Travel | Three days in Iceland
28 October 2015 • travel
Psst! Don't forget to check my video at the end of the post!
My friend -who is a travel agent !!- and I spent the last weekend in Iceland! We put on our tourist costume and did all the must-do/see things possible in the shortest time...
Apparently, the MUST-DO/SEE things in Reykjavik and around (according to a commercial documentary seen in the plane) are:
- relax at the Blue Lagoon after landing or before departing,
- climb to the top of the church to have a good look at the city,
- visit the Whale Museum,
- go on the Golden Circle tour.
We did it all.
We flew in with Icelandair. I was amazed. Either it's been a while since I flew somewhere (last year actually...) either I should stop flying with Ryanair... because it was awesome.
Fresh complimentary Islandic water and movies à la carte, I had a good time. The aircraft felt pretty new and it was roomy and comfy.
As soon as we arrived, we headed to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa. On the way, we admired the landscape: lava fields à perte de vue. It was surreal. The sky was gray but it wasn't as cold as we thought.
When we got into our swimsuits and opened the door to get in the water we actually felt the real temperature and at approximately 1°C we got in the lagoon pretty fast...
The warm lagoon got us very relaxed and we even had a drink to celebrate! The water was at 39°C and there was vapor all around making it very special. Unfortunately all the kids from the UK were on holiday and we heard/saw them A LOT. But it didn't annoy us too much because the lagoon is large and we quickly found a more tranquil spot to splash about.
I would definitely recommend going to the Lagoon after landing as it was very relaxing after "the stress" of the flight. We were visiting in the afternoon and we were happy to get there before dark because the blue color does look stunning in contrast with the black lava bed.
In the evening, we checked in our hotel situated right in the center of the city and we enjoyed a pleasant meal at the Bistro.
The next day started with the visit of the largest Lutheran church of Iceland, Hallgrimskirkja. At the top, we enjoyed the sight.
Seven year anniversary
24 October 2015 • personal
Aren't we cute?
I tricked you! You thought this was going to be a fun bonus post huh? Fear not, it won't make tears roll down your cheeks!
Life | A day in the life
19 October 2015 • update
For those of you not familiar with the term, sit back and enjoy yourself as you're about to spend a full day with me!
Haha! I've been loving blogs since forever (no, actually since 2006.) AND I've always loved those posts. I had already thought of that before, but I was very reluctant to do it because, well you know, I'm not a selfie taker, I have the most boring life (most days anyway) and I just can't bring myself to photograph everything in front of everybody who's just gonna stare back at me and think that I'm insane.
(I secretly hope Santa brings me a very awesome camera so I can make those perfect blog worthy pics but until then... let's just dream, will we?)
Recently, I thought about my daily routines and I fondly remembered my days as a very energetic teenager. How much I crammed in those days, it's unbelievable! I did a lot before school, I loved those mornings when my parents were not there, we could do anything we wanted (they both worked and our neighboor drove us to school everyday).
Then, I thought about my awesome days as an exchange student! I was kind of a morning person too: I still went to school and more importantly I had my rowing class (is that a thing?) at 5am. I used to bike there as well! When you think about it, it's the dream lifestyle! How much would I give to be able to have a nice, relaxing walk on the beach in the Australian (spring/summer) weather before heading to work??? Probably a lot.
My work situation is going to change very soon so I thought about the "a day in the life" posts and I decided it was a perfect opportunity to highlight those ending times. I'm imagining myself looking back at this post and thinking: wow! how much life can change so fast!
So, all of this happened last Monday. I thought I would do it with the dullest of days. The bf didn't come home because of work and stayed with his parents (who live much closer to his job) in case you're wondering.
Let's get started, shall we?
Psycho
14 October 2015 • personal
I don't know about you, readers, but I recently saw for the first (and I hope, last) time the cult movie Psycho, directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock in 1960.
First, it's not for the light-hearted. I had to close my eyes when I sensed it was going to be violent/scary/unwatchable. My imagination can perfectly work by itself, thank you.
What a film.
First, it's not for the light-hearted. I had to close my eyes when I sensed it was going to be violent/scary/unwatchable. My imagination can perfectly work by itself, thank you.
If you're interested in seeing it, I definitely recommend you do that as well.
Second, the screenplay is genius.
This movie is a thriller. It's not my ultimate favourite genre of movies (too much stress) but I can appreciate an excellent thriller that isn't axed as much on violence but on tension.
It was based on a novel by Robert Blotch. The author himself was inspired by a fait divers that happened not far from where he lived.
I had originally no idea what the movie was about, except that it was maybe a bit scary.
Correction: it was terrifying.
This movie is a thriller. It's not my ultimate favourite genre of movies (too much stress) but I can appreciate an excellent thriller that isn't axed as much on violence but on tension.
It was based on a novel by Robert Blotch. The author himself was inspired by a fait divers that happened not far from where he lived.
I had originally no idea what the movie was about, except that it was maybe a bit scary.
Correction: it was terrifying.
NB: I said I had no idea what the movie was about but watching it I recognized a scene that's surely the most best-known scene of the history of cinema. You'll probably recognize it too.
Third, the movie is shot in black and white. Nothing really interesting there, except it should be! The shades of grey, the light effects are pure perfection. It's simply beautiful on the eyes.
I can say the same about the filming: magnificent traveling shots as well, especially in the beginning.
Fourth, the soundtrack keeps your heart beating. It makes everything so sinister. The strident sounds can make you have a heart attack so, take your precautions before watching.
I can say the same about the filming: magnificent traveling shots as well, especially in the beginning.
Fourth, the soundtrack keeps your heart beating. It makes everything so sinister. The strident sounds can make you have a heart attack so, take your precautions before watching.
Finally, Anthony Perkins is basically an amazing actor. You'll be biting your nails in terror just seeing him smile on camera. Fo-re-ver.
I found on the web some original (from when the film was released!) "directions" on how to get ready to watch the film.
Here's also the original trailer from 1960. Presented by Hitchcock himself. It can even seems funny in some parts.
All in all, I wrote this because I was so impressed by this movie. It isn't a masterpiece for nothing, I can appreciate that. Surely, I couldn't stand to watch it in its entirety (closed my eyes a few times) but the music, the lights effects, the decor, ... I found it perfect. Perfect for Halloween!
5 good things
9 October 2015 • update
1. FRIENDS. This has to come up all the time in my lists. No need to explain why, they're plainly UH-MA-ZING. They make my world go round.
2. The light. The sun shines at its best during the fall. That's my opinion nonetheless. I appreciated an afternoon spent blogging in my new office, with the light shining through the window, a cup of tea next to my right hand as I vigorously kept on hitting the keyboard like there was no tomorrow.
3. Taking the time to think. I do this at work and while sitting my ass in the train/tube/tram/insertvehiculesnamehere. I also think when I read (more below). I mean, I really stop and think. It feels pretty good, but a few times, it's true, it just leaves me clueless. Too much debating in my head can be too much to handle indeed.
4. Books. I got down some pretty decent reads lately. It must be the autumn feeling that I get every year but I want to curl up and read all my favourites again. I want to be left alone for two whole days while I read (again) the entire Harry Potter series in one go!
5. Rice. In order to save money and eat less crap from the supermarket, I cooked myself some riz au lait for my midday snacks cravings. Delicious! It's plainly rice cooked with milk and a spoonful of sugar and a vanilla pod. I also made a batch of mushroom risotto and it was so creamy and heartwarming!
Home | Spooky pics
7 October 2015 • home
Last year we hosted a little Halloween party.
We went totally crazy with all the ideas we found on Pinterest: Frappuccino costume, chocolate mousse cemeteries, Jack-o-Lantern balloons, dead leaves on the ground (my own idea!!), carrot and beetroot cupcakes (my own idea too), garbage bag spider webs, dead man in the shower, bloody cocktails, mummy sausages, youtube scary movies compilation on the telly, ... you name it, we did it!
What do you think?
We went totally crazy with all the ideas we found on Pinterest: Frappuccino costume, chocolate mousse cemeteries, Jack-o-Lantern balloons, dead leaves on the ground (my own idea!!), carrot and beetroot cupcakes (my own idea too), garbage bag spider webs, dead man in the shower, bloody cocktails, mummy sausages, youtube scary movies compilation on the telly, ... you name it, we did it!
What do you think?
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