Broadway
Jeff recently visited Kochi India for business. He is never without his camera and captured these images during a photo walk along the streets and coast of Kochi.
Woman on a scooter
Pink and purple
Fish market
Morning meditation
Sandlot batsman
Street sweeper
Man reading the paper
Boats in the harbor
Fisherman
Photos by : Jeff Klofft
It was around 4 am and I was watching an American Football playoff game on mute in a dive bar while rap music blared and locals sang along. Outside three girls were dressed in Pokémon and bunny snuggies, looking for a party and the snow was falling fast. It occurred to me that maybe I might be too old for Reykjavik in January.
Inside the Bjarni Fel Sportsbar early Monday morning watching the American football playoffs with local Icelandic fans of American football.
Puffins perch in a gallery window
When my daughter suggested a layover in Reykjavik after a visit to her aunt and uncle in Britain for her winter break, I was anxious to go. Everyone had been talking about Iceland. With a “ free stopover” program with both WOW and Icelandair, lots of people have been enjoying 3-7 night stopovers in Iceland on their way to and from other European and North American destinations. People in the tourism industry I spoke with said these airline programs created a boom in tourism that lifted an economy that tanked in 2008. While tourism saved the economy, some would argue over tourism also ruining the country. In the summer, reservations are essential, expect to wait in lines for major attractions and prices are high for food and lodging. But everyone who goes raves about the amazing scenery, friendly people, natural geothermal pools, adventurous outdoor activities and unending nightlife.
The iconic view from the tower of the Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran Church in Reykjavik. This version is at "dawn" around 11 AM in mid January.
A January trip elicited a lot of raised eyebrows from friends. Even if it's a great place for millenials to spend their winter break, was it a good idea for me (celebrating the second half of my first century!) to go? Why go to Iceland in January, when it’s cold and only light for about 4-6 hours a day? But at the time we left, Iceland was 20 degrees warmer than the city I was leaving! And with geothermal pools everywhere, warding off the chill is as easy as soak in the nearest pool! But the biggest plus, is that despite a short day to see the sights, is that you don’t have to fight the tourist hoards. Buses were only half full, we were able to walk into the best restaurants without a reservation for dinner, there were no lines at restaurants and viewpoints, and we were even upgraded to a 3 bedroom apartment at our centrally located lodging, Room with a View.
With fully equipped kitchens, friendly 24 hour front desk staff to assist with booking excursions, and the perfect central location, Room With A View is a great place for a winter stay. Many times while wandering around town, we would head back to the hotel to warm up a bit or unlayer as it warmed up, and the hotel was never more than a few blocks from anywhere in Central Reykjavik! The only downside to this in a city that parties till 4AM is that the street noise of people coming and going can be disruptive to sleeping; be sure to bring your earplugs if you stay here. But any "street exuberance" was well worth the easy, central location!
View along Laugavegur Street from our suite at Room With A View
I did my best to keep up for 5 days, enjoying meeting young visitors and locals alike during my daily pool soaks, late nights in the bars, and daytrips around the city. If Reykjavik is a great destination in January for college students, it's also a good destination for the young-at-heart! While I hope to return for a midsummer visit to see more of the country someday, with a positive attitude and youthful mindset, I survived and really enjoyed a winter break trip in Reykjavik.
We found that as a college break trip, Reykjavik in January delivers.
Reykjavik from the window of Hressingarskalin, a restaurant on Austrustaeti
About 2/3 of our travel is intentional, meaning, we intentionally choose the destination and plan to travel there. About 1/3 of travel is what I like to call opportunistic, meaning an opportunity to travel comes up through business or personal matters, and we make an effort to expand that into experiencing the destination the best way we can. Sometimes, it's just a morning photo walk on the way to a day full of busy meetings, or it's dragging relatives around the tourist circuit during family visits. There is is almost always time to sneak in the adventure and spirit of "travel" into any ordinary errand or weekend. We have a friend has challenged himself to visit every city and town (350+) in his state. This doesn't require any advance planning, or more money than a tank of gas! The adventure of travel, costing almost nothing, and his life is richer and more interesting for it!
We've posted a few photos hinting at our upcoming travels (many repeat visits, some new!) We hope you enjoy them, and most importantly, we hope you enjoy your travels, whether they be an epic trip to Australia a friend is secretly planning for their spouse, or ticking another town off your state map some Sunday afternoon! We wish you a very happy New Year and safe travels in 2018!
There won't be any roses during a winter trip to St Ives, England, to visit relatives, but we will be able to take advantage of a flight that includes a layover in Iceland.
We have relatives in Great Britain, and when we visit, we often expand on our travels. This year my daughter and I are taking advantage of Icelandair's offer of a "free" layover in Iceland of 3-7 days, when flying to Europe. This has become hugely popular, and the jump in tourism to Iceland proves it out. Expect to see more small airlines offering these kinds of specials in the futute. It's a fabulous way to turn a connecting flight into a mini vacation!
We will spend about a week with relatives and visiting London, and then fly to Reykjavik for 4 nights. This short winter trip won't allow us to experience the whole scenic ring road, but we will have time to explore the Reykjavik food and bar scene, relax in the thermal pools and (fingers crossed for the right weather conditions) experience the northern lights.
My favorite thing about social media? Crowd sourcing ideas of places to visit with friends who live in the locale or have been! A diverse group of friends had suggestions for art, hikes, food and gardens to experience during an upcoming trip to AZ!
A winter conference provides an opportunity to take a long weekend to explore Arizona. With local friends to visit, and a chance for Jeff to see the Grand Canyon for the first time, we plan to bring both bathing suits and parkas and take a road trip through the desert to the Grand Canyon after a business meeting.
This Mayan ruin is located in a park in Cozumel, one of the places we will visit on our spring break cruise
A cruise leaving out of Galveston, gives us a chance to explore this island off the coast of Texas before leaving for the Western Caribbean aboard Liberty of the Seas. We tend to balance small ship cruising with large ship cruising. Every time we take a small ship cruise we marvel at it's ability to tuck into tiny places (like our Azamara Quest Cruise working it's way through the narrow gorges to Montenegro last fall!) But then on some quiet night, we think of all the entertainment offered on the big ships, and we love the excitement of bouncing from night club, to water slide, to Broadway style show, at anytime of day or night! So Liberty of the Seas will fill our craving for a mud season escape with plenty to keep us entertained, and we will get to explore Jamiaca, Cozumel and Grand Cayman again!
This Zumba class was held by Zumba with Judy http://zumbawithjudy.com/ and raised over $2000 for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico!
About 5 years ago, I went on a cruise and met a wonderful couple, Amy and Randy from MO who were sailing the same ship (Randy and I "met" online on a cruise planning website BEFORE we sailed, and spent months obsessively planning every detail of our cruises!) We shared lots of planning ideas and a once we got on board our families shared a lot of laughs and a crazy excursion aboard High Pockets in St Thomas. Amy taught Zumba classes in MO and I had never heard of such a thing, but because she made it sound so fun, I started going to Zumba classes when I got home. Pretty soon, my husband and kids were joining the fun at Zumba. One of the best things about Zumba, is as Jeff says, "Its like the Catholic Church, you can go anywhere in the world, and even if you don't speak the language, you basically know what to do, and you'll be welcomed!" Although I would add, you can also wear a lot less clothes to Zumba!
So we have "danced" all over the country with new friends, finding classes everywhere from Florida to Maine. One of my bucket list items is to try the Zumba Cruise, which puts all those international Zumba devotees on one ship in the middle of the ocean! I think that myself and the 6 gals I'm going with may be among the oldest people on the ship, but we won't let that stop us from having a good time! I'll probably set up a Face Book group and share our adventures live, so be sure to send me a message if you'd like to be invited and follow all the excitement! (oh, and that wonderful Zumba instructor I met 5 years ago...she isn't' going, BUT see the end of our post to hear about what we have planned!)
Glacier Bay in 2005
This summer we head back to Alaska for a special celebration of our daughters' college graduations. Like their parents, they much prefer an experience as a gift, so we will spend a week aboard an Uncruise, planned for us by Expedition Trips, who expertly organized our Polar Bear Safari in Churchill Manitoba. Uncruise is a line that operates small expedition ships throughout the Northwest, priding itself on getting guests closer to the action and in a more active way. The ship includes an activity platform where you can launch to explore the coast on kayak, or aboard small skiffs, to land and take hikes in places inaccessible by vehicles. With no more than 80 guests on board, we can expect plenty of personal attention and no crowds!
Kathy with her new friend, Randy back in 2013...on his first, but certainly not LAST cruise. Our spouses, Jeff and Amy tolerate our obsessive planning because they get to enjoy the cruise too!
And what about those friends we met on an Allure of the Seas Cruise back in 2013? The ones we helped develop a passion for cruising, and she helped us find the fun of Zumba, even though we all live half a country away? Well, they celebrate a big wedding anniversary in 2019 and have planned a BIG group cruise (more than 40 people so far) on one of the BIGGEST cruise ships in the world, Harmony of the Seas. And while we aren't the ones "planning" the trip, we are happily signed on to travel with our friends again and help them celebrate!