Short summary of the last two days (no pictures D:)
Today was probably one of the better days in Iceland. I got up at 6:00 am (which I have done just about every morning I've been here!) and took a shower. Immediately afterwards I grabbed my book and sat down in the common room to read and eat some not-too-healthy breakfast until I noticed that people were waking up, which was about nine o clock or somewhere there about.
My Internet has been unobtainable lately, and even as I write this I have absolutely no connection at all! It's as if the Australians (and whatever else they are) brought with them a no-Internet-at-all thingy when they moved in with us. I don't mind them, but they sure like to talk. I was awoken at 12:30 last night because of it, but I fell back to sleep rather quickly, even after I had become so awake that I had spoken to them (nothing rude, I just informed them that the water tastes all right if they leave the hot water tap alone).
I love my Ljótu Hálfvitarnir CDs! The songs are just a source of happiness and WTF-ness, the latter mostly concerning the lyrics, which I don't completely understand, but the few words I understand make me think I shouldn't be singing it in public areas. I don't know, the phrase "she is eighteen, I am fiftythree", followed later by the phrase "he is eighteen, so much younger than me" makes me a bit worried, hahahah.
I had made plans to meet Krissý today, since she was (coincidentally) in Reykjavík this weekend. What are the odds? I should totally go to Akureyri, but I think it'll have to wait a bit. We didn't meet up until the afternoon, though, so while I was waiting for better times I went for a short walk with the American man with whom I share a room. His name is Lewis or Louis, or some variant. He's very outgoing, and greets just about everyone on our way (he told me that Icelanders are more likely to reply than Norwegians, and I believe him!), as well as occasionally waving at people in cars (the guys in the garbage truck looked absolutely dumbstruck as they waved back at him).
We went down to the coastline just to find yet another tourist attraction (well, a statue, anyway), and then we went to get some coffee, because I felt a bit drained from the lack of caffeine. After that he wanted to show me a hotdog stand he came across the day before, because the queue was huge. And it still was! Twenty-ish people standing in line of a tiny, tiny building that sells only a simple hotdog and a bottle of coke at the most. I took a picture of it, hahaha.
Returned to the Backpackers, sent a couple of text messages to Krissý, and realised I had to go to Kringlan, a huge shopping centre, to meet her. The trip took me thirty-five minutes (my legs are stiff now), but yay, I met her! I sat outside a café looking absolutely wonky as usual, which she commented after we greeted each other and hugged and laughed a bit: "Typical of you to want to meet outside a café." Which is true.
I mentioned that I haven't spoken Icelandic to anyone yet, but that I like to look absolutely lost in the middle of a store, just so that the people who work there can ask me questions in Icelandic, to which I will think "Haha! I understood what you said there!" She then said, in Icelandic, "Do you understand Icelandic?" Oh, god, I thought, what did she just say? She said that word, skilja... I just learned that! I remember I looked it up, it means... "understand"! Yes! "A little bit!" I replied, and then we did a victory dance. Because, you know, that's a normal thing to do.
We then walked around for not too long before she had to leave with her relative and her younger brother, but it was fun as long as it lasted. We went nuts in a souvenir shop. Believe it or not, she loves souvenir shops, even the ones in her own country. I can't blame her! The puffin plushies were adorable and the t-shirts were brilliant (apparently the ones saying "ég tala ekki íslensku" (="I don't speak Icelandic") are popular; her friend wore one to school and her Icelandic teacher laughed at her).
Then she had to leave and I walked thirty-five minutes back to the Backpackers, after going to the cheap grocery store Bónus (I swear, their logo is... weird) to buy dried fish, local yoghurt, dinner and chocolate. I already ate the yoghurt and the chocolate and am still nomming the dried fish as I'm writing this, waiting impatiently for the net to go on and playing Pokémon on my Nintendo DS.
The Australian girl asked me if she could unplug my laptop and plug in her own thingamabob, but I told her that my computer only lasts for fifteen minutes without it, which was when Lewis/Louis said, "You can use the plug over here, if you promise not to talk so loudly while we're sleeping."
I thought, "Holy crap, did he really say that?" I laughed loudly on the inside, but I don't know what I did on the outside. The girl looked embarrassed and apologised for it, so hopefully I won't be awoken tonight. But I'm not tired yet. It's six thirty in the evening, and the others have lied down to rest... to get up later and paaartaaaaaay, I suppose. Each to their own. As I'm playing Pokémon, eating dry fish and listening to weird Icelanders singing, I shouldn't be looking at others and thinking they're weird.
--
Next morning.
I'm starting to believe that there is something terribly wrong with these people. Not the people who work in the Backpackers, no, but the people who infested our room two nights ago. Not only do they insist on closing the window every night (which is Death with eight people in the same room), but they make themselves far too comfortable to be paying the lowest price in the entire building. I know they close the window because the people outside at night are incredibly noise (I'm not exaggerating when I'm saying my ears felt like committing suicide), but they sell earplugs in the lobby. They don't sell oxygen in the lobby. When I woke up this morning (not at six o clock this time) I stopped in my tracks to see that the sofa in the hallway was gone. I turned left to see that they had taken it into the common room, in which there are already two sofas and two chairs. In addition the whole floor and the one small table had been covered in something sticky that apparently came from the thermos someone had forgotten there. I pity the people who work here.
It's still morning, so I haven't done much. I'm sitting in the first floor because the American guy told me the Internet access is a whol lot better in here, but seriously, my dumb wireless card thingy just can't catch a connection to the Internet even if it was larged within my computer. It's pathetic, and it's starting to annoy me. The only thing I actually need from the Internet is my plane ticket home, or at least the order code. Sure, they have Internet in the lobby, but it costs money - not much, though.
We'll see what today will bring. I'm considering going to see the whales, or something.
--
Later, at 1:54 pm.
No whales for today, nor do I have plans to see them. In stead I'll be taking the Golden Circle (or the Golden Triangle, as Lewis/Louis said by accident) tomorrow morning at eight of clock, which will take me to a geysir, a waterfall and something else I don't remember. Hopefully I'll be seeing the horses! They look adorable. Tonight is also supposed to be clear, so seeing northern lights might be a possibility. I sure hope so!
I've just been out on the town looking for puffins in stores. We went absolutely everywhere to find it, but so far I've had no luck. I did, however, have luck regarding the Icelandic flag! All of a sudden I thought I wanted one, and Lewis/Louis went out of his way to ask people about where to get one, and after about an hour of walking and asking around, we found some! They were a bit expensive (I bought a small-ish flag that costs 7700 ISK), but that's all right. I had my pin with the Norwegian and Icelandic flag on my shirt while buying it, so the lady who helped me decided to ask "Er tu fra Norge?" ("Are you from Norway?") in a sort of a Norwegian-Icelandic manner, which was awesome. When I replied that yes, I was, she looked as if she was looking for more words before she replied with "Trenger tu noe mer?" ("Do you need anything else?"), and I was just delighted. I wish I could have grabbed the oportunity to reply in Icelandic, but alas, such was not the case.
The ground floor has two parts: the lobby and what is to become a bar. They don't know when they'll be done with it, because they need permission for several things, but the plans they had sounded awesome. A small playground outside in the backyard, a wheel of fortune where you can win, say, five beers or so, and a bell that sounds like the one in buses. Speaking of which, all the seats came straight from a bus that was to be demolished, which I think is brilliant.
The same guy who told us this came downstairs and sat down in the lobby when Lewis/Louis and I returned from our venture, and said something in Icelandic to the girl who usually works there, and she laughed and told us that upstairs smells like a hangover. I suggested that it probably is the other guys in our room, but Lewis/Louis said "I'm not gonna be a tattletale." I said, "I will."
So now I'm on my computer again, taking a short rest. The Internet is back!
Things to do while I'm here:
- Buy all three Ljótu Hálfvitarnir CDs. DONE
- See puffins. Not possible. :(
- See northern lights.
- Buy Icelandic flag.
- Meet my friend.
My Internet has been unobtainable lately, and even as I write this I have absolutely no connection at all! It's as if the Australians (and whatever else they are) brought with them a no-Internet-at-all thingy when they moved in with us. I don't mind them, but they sure like to talk. I was awoken at 12:30 last night because of it, but I fell back to sleep rather quickly, even after I had become so awake that I had spoken to them (nothing rude, I just informed them that the water tastes all right if they leave the hot water tap alone).
I love my Ljótu Hálfvitarnir CDs! The songs are just a source of happiness and WTF-ness, the latter mostly concerning the lyrics, which I don't completely understand, but the few words I understand make me think I shouldn't be singing it in public areas. I don't know, the phrase "she is eighteen, I am fiftythree", followed later by the phrase "he is eighteen, so much younger than me" makes me a bit worried, hahahah.
I had made plans to meet Krissý today, since she was (coincidentally) in Reykjavík this weekend. What are the odds? I should totally go to Akureyri, but I think it'll have to wait a bit. We didn't meet up until the afternoon, though, so while I was waiting for better times I went for a short walk with the American man with whom I share a room. His name is Lewis or Louis, or some variant. He's very outgoing, and greets just about everyone on our way (he told me that Icelanders are more likely to reply than Norwegians, and I believe him!), as well as occasionally waving at people in cars (the guys in the garbage truck looked absolutely dumbstruck as they waved back at him).
We went down to the coastline just to find yet another tourist attraction (well, a statue, anyway), and then we went to get some coffee, because I felt a bit drained from the lack of caffeine. After that he wanted to show me a hotdog stand he came across the day before, because the queue was huge. And it still was! Twenty-ish people standing in line of a tiny, tiny building that sells only a simple hotdog and a bottle of coke at the most. I took a picture of it, hahaha.
Returned to the Backpackers, sent a couple of text messages to Krissý, and realised I had to go to Kringlan, a huge shopping centre, to meet her. The trip took me thirty-five minutes (my legs are stiff now), but yay, I met her! I sat outside a café looking absolutely wonky as usual, which she commented after we greeted each other and hugged and laughed a bit: "Typical of you to want to meet outside a café." Which is true.
I mentioned that I haven't spoken Icelandic to anyone yet, but that I like to look absolutely lost in the middle of a store, just so that the people who work there can ask me questions in Icelandic, to which I will think "Haha! I understood what you said there!" She then said, in Icelandic, "Do you understand Icelandic?" Oh, god, I thought, what did she just say? She said that word, skilja... I just learned that! I remember I looked it up, it means... "understand"! Yes! "A little bit!" I replied, and then we did a victory dance. Because, you know, that's a normal thing to do.
We then walked around for not too long before she had to leave with her relative and her younger brother, but it was fun as long as it lasted. We went nuts in a souvenir shop. Believe it or not, she loves souvenir shops, even the ones in her own country. I can't blame her! The puffin plushies were adorable and the t-shirts were brilliant (apparently the ones saying "ég tala ekki íslensku" (="I don't speak Icelandic") are popular; her friend wore one to school and her Icelandic teacher laughed at her).
Then she had to leave and I walked thirty-five minutes back to the Backpackers, after going to the cheap grocery store Bónus (I swear, their logo is... weird) to buy dried fish, local yoghurt, dinner and chocolate. I already ate the yoghurt and the chocolate and am still nomming the dried fish as I'm writing this, waiting impatiently for the net to go on and playing Pokémon on my Nintendo DS.
The Australian girl asked me if she could unplug my laptop and plug in her own thingamabob, but I told her that my computer only lasts for fifteen minutes without it, which was when Lewis/Louis said, "You can use the plug over here, if you promise not to talk so loudly while we're sleeping."
I thought, "Holy crap, did he really say that?" I laughed loudly on the inside, but I don't know what I did on the outside. The girl looked embarrassed and apologised for it, so hopefully I won't be awoken tonight. But I'm not tired yet. It's six thirty in the evening, and the others have lied down to rest... to get up later and paaartaaaaaay, I suppose. Each to their own. As I'm playing Pokémon, eating dry fish and listening to weird Icelanders singing, I shouldn't be looking at others and thinking they're weird.
--
Next morning.
I'm starting to believe that there is something terribly wrong with these people. Not the people who work in the Backpackers, no, but the people who infested our room two nights ago. Not only do they insist on closing the window every night (which is Death with eight people in the same room), but they make themselves far too comfortable to be paying the lowest price in the entire building. I know they close the window because the people outside at night are incredibly noise (I'm not exaggerating when I'm saying my ears felt like committing suicide), but they sell earplugs in the lobby. They don't sell oxygen in the lobby. When I woke up this morning (not at six o clock this time) I stopped in my tracks to see that the sofa in the hallway was gone. I turned left to see that they had taken it into the common room, in which there are already two sofas and two chairs. In addition the whole floor and the one small table had been covered in something sticky that apparently came from the thermos someone had forgotten there. I pity the people who work here.
It's still morning, so I haven't done much. I'm sitting in the first floor because the American guy told me the Internet access is a whol lot better in here, but seriously, my dumb wireless card thingy just can't catch a connection to the Internet even if it was larged within my computer. It's pathetic, and it's starting to annoy me. The only thing I actually need from the Internet is my plane ticket home, or at least the order code. Sure, they have Internet in the lobby, but it costs money - not much, though.
We'll see what today will bring. I'm considering going to see the whales, or something.
--
Later, at 1:54 pm.
No whales for today, nor do I have plans to see them. In stead I'll be taking the Golden Circle (or the Golden Triangle, as Lewis/Louis said by accident) tomorrow morning at eight of clock, which will take me to a geysir, a waterfall and something else I don't remember. Hopefully I'll be seeing the horses! They look adorable. Tonight is also supposed to be clear, so seeing northern lights might be a possibility. I sure hope so!
I've just been out on the town looking for puffins in stores. We went absolutely everywhere to find it, but so far I've had no luck. I did, however, have luck regarding the Icelandic flag! All of a sudden I thought I wanted one, and Lewis/Louis went out of his way to ask people about where to get one, and after about an hour of walking and asking around, we found some! They were a bit expensive (I bought a small-ish flag that costs 7700 ISK), but that's all right. I had my pin with the Norwegian and Icelandic flag on my shirt while buying it, so the lady who helped me decided to ask "Er tu fra Norge?" ("Are you from Norway?") in a sort of a Norwegian-Icelandic manner, which was awesome. When I replied that yes, I was, she looked as if she was looking for more words before she replied with "Trenger tu noe mer?" ("Do you need anything else?"), and I was just delighted. I wish I could have grabbed the oportunity to reply in Icelandic, but alas, such was not the case.
The ground floor has two parts: the lobby and what is to become a bar. They don't know when they'll be done with it, because they need permission for several things, but the plans they had sounded awesome. A small playground outside in the backyard, a wheel of fortune where you can win, say, five beers or so, and a bell that sounds like the one in buses. Speaking of which, all the seats came straight from a bus that was to be demolished, which I think is brilliant.
The same guy who told us this came downstairs and sat down in the lobby when Lewis/Louis and I returned from our venture, and said something in Icelandic to the girl who usually works there, and she laughed and told us that upstairs smells like a hangover. I suggested that it probably is the other guys in our room, but Lewis/Louis said "I'm not gonna be a tattletale." I said, "I will."
So now I'm on my computer again, taking a short rest. The Internet is back!
Things to do while I'm here:
- Buy all three Ljótu Hálfvitarnir CDs. DONE
- See puffins. Not possible. :(
- See northern lights.
- Buy Icelandic flag.
- Meet my friend.