos in london nearly resulted in missing my flight, until I spent £65 on a cab to take me straight to Heathrow. Cursing the meter (and my casualness about getting to Heathrow easily) along the way, I wondered if I was making a ridiculous and expensive mistake with the whole trip. But once checked in and underway, self-berating gave way to excitement. Landing at Keflavik airport in bright sunshine (that was up 21 hours per day) I saw the barren volcanic landscape that stretches to the horizon, interrupted only by occasional volcanos and monolithic foreboding mountains. This is truly "big-sky" country - you could turn the sky a different hue and have an instant set for a science fiction planet unknown to humans. Steam billowed up from little spots in the distance as the bus took me into the city. In the city, people milled about drinking and singing - the Gay Pride parade had just ended and it seems that most of the population had descended on the inner squares and streets. At 11pm I went to the local gay bar and watches locals drunk and dancing to cheesy europop hits on the tiny dance floor, then went upstairs to the "club" to listen to only slightly less cheesy stuff. I saw Hera Bjork perform her (not successful but very camp) Eurovision entry from 2009 live on stage which was a boon, followed by a disastrous trio of old men singing what I can only think was old Icelandic odes with updated beats. I left about then - around 3am. The queue to get IN stretched back to the main street. The sun was about to appear once again. Weird.... But the weather was wonderful, the city so very pretty in that Nordic kind of way, the people "efficiently-friendly" and the prices were about on par with Sydney. I saw everything I wanted to see as I walked around the various landmarks unhindered by excessive tourists and inclement weather. I ate shark and cured herring. I drank aquavit and Viking (sic) beer. I bought a candle holder with ash from the Eyokafuyukjull (or whatever it's called) volcano and gave it to the parents. I nearly bought mum the similarly named womens fragrance (true) but that was possibly taking the cheesiness to far :-) On the last day I was able to take a bus from the hotel to the incredible Blue Lagoon (www.blue lagoon.com)for a few hours of amazing geothermal bathing in the sunshine, then the bus took me onto the airport directly for my flight. Sunburn from Iceland on my head and shoulders. Who could have guessed such a thing? I have many photos that I am unable to display here, until I get home to Sydney in 10 days time. A shame, as the experience is worth seeing. But now I am home in Ireland and finally relaxing after the non stop travel. Being at home now is like taking 5 valiums after living on caffeine and guarana for the last 10 days. It's time

On Los Angeles

Although I did not travel far and wide whilst in LA, I saw as much as I wanted to see in 2 days. And having no real expectations of the place prior to arriving, I was ultimately very impressed with the experience. Staying in West Hollywood (where all the plastic people live) was actually a lot nicer than I expected, and I felt safe and relaxed walking around (and checked out like never before - I like to think it was in a good way and not because this mug looked so out of place hehe). A trip to the Getty museum in the Hollywood hills was a highlight, as was bumping into a partner of a Convicts player (Coincidence no.1) completely randomly at a bar the second night. We had such a laugh! Then, as I was bleary eyed waiting for the lift to go down to reception to ask what time was checkout, the doors open and I find myself staring at an old friend (D)from Sydney blinking back at me. We had a bit of a fall out a few years ago and had not spoken since, and in my hungover state I kind of thought I was still having a vivid dream - but no, there he was in front of me (Coincidence no.2). We awkwardly said hello and having arrived at reception, agreed to meet at Starbucks in half an hour. I had to go back up to my room and turbo charge my packing, then we went to ihop for pancakes :) It was so good to catch up and put all the previous stuff behind us - we really have a lot more in common than I think we could ever admit. We laughed about our US stories then I went back to the hotel to grab my bags to the airport As it turned out (Coincidence no.3) someone had just booked a celebrity Hummer limo but cancelled at the last minute, so Gonzales (concierge) spoke to Ramirez (chauffeur) and he agreed to take me to the airport for $45!! So I cruised along Santa Monica Boulevard in the back seat this thing (it was friggin HUGE) sometimes opening the window a crack as people on the pavements looked to see it who it was (and TAKING PICTURES) but if the got close I closed it again LOL. It was hilarious! So would I go back? Definitely. THe Getty was a smidgen disappointing but there's a lot more to see. And so, onto London...

On London

When I booked this trip, I had a minor concern that the London part of it (all of 5 days) would actually be a bit too much - I seen and done the place and I'm being excessive... As usual however, I am once again enthralled by the city and the ability to move around it. There's still a lot more for me to see for many many trips to come. It's easy to forget how good friends can be - the tyranny of distance (and some taking for granted with the ease of Facebook type communications) means we can be lax and lazy in our ongoing relationships. But nothing beats the real thing, and standing outside the Welly having pints in the sunshine with these people is something I cannot compare to anything else. Tonight is my last night in London, and I look forward to doing it once more. Greenwich Obervatory, Tate Modern and Britain At War museum were all great. My best mate from school, the now up-and-coming hot artist of the London scene (see www.frankkiely.com) is like old family, and his membership of the Tate got me into the stunning Joan Miro exhibition for free :) I've been to Barcelona TWICE and tried to go to the museum there and on both occasions it was closed! Then lunch in the members cafe in the sunshine. Wonderful. Upon going back to his studio (just at Bankside Gallery on the Thames) I spotted a great picture print he recently exhibited of the Oval suburb of London, which just happens to be where I am staying in my friends house whilst visiting the city. On a whim I bought it there and then (at mates rates of course which is just as well as the print run run of only 50 has nearly all sold at 500 GBP a pop!) and will give it to my friend as a thank you. I hope he likes it! Tomorrow, onto Reykjavik and I'm hoping this whole Iceland sojourn shebang will be worthwhile. It's a place I have ALWAYS wanted to visit since I was a little boy - I think everyone has a few places they always wanted to see and this was it for me - no idea why. I have downloaded a fantastic tourist app on my phone as my guide, and despite the fact Reykjavik Pride is on at the same time, there are far too many other things I want to see and do before I leave on 48 short hours later. I've been blessed with amazing weather since I've been away thus far - here's hoping it may continue! Stay calm and carry on...