Archive | August, 2025

My favorite Places in Iceland

22 Aug

Our cruise in July started in Iceland.  We arrived while the volcano was erupting.  We could see it from the road as we traveled from the airport to Reykjavik.   It was exciting for us because years earlier we were in Hawaii when the volcano was erupting, but the day that our cruise ship was going to be able to see the lava flow, it stopped.  A great disappointment.  Seeing the eruption in Iceland fulfilled a desire to see an erupting volcano.

Sveinsson’s home and museum
Art inside the home.
Woman WIth A Churn

We visited two off the beaten path places in Reykjavik that were in walking distance to our hotel.   The first was the Asmundur Sveinsson home and sculpture garden/museum at the Reykjavik Art Museum.. Honestly, I had never heard of him before, however one of his statures I had seen, “The Woman with A Churn”.  Some of his large sculptures did not appeal to me.  I think I like figures that I understand a bit more.  Before we read the description in the guide we used, my husband and I tried to figure out what some of the sculptures represented.  I think we needed to understand more about Iceland mythology culture to really appreciate the figures.  But I am glad we went.

The water feature sculpture
A small garden hut at the gardens.
Lowlying rock gardens
Loved this water at the gardens

From the museum we walked to the Reykjavik Botanic Garden, “Grasagardur Reykjavikur.” I love botanical gardens, and this one was lovely, especially since the flora of Iceland is much different than those I had visited before! Much of it is low to the ground and nestled into rocks and crevices.  I liked how there were paths through the rock gardens so we could get up close to these plants.  It was a quiet place to walk and enjoy, as well as to see all the families there enjoying the paths as well.  I am sure it is a great place for families because it is also free and open to the public.

There is a wonderful sculpture in the park of two towers and between them is a water feature that ebbs and flows.  It stands right in front of one of the rock gardens.  I enjoyed seeing its water display with the plants below.  The botanical garden does have a café, where many of the families were eating.  We chose to leave the park to walk a bit through the town and ate at a lovely little restaurant called, Ginger.  It was excellent.

My other favorite spot in Iceland was our at first stop on the cruise at Vestmannaeyjar on Heimaey Island.  Before our tour, we took a quick walk around town and decided to visit the Beluga Whale Sanctuary at Sealife Trust.   I have been singing the Beluga Whale song, “Baba Beluga.”  by Raffi for years. First to my children and now to my granddaughters.  So I absolutely had to visit this sanctuary and donate to support the whales.  Their two whales were rescued from show and now live peacefully.  They Sealife Trust is preparing a bay at Heimaey Island to eventually releases the beluga whales to live in.  I am glad we made this stop before meeting up with our tour.

The volcano to the left is Eldfell. You can see how high up we are. This area was once as low as the area to the right.
This was the salt water tank for the town’s pool. The pool is under lave.
Lava used to build walls.
This house’ backyard is lava!
In this area, this is how high the lava and ask got before it was removed.

I chose our tour because of my fascination with volcanos.  Years ago my husband and I visited Pompeii, the most famous of the once lava and ash covered ancient cities.  Well Vestmannaeyjar, has a similar history.  In 1973, the Eldfell volcano erupted for six months.  It covered most of the city in ash and lava.  Over the years, the people have dug out some of the town. But a large area is still covered by the lava.  We joined a group that took a lava walk along the top of this lava flow above the now covered town. Luckily even though this eruption happened in the early morning, almost all the residents were able to escape to mainland Iceland. Just one person perished.

Our tour guide for the trip was a local resident, whose grandparents and mother lived through the eruption.  They were fortunate as their home was on the far side of town, and so not destroyed. But like all the other residents, they had to evacuate.  She also told us how the town saved their bay from the lava flow thus making it possible to the town to survive after the eruption.   They took salt water from the ocean and continuously sprayed it on the lava, which helped stop it just a short distance from the bay,

The lava increased the size of the island by two miles, also the town was able to use the heat generated by the still warm lava for decades to heat the homes and businesses!  I also noticed that a lot of fences and walls are made from lava in the city.

We could see what was left of Eldfell now, but noticed there is another older volcano, Helgafell, nearby that still has the typical volcano shape.

I really did enjoy our lava walk and tour. But honestly, I also wish part of it was to visit the Eldheimar Volcano Museum. It was a great disappointment. But by the time I realized we would not be visiting it, we had to head back to the ship.  I guess I will have to go back one day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestmannaeyjar
https://visitwestmanislands.com/tour/eldheimar-museum/

belugasanctuary.sealifetrust.org

https://visitreykjavik.is/reykjavik-botanical-garden

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Peaceful Kinderdijk Windmills

17 Aug

The windmills of Holland were always a site I wanted to see since I was a child and read the book Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates. I was mesmerized by the idea of the dykes and the water issues that impacted the Netherlands.   But even though I read the book, I never realized how important the windmills were to keep the water at bay.  Now I know.

I actually learned several important facts about windmills during our visit to the Kinderdijk Windmills, a UNESCO Site.  The most important is the actual reason the windmills were there, and that is to pump the water out of the ground and put it into canals that then are pumped out into rivers that run to the ocean.  Without these windmills doing this work for centuries, the Netherlands would be under water.  Now, of course, the windmills have been replaced with upscaled motors and water engineering that works much more efficiently.

I also learned that people actually lived in the windmills!  It never occurred to me that the ‘miller’ who cared for the windmills and made sure that they were facing the right direction lived in them with their families.  But now I know.  We were able to enter one of the windmills and see how families lived.  It was tight quarters, with low ceilings, but they made it work.  All windmills have two entrances so that they can always get in and out as the blades of the windmill do get reoriented. That made sense to me!  I always want an exit.

The guide told us that the people who lived in the windmills were the poor of the poor.  So they also had vegetable gardens and some animals for food.  We were able to see the recreation of one of the gardens at the windmill.

So a windmill was both the work and home of the millers who kept the area from being flooded, as much as possible.  As a side note, the people really did wear wooden shoes.  Since the ground was so swampy. Wooden shoes were the best way to keep their feet dry.

The Windmills at Kinderdijk encompasses 18 windmills, a pumping station, a visitors’ center, canals, and a statute of a cat, cradle and baby. As well as a lovely pathway to visit the site.

We really enjoyed the walk around to the windmills.  It was so peaceful and serene. The canals looked lovely with the lillypads bobbing in the water , and the wildflowers growing on the banks along side the canals.  Besides the tourist visiting the windmills, locals were riding their bicycles along the path.

Touring the Windmill
The Windmill we entered. The garden and the interior.

I like history, and I love learning how things work. So seeing the demonstration on how they moved the blades of the windmill and then watching it catch the wind and twirl was great.  Later we walked into the Wisboom pumping station and spoke to the docent about the different engines and how the pumping system changed over time.  I really enjoyed that.

Wisboom Pumping Station.

We also took some time to enter  the Visitors’ Center and have a snack, visit the gift store. And learn more about the story of the cat that saved the baby by rocking the cradle in the water during a flood in 1421. This story is the basis of the statute that sits in the pond at the site.  So of course I had to buy the book, Katie, the Windmill Cat, to take home for my granddaughters. This story is also why the city and the site is called Kinderdijk, or Child’s Dyke, to memorialize this story.

 

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Magical Castles of Scotland

8 Aug

When I discovered that the Unicorn was the official animal of Scotland, everything I ever knew about Scotland made sense. The murder mysteries that included fairies and scared trees. The love stories that included love that spanned centuries and traveled between times. The stories of the highlands and the low roads leading to a romantic castle on the shore of a Loch where magic lights appear and spirits bring lovers together.  It all had to be true if Unicorns were the official animal of Scotland.

Just to be clear, the people I met in Scotland assured me that they knew unicorns were mythical creatures, and that I would not see any unicorns roaming the streets or fields of Scotland. But they said that in the same breath that they told me about the many sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, known affectionately as Nessie.

However they might deny it, I must admit that during my visits to both the Castle in Edinburgh and the ruins of the Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness in Inverness, I was waiting for the fairies to peek out and smile at me. And there were times I thought they just might be around, hiding in a darkened alley or behind a piece of furniture. Such is the magic of Scotland, with a unicorn as its official animal, one believes that anything could happen!

The view from the Visitor’s Center
Watching Loch Ness waiting for Nessie
Watching people approach the castle.
The stairs on the other side of the water gate.
Main entrance to the castle..
The water gate to go down to the Loch.
Some of the sights of Urquhart Castle.

Urquhart Castle was destroyed by the clan that lived there to keep the fortification from being used by the Jacobites. Since they felt they could no longer keep it secure, they determined blowing it up would be the wise choice. Then the ruins were left to rot on the side of Loch Ness for centuries. It was only in modern times that the Scots determined that this would be a great spot for tourists to visit the romance of a castle and at the same time sit near the coast of Loch Ness and search the waters for Nessie. I know that my husband and I enjoyed doing both.

Ruined castles have now unhidden staircases, towers standing solo reaching towards the sun. The buildings around them slumped in ruin but still given the site a romantic air, because that is what castle are all about in our day.  A romantic place for people to fall in love. But really this castle was the scene of many bloody battles. After reading its history I understand why they blew it up.

But still, for many a tourist it was a place of wonder to explore and take many photos, while imagining the place when it was intact. I loved our visit to Inverness and Urquhart Castle.  In fact, my husband and I want to go back to spend a week there one day.

The Urquhart castle was taken over by the government in 1913 and developed over the years to the attraction seen today. There is a lovely visitor center on the hill above the castle. I must warn people with mobility issues, that this visit includes much walking from the parking lot to the visitor center and then more walking down to the castle. Also within the castle there are many steps and uneven walkways. It is the ruins of a castle from the 1600s. Just be aware.

The next Castle was Edinburgh Castle, the home of the kings and queens of Scotland as well as the current home of the Royal Jewels. Edinburgh Castle is differently not a ruin. 

Staring up at from the Royal Mile, you start to realize the size and majesty as you get closer and closer. But then when you are about to enter the Portcullis Gate of Edinburgh Castle, it looks small again, until you past through the gate.

The long line to get in.
Waiting for the Crown Jewels.
St. Margaret’s Chapel
The Great Hall
Inside St. Margaret’s Chapel
Window in St. Margaret’s Chapel
Perhaps a Fairy Garden
Victory Street or Diagon Alley?
The Royal Mile

It took a while get through the gate, as we were not the only tourists there who wanted to enter this magical world. You must book your time and date in advance in order to get in to experience the many wonderful places to see. I personally loved just walking around and around the cobblestone road upward to the top. We enter the Great Hall, the Memorial for Fallen Soldiers and paid our respects to those that died for Scotland. We went through a small museum about the Scottish Military. We looked at the long line to see the Crown Jewels and decided we did not want to stand in a line,  so we continued our walk.  I enjoyed seeing St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building at the castle.  Then at one o’clock, our attention changed as we heard the explosion and resounding blast of the one o’clock cannon. Everything stopped for a moment in silence before we all continued our visit.

While I was waiting for the cannon bast,  I believe I found the place where the fairies hang out at Edinburgh Castle. While looking over the stone walls I saw a little garden area.  Supposedly this is the cemetery for the soldiers’ dogs. And yes, I did see tombstones. But I did not see any way to enter this garden. And to me it looked like the perfect spot for a fairy tea party. Okay, I might just be imagining it, but since my time at the Castle, I have had several dreams about this garden and there are always fairies in it.

The Edinburgh Castle is well worth the wait to go through and the crowds that enter.  As you walk closer to the top, the numbers of people thin out, and you get that feeling that you could go back in time and see the medieval residents of the castle. But seeing from the outside and imagining is the best, because, in reality, I would probably would have been a serf and not welcome there. 

After we left the castle, we returned to the Royal Mile and found the most important place for my husband, an Ice Cream Store.  With ice creas in hand, we walked along the Royal Mile happily eating ice cream, seeing the sites, including Victory Street, which is supposedly the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter stories. Fairies, wizards, muggles, dementors: of course, Harry Potter was from Scotland. There is no where else to create these characters then a bit of magic from Scotland and castle.

 

 

https://www.visitinvernesslochness.com/listings/urquhart-castle-visitor-centre

https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/the-castle/history/

 

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Air Raid Sirens Are Not the Music to Labor Through!

2 Aug

This week, I had an out of body experience.  My body was in Holon with my husband, as my daughter and son-in-law were at a hospital where my daughter was in active labor. But my heart was with them. We had been awaiting the arrival of our newest granddaughter with excited anticipation. 

As we waited for news, a different sound interrupted our reverie.  It was not the buzzing of a cell phone with information or pictures.  Instead, it was the sounds of sirens as the Houthis sent another ballistic missile towards Israel.

As we ran to the mamad, I panicked. I have lived through sirens in Israel before. But now my thoughts were on my daughter delivering a new life into the world.  Was the birthing room in a safe place? My son-in-law reassured me.  At the same time my cousins also starting texting to make sure we were okay.  They also let me know that the birthing rooms were safe from rockets.

My granddaughter was born later the night, in the early morning hours of the next day.

But her arrival being heralded by air raid sirens led my mind to wander.  What will it be like for her to grow up in a country where there are air raid sirens weekly?  Where you never know who will attack next. I honestly believe that all residents of Israel have a little PTSD.  And I m sad that my granddaughter will have to live with the sounds of sirens in her life.

But at the same time, I have to think pregnant mothers in other areas of the world that are not safe.  I cannot imagine how a pregnant mother feels who lives in Yemen, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the Druze community of Syria, and Iran.

How do those women cope?

Here in Israel, there is the security that the sirens will alert us of a missile. That the mamad or bomb shelter will keep us safe. In these other places there are no shelters to protect them. There are not birthing rooms built to keep missiles out.  What goes through their minds when bombs fall?

The world is not a pretty place right now.  Jew Hatred has an intensity that has not been so bad since the Nazis. There is gun violence in the US. Hundreds of mass murders each year. There is conflict throughout the world. There are storms of unusual intensity. There are major earthquakes all around the Pacific rim. Today there are tsunami warnings in countries that border the Pacific. There is political unrest and uncertainty and regional and international tensions.

As a grandmother, I want that new generation to know a little of the peace that my children and I had. But with social media and the biased narratives of the news and bots that twist reality and challenge what is the truth, I am not sure the world will return to an equilibrium for decades.

What I believe is that women should not have to give birth in a bomb shelter. Sirens should not disturb the concentration and focus of labor. No woman should have to give birth in fear of war. You would think by now people would realize that we really are one world. And that major events that happen anywhere in the world impacts everyone. Just like the earthquake in Russia is impacting the world right now as countries sound their tsunami warnings and volcanoes erupt throughout the world.

I believe we are getting a message from nature.  We are one. We need to work together to give the next generation a safe place to live.

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