Out the plane window

Arrived safely in Paris  and even with our jet leg, we enjoyed walking all over Paris, visited the Eiffel Tower the Tulleries  Gardens and of course a café!   See if you can spot Bill in the crowd at the café.  We will only be in this beautiful city less than 24 hours and tomorrow we hop on a train to Bordeaux.

We said goodbye to our Jack Graham photography group last night over an amazing meal in Reykjavik.  We got a car today and headed to South Iceland and the ION Adventure Hotel.  Taking it slow here, nursing our colds and also enjoying our first hotpot, otherwise known as geothermal hot tub .

Greetings!  It’s Labor Day but hardly feels like it here.   We spent a night on a “horse farm” where you can rent horses to ride.   The Icelandic beauties were in fields and pens around the hotel and I spent time visiting them.  They weren’t as friendly as other horses — not sure why except these ones are ridden regularly (???) and –yikes– filet of horse is on the menu in the restaurant.

I had to try the horse meat– my father told a story of how they once had such a rough time in Ireland that they had to cook the horse.  I believe the Kids refused  to eat it, being they were fond of the animal.

In honor of that story, I tried a piece of filet of horse.  Okay, only took one bite.  It looked like and sort of tasted like beef only tougher.

On another note, I caught the dreaded cold that everyone seems to have on our bus so today will be a day of rest.

Our little bus is turning into a germ machine on wheels.  Most have a bad cold that’s being passed around and we are so far dodging it.  Ugh.  We’ve had sunny beautiful days with unreal waterfalls and scenery.  Another night of the Aurora last night and she showed up so differently.  Two nights ago her dances were more solid lights and last night it was more muted but lovely just the same.  And the stars were so beautiful.

We take off again today.  We stay two nights in a place, then one, then two, then one and that gives us a break from our luggage every other day — schlepping all of that in and off the bus. 

The group drove 90 minutes to their place to photograph the Northern Lights.  Knowing it was iffy to see them, and tiring of some of our 12-hour days, I stayed back at the hotel.  Relaxed in our warm room and occasionally went outside to check the sky. Went to bed but something called me up and I dressed and went outside at 11:45 PM.  Soooo glad I did!  The Northern Lights lit up the sky right around and above our hotel.  The hotel desk guy had a list of people to wake for the Northern lights and at midnight, he turned on his automated system to call 32 rooms.   People wandered out.  Gasps.   Happy laugher.

We enjoyed quite a show right from the hotel parking lot.  I didn’t have a camera but looked through the lenses of others cameras and even what I saw with my naked eye was thrilling.  The front desk guy rated our viewing a 7 which was even better than our trip here in January.  I ordered a Viking beer to celebrate!  Went to my room and put on as many layers as I could (it was cold!  front desk guy said it was supposed to get down to freezing.)  In the far off is distance I heard a group of people cheering (not our group).  Lots of excitement for this natural wonder!  I went in and out for about an hour and a half and at 1:15 I called it a night.  Very happy to see this wonder.  Bill stumbled in around 2:00 AM.

about an hour and a half from our hotel.