Reykjavik, Iceland

Aug 14 - 16

My first impression of Iceland, when stepping off the plane at almost midnight, was that it was very cold, very rainy and very very windy!

Luckily, it improved in daylight. Still cold, rainy and windy. Just less extreme.

We started our first day in Reykjavik by picking up our car in preparation for our roadtrip. Once the car was tucked away in a cheap little car park, we set off for a free walking tour. Our guide, who had the most loveable Icelandic accent in the world, informed us about local culture and history. Some things I found really interesting:
-Icelaners don't have surnames, as such. Their last name is their father's first name plus 'son' for men and 'dóttir' (daughter) for women. 

-Gender equality is better in Iceland than almost anywhere in the world. 29 out of 63 members of parliament are women! 

-Iceland loves the gays! During the recent pride festival red lipstick was painted onto a famous statue and remains there to show their gay pride.
-The crime rate in Iceland is ridiculously low... Only 1.2 murders per year!
-The high tax rates in Iceland provide free health care and free education.

After the tour we had a look at the concert hall. It is designed to look like fish scales, because fishing is a huge industry in Iceland.

Then we walked up to the Hallgrimskirkja church, the design represents a geysir. Very cool!

In the evening we drove out to the Blue Lagoon: the #1 tourist attraction in Iceland! And it's not hard to tell why. The Blue Lagoon is a massive naturally-heated pool, full of silica that gives it the magical milky blue colour. The 38 degree water was perfect for the very cool evening. We swam around and covered ourselves with silica mud masks, waiting for the sun to go down (behind the many, many clouds)

It was almost equally as stunning in the dark, lit up along the edges and under bridges.

Next morning... Roadtrip time!

Quick stop in Barcelona (and London)

Aug 12 - 14

After my workaway adventure, I had one day in Barcelona and two in London.

Trying to make the most of my one extra day in Barcelona, I met up with Alex and we set off to hike a little mountain...after buying some new hiking books and eating delicious pintxos for lunch!

Alex 'the local' got us lost on the metro...or maybe we were meant to take three trains and end up back where we started?! Once we finally got to the base of Tibidabo we walked for an hour or so uphill - perhaps missing a turn somewhere that meant we were on a longer, 'more scenic' route. The trail itself was nothing special but the views were amazing.

Once we got to the top, we found the two key attractions of Tibidabo: the church and the fun fair! Of course, we visited the fun fair first. Mostly for the view. Also we wanted to go on the rollercoaster...but it turns out you can't just buy a single ticket for it, you have to buy a 'pass' for the whole fun fair. No deal!

Then we had a look around the church, going up to the top to hang with Jesus and get 360 views of the area; Barcelona on one side, mountains on the other.

Alex developed an obsession with selfies.

And then decided to experiment with a future career in modelling.

Before we went back down the mountain, we managed to catch a pretty stunning sunset.

Alex had grand plans to take me to a 'little-known' restaurant he had found, away from the touristy part of Barcelona, that looked over the whole city. After an expensive taxi ride to get there...we discovered it was closed! Oops. So we ate at another nearby restaurant. Tappaaaasss! On the way back we walked by the Hospital de Sant Pau and Sagrada Familia, both stunning at night.

Very very very early the next morning (4.30am alarm! Yay!) I was headed back to London.

My stop in London was much less exciting than Barcelona, partially due to the fact that I was so sleep deprived but also because I felt I needed a whole new wardrobe for Iceland! Turns out Primark has everything. EVERYTHING. I also managed to squeeze in a delicious Japanese with Colin on Saturday night and spent Sunday roaming around London with Mike.

Next up: roadtripping Iceland!!!

Workaway pt 2: more of Cantabria!

Aug 1 - 12

The second half of my workaway experience in Cantabria was somewhat similar to the first half! Little bit of English teaching, lots of beach days and plenty of exploring.

Lots of snapchat selfies, too!

One particularly memorable day was on Berria beach (the little local one.) Ariadna and I walked to the end of the beach, stopping for many, many, many photos.

At the end of the beach we found a cave! Often you can't go into the cave, or even see it... But because the tide was so low, we were able to walk right in. We had fun creeping into the darkness and splashing around, before the tide quickly started coming back up and we went out for a swim instead.

At the opposite end of Berria beach there is a little mountain. The climb up is only about 20 minutes..and that's including numerous photo stops - how could you not stop for a few pics?! Stunning.

When I reached the top I could see both Berria and Noha beaches, plus all the marshland and mountains of the area. I could have sat there for hours, perched on my little rock at the very top of the mountain. Amazing views.

I also did a slightly more intense hike on Mt Buciero. While the kids were with their grandparents, Julian, Juana and I set off to walk across and around the mountain - not actually up it! The reason for this is that there's a little lighthouse on the far side of the mountain that boasts unbeatable views and crystal clear water. After a bit of a trek up and down (but mostly up!) through the bushes, we stopped at a little viewpoint.

Then we started our descent to the lighthouse - down 763 very steep stairs. Ow, my knees! Once we reached the bottom, we were greeted with beautiful views all round. If only we'd brought our bathers..!

The fun part was next. The climb back up those glorious steps. All 763 of them.

As if we hadn't had enough of a workout, we continued on our loop of the mountain, walking on some questionable terrain, including slippery mud and unstable rocks. When we came back out from the bushes we were treated to views of cliffs and beaches and even the nearby prison!

Lovely half day hike!

One very unique experience I had was making tuna. Never thought I'd spend a whole day 'making tuna'! It is a tradition in Juana's family for everyone to get together for one day in the summer to make a year's supply of tuna for them all to share. They bought 130kg (!!!) of tuna from the market and cooked it up in the morning. Then we spent the day cleaning it, chopping it up and stuffing it into jars. 220 jars! Once completed, the tuna-stuffed jars were filled with oil, sealed shut and then boiled again in an enormous pot.

On a very overcast afternoon we walked along the coast of Noha. For about 3 or 4km we were continuously treated to spectacular coastline views, often inclduing the mountains in the background. The sun even came out for a bit!

Coming back we cut through a forest, where the trees seemed to be alive!

Afterwards, we went to a skate park so the girls could do some rollerskating. Seems rollerskating is quite popular in Spain. While there I watched some very swift experienced skaters and also had a giggle at some beginners struggling to keep on their feet.

We used another overcast day to visit the town of Santillana del Mar, a beautiful traditional village near Santander. The buildings and even the roads have been kept exactly how they were hundreds of years ago. A lot of the houses had big stone family shields displayed at the front and centre.

It is a gorgeous place, but nowadays is absolutely riddled with tourist shops. It doesn't seem like there's a single place in the whole town that's not dedicated to tourism. I can't imagine living there!

After a bit of wandering round, we had the world's most enormous lunch (seems to happen a lot here!) then went to visit the Altamira cave. This is a prehistoic cave, full of paintings that date back over 13,000 years. It's incredible to think that a painting in a cave could last that long! 

The cave used to be open to the public, until they realised that having people in there was destroying the paintings. Instead, they've created a replica cave, where you can learn all about the paintings and the lifestyle of those who have inhibited it throughout the years.

The actual cave entrance

Countryside near the caves

My very last day in Cantabria was spent on the beach. We built sandcastles, made ourselves into mermaids and went back to check out the caves again.

On the early morning drive to the airport I was lucky enough to catch a pretty incredible sunrise...

What a beautiful region of Spain. I'll be back soon, I'm sure.