U2 360 at the Rose Bowl DVD Review

I had pre-ordered the Deluxe version of the 360 at the Rose Bowl DVD and was surprised to see it pop through my letter box yesterday!  So last night I sat down with a glass of red wine and watched disc one.  I was a bit worried what I would think about it as I had not been that impressed by the hour long highlights shown on Sky TV earlier in the week.  I haven't mentioned every song and my review is my initial impressions, I haven't sat and thought about it, it's just the impressions and feelings I got while watching.

Get On Your Boots starts the show,  I realise that I really don't like this song very much now, it seems kind of clumsy.  Magnificent was next - this is a song that definitely should start the show, it's perfect for that.  The audience was a bit subdued to say the least and Bono worked hard to motivate them and shouted, "Get off your fat asses."  LOL! 

Beautiful Day was well received and Bono added at bit of God's Country at the end which was a nice touch.  Again Bono worked hard to get the audience going in Mysterious Ways.  He introduced the band, Larry was U2's James Dean, Adam, Rhett Butler - "Suave, sophisticated, frequently gone with the wind", a reference to Adam's problem with wind .  Edge was a "Visitor from outer space" who boldly goes where no other guitar player goes, "Mr Spock to us, the Edge to you."  He described himself as a mixture between Arnie Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, which besides the lack of height I didn't really get.

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For was a special moment, as often happens the audience took over the singing, I think that was the point the crowd finally got into the concert.  I got that warm, fuzzy feeling I often get a U2 concerts when something special is happening that is beyond the music.  Why does this song affect people so?  I think it's because it touches a nerve deep within, across all borders, we are all searching for something, we are all striving, so can relate to this song. 

Bono called out "Buzz Aldrin's in the house, the second man to walk on the moon."  2009 was the 40th anniversary of the first men on the moon. 

Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of  was lovely, a quiet acoustic version - there was a funny interchange between Bono and Edge at the beginning.

Next was No Line on the Horizon  and seeing this confirmed it is definitely my favourite song from the last album.  energetic, a bit raw round the edges, I love when Bono just blasts out a song like that.  Love the bit where the band come crashing in again at "Traffic cop...." fab.

Elevation was another the audience liked, but it is not one of my favourite U2 songs.  Liked the bit Bono put on the end,  females fans will enjoy it LOL!

I really enjoyed In a Little While though it is not a favourite song of mine.  There were views of the earth from space and the International Space Station on the claw screens which worked really well with the song.  At the end Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne recited some lines of the song, which again was very appropriate with lyrics such as "A man takes a rocket ship into the skies."  Nice.

The Unforgettable Fire was wonderful. The claw lit up beautifully, complimenting the music well.  Once more I marvelled at the talent of such young men in the early 1980's writing such a fabulous, complicated and mature song,  Bono mentioned Stephen Gateley, who had recently died, as "A beautiful spirit, a bright shining spark."

There were some great aerial shots of the claw and stadium during City of Blinding Lights,  again it worked really well with the song. 

Vertigo rocked, the screen "spinning" manically at the end.  Crazy (I can't bothered to write out the full title of the song, it's too long!) came across well, the sound cranked up on my headphones was much better than on the TV programme the other day.  I still love this version of the song, in fact I like it better than the album version.  Bono gave some clapping lessons - and said they had a "Cuban beat going."

One was another of those moments, it's a song that brings people together, performed wonderfully, throughout the concert I thought Bono's voice was excellent.

Streets was dramatic, the stadium was lit up and all you could see was a mass of people having  ball.  One camera shot was from behind the band members who had gathered together- Bono standing astride two monitors - it gave the viewer an idea of what it was like for the band to look out over that sea of people, amazing.

Ultraviolet was slightly different to the European version, the screen intro differed, though it was still orange, no poem, just the Zoo baby speaking.  The "steering wheel" was illuminated with red lights with a white light at the centre that shone onto Bono's face.  I found that much better, as sometimes UV was too dark at shows I saw last year.  His laser suit sent of beams of red light for ages, he must have been plugged in for along time! 

With or Without You, what can I say?  Arguably the best song U2 have ever written, again at a very young age. The steering wheel was now lit up blue. I love how Bono works with this song, he always seems to bring something new to it.  At the end he took off his "suit of lights" (fame?) put it on a clothes hanger and hung it from the wheel and it was lifted up and disappeared into the claw.

The closing song was Moment of Surrender.  I still feel this song is not a good finale to a show.  I know U2 nearly always have a lowkey ending to their gigs, but they are also uplifting.  I find Moment of Surrender quite depressing, almost dirge-like and not the best way to end a show.

All in all I enjoyed the DVD, the band played and sang well and seemed to be enjoying themselves.  The sound was good via my headphones.  The whole show flowed well and there was some good use of the claw to compliment the songs.  It brought back great memories for me of the shows I saw last year, I found I often had that smile on my face that I get when watching U2.  I haven't watched the other disc yet, I hope to do that soon.

I must admit I was also very aware of Bono and what he does physically in a show, and I will be very surprised if he will be recovered enough to be able to do the European leg of this year's tour.  He has to heal, stregthen his muscles, then get fit for a tour, I doubt it can be done.  Though I suppose it might be possible to move the dates back a few weeks.  I might be wrong, I hope I am, but I wouldn't want Bono to injure himself further for the sake of a tour.

Over the past few months my relationship with U2 has been a bit strained at times for various reasons.  But I think the rocky patch is passing.  I was surprised by how concerned I was by Bono's health problems, it was almost like a friend was unwell. And watching the DVD made me realise how good U2 are at their job too.  All they have to do now is bring out a special album, and the present circumstances give them a good opportunity to do just that.

Getting Better

The first photos of Bono post-surgery have appeared on the Net.  A fan saw Bono in a car with Paul McGuinness in Beaulieu sur Mer and snapped a couple of photos.  Bono looks tired and frail, which is no wonder after what he's been through, but it's good to see the Bono spirit is still there.  I kind of want to give him a big hug but he looks so fragile, bless. Wonder if Paul is there to make sure he doesn't overdo it??  One thing is for sure, the South of France is the perfect place to recuperate.  Get well soon Bono!

Death in West Cumbria

Cumbria, where I live, is a large, beautiful county.  Geographically isolated by mountains, it has one city, a few large towns, lots of smaller places and many thousands of sheep that wander freely over the stunning landscape.  Cumbria in some ways is a world apart from the frenetic and sometimes dangerous world "out there".  But today something happened here that rarely happens anywhere in this country, a man went on a rampage and killed 12 people and wounded 25 in a trail of terror from the town of Whitehaven to the village of Boot where he ended his own life.  Cumbria is in shock, things like this don't happen here, but this did happen.  In the days to come we'll hear more, maybe even get an idea why anyone would do this, but one thing is for sure, Cumbria will never be the same.

U2 360 at the Rose Bowl Highlights on Sky

Just watched the highlights from the Rose Bowl DVD on Sky.  I must admit I was underwhelmed at first, maybe it was something to do with Boots being the first song played, there was something missing.  Also I found the film editing too choppy for my liking I would have preferred more camera time on Bono as he sang.

I was looking forward to seeing Crazy as I loved that live, but the full effect didn't come across as it had in the stadiums live, disappointing.

It turned around a bit for me during Streets, there was a point where the four band members gathered close together and the camera was behind them and you could see the massive crowd all lit up singing along.  It was an amazing sight and captured a little of that U2 magic that can happen during shows. 

I enjoyed UltraViolet too.  Very powerful, liked how the "steering wheel" was lit up (it hadn't been like that in Europe) and shone on Bono's face.  Don't think he'll be swinging about on it as he was here if he does get to do European shows this summer though!

Of course the setlist was very edited to fit into the hour slot and the full flow of a 360 show was not there, hopefully I'll be raving about it once I see the full version.

A Good Friend, Pottery and Golden Hoards

I've known my friend Debbi for many, many years, but last weekend was the first time I visited her home in Stoke - a city I had never been to.  My visit coincided with a short spell of glorious weather (the only one this spring!) and I had a pleasant journey seeing the countryside at its best on my trip to the Midlands.

Debbi was there to meet me at the station and we took a taxi to her home. The first thing that struck me about Stoke was that it was hilly, I'd imagined it to be quite flat.  It was also very spread out with large empty areas, it seemed to be a place that was re-building itself. 

The area where Debbi lived was very much as I expected, and her home was modern and had a comfortable feel about it and I immediately felt at home there.  After a cuppa we went into the city centre which is actually called Hanley, it's all very confusing for an outsider, but Stoke on Trent is made up of a conurbation of six towns of which Hanley is considered the commercial centre and as you travel around you are going in and out of the six towns.

First we went to the Potteries Museum and Art Centre.  The main reason I wanted to go there was that part of the famous Anglo Saxon Hoard was there.  Unfortunately the really stunning items are now in London (I think that treasures should stay in the area they are found, why should they all go to London?).  But there were still beautiful ornate gold items on display, some still with the soil on them, that gave an indication how fabulous the Hoard was.  The Hoard was found by a metal detector, it's value is set at around £3.25 million, which wil be shared by the metal detector and the owner of the land the treasure was found on - think I'll take up a new hobby and treat myself to a metal detector!

 I enjoyed the museum it was varied and human in scale.  Below is a photo of Debbi beside a Spitfire plane - we were both amazed by how small it was.                   

On leaving the museum we walked into Hanley city centre.  On our way there we passed lines and lines and lines of bras attached to fences.  We were puzzled by it, thinking it might be some art installation, bit it turned out to be part of Breast Cancer Awareness, so of course it made perfect sense.  I did a bit of shopping before we went to a pub and had a delicious cocktail called a Berrypolitan.  Then we went to the nearby Portofino restaurant and had a delicious, leisurely meal there. 

We then went back to Deb's and popped the champagne ( we know how to live well!) and watched the Amsterdam 360 DVD, it brought back many memories.  It was still very warm and we had to have the fan on to cool down a bit, it reminded us of our evenings in our apartment in Nice last year.  We chatted well into the early hours before going to bed.

Next day we got up late and I sampled Stoke oatcakes that Debbi had got from a local shop for breakfast.  It was nothing like the hard, crisp Scottish oatcakes that I knew, it was more like a tortilla with a cheese and bacon filling.  not good for those watching their cholesterol but delicious!

The Stoke area is also known as the Potteries, as once it was a major centre of the pottery industry in this country.  Once world famous ceramics such as Doulton, Aynsley, Wedgwood, Minton and Spode were produced here.  Debbi herself worked at Spode, which like the others has now closed down.  I wanted to go to a pottery museum and Debbi took me to the Gladstone museum.  Gladstone was one of the smaller factories and is the only complete preserved Victorian factory.  A pottery factory has existed on the site since 1787 and it finally closed its doors in 1970.  

It was an amazing place dominated by it's huge bottle kilns,  it was almost as if time was frozen, it was like stepping back in time.  Everything that was needed to run such a factory was still there, I almost expected the workers to arrive and start their jobs.  Working life in those factories was hard, and the average life expectancy was only 45 years.  Women's wages were very much lower than men's and in early Victorian days children as young as eight worked there.  We are so lucky to live in the times we do - despite its faults it's so much better.  There were old photos taken in the buildings on view and I found it fascinating to see the same backgrounds that were still here now, it made the past really come alive 

We watched demonstrations of  throwing a pot on a wheel, amazing to watch, the man made it look easy - I've tried it in the past and it is very difficult!  There was also a woman skillfully painting designs on ceramics.  You could have a go yourself if you wanted to. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit, it was all new to me and very interesting, I think it is great that this place has been preserved for all to see.

We went back to Debbi's and she made me a lovely meal which we washed down with liberal quantities of good wine.  We went back in U2-time and watched the Zoo TV DVD, again great memories, they were great times for u2 fans. 

Next morning it was time to go home. The visit had flown by, Debbi had made me so welcome and spoiled me rotten - thanks Deb!

American Leg of 360 Tour Cancelled

There were a couple of updates on u2.com today regarding Bono's injury and the tour.  The first 2010 leg in North America has been postponed, and the dates will be re-scheduled at some point in the future.  The Glastonbury appearance has been cancelled.  The other update - quoted below - included more details of Bono's problems.

Bono has now been discharged from Ludwig Maximilians-University (LMU) Hospital in Munich where he underwent emergency surgery on Friday, following a back injury. In order to fully recover, he is under doctor's orders to start a rehabilitation program and to recuperate for at least eight weeks.

Dr Muller Wohlfahrt confirmed, 'Bono suffered severe compression of the sciatic nerve. On review of his MRI scan, I realized there was a serious tear in the ligament and a herniated disc, and that conservative treatment would not suffice. I recommended Bono have emergency spine surgery with Professor Tonn at Munich's LMU University Hospital on Friday.'

Professor Tonn, who carried out the operation, added, 'Bono was referred to me by Dr Muller Wohlfahrt late last week with a sudden onset disease. He was already in severe pain with partial paralysis in the lower leg. The ligament surrounding the disc had an 8mm tear and during surgery we discovered fragments of the disc had traveled into the spinal canal. This surgery was the only course of treatment for full recovery and to avoid further paralysis. Bono is now much better, with complete recovery of his motor deficit. The prognosis is excellent but to obtain a sustainable result, he must now enter a period of rehabilitation'.

Dr Muller Wohlfahrt continued, 'We are treating Bono as we would treat any of our athletes and while the surgery has gone very well, the coming weeks are crucial for a return to full health. In the next days, he will start a light rehabilitation program, with increasing intensity over the next 8 weeks. In our experience, this is the minimum time.'


So it was certainly a major injury, mention of partial paralysis is scary, but it seems the operation was a success.  With eight weeks being the minimum recovery time it wouldn't surprise me if the European leg is cancelled too as the start of it falls just two weeks beyond that timescale.

It's a shame for fans who now will not be able to see the band in North America, but Bono's health is the main thing, he needs to take care of himself for a while.  I'm sure he is gutted about it all, he's a guy who drags himself onstage if he's not well and keeps going.  But he is only human and sometimes things like this come along.  I know if the European dates are postponed I will be disappointed, but I would not want Bono to risk his health in the slightest, time will tell what happens on that score.

Maybe though something good could come out of this, Bono will have to take it easy for a few weeks, this is a chance for him to do some writing and as he must be quite emotional about it all he might come up with something special.  I always think creative people are more productive when things are not going too well for them in some way.  The band could also do some recording, so maybe we'll get a new album earlier.  Sometimes bad things end up having positive sides to them.

Take care Bono, don't rush to get back to full steam, rest and regain your health in it's own time.

Bono Has Emergency Surgery

I've been away at a friend's home over the weekend (more about that soon) but just before I went I heard the news that Bono was admitted to a hospital in Munich at the end of last week for emergency surgery on his back.  He's had back trouble for a very long time, but this must be quite serious as the band have officially cancelled the gig in Salt Lake City which was to open the next leg of the 360 Tour early next month.  One thing is for sure, U2 don't cancel gigs for nothing. 

"They" say that you don't notice going from 39 to 40 but you do notice going from 49 to 50, I'm sure Bono has!  I hope he will be better soon.  If he's not 100% during the tour - if they do go ahead with it - they can always modify the stage to accommodate him .....

Spring

Glorious Spring!

Bono 50 Today!

I don't normally mark U2 band member's birthdays but our favouite lead singer is 50 today!  Congratulations Bono, and may you have many, many more happy and healthy years to come.  @U2 has done a great article to mark the special day, most of which I wholeheartedly agree with.

50 Things to Love About Bono on his 50th Birthday

Bono was in Toronto yesterday where he was Bob Geldof were interviewed by the Globe and Mail newspaper.  Read the interview here

On his arrival at the newspaper's offices Bono stopped to meet fans and pose for photos, I especially liked the one below.  Apparently the car belonged to the fan and it was Bono's idea to sit on it!

Gerry Ryan RIP

The Irish broadcaster Gerry Ryan died on 30th April aged only 53.  He was an institution in Ireland and a champion for U2 over the years.  I have many fond memories of listening to Gerry's morning show when I have been over in Ireland.  He was funny, irreverent and had a wonderful rich voice.   He was taken far too early.  Below is the live tribute U2 sent from New York to the funeral in Dublin on the 7th of May.  It's a fabulous version of With Or Without You, that was full of emotion.  I like Bono's words at end. "Goodbye Gerry - see you down the road."

The Lazarus Effect

RED announced a new multi-media campaign that will include a new film directed by Lance Bangs and executive produced by Spike Jonze. The documentary is called “The Lazarus Effect” and borrows its name from the remarkable transformation of people infected with HIV/AIDS when given access to antiretroviral medicine. It will premiere on May 24th on HBO at 9pmET/8c, YouTube and Channel 4 in the UK.

On 4th May there was an event at the Museum of Modern Art in New York to promote "The Lazarus Effect" amongst the many well known people to attend were Bono, Ali and Adam.  It's amazing how One and RED have grown, and are really making a difference and it's all thanks to the B-man for starting it all off!  I really admire him for all the work and time he puts into his humanitarian work.

Lovely photo below taken at the event.  Adam looking better as he grows older (and I think must have been bending at the knee or Bono and Ali were standing on boxes!), Ali as beautiful as ever and I like Bono's hair.

U2 Opera!

I was watching Loose Women on TV today and they had a rather handsome, young French opera singer on called Amaury Vassili.  And what did he sing - With Or Without You,  I wasn't sure at first but ended up really liking it, even with the slight French accent.   It just shows that it is one of the truly classic songs, it can be rock, gospel and operatic and still touch your soul.   U2 music at it's greatest, to quote Bruce Springsteen, "Glory Days" indeed.

Where Did That Saying Come From?

A friend sent me these notes about how some well-known sayings came about - here are some facts about England in the 1500's - fascinating!

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.  The man of the house had the privilege of the clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and the children.  Last of all were babies and by then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.  Hence the saying "Don't throw out the baby with the bath water."

The floor of the house was dirt, only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor."

Those with money had plates of pewter.  Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death.  This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status.  Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle and guests got the top, or the "upper crust."

Sometimes people could obtain pork which was a special occasion.   When visitors came over they would hang up the bacon to show off.  It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon."  They would cut of a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

They were running out of spaces to bury people, so they dug up coffins and take the bones to a bone-house and re-use the grave.  When re-opening the coffins about one out of every twenty five were found to have scratch marks on the inside (yikes!!!) and they realised they had been burying people alive.  So they would tie a string onto the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin, up through the ground and tie it to a bell.  Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night - the "graveyard shift" - to listen for the bell.  Someone could be "saved by the bell" or a "dead-ringer."

He Always Has Had a Big Mouth.....

Bono was at the Cornucopia, a retrospective of Damien Hirst's work held at Monaco's Oceanographic Museum recently.  I've never understood Bono's fascination with Hirst's work,  I think it's a load of bollocks, but each to their own.  I did like this photo though!

Iceland Part 3 - Comedy and Ocean Waves

Our last full day in Iceland, and we were up early  and picked up by the bus for our whale watching tour, this was something that both Glenys and I have always wanted to do. The weather wasn't too good, a threatening grey sky and little spits of rain, it was also markedly colder than the previous two days. 

We arrived at the harbour and got onboard the boat.  On offer were all in one padded, waterproof suits, Glenys and I decided to have them.  Well, what a performance getting them on!  We already had quite a few layers of clothing on (in my case, knickers, tights, thermal long johns, jeans, thick socks, walking boots, bra, thermal vest, thick jumper and warm jacket and fleece gloves, chola hat - I am rather cold-blooded ).  Because of all the clothes we weren't exactly supple and needed to help each other into the suits, it was a bit of a struggle and we gave people around us a laugh that's for sure!  Once in the suit I found it hard to bend my legs as I had so many layers on and my gait was a bit like a zombie as I ambled along!  But later in the day I was glad to have that suit on and didn't care how I looked.

There was a snug inside area, but we decided to go out onto the top deck.  We watched Reykjavik slowly disappear into the horizon as we headed out into Faxaflói Bay, the largest bay in Iceland.  Various types of seabirds swooped and glided over sea their wingtips almost touching the water, this was their world, and their elegance and grace was beautiful to see.

The guide spoke - in excellent English, as do most Icelanders - over the tannoy and told us they used a "clock" system for anything that she wanted to bring to our attention.  We were to look out for gatherings of birds, spouts of water in our quest to see a whale.

After about three quarters of an hour at sea the weather very quickly worsened, a strong, icy wind tossed the boat in the choppy sea and water spray shot over our upper deck.  I pulled hood of the suit up as far as I could and the only part of me that was exposed to the elements was my eyes, thank heavens for those suits!  It was almost impossible to walk so most people just stayed where they were in the wind and spray.  And, despite our hardy, dogged determination the whales were a no show today.  It was disappointing, but we knew a sighting wasn't guaranteed.  In the angry weather Iceland looked almost primeval and our little boat quite insignificant.  Humankind can be very arrogant thinking we have everything sorted to our satisfaction, but nature still is ultimately in charge in places like this. 

Getting out of the suits was much easier than getting into them LOL!  But they did the job perfectly, the only parts of me that were cold were my feet and hands, the only parts not covered by the suit.  We disembarked, and as we walked along the harbour I tried to ignored the whaling boats on the other side of the quay.  It was a strange juxtaposition, on one side boats setting out to celebrate and watch whales and on the side boats setting out to kill them.

We got a taxi back to the hotel in order to take off all our thermal wear before going back into the city centre to do some shopping.  First we had scrumptious chocolate cake and coffee in a place called Sufistinn (it had said in our guide book that they are supposed to have the best cakes in Reykjavik and I think they must be right). 

Iceland is a notoriously expensive place (even by British standards!) so we knew we wouldn't be buying much.   We went to the main shopping street Laugavegur and pottered round the places there.  Reykjavik doesn't really feel like a city, the centre is small by most city's standards, but I thought that was a good thing.  Down some streets you would get grand vistas to the sea or mountains.  It was very clean and hardly any litter.

By now the weather was miserable, drizzly with a strong icy wind.  We got a few souvenirs and then started to look for somewhere to eat.  We checked on prices, some were very expensive, some more reasonable, we settled on a modern place called Solon that was amongst the reasonable batch.  We had a lovely meal there and there was a good atmosphere in the restaurant.

We took a taxi back to our hotel and packed.  We had to be up very early next morning (4am!) for our flight home, so after a glass of wine (from a bottle we had brought with us as alcohol is unbelieveably expensive there) we had an early night.

4am, oh no.  Glenys and I are both not the best first thing so there was little conversation as we got our stuff together and boarded the bus to Keflavik.   At the airport we had to use self service check ins of which there weren't very many so it was a long wait to get to one.  Then almost every other person, including us, who used them could not get checked in!  So then you had to join the bag drop queue to check in the usual way.  It took ages and as I'm ratty anyway at such a ridiculous hour I was not best pleased!  Luckily security was fast and efficient.

Our plane was first going to Manchester, dropping off and picking up before going to Glasgow to do the same.  We thought that we would just wait on the plane, but no, UK regulations meant we had to get off the plane in Manchester, go to the transit area and through security before getting back on the plane!  I'm all for being careful with security, but this was pointless, we'd been screened in Iceland.  Or do the British authorities not trust the Icelandic security?

Finally we were back on the plane, in the same seats.  The flight to Glasgow was quick and there were some mutterings when the flight attendants announced that passengers going on to Iceland should just stay in their seats!  Ahh well.  At Passport Control there was a horrendous queue, it took about half an hour to get through, and then when we got to baggage reclaim our bags were not there!  Another 20 minute wait and they came through.  Then finally we were on our last leg home.

Iceland is an amazing place to visit for anyone who loves wildlife, nature and stunning landscapes.  For me there was a beauty in its dramatic volcanic vistas,  bubbling geysers, waterfalls, glacier sharp mountains and moody seas that I found both awe-inspiring and humbling.  Mother Nature is definitely still boss in Iceland and her "angry volcano" has recently told the whole world that!  Below is a fantastic photo taken of Eyjafjallajökull and the northern lights recently.

Picture: REUTERS/Ingolfur Juliusson

Iceland Part 2 - Enchanted Plains and the Language of Geysers

We set off on the famous Golden Circle Tour at 1pm, Steiner was our driver/guide once more.  We drove out of the city on a road that led us to the mountains.  Some parts were a bit like Cumbria, some like Scotland and some could only be Icelandic.  Sparsely inhabited, we could go for ages and until we saw a farm nestling in a hollow by a mountain.

Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park.  This a plain surrounded by mountains and fractured rocks and there is a large lake called Þingvallavatn.  The lake's water was co clear and still that the mountains were reflected perfectly onto its mirror-like surface.  It took my breath away, an alien, desolate landscape of immense beauty.  The photo I took that I've added here doesn't really do the place justice.  It was silent and the air pure, magical.

The first Icelandic parliament (Þingvellir means parliament plain), the Alþingi was set up here in 930 and the General Assembly continued to meet there until 1798 when the seat of government was moved to Reykjavik.   Iceland has the longest continually running parliament in the world.

Now for a lesson in plate tectonics - The Eurasian and North American plate boundaries run right through Iceland  that is why is a very geologically active area.  At Þingvellir, the two plates are pulling apart and the land between is subsiding. This is happening at the amazing rate of two centimetres a year!  We walked down by one of the fault lines, it looked so solid and permanent, yet this place is anything but!  I found it very awe inspiring to be in such a place.

Back on the bus we headed for Gullfoss (Golden Falls).    The animals we saw the most of were ponies, sturdy and tough with long coats, a bit like the fell ponies that roam around parts of Cumbria.  Part of the road to it was very poor and we were joggled about a bit.  The road had only recently re-opened after the winter.  

Gullfoss is situated on River Hvita, the water cascades down two steps that face in different directions, one is 11 meters high, and the other 22 meters, then the water roars into a very narrow canyon that is 70 meters deep.  Gullfoss is the biggest waterfall in Europe. It was very beautiful, some of the falls were still iced up forming strangely shaped mega-icicles.  Spray reached high into the air. 


It was getting quite cold now, so we went into the visitor's centre for refreshments.  I decided to go Icelandic and try their traditional meat soup, Kjötsúpa.  It is made with lamb and vegetable and was delicious, feeding and warming, just what I needed.

Then it was back to our bus for our last stop, Geysir, just a few miles along the road in the Haukadalur valley.  This is a very active geo-thermal area named after the biggest geyser there (our  "geyser" comes from Geysir).  Geysir erupts approximately once a day, the smaller Stokkur erupts roughly once every five minutes and we saw this happen, with little warning, a few times, sending boiling water and steam about 30 meters into the air with a huge whoosh, very spectacular.  

In a relatively small area there are about 30 geysers and bubbling pools, steam drifts in the air and there is a strong smell of sulphur.  It's like being on another planet, everything about it is so alien.  If you stand quietly you can hear the "language" of Geysir - bubbling, popping, hissing, gloopy thuds, deep gutteral moans, even high pitched whistle-like sounds, each geyser has it's own voice.  I found it absolutely fascinating.

No wonder the Golden Circle Tour is popular, in a few hours you see so many wonders of nature.  And seeing the fissures at Þingvellir and the boiling geysers and pools at Geysir made me realise that our earth is very active beneath the surface, and in places like Iceland even on the surface.  The power of nature in Iceland has recently shown itself once more with the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull sending ash into the atmosphere and grounding airlines all over Europe for days.  Sometimes Mother Nature is still in charge.....   

Then it was time to go back to Reykjavik, we came back another way so saw different scenery.  Every now and then by the roadside mounted on rocks were mangled cars - these were crashed cars, used as a warning to drive carefully, never seen anything like that before.

We ate at our hotel that night and it was delicious.  Then we went to Bedtime Stories, held every Thursday night at our hotel.  And there you listen to an actor reading Icelandic stories, old and new, whilst drinking hot chocolate.  You also can use pillows and blankets to snuggle into if you want.  I really enjoyed it and it has inspired me to buy one of the books.  Then it was off to bed, it had been a long, but enjoyable day.

Iceland Part 1 - No Snow, But We Find a Pearl and a Smokey Bay

Glenys picked me up from home in the morning and we drove up to Glasgow, it was a nice morning so the drive was pleasant and there were no delays.  We parked the car, got the shuttle bus to the terminal and before long we were on the plane heading to Iceland.  The trip lasted just over two hours, my first view of the country was seeing the Blue Lagoon shimmering amongst the brown-black volcanic landscape, as I looked out that familiar excitement of arriving in a place I had never been before grew. 

The terminal at Keflavik was very smart, lots of wood, slate and granite, obviously quite new.  We got our ticket for the Flybus to Reykjavik and headed towards the city approximately 40 kilometers away.  We were travelling through the Reykjanes Peninsula, a flat area in south western Iceland.  The land was desolate, the dark volcanic lava fields and wildly scattered rocks barren except for grey brown lichen that grew over some of them.  Often there were little cairns of rock built by people.  The road was very good and we passed many new roads that seemed to just disappear into nowhere.  I was surprised there was no snow - though we could see snow on the mountains that surrounded the perimeter of the plain.  It was a lovely afternoon, sunshine and blue skies, what a wonderful welcome Iceland was giving us!

We reached our hotel, the Loftleiðir, after a 50 minute journey.  From the outside the hotel was not inviting, it was like a 60s/70s building, not the most aesthetically pleasing to look at!  But it was completely modernised inside and was really lovely.  We had separate rooms and instead of small singles we both got a normal sized room which was great.  Mine looked out over the car park of the hotel, to the right, on a forested hill, was the famous Perlan (the Pearl).  I could see Reykjavik city centre with high snow capped mountains behind.

We decided to walk up to Perlan which was close to our hotel on a hill called Qskjuhlid .  The Pearl consists of six metal tanks around a central dome.  It is where the geo-thermal water from beneath the earth is stored and then pumped out to heat the Reykjavik buildings.  The dome changed colour with the sky and time of day, it was an impressive building.  We walked up wooded hill and into the building.  It was very modern, on the ground floor is the Saga Museum which at this hour unfortunately was closed.  There is a geyser that regularly soared up almost to the top of the building. 

On the 4th floor there is a viewing balcony that surrounds the dome, the 360 views from there are breathtaking.   It was a lovely evening, sunshine and lots of blue sky that made the calm water of the bay a deep blue.  Below Reykjavik spread out looking very pretty with it's white and bright coloured buildings and church spires, all flanked by dramtic mountains.

Also on the 4th floor of Perlan was a cafe (unfortunately we could not afford to eat at the plush restaurant on the 5th floor!) and by now we were really hungry.  We had a lovely meal that was not too expensive.  We sat by the window looking out over Reykjavik - this cafe must have one of the best views in Iceland. 

The darkness comes very slowly at this latitude, and it was still light as we walked down  Qskjuhlid.  We passed close to one of the many "hot holes" of Iceland from which steam was rising into the air.  In shady corners small areas of snow still lingered and as the sun got lower it got decidedly cooler.

Next day we had a couple of tours, the first, in the morning, being a tour of Reykjavik.  The city centre is compact and I was surprised to learn that the city is not that old - by European standards.   The first settlement in the area was around 870 when Norseman Ingólfur Arnarson arrived.  However there was no urban development until 1786 which is recognised as the date of the founding of the city of Reykjavik (which translates to Bay of the Smokes, referring to the geothermal geysers in the area).

The houses tended to be either white or greens, blues, yellows and most had a outer cover of painted corrugated steel.  Our guide, Steiner, said that rooves and walls are covered in this as other materials do not cope well with Icelandic weather and they found this material serves the purpose well.

The city was much more open than I expected, it is very spread out with a lot of new building going on, it's still developing.  We saw the Parliament building and drove through the oldest part of the city which was very pretty.

Then we went on to the Hallgrimskirkja, which is the building you see from all over Reykjavik and beyond, situated on a hill and soars 244 feet into the air.  It was begun in 1945 and finished in 1986.  It is one of those few examples of a 20th century building that is stunningly beautiful and unique, that will be treasured for a very long time.  The architect, Guðjón Samúelsson, is said to have designed it to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland so much part of Iceland's landscape.  It is the Lutheran parish church of Reykjavik.  Inside it is very simple, almost bare, this made the one stained glass window really stand out as the sun shone through it, it was gorgeous.  I think it is one of the most beautiful churches I've seen.

We visted Perlan again and were told more about Iceland's unique geothermal heating system.  Nearly all the country's heating and hot water is via the hot water that is under the land's surface.  This natural resource was first harnessed in 1930 and gradually developed throughout the country.  The one thing that is cheap in Iceland is heating and hot water.

We drove a little outside of the city to Bessastaðir, the residence  of Iceland's President.  It was situated on a flat area of land close to the sea.  What I noticed most was the silence there, so, so quiet and peaceful - except for the calls of the geese that were flying in for the summer and landed close by.   I can imagine the weather can get wild there as it is very open, but on this sunny day it looked a lovely place to live.

After that we drove back into Reykjavik and our tour ended.  We had an hour and a half for lunch before we went on our next trip.  We sat in a lovely little square in the oldest part of the city for a while enjoying the sunshine before going to look round a few shops and then had a delicious coffee in a place called Sufistinn.  Then it was back to the bus for our afternoon trip.

Next instalment to follow soon.

Off to the Land of Ice and Fire Soon!

My cousin Glenys and I are off to Iceland soon for a few days.  It one of the places on my "to do" list and I'm really excited about going there.  Whilst there we've got a day long island tour and a whale watching trip.  Again the latter is on my list, there's no guarantee of seeing any whales of course but it'll be an experience anyway.  I don't think we'll have time to go to see the volcano that erupted recently, and which is still grumbling, but if we can we'll go to see it.  Check back here for my write up about the trip.