So I got back from my trip to Iceland and Belgium (and a disappointing few hours in The Netherlands) on Monday. Sorry to make y'all work for it but my photos from the trip are
here. I came back to identity theft and job strife so I haven't been in the mood to put a lot of effort into a trip post with embedded pictures and all.
So my first stop was in Iceland where, working on about three hours of sleep on the redeye flight over I spend the first morning at the Blue Lagoon. It was 50 and raining, so perfect for a hot springs. The Blue Lagoon is pleasant to be sure but ultimately it's just a big shallow pool and you can't really stretch it that far. After that I hit up the bar and brewery scene pretty heavy for the next day and a half. The themes of Iceland were insanely expensive prices for everything and insanely good looking men. On the latter account, I spent some 90 minutes at one bar chatting with the bartender about beer and soccer and it was good. I also stopped by for dinner of whale steak. This old Icelandic traditional fare falls in a bit of a moral gray area, but at a minimum, the whale species is not endangered. I did have my favorite beer of the trip in Iceland (though a Swedish beer), which shocked me as the whole purpose of the trip was to go to Belgium, the greatest beer country in theory.
I had my first Before Sunrise moment on day two when I happened upon one bar looking for another bar that wasn't open yet. I sat down for a flight and started talking with a gal from New York who was having the same flight. We had a good conversation about beer and roller derby before parting ways. However, we would run into each other again at the bar I had originally been looking for and I got her added as a Facebook friend. I drank too much that day and paid for it sitting in the airport the next morning at the crack of Icelandic dawn (which is very early in Summer).
If Iceland strained my budget, Belgium proved a salve as it was eminently affordable. There I met up with my friend and wet blanket who started off by insisting Brussels didn't merit more than a day and he had turned up a day earlier than me so he was done with the city I was just getting to. So the next day I stayed in Brussels while he ventured to Luxembourg. Good to be rid of him because I had Before Sunrise moment number two the next morning as I sat at the plaza in front of the Palace of Justice where there is a nice view down the hill to the city. As I sat, this young woman sat right next to me which seemed a bit odd with other seating available. I got to chatting with her for about 30 minutes while waiting for my tour bus and she was Polish but had spent most of her life in Belgium. Alas, I did not get any contact information for her, much less opt to spend the day wandering around Brussels with her, which I should have done.
The wet blanket I should mention was averse to spending money on things or doing anything that seemed touristy. I on the other hand like a nice bus or boat tour in that it gives me a nice opportunity to get all around a city and get a feel for the geography of it. Some of the more "Disney" things also have a way of providing nice context for a place so that you can appreciate the remaining wanderings more. I particularly like touristy things that involve getting high-up scenic views of a place because again, you get a sense of the geography. So I went up in the Brussels Atomium and in the Bruges Belfry (and climbed the Liege citadel). Of course, being Europe, even the Disneyfied aspects have a touch more full-frontal nudity, such as the Historium in Bruges, whose interactive film (featuring Ian McKellan) takes a venture into a public bath.
In addition to Brussels (which was fine once I realized the subway is the way to go for getting around since the streets are chaotic), I got to Bruges (like a CINECAST!ing fairy tale), Ghent (a college town vibe with a fantastic place to get fancy baguette sandwiches for 3-5 Euro and a bar that has 500 types of beer, again usually for 3-5 Euro), Amsterdam (a dreadful crowded and touristy place). For my final day I planned to go to Chimay to visit the brewery but Sunday transit was a little less reliable so instead I went to Liege, home of The Dardennes. I ended up liking it most of all the places because it is not a big tourist town and they had big Sunday markets and events out where I could feast on local cuisine and beer. Also, rivers are better than canals and mountains are nice.
The trip back was mostly uneventful other than Iceland's airport being rather poorly designed. I am only finally getting over the jetlag (which I experienced none of while I was over there). I think my next vacation might be an all-inclusive beaches and rum drinks kind of thing because this one definitely took a lot out of me.