Travelling On

Baileys_Babe

Thanks, @themadvix one day I plan to do match betting so this is invaluable information.

Karmacat

Aha, gotcha, thanks madvix - so PP would be one to miss for the free stuff.  I'd feel happy leaving a few casinos untouched, so I could do normal betting and laying - I *think*, from what I can gather, they take the same amount of time to do, but the potential on the casinos, if you're following Team P, is much higher.

Not doing any of it except the spinny things for now  

Did a little bit of cutting back well before lunch - but its *really* hot out there, I can't be out doing gardening in that Still got a bucketful So it's about the holiday list:
- one item completely ticked - power bank completely charged up (I hadn't even got it out of the plastic, its so long since I've been on proper holiday!).
- sarong located, I ironed the fringe bits I need to cut off, and cut them off with my mum's pinking shears to help with anti-fraying.  Will pin this afternoon.
- got some phone numbers for taxis in Belfast - we'll need them to get to the Titanic Belfast by 9.20 - ship's shuttle bus goes directly to city centre.  Turns out taxis have their own apps these days, I didn't know   
- holiday list now stands as follows:
13 done
4 part-done
2 not before the trip
11 untouched: these are;
-  clean flowerpots
- make sarong
- research destinations
- research languages
- make woolly hat from scarf
- plant perennials
- capillary matting set up for house plants
- clear bed in 2nd bedroom so I can open my luggage
- nail polish on toes
- cook flapjacks
- print documents

Karmacat

Ug, I've been researching destinations till my brain hurts ... how ungrateful I am  We have a day at the 2nd city in Iceland ... erm, 18,000 people... sister is on the trip that's too long for me.  I *could* just walk around the town, which is very pretty and complex and full of stuff to see - its name is Akureyri.  I could also get the circular town bus (free) that takes about 45 minutes - I did that with the metro in Chicago years ago, and loved it, though this one does all the tourist areas too, its only a population of 18,000, as I say . 

But I could also get a taxi to the ski resort that's maybe 5 miles away, on the mountain to the west, and mooch about for a few hours (cue another half hour of restlessly roaming about websites).  You know what, I'm not going to do it.  It's meant to be a more restful day, since I'm not going on the long geology-based trip.

My heart sinks when I think of the hassle I might be letting myself in for if I make the prior arrangements.  After all, I *could* just go to the taxi office and book one for half an hour on a road that goes out of town.  That feels much nicer.

Alchemilla

This is so exciting! How long to departure? Can you say?

Karmacat

Thanks Alchemilla!  It really *is* exciting!  I sort of can't believe it, either, so it's a bit weird.  Departure is fine to say, because the house will be looked after - Monday 25th.  If the rail situation makes our travel too difficult, I'll leave on the Sunday, and spend that night at my sister's, so she can drive up there asap - my house would be in the wrong direction   

The other really exciting trip is from Reykjavik - we're going to a thermal power station (everybody goes there, apparently, it's not exclusive  ) and walking in lava tubes, but we're sailing quite late, so we have time to go into Reykjavik on our own, after a late lunch.  

Iceland is up there with Norway when it comes to renewable energy - Norway is hydroelectric, Iceland is geothermal.  Though that particular power plant is in danger from a local volcano that's slowly oozing magma  it was on Expedition Volcano the other day.

I know I'm going on about it a lot, it's partly because I really do find it fascinating, and partly because there are *so* many financial implications.  And I've always enjoyed looking forward to things, as well as doing things!

themadvix

It is said that the anticipation and planning, even of a trip that you’re not going to take is good for improving mood (presumably boosts feel-good hormones??) so planning and looking forward is totally acceptable!! And you do have to know stuff in advance to make sure you make the most of your trip! Remember you can always take photos/screen shots of info on your phone to refer to while you’re away (I actually did this with the guidebooks from the library - as I’d borrowed them rather than bought anyway, I figured that the authors/publishers weren’t being done out of money; I wasn’t going to buy the books regardless, just didn’t want to carry the weight on the trip)

Suffolk_lass

I've got a distant recollection of stopping at a nursery that grew pineapples in Iceland; heating the glasshouse with thermal (free) heat from the Earth's core. They basically produced the babies for the commercial producers (and I'm sure I remember being told at the time they were the biggest producers of pineapples in (certainly Northern, maybe all) of Europe

Karmacat

themadvix said:

It is said that the anticipation and planning, even of a trip that you’re not going to take is good for improving mood (presumably boosts feel-good hormones??) so planning and looking forward is totally acceptable!! And you do have to know stuff in advance to make sure you make the most of your trip! Remember you can always take photos/screen shots of info on your phone to refer to while you’re away (I actually did this with the guidebooks from the library - as I’d borrowed them rather than bought anyway, I figured that the authors/publishers weren’t being done out of money; I wasn’t going to buy the books regardless, just didn’t want to carry the weight on the trip)

Good points there, madvix - I often make my own pdf documents for my phone of travel points taken from websites, but I'm having some trouble with cut and paste on Edge (which I seem to have to use, grrr) and my Open Office software, never happened before this week - so yes, it might well be photos on the phone, absolutely.

Also on the good vibes from planning - it got a bit overwhelming yesterday, because I was trying to pack things in, and that's not actually my style, it's more my sister that does that.  I love going to a place, seeing some defined sights, then getting lost in the backstreets - I've had wonderful experiences on all my travels like that.

Suffolk_lass said:

I've got a distant recollection of stopping at a nursery that grew pineapples in Iceland; heating the glasshouse with thermal (free) heat from the Earth's core. They basically produced the babies for the commercial producers (and I'm sure I remember being told at the time they were the biggest producers of pineapples in (certainly Northern, maybe all) of Europe

Oh wow!  And of course a lot of the time, they've got a lot of daylight hours, and even if that's not the season, their lights are just as free as the heating I really love Iceland  

themadvix

Oh totally agree about having free time to just explore- but even then it helps to know if it’s a good place to explore or not.

Karmacat

So true  

I did lots of cutting back of weeds yesterday, and a bit of digging too - had to leave it really late, because of the heat.  Even hotter today, so I'm not sure I'll be doing much - maybe focus on the sewing up the side of the sarong 😁