Fred´s Adventures in Iceland – Part 2

Thursday we went on the tour of Reykjavik. It was included with my airfare so I might as well use it. I bought a ticket for Kelly as well.

The tour started at 11:30 AM. Although today December 22 was supposed to be the shortest day it was pretty light out. The sky was blue and there was a hint of sun on the horizon.

Kelly and I were the only ones on the tour bus except for the driver and the guide. That was fine by us.

The following is taken from the internet.

“Reykjavik Grand Excursion

Reykjavík city, also known, as “smoky bay” is the world’s most northerly capital. The name derives from the first settlers who noticed steam rising from the ground from the hot springs in Reykjavík. The city, although small in population, has everything larger cities have to offer. Several cultural and social events and various recreations are available. Not to forget interesting museums, galleries, delightful restaurants and cafés. Reykjavík’s unique proximity to nature, with salmon river Elliðaá running through it, a thermal beach at Nauthólsvík, green valleys and outdoor swimming pools, make this city second to none in the world. The Reykjavík Grand Excursion is a detailed and comprehensive introduction to Reykjavík’s past and present. During this tour the city’s main attractions are highlighted on foot and by bus. The main landmarks, such as The Pearl and Hallgrímskirkja church are visited. A tour where Reykjavík’s renowned charm and bustling life is brought to light.”
The first stop on our tour of Reykjavik was the Hallgrim’s Church which we had been in a day or so before. We hadn’t gone into the church itself before since there were a bunch of maintenance people vacuuming and cleaning the pews, the floors. Etc. This time we actually went inside up close to the altar and we could see the huge organ with it’s over 5,000 pipes. It was very impressive. It took a long time to build the church, from 1945 to 1986. It’s the tallest building and one of the jewels of Reykjavik.

We then drove through the main part of down town. I had walked it a number of times over the past week but this was a first in a tour van. Reykjavik is all dolled up with lots of colours and lights and evergreen trees everywhere. They seem to go all out.

The guide pointed out (and I can’t for the life of me remember her name although she must have said it at least three times) the prison that was right in downtown Reykjavik. It’s the only stone building in the city. According to her there are only five prisons in all of Iceland and this one holds about 20 inmates. I read somewhere that in 2004 there were 110 prisoners in Iceland. And here is another interesting fact. In 1806, so almost 200 years ago, Reykjavik had a population of 300, 17 of whom were in prison for inebriation.


The following is taken from the internet.

“OLD PRISON REYKJAVIK

The old prison, on street Skolavordustigur, was built in 1874. Originally it also served as a courthouse and housed 23 inmates. In 1989 the number of cells was reduced to 19 and nowadays they are 16, there are two isolition cells. It is the only prison built as such in the country and has been used for a period of 130 years (2004). It is a two story building with a basement, which is not used any more. The prison cells are on the ground floor as well as the rooms of the wardens. It contains no recreational facilities for inmates, but behind it is an open recreational area.”

We then headed over to the harbour to see the ships that were docked there. Although we had been to the harbourfront, we actually didn’t get to the harbour so that was interesting. I think they put the rustiest ones, closest in. The guide sarcastically (at least I think it was sarcastically) said that Iceland doesn’t have it’s own army or navy, just the Salvation Army.

We went and drove through the University of Iceland campus, which we had toured a day or so ago, and then we ventured up to hill to the Perlan (The Pearl) that I had talked about in an earlier post. This was our stop for lunch. So I had my usual. Second time here, second soup and beer special. Well, it was special to me. Then we went on the deck and took some more pictures. It’s quite the panoramic view of Reykjavik from there. You’ll have to wait until the pictures develop.
After that we drove around Reykjavik and the guide pointed out a number of points of interest like the power plants, the hospitals and the car dealerships like Toyota, Nissan.

We then stopped at another museum. I think Reykjavik has the most museums per capita than any other city. The following gives some details of this museum.

The following is taken from the internet.

“Asmundur Sveinsson
The Man and Material

A retrospective exhibition of works by Asmundur Sveinsson.

In the beginning, Ásmundur's choice of material was much like that which was closest at hand while he was growing up in Iceland. Later it reflected the traditional material used by century sculptors. As a young man, Ásmundur practiced woodcarving according to the Icelandic craftsmanship tradition. In addition to this he shaped works out of clay and concrete, choosing material to serve his ideas. As a student of Carl Milles in Stockholm, and during his years in Paris he worked in traditional material, molded and chiseled in stone.

After returning to Iceland, Ásmundur abandoned stone chiseling for the most part. Up until the 1950s, his work was characterized by the feeling evoked when an artist has shaped the sculpture with his own two hands. The handling of the material by the artist becomes an important part of the work; the concept and the treatment of the material shape its final form. As the 1940s progressed, space played an increasingly important part in Ásmundur's art. At that time he began working with wood again, as well as creating his massive clay sculptures.

There was a watershed in Ásmundur's art in the 1950s, when he discovered iron. He began welding together metals as well as other objects that he collected and used in their original form, or slightly altered. The works moved closer to a pure abstraction and the empty space within the works became more important. The work became removed from the massive forms of the sculptures that Ásmundur shaped with his own hands and were characterized by references to Icelandic nature. Towards the end of his career he once again turned to stone chiseling, although now his subjects were not references to a classical tradition but rather quiet variations on the natural shape of the stone.”

After this there were only two stops planned, an art museum that we had already been to and the city hall that we also had been to. We passed on the art museum but said okay to the city hall because the guide said she had some interesting things to show us.

Along the way we stopped (a non-scheduled stop) by the Hofdi House where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachov met to discuss a number of strategic issues. This happened on October 10-11, 1986.

“The best reminder of French presence in Iceland today is Höfði house, the official reception hall of the city of Reykjavík. The French authorities built Höfði for the French consul Mr. Briouin (Bríon) whose main function was to render assistance to the fishermen. The origin of Höfði can still be seen in the reception hall where the initials of the French Republic - R.F. - are carved in the wall along with other French symbols such as the French coat of arms and the hat of the Jacobines.

In 1986 Höfði was the venue for the Reagan-Gorbachov summit held in Iceland.”


“Logo Design

In 1986, Different Creations was commissioned to design a LOGO for the Reagan-Gorbachov Summit in Iceland.

It had to be flexible in use - advertising, letterheads, T-shirts, buttons, souvenirs and commemorative medallions.

The four equally shaped areas represent U.S.A. (the west) and Russia (the east) joined for peace talks in Iceland, which is a small country (the eye of the peace bird) in the middle of the north Atlantic Ocean (the blue wave).”

Then we went to our last stop, the City Hall. Once there the guide took us down to the large model of Iceland and pointed out a number of interesting features. Then the bus took us back to Gamli Gardur.

In the afternoon I took a walk by my self downtown to see if I could manage not to get lost. Kelly and I had gone downtown a number of times already so I should have no problems. And I didn´t.

That evening, Remy cooked up a salmon steak and Kelly made rice and vegetables. It was a great meal.

Friday we were supposed to go to the Blue Lagoon but when Kelly called to book the trip they only had 6 PM spots left. She booked us for Saturday morning at 11 AM. The bus would pick us up at Gamli Gardur at 10:30 AM.

Instead we went downtown and did a little more browsing. We stopped at Ommukaffi (Grandma’s Café) for lunch. Afterwards we looked around a bit more and then headed back to Kelly’s residence. We were planning on going back later because traditionally the day before Christmas Eve was the busiest shopping day of the year and there was going to be a huge party atmosphere all evening and well into the night.

For dinner Kelly made spaghetti. She added a whole bunch of vegetables to the sauce. It turned out very nice.

We headed back downtown. By the time we got there the streets were packed with people. They had shut down the main street and people were wandering all over the place. There were a few cars that had got stuck when the street was closed and were desperately trying to inch their way out of their predicament.

There were carolers on several street corners trying to be heard above the din of the crowd. I don’t know how you could do any shopping at all. The stores were packed with people so there was hardly any place to move. And the pushiness of the Icelanders came into the forefront so you didn’t want to get stuck in the crowd.

Saturday morning we got ready for our trip to the Blue Lagoon. The bus came shortly after 10:30 AM to pick us up. It turned out to be fairly steep for what amounted to an hour and a half of bus rides and an hour in the water. It was 3900 Krs each. Kelly thought that students were supposed to get a discount but the guy behind the counter said, “No discount for students.” There were only 8 passengers when we left the terminal a little after 11 AM. The trip lasted about 45 minutes. We couldn’t really see much of the countryside as it was overcast and very foggy.

We got there and got these wrist bands which were used to let us into the locker rooms and also to lock the lockers with our clothes. I went and changed into my swim suit and showered (mandatory) and went out to the Blue Lagoon. The air was pretty nippy so we didn’t dally very long before getting into the water. It was nice and warm. You could almost feel the healing, rejuvenating powers instantly (well not really). It wasn’t very crowded. There must have been only about 20-25 people in the lagoon.

We waddled around in the water occasionally finding really warm spots. It felt so good. Sometimes it got so warm it was almost unbearable. We were in the water for over an hour. We wandered over to the sauna for a few minutes. I found it hard to breathe in there. We got back into the water and started heading towards the exit. The water was getting extremely warm now. I think they had cranked the heat up because they wanted us out of there. We obliged. I went into the locker room, showered and changed.

The bus headed back about 10 to 2 PM. The bus driver made announcements along the way. He said that each time you go to the Blue Lagoon it takes 10 years off your age. He also said he got this concerned father come up to him because his son was only 10 years old. He had to modify his general rule to say that the improvement only started at age 25.

We came to the road that we were supposed to take back to Reykjavik and the bus pulls over and the driver announces that we are waiting to meet a bus from Keflavik and take its passengers to Reykjavik. We must have waited 10-15 minutes before this minibus shows up. Ten passengers and the guide get onto our bus. I tell Kelly that we’re probably going to be the last ones to get off this bloody bus.

The guide kept announcing about all these places that were going to close at 4 PM and all these other ones that were going to close by 6 PM because Christmas starts in Iceland at 6 PM and everyone is either supposed to be having dinner or listening the Christmas program on the radio before having dinner.

As you might have guessed, when we got back to Reykjavik and everyone else got let off Kelly and I made it back to Gamli Gardur.

That evening, Christmas Eve, Kelly and I went to the home of Margret, her husband, Kjartan, their son Bjarni and their daughter María Vigdís. Also there were Margret’s mother Maria and her Grandmother’s brother Jon.

This gathering with an Icelandic family was arranged by the International Student Council at the University of Iceland, to place a foreign student who was staying in Iceland over Christmas with a family for a traditional Christmas dinner. I was invited along.

We got a warm reception when we got there and exchanged pleasantries. We felt very comfortable from the start. Shortly thereafter we sat down for dinner. Bjarni poured each of us some blund?, a traditional drink that he had helped to make. It contained orange soda and malt. Next we had these seafood tarts, filled with shrimp and other seafood, mushrooms, vegetables and cheese. They were very tasty. Maria, the daughter, preferred these to the soup she used to like as a starter.

We then had the main course which was called Hamborgarahryggur (a saddle of pork or pork steak). We had this with caramelized potatoes, corn, gravy and pineapple. For dessert we had a fruit pie with ice cream. Everything was very delicious.

After dinner we gathered around in the living room and Bjarni started handing out the presents. Everyone got at least a couple, including us, which was very nice of them. I got a book on Iceland and some chocolates. Kelly got a book and a candle.

The present parade came to an end and Grandmother Maria looked a little perturbed. As it turned out she had forgotten to bring the presents that she was giving to everyone. There was a scramble to go up to her room and get the bags of presents. These were handed out and everything turned out fine.

We had a very nice visit sharing stories about Iceland and Canada, Christmas traditions and things in general. It was very enjoyable. At the end of the evening Margret drove us back to Gamli Gardur.

On Sunday Christmas morning, Kelly had set out all the presents that she had received or wrapped on the kitchen table. I think it was after 11 AM. I don’t think anything starts here, at least in the winter, until there’s some daylight out there no matter how dull. We didn’t get a white Christmas, we got a wet Christmas. It rained all night and was still raining once daylight hit. Remy, our French-Canadian has been singing “I’m dreaming of a dry Christmas.” for the last couple of weeks. He had given up on the ‘white’. He didn’t get his wish.

Kelly and I opened our presents. I got four books by Icelandic authors and an Icelandic beer mug for my collection from Kelly. She got a whole bunch of stuff from her mother and step-dad, her grandparents and from Uncle Bill and Auntie Pam. She even got a present from her brother Jeff.

We had eggs and toast for brunch and quiet and relaxing afternoon.

Remy was making another one of his specialties for dinner, a meat and potato casserole. Kelly made mashed potatoes, broccoli and the famous Stove Top Stuffing as side dishes and Eskimo snowballs for dessert. There was still no sign of the pickles. Nicola from upstairs joined Kelly, Remy and I for dinner. She brought a chocolate cake. My contribution was the Two Oceans South African wine. Everything was great.

Gleðileg Jól from Iceland

It´s still me, Fred, using a little bit of Icelandic.

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

To my sons, Brian and Jeff.

To my brothers, Joe and Frank and their spouses, Linda and Halina. My nephews and nieces, Jennifer and Chris, Mary and Bruce, Mike and Carrie, Steve, Theresa and Chris #2, Andrea and Peter, and my grand nephews, Andrew and Ryan and grand nieces, Lauren, Sidney and Kenadee.

To my cousins, Irene, Charlie and Marie, Betty and Elma and their families. To Frank and Dyanne, Dianne and Whitey, Larry and Terry and Dennis and Shelley and their families. To Cathy and Garry, Cindy and Bill and Mark and his wife and their families. To Ron and Dennis and their families. To David, Gord, Ken and Chris and their families. To Tom, JoAnne, Joy and Terry and their families.

To my friends, Peter, thinking about you buddy, Bill and Pam, Rob and Marilyn, Rob and Ruth and their families. To Richard, Bill and John. Cheers.

To my friends and colleagues at Manulife, including Dawna and Scott, Lisa, Neil and Donnie and all the rest of the gang.

To Dr Stevenson who looked after my arm and to Ningsih, my physiotherapist who’s trying to get my arm back into shape. I’m exercising as much as I can.

To Chris, Kim and Dennis who drove me to and from work all those days when I wasn’t allowed to drive.

To Jon and Natalie for taking care of Buddy.

And to anyone else I might have missed.

And finally to Kelly who´s here with me and who´s had to put up with my ways for the last week or so and will have to continue to do so for another week.

I´m so glad I could share this time with you. Love you, Munchkin.

Fred’s Adventures in Iceland - Part 1

Saturday afternoon was totally wasted. I had been awake over 24 hours. I wasn’t sleepy, I was just physically exhausted. We went to do some grocery shopping since Kelly didn’t know what I would be in the mood for so she waited until I got there.

I met a bunch of Kelly’s friends that I recognized from the pictures that Kelly had posted on her blog. There were Becca, Chrissy, Mathieu, Harold, Tom, Remy, Lief, Yassu and Liu. Did I forget anybody? It was like I had known them all.

We walked to downtown Reykjavik to the Bonus store and got a bunch of things. It was around 3:30-4 PM and it was already pretty dark. Reykjavik was all lit up with Christmas colours and there were real Christmas trees hanging from the sides of most of the shops. The trees weren’t very big but they were everywhere. Everything looked so beautiful. It wasn’t too windy and it wasn’t too cold, yet. It was just dark.

As we were walking back to Gamli Gardur (Kelly’s residence) with our supplies we stopped by the City Hall, looked around and got some maps and other flyers. We got back and Kelly made some dinner. I don´t recall much after that.

I finally went to bed around 8 PM, 31 hours after getting up at the Comfort Inn in Boston. You´d think I would sleep like a log for a long time. Fat chance. At 10 PM I was wide awake. I tried to stay in bed to see if I would fall back asleep. I was thinking about my ordeal over the past two days.

I got up and started to write it down on paper. Occasionally I would crawl back in bed to see if I could sleep. But no I kept getting up and continued to write my saga down.

Finally I was almost finished and it was getting onto 6 AM. I managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours. I got up, showered (That was an experience in itself. The basin kept filling up and I´d turn off the shower to let it drain and then I would turn it on again. The hot water was really hot and the cold was really cold so you had to get just the right mix to be comfortable. I finally finished my shower and turned the water off. The shower head fell out of its holder and almost crushed my toes.) and got myself dressed.

I continued to write down details of my ordeal for a while. Nobody was stirring as yet so I lay down on the bed and the next thing I knew Kelly was knocking on the door and it was now 10 to 12 PM. I had managed to get about 6 hours of not so great sleep in the past 16 hours.

Kelly and I decided to go up to the Perlan (The Pearl).

The following is taken from the internet.

There was a picture here but it got deleted when I posted.

“Perlan (The Pearl) is a remarkable building, built in 1988, unique in Iceland and probably in the whole world. On Oskjuhlid hill, atop the huge tanks in which natural hot water is stored for heating the city, a glass dome has been constructed: under the dome is a rotating restaurant serving fine cuisine.

In addition, the dome houses a café, while around the outside is a viewing platform with panoramic views of the city and its surroundings. Below the dome, between the hot-water tanks, is a spacious atrium where various exhibitions and other events are held. Inside the building is a small artificial geyser which spouts every few minutes.

Interestingly, one of the tanks contains, not hot water, but a museum: at the Saga Museum, waxwork figures bring old Iceland to life. The museum, like the Pearl itself, is open from 10 AM.

Close to the Pearl, to the left of the car park, is STROKUR, a man-made geyser that imitates the natural spouting hot springs at Geysir in the highlands of southwest Iceland.

Oskjuhlid hill, on which the Pearl is located, is a pleasant wooded area with many footpaths, ideal for a relaxing walk.”

We decided to walk. It is not very far from her residence, only about 20 to 30 minutes. When we set out the weather was ok. It was overcast and dreary. As we went along the wind started to pick up and it felt colder. By the time we got half-way up the hill it was very windy and very cold. I had my winter coat on, that I use all the time in Canada but it seemed like the wind and the cold was going right through it. I was chilled to the bone.

We finally got up to the top and into the building. We looked around a bit and then decided to go up to the restaurant to have some lunch. After lunch we went out onto the deck for a few minutes. It felt really cold and windy. I think it definitely was.


We decided to go through the Saga Museum that´s at the Perlan.

The following is taken from the internet.

“The history comes to life in Perlan - Saga Museum
For the first time you can see historical figures and major events in Icelandic history from the time of the earliest settlers right up to that of the Reformation, brought to life in a unique and exciting way. A guided tour on CD is included in the entrance fee and guests can choose between 30 min. and one hour tour.

Vibrant museum
The Saga Museum intimately recreates key moments in Icelandic history, moments that have determined the fate of our people and which give a compelling view into how Icelanders have lived for more than a millenium.
Visitors to the museum are guided through the museum´s many attractions as well as through a chronological history of the country. In this vibrant, multidimensional museum, both Icelandic and foreign visitors are given an opportunity to learn about Icelandic history in a way that is both educational and fun.

Replicas of historical Icelandic figures
Life-like replicas of historical Icelandic figures have been created, based on descriptions found in the Viking sagas and chronicles. In order to achieve authenticity, clothing, weapons and everyday objects were constructed using traditional methods passed down through the ages. The weapons were specially crafted, and the wool and linen articles dyed by hand.

Journey into a turbulent past
Throughout the period of settlement, everyday life in Iceland was very difficult. The weather was hardly friendly for most of the year and the land was still volcanically active. The Icelanders often fell victim to eruptions, earthquakes, avalanches and other natural catastrophes that made their lot even harder. And, if that was not enough, they were also subject to the notorious Black Death that led to the destruction of more than a third of the population. However, none of this deterred those who lived here and they developed a remarkable culture with a literature that equals that of any other country in Europe.

No such museum would be complete without its tally of horrors, and among the more gruesome events which can be experienced there are the execution of Jón Arason (Iceland’s last Catholic bishop), the burning at the stake of Sister Katrín (Iceland’s first heretic), and a taste of the famous and bloody battle at Örlygsstaðir.”

I bought the booklet that complements the museum displays so hopefully it will be a good keepsake. I didn’t take any pictures.

We left the Perlan and headed into the city. Kelly wanted to retrieve her purse that she had left at Anna Vala’s place (an Icelandic friend) the night before. The wind and the cold were terrible. I was glad when we finally got there.

We rang the doorbell and were let in. There was a whole throng of people in the house. As it turned out it was the Christmas bread (or laufabrauð) making gathering at Anna Vala’s family’s place and along with her own family there were uncles, aunts, cousins and friends for the annual event. There must have been at least 25 people gathered in the kitchen some manning the kitchen counters while others were at the tables creating their designs on these thin cakes.

The cakes were the size of a plate. Actually a plate was used to put on the flattened-out dough and a knife was used to trim the excess away so that what was left was a circular thin sheet of dough. Using a knife, a fork and a leaf bread cutter, intricate designs were made into these thin cakes.

The leaf bread cutter made diagonal slices and you could remove some of the “leaves” or flip them over to make interesting patterns or virtually do whatever you wanted. I actually tried to do some designs on one piece and Kelly did two. I never got to see the final product after it was fried but then in my head it looked really great.

This was a great experience to be part of, a traditional Icelandic family occasion. Everybody seemed to have a great time.

The following is taken from the internet.

“Laufabrauð (Leaf Bread)

Iceland used to be very isolated. Everything not grown or raised on the island had to be brought by supply ships from Europe. They were often small and badly prepared for the perilous waters of the Atlantic. In the winter season with its severe weathers, no ships sailed at all. Commodities such as flour, sugar, salt, tobacco and many other things were considered a luxury and the poor could only buy it for special occasions, like Christmas.

On the farms it was customary for each member of the household to have a special bowl to store food in, Everyone got a weeks ration of food at a time to dispense of at will. It was thought a necessity to serve bread with the Christmas rations, which were always a little bit larger than normally. The poorer households couldn't afford to buy much flour and to make sure that each member of the house got his/her share of bread, the cakes had to be rolled out really thin. In fact, some said that if you could read the Bible through a cake it was thin enough. To make these plain cakes look more festive, patterns were cut into them before they were fried in tallow. There were several traditional patterns but improvisation was allowed. Today, the decorating and frying of leaf bread is a family event and part of the Christmas preparations.”

And here’s an additional item from the internet.

“Laufabrauð, the traditional Icelandic Christmas flatbread, has sometimes been called “snowflake bread” in English because of the intricate cut-through patterns. It is first mentioned in writing in the early eighteenth century and more than 100 years ago, it had become the one and only Christmas bread of Northern Iceland. Now it is made all over the island, especially by people of northern descent.”

We left with 2 or 3 of those fried breads in tow. “But the weather outside was frightful.” It was snowing, not really snow but these small ice pellets that were being whipped around by this fierce wind. On the way back to Kelly’s residence we went by the Hallgrim’s Church. The wind and snow was at its worst by now.

I was holding the paper bag that the girl at the Saga Museum had given me to hold the booklet that I had bought. Plus now it included the Christmas bread that we got at Anna Vala’s place and my return airline tickets that I had been carrying in my coat pocket. Kelly thought I might as well put them in the bag.

Well a gust of wind blew up with this pelting snow and the paper bag just shattered. The booklet, the bread and my tickets went flying all over the place. Somehow we were able to track them down and catch them before they totally disappeared.

We managed to get back to Gamli Gardur without any further incident.

Kelly made some roast potatoes and cooked up the shrimp for dinner. After dinner I started to transcribe the saga that I had written as pen to paper onto the electronic media. It took me from about 8 PM until 1:30 AM to put the written word into edited electronic Word.

I had another restless sleep the rest of the “long” night. It was still dark at 11 AM. For the second day in a row I finally got up around noon.

Kelly and I went to get some more supplies, this time in a totally different direction. We ended up at Kronan’s getting most of the groceries we needed. On the way back we stopped at the Bjornsbakari and got some bakery items.

When we got back to Gamli Gardur we started to make lunch. We had the fresh buns and the ham that we had bought on Saturday. One of the things that I had brought with me besides the maple syrup and the Stove Top Stuffing was a jar of Strub’s Baby Dill Pickles. They were a big hit on Saturday when I brought them out. My understanding of Icelandic pickles is that they’re something sweet and disgusting. And as Kelly said, ”You won’t like them, Dad.”

After I had made my ham and bun sandwich I said a dill pickle would go really good with this. So Kelly went to her fridge and looked on her shelf. They weren’t there. So there was a frantic search through the other shelves and the other fridges, and then all the cupboards and then the rooms but no Baby Dill Pickles could be found. Where did they go? To this date, no-one has fessed up to this heinous crime and they have not resurfaced.

After this heart-wrenching lunch, we bit our lip and went downtown Reykjavik so that Kelly could do some Christmas shopping. She didn’t see anything that she liked so we headed back to her place.

Kelly made a stir fry and then we watched “Christmas with the Kranks”. I got a half decent sleep that night and woke up around 7 AM.

Tuesday morning we walked around the campus of the University of Iceland. Kelly had to sign up for her last course. It’s a small, very compact campus. There are about 8,000 students registered at any one time. It’s slightly bigger than Trent where Kelly goes to in Canada.

After the tour of the campus we headed off to downtown Reykjavik again. We were going to try to hit some art galleries today. But first we went by Kelly’s apartment building where she stayed at during August when she was attending the Intensive Icelandic Course.

The first art museum we got to was near the harbourfront.

The following is taken from the internet.

“Reykjavik Art Museum – Hafnarhus

Currently there are 3 different exhibitions on display at the Reykjavik Art Museum - Hafnarhus. A private exhibition of works by Gudrun Vera Hjartardottir, works from the Erro collection and an exhibition of works that the Reykjavik Art Museum has acquired over the past three years.”

Today was a two for one day and we got to go to the following museum for free. It was a fair hike to get to this museum. It was raining and the wind along a couple of the streets was just ghastly. But we made it.

The following is taken from the internet.

“Reykjavik Art Museum - Kjarvalsstaðir

The exhibition hall at Miklatun Park was inaugurated in 1973, and was soon named Kjarvalsstadir in honour of the painter Jóhannes S. Kjarval.
Annually it hosts exhibitions of Icelandic and international art, with special emphasis on contemporary art. Exhibitions from the Kjarval Collection are always a feature in the schedule at Kjarvalsstadir.”

After the museum we headed to the Kringlan Mall, supposedly the biggest in Reykjavik and the biggest in Iceland. It was very busy with shoppers. Although there were some strictly Icelandic shops, most of them you’d find in any mall in North America.

The only interesting thing that happened to me was my visit to the Men’s Washroom. For some reason I needed to go rather urgently, so I went into this washroom and entered one of the stalls. I had undone my belt and was pulling down my pants when I looked behind me and saw the world’s smallest toilet. I really had to go so there was no turning back. I did my business. At first I thought I’d fill up the sucker and then I thought “I’m not going to be able to get up.”. But I didn’t and I did. I got out of there as fast as I could. I looked around to see if there was any indication that this was for children only but I didn’t see anything.

We caught the bus back to Kelly’s place. We had dinner and then watched a movie, “The Forty Year Old Virgin”. It was pretty hilarious.

Wednesday morning at 11 AM we went to the National Museum of Iceland which is next door to Kelly’s residence. When we got there we heard singing of Christmas carols. I could recognize the tunes but the words were something else. So we went and listened for a while. Even though I didn´t understand the words it was nice to hear the music. Then one of those Yule Lads got up on stage and started chanting away something or other. I listened for a while but I couldn´t understand a word he was yammering so I started going through the museum. Kelly soon joined me so I think she had enough as well.

The museum had some very interesting exhibits.

The following is taken from the internet.

“National Museum of Iceland

New state of the art galleries for more than 2,000 national treasures have been combined with conceptual exhibits and never before seen artifacts to make the National Museum of Iceland a source of inspiration and discovery.
Making of a Nation–Heritage and History in Iceland is the dynamic new installation for the permanent collection which asks visitors questions, with clues to possible answers from Iceland’s 1200 year culture: Who, and what, make a nation?
Tying the Knot–Icelandic Wedding Customs in Arc Hall illustrates marital traditions with objects from pagan times to the present day.
Formative Icelandic Photography inaugurates the National Gallery of Photography with a landmark exhibit featuring highlights from the Museum’s archives of over two million photographs.

There are wonderful interactive exhibits designed for children and fascinating guided tours for special interests. The Museum Café and adjacent Museum Shop are on the first floor.

The National Museum of Iceland is dedicated to communicating knowledge of Iceland’s cultural heritage from the time of its pioneering settlement in 874 to the present day. The museum reopens with renewed purpose as the national center for conservation, research, and illumination of Iceland’s extraordinary history.”

After the museum we went back to Kelly´s residence and had some lunch. Kelly was meeting with one of her profs at 1 PM about one of her courses for the next term, so I had some time to kill and updated this post.

Later we went over to the Hallgrim´s Church. We went up into the tower and heard the bells chime up close and personal. They´re pretty loud. Since the tower is one of the tallest structures in Reykjavik you get a very good panoramic view of the city. I took a number of pictures. I´m not sure if I´ll be able to post them here.

The following is taken from the internet.

“HALLGRIM'S CHURCH

The church of Hallgrimur is the crown on Iceland's capital with its magnificent 73 m high steeple rising above all other buildings in Reykjavik. It is the largest church of the country with a seating capacity for 1200 people in the nave. It was under construction longer than any other building in Iceland and has at times generated considerable controversy. Ideally situated on the hill Skolavorduholt, overlooking the centre of old Reykjavik, the site for Hallgrims church was in fact set aside early this century for the purpose of building just such a large church to serve the eastern part of the rapidly growing town.

The name of the Rev. Hallgrimur Petursson (1614-1674), without a doubt Iceland's most beloved poet, was soon linked to the plans for the proposed church. He influenced the nation's spiritual development perhaps more than any other person, and generation after generation of Icelanders have read, memorized and quoted his best known work, Hymns of the Passion. Iceland adopted Christianity in the year 1000 and was a part of the Roman Catholic Church until the Reformation in the 16th century, when the Icelandic church became Lutheran. to this day about 95% of the Icelandic population belongs to the Lutheran Church.”

Across the street from the church is another art museum. It was called Einar Jonsson Museum. Although the museum itself was closed you could still go into the yard and see the sculptures that were displayed there. Although it had some interesting sculptures, the one that sticks in my mind is the one of a guy lying underneath a cow suckling on her teats while her head is between his legs. Get the image.

We went down to the harbourfront and came upon the following sculpture called the Sólfar (Sun Voyager). It´s been referred to a stylized Viking ship.

The following is taken from the internet.

There was a picture of the ship but it didn't show up when I posted.

In the evening Kelly and I went for dinner at Caruso, one of the fine dining establishments in downtown Reykjavik and very expensive. I really need a raise. It was a nice meal. We had garlic bread for starters, a bottle of wine, Kelly had a pasta dish and I had the fillet of lamb and Kelly had a dessert. That must have done it. It was the dessert. Total came to over 11,000 Kr. About $225 for two people.

Fred´s Adventures from Iceland (Yet to come)

My travel agent reassures me that I’m still booked on both flights, Icelandair from Keflavik to Boston and American Airlines from Boston to Toronto on January 1st. So what is going on? Why would Icelandair tell me that my flight was cancelled when it’s not? I guess I´ll find out. Stay posted.

Fred’s Adventures TO Iceland (without a Cell Phone) - Part 2

The next day I had the breakfast and checked out before 11 AM. I didn’t have to pay for the room but I did have to pay for the phone call to Iceland which turned out to be 35 $US once the hotel added its service charge. For less than two minutes.

I thought I’d do a little sightseeing of Boston before I headed to the airport. Well it was a cold, wet, miserable day and I didn’t feel like walking around. Besides, this was Boston, the home of the dreaded Red Sox. Go, Yankees, Go.

I went to the airport around noon. The flight wasn’t leaving until 8:30 PM. I spent almost 3 hours in the Dine Boston Bar and Grill. I had a few pints. At 5 to 7 $US I think I only had three. But I did have a good lunch.

I went to the Icelandair counter but there was nobody there until almost 4 PM. Finally I checked in. No problem about this flight. There was room so I was all set.

However the agent said that since I missed the flight yesterday and did not rebook in time my return flight on the 1st was cancelled. I said I did try but couldn’t get through. He said that the flight had been overbooked and as soon as my reservation was cancelled it was reassigned.

Then he said that there was good news. There were two flights on the 2nd so I should have no problem getting on but I had to contact Icelandair as soon as possible. So I said couldn’t he do it right then and there but he said that he was just there for the current flight.

I went through security and waited. This was now after 4:30 PM and boarding was at 7:55 PM. So I waited and waited. I tried to read the book I had brought, I tried to browse the shops but there weren’t very many and there wasn’t much to look at. I basically walked around or sat.

And I observed. I saw all these people with cell phones that were constantly talking to somebody. I’m sure it helps to pass the time but do you need to be connected 24/7. I have heard that some people pretend to be talking on their cell phones so they look like they are with it. I’d rather be without it.

I’m sure that there were people out there looking at me, thinking that I was a dinosaur, watching them and envious while they were enjoying chit-chatting with each other. Not bloody likely.

At about 10 to 7 PM the girl at the counter announced “Paging Icelandair crew, please report to Gate 5”. A little while later they started arriving. I thought “This is strange.”

7:55 PM rolled around and we were not boarding. It wasn’t until 8:30 PM that we started to board. We took off at 9:01 PM.

About an hour into the flight, they gave us this meal in a box that I only ate a 3rd of. I think that it was chicken cordon bleu or something, a dry bun, a cracker and a tiny Rolo bar. I’m no gourmet so I’m only guessing.

I tried to read, I tried to sleep and I tried to watch the crappy monitor showing Notting Hill. The time passed. And then the captain announced that we should be landing in about 20 minutes, 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

We got closer and the plane started to descend. I saw the ground and the lights from the airport, I thought. It was still very dark at 6 something AM. As we approached the runway, the plane started to shake and shimmy. It was jostled and jerked about like a kite or something. It moved up and down and sideways and tilted a bit. Things didn’t seem right.

I could see the runway and the plane was very low and very close but I felt uneasy. Finally it pulled up and took off again. The announcement came that because of high winds they had to abort the landing. The plane kept going. It was hard to tell what was happening since we were in this dark thick cloud. We had no further word until about 30 to 45 minutes later which was after 7 AM when the captain announced that the tower had said the wind conditions had improved and they would try another landing.

They made their approach again and very soon the plane started to shake and shimmy and jerk about like before. Again it pulled up and aborted the landing. I’m thinking “I’m a goner. The plane can’t land here. How many airports do they have in Iceland that can accommodate a 757 and have favourable weather conditions?” We found out later that there were only 2 or 3 airports in other parts of Iceland that could handle the size of our plane.

I had this vision of us slamming into the ocean or the rugged Icelandic terrain. Neither was a welcomed sight.

Then the captain announced that we were being diverted to an airport on the other side of Iceland in a town called Egilsstaðir about 30 minutes away. So off we went.

We managed to get to Egilsstaðir and land safely, first time. Everyone applauded. They wanted us off the plane and into the terminal. We all filed out and walked over to this rather small building. We entered at the baggage level, then up the stairs to the main area which had a concession stand and a bunch of tables and chairs on one side and some couches on the other. There was also a second level that had more couches and seats.

However this place was not built for more than 50, maybe a 100 people. I’m sure there were more than 200 of us. There were people wall to wall.

We didn’t know what would happen, whether we would wait until the weather cleared in Keflavik, whether we would get bussed back or whether we would be put up for the night (I guess this was a long shot. Although it was still dark, it was only 8 AM). This town supposed only had less than 10,000 residents.

The concession stand was doing a booming business. I’m sure they had never had this many people at one time, unless this kind of thing happened regularly. They probably could have charged double and the people would have paid. After getting two beers for 1300 Kr maybe they were.

They had said that as soon as they find out anything they would let us know. We ended up waiting for over two hours.

As I sat there sipping my beer, I observed this mass of humanity. For one thing, there didn’t seem to any panic or concern. In fact there was a lot of laughter and chatter, which I didn’t understand much of except for the bits of English here and there. Some of the people had connecting flights to catch, like Stockholm, Copenhagen, London, Amsterdam, etc. so they seemed a little antsy. You could almost tell who they were.

The other thing was that almost everyone, me excepted, had a cell phone and they were constantly talking to somebody. I was thinking of asking one of them if I could use their cell phone to call Kelly and tell her what was happening but I got so intimidated by the fact that virtually everyone had one, even many of the kids. There were a couple of families with 2 or 3 kids and everybody had a phone and seemed to be using it constantly. Who are these people talking to, why so long and about what?

I didn’t want to look like someone that didn’t have a cell phone. So I stayed quiet.

Actually I broke down and asked a guy who was sitting beside me and with whom I had struck up a conversation, if I could use his phone. He was sitting there just pawing it. He said he was sorry but his phone did not work internationally, only back home in Sweden. Then I thought, “Sorry, Kelly, You’ll just have to wait this one out.”.

I wish I had my camera to record this, but they had asked us to leave our carry-on bags on the plane and unfortunately my camera was in my backpack. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Cell phone moment #5

If I had a cell phone, I could have called Kelly to tell her about our situation so that she did not worry. However there wasn’t much else I could tell her except that we were in a wait and see mode. I was hoping that she had called Icelandair to find out about our situation.

Finally the announcement came that we were to re-board the plane and that we were heading back to Keflavik. The weather conditions had changed dramatically. So we all filed back onto the plane and got ready for the return flight.

Cell phone moment #6

If I had a cell phone, I could have called Kelly that we were on our way back to Keflavik. I hoped that she already knew. Also she was supposed to wait until I called her to come and get me.

It was a forty to forty-five minute flight to Keflavik. As we flew back I could see this bright yellow and orange streak trying to peek over the clouds on the horizon. But soon we were below the clouds and the streak disappeared. We landed without further incident. Everyone applauded again when we landed.

Other than apologizing for the delays, Icelandair had offered us nothing, not even free drinks. I guess they had felt they had done enough by landing us safely. For this, I’m very grateful. I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t. But it would have been nice.

I must admit that the two flight attendants who sat in front of me (I was in seat 9A which was right beside the main exit of the plane) gave me a lot of comfort as they didn’t seem phased at all. They were talking and laughing as if this happened all the time. They may have been thinking something else, but it was a relief to see.

We deplaned, as they say, and were funneled through the airport building to the baggage claim area. Those who had connecting flights were scrambling around trying to find their gates. They had announced that except for London and Amsterdam which had already left, the other flights had been held back awaiting our return. So much for a no-hold policy.

I got my bags, went through customs and before I knew it I was out the door right in front of the Flybus that was to take me to the bus terminal in downtown Reykjavik.

Cell phone moment #7

If I had a cell phone, I could have called Kelly and let her know that I was on the bus and would be arriving in about half an hour. She could have been there when I arrived. However she was worth waiting for.

This was 11:30 AM local time, 6:30 AM EST. I got to the bus terminal a little after 12 PM, called Kelly on a pay phone (30 Kr), she came down and we walked back to her residence which was about 5 to 10 minutes away by 12:30 PM. The weather was rainy and dreary but not as cold as Boston. And it was fairly light outside considering the weather.

I finally made it, 43 hours after I left my home in Canada.

Cell phone moment #8

If I had a cell phone and we were actually going down I would have prayed instead of trying to call Him. It would have been a lot cheaper and I would have reached Him quicker. But fortunately I did not have to resort to that.

Will I fly Icelandair again? I’ll have to. It’s the only way to get off the bloody island.

Stay tuned for more postings of Fred’s Adventures (who’s now safely) in Iceland.

A final word on cell phones. If I had a cell phone, I could have saved some money on the call to Iceland, maybe. I could have let Kelly know about the delay when we got diverted to Egilsstaðir and again when we flew back to Keflavik. Finally I could have called her from the bus to let her know when to meet me at the bus terminal. The other times it wouldn´t have helped any. Kelly survived. And so did I, without a cell phone.

Fred’s Adventures TO Iceland (without a Cell Phone) - Part 1

Hi All. It’s me, Fred. This is the first part of a two part post.

As everybody who knows me, I was very excited, as excited as I can get, and I was looking forward to going to Iceland to visit my daughter, Kelly, who’s going to school there. Since Kelly is calling her blog, Kelly’s Adventures in Iceland, I was planning on adding a chapter about Fred’s Adventures in Iceland. I didn’t expect it to turn out to be Fred’s Adventures TO Iceland.

It all started on December 15 at 12:30 PM when Airways Transit picked me up. They had called the day before to move up the time from 1:30 PM to 12:30 PM because of the expected snow storm that was in the forecast for Thursday. I was finishing packing as the guy was ringing my doorbell. Off I went on my merry way.

He had one other person to pick up so he swung into Waterloo to get him. As the driver was helping the guy load up, an announcement came over his communication transmitter that there was a backlog at Sportsworld Drive and he was advised to take an alternate route. I don’t think the delay had anything to do with the impending storm which hadn’t started as yet.

When the driver got back in the van, I mentioned that there was a problem at Highway 8 and Sportsworld Drive. He called in and was advised to take the alternate. He went along some sideroads and eventually got back onto the 401.

When I got to Pearson I went to the American Airlines counter and checked in. This was before 2 PM and about 3 hours before the trip to Boston at 5 PM. We were supposed to be boarding at 4:15 PM.

So I waited. As I was waiting I made a few observations. Most of the people that were also waiting had cell phones that they were constantly using. Who were they talking to and why? There were a number of people that had these “things” clipped over their ears that they were listening to and talking to while they were browsing through a newspaper. There were also people that had headsets with these mikes wrapped around their jaw that they were speaking into while they were browsing through one of the airport shops. There was one guy who seemed to be describing every move he made while he was walking around like “I’m in front of the departure screen and I can see that the flight is still on schedule.” And he went through a lot more. Who are these people?

4:15 PM rolled around and nothing happened. Sometime later an announcement was made that the flight from New York was delayed due to the weather and since we were supposed to be using the same plane to go to Boston, our flight was rescheduled to leave at 5:30 PM. Between 5 and 5:30 PM another announcement was made that the flight had arrived and that we should be boarding by 5:45 PM.

We actually did board starting at 5:45 PM. Things were looking up. The flight to Iceland wasn’t leaving until 8:35 PM so we had two hours and fifty minutes to get there. Once we were boarded they announced that the plane needed to be de-iced before we could take off and that wasn’t expected to take too long.

It was interesting to see the de-icing even in the dark. There were two large trucks on either side of the plane each with this big arm and two hoses sticking out and a guy in a small compartment at the top of the arm controlling the hoses. They swung over the plane spraying some sort of anti-freeze or chemical (I didn’t think it was just hot water) all over the plane. I was near the front of the plane so I didn’t see anything further so I assume that they were spraying the wings and the tail of the plane for the other five to ten minutes.

By the time we got de-iced it was after 6:30 PM and time was getting tight. Now we were waiting in line for take off. At about 10 to 7 PM, the captain announced that we were about tenth in line and we should be taking off in 15 to 20 minutes. That would have made it about 7:10 PM.

I had this horrible feeling that I wasn’t going to make my connecting flight at 8:35 PM. We left at 7:16 PM and the flight time was expected to be one hour and eleven minutes, so arriving at around 8:27 PM. Plenty of time you might think.

I spoke with the flight attendant about my predicament and he said that they had no direct way of contacting Iceland Air but if they somehow did he would try to see if they would hold the plane for me. Fat chance I thought! He came back to say that they had text-messaged American Airlines in Boston who were going to try to contact Icelandair. This was between 8 and 8:10 PM.

Cell phone moment #1

If I had a cell phone, there was nothing I could have done. Cell phones were not allowed used while in flight.

He also said that our flight was landing at Terminal B at Logan Airport (for domestic flights only. Isn’t Canada its own country?) and that Icelandair was going to be leaving from Terminal E. There was a bus shuttle between the terminals.

We landed and they let me off first. I ran to the area where I was supposed to catch the shuttle, which took forever before it finally came. By the time I got to Terminal E it was 8:50 PM. The Icelandair counters were closed.

What was I to do? I went to the Information counter and the guy confirmed that the flight had left. I could try calling Icelandair on their 1-800 number to reschedule. I did that but when I dialed 2 for reservations I got a message that their system was down and I should try again another time.

Cell phone moment #2

If I had a cell phone, I could have called the toll free number for Icelandair and got the same response. I dialed the toll free number from a pay phone free of charge and got nowhere.

I went back to the information guy. He said that there wasn’t much more he could do. Then he said, just wait and he called someone. He told me to go to the Icelandair counter and someone would meet me there.

I met a lady at the counter and she said that they got the message but that Iceland Air policy was not to hold up flights so it had left. But there was good news. My bags had arrived and they were in storage. Also there was room for me on the Friday flight. I asked if I had to do anything and she said to just show up at the check-in time and show my ticket to the agent.

Also she said that airlines normally do not put up passengers overnight because of weather conditions. But she suggested that I go back to Terminal B and talk to an American Airlines representative and they may be able to do something for me.

I took the shuttle back to Terminal B. I got to the American Airlines counter and it was shut down. By this time it was 9:30 PM. Since the information guy was so helpful at Terminal E, I went to the Information counter at Terminal B and the guy suggested I go to the American Airlines baggage claim people who were still there across the way.

They said that they couldn’t do anything but that American Eagle (which is affiliated with American Airlines and it was an American Eagle plane that I had actually been on) was still open.

I went back to the departure level and, by golly, they were still there. I told my sad story and the agent took my ticket and went into the back room for about 10 minutes. At least it felt like 10 minutes or maybe more. She came back and made a phone call. Eventually she got the OK, I guess, and issued me a voucher for the Comfort Inn. The shuttle was to leave for the hotel at 10:10 PM. It was 9:50 PM now.

The shuttle got me to the hotel by about 10:45 PM. I checked in and got to my room. It could have been worse. I hadn’t eaten anything since the afternoon. On the flight they had given me a package of pretzels and crackers which I didn’t eat and some juice.

“I’ll order room service”, I thought. It closed at 10 PM. There was a restaurant in the hotel but it stopped serving food at 10 PM as well. I didn’t feel like venturing out. And there wasn’t a mini bar in the room so I couldn’t even drown my frustration. However there was a continental breakfast waiting for me in the morning.

Cell phone moment #3

If I had a cell phone, I could have called for take-out food and had it delivered. But then again I could have used the hotel phone for the local call.

I decided that I had to call Kelly to let her know about my missed flight because she was going to meet me at the bus terminal in Reykjavik. It was too late now to call because it was 4 AM her time. I had to stay awake another two hours which would make it 6 AM.

I couldn’t find anything interesting on the TV. I really wasn’t in the mood but I had to stay up. I kept flicking the channels just to stay awake.

Cell phone moment #4

If I had a cell phone, I could have called Kelly if I had the right plan and maybe saved some money. Read below to see how much it actually cost me to call from the hotel.

I finally called at about 1:10 AM local time and she answered. She actually had been awake since about 4:30 AM because they had walked a friend, who was leaving to go home, to the bus terminal. I told her what happened. It lasted less than two minutes.

I had a hard time falling asleep after that.

Alone in Iceland

Holly, and anyone else who doesn't know, I am staying in Iceland for Christmas. I won't be back in Canada until July (I think the 9th). My dad is coming to visit me, he will be here this Friday and stay until January 1st.

I was in the Saturday newspaper. My friend told me about it and I was like "what? really?" completely forgetting why I would be in the newspaper. But last week I had an interview with these people who are organizing foreign students having Christmas dinner with an icelandic family. They asked me to come back later to have my picture taken, and that is the picture that is in the newspaper. And the article called "Einmanaleg jól á Íslandi" (lonely christmas in Iceland) is about this and they even quoted me, but they spelt my name wrong, Kelly Kaipaly, haha even though I even spelt it out for them, but oh well. I thought that was cool. I should see if I can scan it somewhere and post it, but if not I can give it to my dad to scan when he gets back in Canada. Though it is weird that I am the main piece for the article but they haven't even responded to me yet on whether I will be having dinner with an Icelandic family. It would be a neat experience for me and my dad to have an icelandic christmas dinner. It was funny though because my icelandic friends told me about me being in the newspaper and their mom's felt so bad for me that they offered that I could come over for dinner at their place some time during the holidays, and we joked that it would be funny if everyone felt bad and sent me christmas presents :) hehe that wouldn't be so bad. Speaking of presents, I got my package from my mom and step-dad yesterday. Was so excited, I really wanted to open it but feel I should save it for christmas morning.

People are beginning to leave now. Tisho left Monday but he will be back, but Kate and Nathan left today and it was kind of sad because they are not coming back to Iceland. By next weekend pretty much everyone will be gone. Will be sad, but at least I will have my dad here.

Christmas Parties

Wow, this has been a good week. I completed my exams by Tuesday and then we had our Christmas party for our floor Wednesday and then a christmas party for the whole building last night.

The floor party was pretty fun. We all made some food, I made lasagna, and there were mashed potatoes, stir fry, soup, garlic rice, and more and some cake for desert. We listened to Christmas music and exchanged gifts. I got this cute little bird that you can clip on to things. Then after all of this all of us, except Harald, went to the pool for a late night swim. Was a lot of fun.

Last night we had a little birthday party for Kate. She just turned 20 and both her and Nathan are leaving on wednesday. Wow everyone is leaving really soon! Nathan made chili for her birthday and Chrissy mad this wonderful cake with circus candy animals on top. Was really tastey.

Then immediately after there was the christmas party up stairs. We now have a christmas tree and christmas lights. I made some chocolate chip cookies and attempted to make turnovers but they didn't turn out that great, the dough was too brittle. But I think both were a big success because now there are none left. Csaba made lots of crepes (I think he said he was aiming to make a hundred!) and there were other goodies. Also christmas music playing. Was a fun party.