Iceland and the UK
15 - 24 September 2004
Launched: 26 September 2004
Here are some photos from my trip.
ICELAND
My hotel, the Skjaldbreid. It's on Laugavegur, one of the main shopping streets in Reykjavik. No complaints except expensive, like most everything in Iceland, and noisy: the clubs were still going strong with rock music when I left at 5 am for London!
This is Reykjavik's new City Hall, a very user-friendly building, beautifully sited. The "downtown" is compact and far more interesting than I expected. Both old and new buildings, clean and well maintained.
Hallgrimskirkja is Reykjavik's landmark though only opening in 1974. You can see it from all around the city. In front stands a statue of Leif the Lucky, discoverer of America.
Whale Catchers in Reykjavik's harbor. They're waiting for whaling to start up again. (It already has, for "scientific purposes," and reportedly one can get whale steak in some of the local restaurants.
I took a ten-hour bus tour along the south coast on the one full day I was in Iceland. Rained most of the time. Here's the one glacier we got to see.
SUFFOLK
After attending the Discovery dinner on the 18th in London, I went out to visit Jill and Antony Bowring in Suffolk. Between Sunday the 19th and Wednesday the 22nd, Antony and I drove around seeking out pubs and sites of Antarctic interest. Here are a few photos.
Jill and Antony in the doorway. They met on Ran Fiennes' Trans-globe Expedition 25 years ago.
Here I am with Jill at The Crown, a very nice nearby pub. We enjoyed the Adnams beer. Here's Antony's steak. Afterwards, Antony said he thought the publican looked like Basil Fawlty. There he is in the background and I see what he means.
Antony and I drove down from Ipswich to Woolverstone to find the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. Afterwards we stopped into the Butt & Oyster for Fish and Chips.
Yet another pub, this one in Southwold. Quite a tony seaside town. That's me in the doorway.
HEADING HOME
Looking down on Greenland.
The Harbor Islands as we approach Boston.
