Thursday 11 September

Today was another sensational day in Prague. We decided to start the day early and see some of the most popular sights without the crowds, which was just lovely. The first photo is of Pete walking towards the famous Charles Bridge.

From the Charles bridge ...

These two were taken on or just near the bridge, I played with the photos a bit as there wasn't much light but they do capture the atmosphere of the morning. Charles bridge is lined with statues of the saints, and in these photos , the Prague castle can be seen.

One of the most popular tourist spots is the Old Town Square, usually full of people with cameras. This morning it was quiet .

An empty street in the old town....

After our early morning walk through the old town we walked up to the Prague castle...we spent hours looking at the cathedral, basilica, palace....but this was what caught my eye...the floor in one of the rooms of the castle. I have loved examining all the cobblestones in Prague, there have been so many different patterns and stones used throughout the old town, but this floor from the castle was amazing!

In the afternoon we caught a tram into the new town ( which is not that new)... There are plenty of them and they are very comfortable to ride.

Before dinner we had to try a "trdelnik"."..a sweet cinnamon and sugar coated pastry from street vendors in Prague. I am so glad we didn't try them sooner or I would have eaten them all day, so yummy.  In the evening we had a pizza for dinner and then went to an excellent concert at the Rudolfinum.

Wednesday 10 September

What a wonderful day we had today in Prague....we walked up into the parklands surrounding the old town ( beautiful views of Prague) , then onto the paths behind the castle ( more views) ...the deer moat.....then into Letna Park where we stopped for lunch( again more stunning views). We explored the Jewish quarter ....and old town....ventured into a couple of shops ( and bought shoes and bags!) and stopped along the river to take photos of the bridges and white swans. We found a delightful place for dinner and then ended a terrific day at the U Maleho Glena , a cellar jazz club...soooo good,

Tuesday 9 September

Beautiful Prague.... On a sunny afternoon, we just wandered, a little tired but happy to be here.

Monday 8 September

For several weeks now we have been thinking that the volcano in Iceland might disrupt our travel plans, but no, it was a bomb scare. We arrived in Luton London at 2.10 pm only to be told we could not leave the plane as the airport had been evacuated due to a suspicious package having been found by security. This photo is taken from the plane, no movement on the tarmac. Five hours later we left the aircraft having missed our connecting flight to Prague from Stansted. 

We weren't the only ones , the airport was in chaos. We went to the bar, had a beer and wine, Pete took out his phone and we booked tickets on the first available flight  to Prague which was from Gatwick the next morning at 8.50 am. We then caught the bus then train to Gatwick. 

Thank goodness I had an excellent book to read....thanks Jeremy, you always give me a good book x

Sunday 7 September

Hallgrimskirkja, the largest church in Iceland, can be seen from almost anywhere in Reykjavik . It took 40 years to build and resembles a volcanic formation.

Inside the church is just beautiful , very simple and unadorned....very Icelandic.

The view of Reykjavik  from the tower was sensational, even on a rainy day such as today. It really is such a pretty capital.

The view from our hotel room window.

Harpa, the Reykjavik concert hall and conference centre...home of the Iceland Symphony Ochestra and Icelandic Opera ...quite an amazing structure on the waterfront.

I took this photo as we were walking around the lake in the centre of the city.  Despite the rain we did manage to see much of Reykjavik . We are very sad to be leaving tomorrow, we have so enjoyed our time in this extraordinary country.

Saturday 6 September

Today we went walking around Reykjavik. The sky was grey all day so I didn't take too many photos hoping for better weather tomorrow so I can photo all the brightly coloured buildings and lovely lake in the centre of the city. We did however go shopping! There are woollen products for sale everywhere, this photo was taken outside the second hand shop...they looked so pretty.

Look what I bought!  All their jumpers are quite expensive, everything is quite expensive in Iceland, yes even more expensive than Perth. However, knitting wool and patterns are about half the price, so I thought I would knit myself a jumper. 

Our morning stop for coffee....in one of the bookstores in Reykjavik.  Within all their bookstores are coffee shops, and they seem to have many book stores, not surprisingly.  Also, I have enjoyed the coffee here in Iceland, it is just how I like it!

One of the delightful houses in Reykjavik. Whilst staying in the country we noticed that all the farmhouses leave a light on outside all day and night, and here we noticed last night that the houses in the city often had the light or even candles burning outside. After an absolutely fabulous meal at a quirky little restaurant that Pete found on Trip Advisor, we walked home , enjoying peeking into the houses and restaurants.

Friday 5 September

Our view from our window this morning, we are staying in a lodge on a working farm just out of Hvammerstangi in the west of Iceland. We have been so lucky to have wonderful views in every room in which we have stayed. 

I went horse riding today...on a gorgeous Icelandic horse, whose name I couldn't even pronounce let alone spell. I loved it, had such a good time, I even learnt how to trot . 

Here we are at Reykjavik's most popular attraction...the Blue Lagoon...a geothermal pool. It was 10 degrees, windy and rainy but a warm 38 degrees in the pool. The white paste on our face is a mixture of silica and various minerals which come from the water, they say it is good for the skin. 

And as if it isn't fun enough just lolling round in this relaxing warm pool, they also have a bar where you can purchase drinks ! (We are in the queue). You leave feeling very calm and thoroughly relaxed.