Last weekend was jam packed with excitement. Friday we had a game and weren't able to go to sleep until 1 in the morning. We had to wake up at 5 a.m. so we could drive to the airport and make our flight. We arrived in Gatwick at around noon caught the train to London and took the Underground in search of The Who Shop. unfortunately when we put in the address into Google Maps it sent us to the wrong place, so we tried again and it gave us the wrong directions again. We ended up walking 2 hours and took a bus only to find out it was like a block from where we had started. It was worth it though. The Who Shop is awesome and was a lot of fun. After that we headed to Leilani's house (Tinna's RA from college). From there we headed to the O2 for the Glee concert. Fan-freaking-tastic is all I can say about Glee. It was awesome and was such a wonderful experience.
Sunday we ventured out to a Wine and Tapas festival near the Tower Bridge. I got to sample wines from the Rioja region of Spain and this awesome Rice dish with chorizo, ribs, and some other meat and pepper that I didn't recognize. Everything was delicious.
One of my favorite things to watch on the History Channel when I was younger was all about the Tower of London so I had to go. It was so cool and it was great to see it in person.
All in all the trip was a great success. I hope to go back when I have more than just 30 hours.
I have a lot of photos to post, but the internet connection has slowed down so I will post them next month.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Walters WO"MAN" trip.
While the Walters' men are off on their "Man" trip in Florida, the Walters' Women came to visit me in Iceland. They have been here for three days so far and we have packed the days full of adventures.
The first adventure was finding their luggage. Somewhere along the way Delta lost their bags and they had to be re-routed through Amsterdam and arrived Sunday night. Sunday morning we woke up and went to wander around Downtown Reykjavik and look at shops. We had got hot dogs at the world famous hot dog stand at the harbor and then headed to a lobster soup lunch. Both were delicious and it was time to head home so that we could get ready for our game vs. the Greenland National team. Didn't know they had a national team, but did find out that they aren't even recognized by FIFA. They were not very good, and it was a pretty boring game. In the second half I punted a ball straight down the middle and one of our forwards got a toe on it and scored. My coach had thought I got the goal because he didn't see her touch it. Either way I was pumped. Then with about 10 minutes left in the game Greenland got a PK. My teammates were being very encouraging saying, "you got it." I was nervous as usual when it comes to PK's but she hit it directly at me. I guess I was intimidating. (hahaha) After the game we came back to the apartment to wait for luggage and Tinna picked up pizza for us. Her mom joined us for dinner and we had a great time chatting. I made a meringue that is very popular here. It took me two tries to get it right, and the final product still needed some help with the finishing touches but it tasted great.
Monday morning we set off for the golden circle. We saw the same sights I mentioned last time I went to the golden circle and had a blast. We got home in time for soccer practice. While we were practicing mom and Erin stayed at the apartment and made us hamburgers. We left practice 15 minutes early, rushed home to change and eat our burgers, and then sped downtown to make our whale watching tour. It was a lot of fun, but not very successful. We did see a few whales, but only their fins as they came up for air and dove back down.
Today was our trip to the Blue Lagoon. It was incredible. We all enjoyed in water massages and facials and just floated around for a while. On the way home we stopped for gelato and then had Indian food from my favorite restaurant here, Saffran.
Tomorrow we are headed to museums.
The first adventure was finding their luggage. Somewhere along the way Delta lost their bags and they had to be re-routed through Amsterdam and arrived Sunday night. Sunday morning we woke up and went to wander around Downtown Reykjavik and look at shops. We had got hot dogs at the world famous hot dog stand at the harbor and then headed to a lobster soup lunch. Both were delicious and it was time to head home so that we could get ready for our game vs. the Greenland National team. Didn't know they had a national team, but did find out that they aren't even recognized by FIFA. They were not very good, and it was a pretty boring game. In the second half I punted a ball straight down the middle and one of our forwards got a toe on it and scored. My coach had thought I got the goal because he didn't see her touch it. Either way I was pumped. Then with about 10 minutes left in the game Greenland got a PK. My teammates were being very encouraging saying, "you got it." I was nervous as usual when it comes to PK's but she hit it directly at me. I guess I was intimidating. (hahaha) After the game we came back to the apartment to wait for luggage and Tinna picked up pizza for us. Her mom joined us for dinner and we had a great time chatting. I made a meringue that is very popular here. It took me two tries to get it right, and the final product still needed some help with the finishing touches but it tasted great.
Monday morning we set off for the golden circle. We saw the same sights I mentioned last time I went to the golden circle and had a blast. We got home in time for soccer practice. While we were practicing mom and Erin stayed at the apartment and made us hamburgers. We left practice 15 minutes early, rushed home to change and eat our burgers, and then sped downtown to make our whale watching tour. It was a lot of fun, but not very successful. We did see a few whales, but only their fins as they came up for air and dove back down.
Today was our trip to the Blue Lagoon. It was incredible. We all enjoyed in water massages and facials and just floated around for a while. On the way home we stopped for gelato and then had Indian food from my favorite restaurant here, Saffran.
Tomorrow we are headed to museums.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Update
Growing up, my dad wouldn't ever let me mow the lawn because he was scared I would get hurt and I need all my toes and fingers so I can play soccer. This week I had to mow all the grass around the club and there are rocks everywhere in Iceland. Every time I hit a rock I was scared to death that it was going to fly up and hit me in the eye. Luckily that didn't happen. Mowing is not fun and I have knots in my forearms. I can't wait until Tuesday at the Blue Lagoon. We have booked massages and I couldn't need one more.
I got a "new" (to me) bike from IR and it is great, although the seat could be a little more comfortable, but that is just typical of a bike seat. It is a man's bike and I have to lower the seat all the way because I am short, and it probably should be a little lower. I am just thankful I don't have to walk to work and I get in a little extra exercise which is nice.
My Mom and Sister get in tomorrow night and I couldn't be happier. I am so excited to see them and show them how amazing Iceland is. We have a lot of fun activities planned and I will post pictures later. We are going on a whale watching tour, driving the golden circle, taking advantage of the spa at the Blue Lagoon, and spending some time in Downtown Reykjavik.
Tinna has a friend in London who had 2 extra tickets to see Glee live, so on the 25th we are catching a flight and going to the concert. I am SO EXCITED. It is such a great opportunity and I am so grateful to my parents for letting me go. I love you guys.
I got a "new" (to me) bike from IR and it is great, although the seat could be a little more comfortable, but that is just typical of a bike seat. It is a man's bike and I have to lower the seat all the way because I am short, and it probably should be a little lower. I am just thankful I don't have to walk to work and I get in a little extra exercise which is nice.
My Mom and Sister get in tomorrow night and I couldn't be happier. I am so excited to see them and show them how amazing Iceland is. We have a lot of fun activities planned and I will post pictures later. We are going on a whale watching tour, driving the golden circle, taking advantage of the spa at the Blue Lagoon, and spending some time in Downtown Reykjavik.
Tinna has a friend in London who had 2 extra tickets to see Glee live, so on the 25th we are catching a flight and going to the concert. I am SO EXCITED. It is such a great opportunity and I am so grateful to my parents for letting me go. I love you guys.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Game and Weekend
On Thursday we played the team from Selfoss at our home field. The last 3 times ÎR has played them they lost very badly, 5-0, 6-1, and 6-0. We lost 1-0 this time. I thought we played good, we just need to find a way to score.
On Saturday we ventured out to the summer house to help Tinna's mom with some yard work. We dug up a lot of grass from the garden and put in a liner to keep it from growing back in the planting area. After that we visited a village called Sólheimar. It is an Ecovillage that was originally founded as a home for children with special needs. They had an amazing art gallery with things the residents had made. There is a wikipedia article about the village just look up Sólheimar Ecovillage. It was fascinating. When we got back to the summer house we started work on dinner. Tinna's mom made us Lamb Chops with a mushroom sauce, roasted potatoes, and salad. It was unbelievably delicious and we had the leftovers for lunch today.
Icelanders believe in elves. Tinna's mom told me a story about how her great grandmother used to put leftover food on a stone outside their house and every morning it would be gone. Her grandmother continued this tradition and when she was pregnant with Tinna's grandmother and her twin she had a dream and the elf who lived in the stone told her that she would help her because she had provided her with food. When the twins were born they were very small and probably wouldn't survive. The twins lived in a drawer with wine bottles filled with warm water and survived.
Well, it's off to Tinna's nephew's b-day party now. Gotta run.
On Saturday we ventured out to the summer house to help Tinna's mom with some yard work. We dug up a lot of grass from the garden and put in a liner to keep it from growing back in the planting area. After that we visited a village called Sólheimar. It is an Ecovillage that was originally founded as a home for children with special needs. They had an amazing art gallery with things the residents had made. There is a wikipedia article about the village just look up Sólheimar Ecovillage. It was fascinating. When we got back to the summer house we started work on dinner. Tinna's mom made us Lamb Chops with a mushroom sauce, roasted potatoes, and salad. It was unbelievably delicious and we had the leftovers for lunch today.
Icelanders believe in elves. Tinna's mom told me a story about how her great grandmother used to put leftover food on a stone outside their house and every morning it would be gone. Her grandmother continued this tradition and when she was pregnant with Tinna's grandmother and her twin she had a dream and the elf who lived in the stone told her that she would help her because she had provided her with food. When the twins were born they were very small and probably wouldn't survive. The twins lived in a drawer with wine bottles filled with warm water and survived.
Well, it's off to Tinna's nephew's b-day party now. Gotta run.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Bad Day :(
Well the whole day wasn't bad. Just the second half. I got to work and we put nets on goals and watered the field. Then I coached as usual and had an hour before practice so I decided to ride the bike home and just ride back to practice with Tinna. I was hungry so I wanted to go home to grab quick snack. Unfortunately my house key and bike key fell out of my pocket at some point on the way back home. I thought there might be a chance that they had fallen out at the club when I was unlocking my bike, but when we got there they were nowhere in sight. After practice I decided to run home so that I could look at the path the way I went, but again they were nowhere in sight. I think the mischievous bunnies or seagulls picked them up. We can't just go make a copy of the key so now I have to pay for new locks and new keys and not sure what else that will include. :( I also need to get a new bike chain and lock. Basically, I am not in a good mood right now. Lesson learned: If your keys are on a lanyard it is probably a good idea to wear it around your neck and not put them in your pocket.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Work, Coach, Practice...Repeat
I started work this week at the club on Tuesday. I got there at 9 and had to wait for Jakob to get there. When he arrived he put me to work re-finishing the wooden playground equipment and stair handrails. It was a cold but nice day. After I finished with that it was time for lunch and then waiting around for 3 o'clock coaching to start. Dori, the coach I help out, was running late so I had to get both teams out and warming up. I got them started and then Dori arrived. The weather was now wet and freezing. After coaching finished around 6 I went back inside to grab a quick snack wait for my team's session at 6:30. Practice was a little frustrating because I was already so cold and tired. I didn't get home until 9 that night. So it was an extremely long day. On and interesting note, Jakob went to SCAD with Erin and Haley. It is such a small world.
Wednesday, was much better. I got to work at 10 this time and was able to stay inside :). I cleaned up the equipment room, packed up the lost and found to be sent to Goodwill, and washed all the doors in the club. There are a lot of doors. Then it was time for coaching but I was on my own. I was running a session on shooting, crossing, and getting in the box to finish. We finished with some 11v11 on half the field. It was a bit crowded. Wednesdays are my team's day off so I got to go home early. Tinna and I went to Ikea to buy a pan to make lasagna. We ended up also getting some other much needed cooking utensils.
Thursday was a national "no work" day in Iceland. One thing I love about Iceland is that work does not rule their lives. If they want time off they get it. They get 5 weeks vacation every year and random "no work" days. I believe we have 3 "no work" days left in June :). We practiced at 11 and it was fantastic. everyone was buzzing and it was a lot of fun. Tinna and I took advantage of the day and went to see X-men: First Class and really enjoyed it. When we got home I attempted to make lasagna, but unfortunately they don't have Italian Sausage or Ricotta cheese. I found some sausage that looked promising, but it ended up not working they way I would have liked. The lasagna turned out O.K. but I will definitely be trying again and will just use ground beef next time.
Friday it was back to work and I was outside again. Luckily it was a nice morning. I painted shipping containers used for storage that had been graffiti'd and also the ticket shed. My hands are still blue and white. Practice was with an older group of boys 15-16 and four of the older girls. Then it was time for a gk session. I had three gks and we worked on breakaways. Team practice came around and half of our team couldn't be there so we had a fun session. We got to play soccer tennis, and of course my team dominated;). After that we played a few rounds of 4v4. I decided I wanted to score and took a shot from 25 yds out and it went in. I was super excited. Sometimes I get tired of just keeping the ball out of the net and I want to put it in the other goal. It was a great practice.
Saturday we went to downtown Reykjavik in search of a rubber spatula. The one we bought from IKEA melted the first time we used it :(. We ended up finding one and then just walked around for a while. One of our teammates had a booth set up at the market so we went to say hi. Lunch was awesome, we went to this small place by the harbor and had Lobster soup. It was UNBELIEVABLE. Very simple, but delicious. After that we went home and I took a nap. I was exhausted. The Men's national team played Denmark, so we went with two of our teammates and watched. It was a good game and Iceland dominated most of it but just couldn't finish. Denmark got a couple of looks and finished 2. It was a little disappointing but we finished the day off with some Doctor Who when we got home.
Wednesday, was much better. I got to work at 10 this time and was able to stay inside :). I cleaned up the equipment room, packed up the lost and found to be sent to Goodwill, and washed all the doors in the club. There are a lot of doors. Then it was time for coaching but I was on my own. I was running a session on shooting, crossing, and getting in the box to finish. We finished with some 11v11 on half the field. It was a bit crowded. Wednesdays are my team's day off so I got to go home early. Tinna and I went to Ikea to buy a pan to make lasagna. We ended up also getting some other much needed cooking utensils.
Thursday was a national "no work" day in Iceland. One thing I love about Iceland is that work does not rule their lives. If they want time off they get it. They get 5 weeks vacation every year and random "no work" days. I believe we have 3 "no work" days left in June :). We practiced at 11 and it was fantastic. everyone was buzzing and it was a lot of fun. Tinna and I took advantage of the day and went to see X-men: First Class and really enjoyed it. When we got home I attempted to make lasagna, but unfortunately they don't have Italian Sausage or Ricotta cheese. I found some sausage that looked promising, but it ended up not working they way I would have liked. The lasagna turned out O.K. but I will definitely be trying again and will just use ground beef next time.
Friday it was back to work and I was outside again. Luckily it was a nice morning. I painted shipping containers used for storage that had been graffiti'd and also the ticket shed. My hands are still blue and white. Practice was with an older group of boys 15-16 and four of the older girls. Then it was time for a gk session. I had three gks and we worked on breakaways. Team practice came around and half of our team couldn't be there so we had a fun session. We got to play soccer tennis, and of course my team dominated;). After that we played a few rounds of 4v4. I decided I wanted to score and took a shot from 25 yds out and it went in. I was super excited. Sometimes I get tired of just keeping the ball out of the net and I want to put it in the other goal. It was a great practice.
Saturday we went to downtown Reykjavik in search of a rubber spatula. The one we bought from IKEA melted the first time we used it :(. We ended up finding one and then just walked around for a while. One of our teammates had a booth set up at the market so we went to say hi. Lunch was awesome, we went to this small place by the harbor and had Lobster soup. It was UNBELIEVABLE. Very simple, but delicious. After that we went home and I took a nap. I was exhausted. The Men's national team played Denmark, so we went with two of our teammates and watched. It was a good game and Iceland dominated most of it but just couldn't finish. Denmark got a couple of looks and finished 2. It was a little disappointing but we finished the day off with some Doctor Who when we got home.
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