#i work in a plant shop so tomatoes are a regular occurrence for me and i think about ian every single time

[oatmilkovich]

good afternoon friends, in honour of ian’s birthday today i am pricing tomato plants at work. please look at the name of this one.

#i couldn’t stop laughing #my boss was like 🤨🤨🤨 #i work in a plant shop so tomatoes are a regular occurrence for me and i think about ian every single time #i like to think that ian is the outside plants #and mickey is the houseplants #i think mick is an oxalis triangularis #cause they’re passed down from generation to generation

[eggindenmark]

Iceland

MAY 14TH: Golden Circle Tour

Upon arriving to Iceland I noticed that the weather was predicted to be super rainy everyday I was here and let me tell ya… if you drive 15 mins in any direction you are guaranteed different weather. Also the sun here rises at 4AM and sets at 10:30PM. So even arriving at my guesthouse at 10:50PM on Saturday night it was still pretty light out! During the summer they have 24 hours of sun so that is insanity.

Anywho the first stop on my Golden Circle Tour was at a geothermal heated greenhouse called, Friðheimar. They grow different varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers. Nearly 90% of Icelandic homes are heated via geothermal springs that are piped into houses across the country. In fact there is a town called Hot Springs that if you dig about 6ft down you are guaranteed to hit steam. Thus, there are little steam pockets all along the mountain ranges and some power plants as well to harness the energy supply. Furthermore, Iceland is extremely proud of their ground water; however, I can tell you firsthand it is SO high in sulfur. A scent I smelled ever so clearly on our next stop along this tour at the Geysir (dormant) and Strokkur (active geyser). Strokkur goes off about every 5 minutes and released water into the air that is 80 to 100°C (176 to 212°F aka boiling). So the group was warned to stay clear of the southern wind that carries the boiling water past the marked off area. Anywho it was our first stop that I saw mountains in the distance and I was totally floored…little did I know this would be a regular occurrence.

Next stop was Gullfoss, “foss” in Icelandic means waterfall and let me tell ya there are plenty of “fosses” to go around. This country is COVERED in them. Also another reason why they have hydro-power stations scattered around the island. They also tried to turn Gullfoss into a hydro power station; however, the owner of the land at the time denied it and now it is a national park and protected from such actions. Anywho Gullfoss was gorgeous and the mist coming from the falls was insane I thought it was raining - honestly couldn’t tell the difference.

Our last stop was in Þingviller National Park, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. These waterways lead into the largest lake in Iceland that was created by….you guessed it a GLACIER! Anywho this entire area is ridiculously scenic and I was able to get up close and personal with some gorgeous rock walls. Also side note Icelandic as a language has some funky letters and even more funky sounding. My tour guide described it as a Germanic language that is similar to the Nordic languages (Norwegian, Danish and Swedish), but would be the equivalent of someone speaking Latin to a Spanish/Italian/French native speaker. She said that they learn English and Danish in school as a requirement; however, they are not very good at speaking Danish (that makes two+ of us). Also it’s basically a given for teens to go away for college and possibly live abroad for some time because the 6 universities on the island do not offer everything. Our tour guide lived in France for 8 years and worked for the French embassy and police department before returning back to Iceland to work in tourism - a much happier job she said. She also noted that the unemployment rate in Iceland is 2% so it’s a lot more appealing to come back home.

Also Iceland is easily the most expensive country I have ever visited. Their gift shop prices jump from $12 to $39 to $79…for what you ask? Hmm maybe just ya know a small wool felted sheep that is a magnet…$45. HAHA NO. Nope. No thanks. Nej tak! It is far more expensive than Denmark so I consider that impressive. However, the tours are well worth it and my guides have been really lovely!

Also after I got dropped off at my bus stop, which is located at the famous church in Reykjavik… the Hallgrímskirkja. I decided to take a few pictures. Also featured in front of it is as statue of Leif Erikson.

P.S. There are WAY more photos than this!

#iceland #reykjavik #golden circle