Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings

We planned this trip during this very cold time of year so we could see the Northern Lights.  The daily presence of clouds and comments we have heard from other visitors has made me somewhat pessimistic that I would break my bad luck streak this trip.  Last night after dinner Patrice looked up and said, “I think those are the Northern Lights”.  I looked and didn’t see much.  But we walked further and searched for a relatively dark area of town and saw what definitely were the Northern Lights phenomena but not like what you see on picture postcards.  So I felt like a baseball player with an 0 for 30 slump who had just hit a little dunker in front of the outfielder, not a line drive but it was a hit to end the bad streak.  Tonight we tried again.  With the help of our guide we definitely saw the phenomenon.  It might not have been the equivalent of a grand slam home run but it was definitely at least a solid double.

Earlier today we also had lots of fun exploring this very beautiful and very cold nation. We got to see some more impressive waterfalls.  First we went to Goðafoss (no that isn’t a typo) Falls.  Watch this 30 second video and find out why they call it the “Waterfall of the Gods”.  https://youtu.be/vDflxYxMjWM
Then we went to Dettifoss Falls.  These are similar in size to Niagara Falls but it was very cold and we also had snow flurries which made it hard for this Southern Californian to appreciate the natural beauty.  Here is an 11 second tidbit of this wonder: https://youtu.be/Jru6ZeOTtgI   By the way that isn’t static you hear on the videos but rather the sound of some very intense winds.

We then saw a very interesting phenomenon that is very common throughout Iceland.  We were at a land mass covering a volcano.  Deep underground the lava is in contact with sea water resulting in an agricultural equivalent of a tea pot.  See this 16 second video to get what I mean:  https://youtu.be/Z9zO1u5F_d0

I almost forgot.  We had a great lunch.  Check out this 23 video to see who we ate.  https://youtu.be/FmZafHup788

Tomorrow we return to Reykjavik.   See you then.

 

Today is a travel day and we leave Reykjavik and fly to the northern city of Akureyri in search of the Northern Lights.  We have been told that it is much easier to see the natural phenomena the further north you go and away from the lights of the city.  Unfortunately the weather forecast calls for rain and cloud cover which would make seeing the natural wonder an impossibility.   That is no surprise since as I previously mentioned we were unsuccessful in our attempt to see Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and the total eclipse of the sun in Nashville due to fog and cloud cover.  Our friend, Mary, a reader of this blog, reminded me that we also missed out on a very special volcano in Costa Rica due to weather conditions.  We are getting use to hearing from tour guides, “If you had only been here yesterday”.  If we hear that again this trip I might be detained by Icelandic police.

We are currently sitting in the Reykjavik domestic airport (as opposed to KEF International Airport from which we arrived).  This place makes Santa Monica Airport look spacious.  For a 33 second tour (that would be a complete tour) see this video: https://youtu.be/tXyaModCIeQ

One interesting aspect of the airport is that it seems like everyone is speaking Icelandic.  Everywhere else we have been we have heard predominantly English spoken with occasional sprinkles of Icelandic.  Here I have heard zero English thus far.  It is a bit unnerving because the airport announcements that are in English are very hard to understand.  I hope I don’t have a similar situation as I did years ago when I was traveling alone in Spain.  I spoke to a ticket agent and grabbed my ticket then darted out of the station thinking I only had minutes to catch my train.  As I got to the train I saw it was empty.  I turned and saw the ticket agent running after me to explain that I was at the wrong train and I needed to wait about another hour for my train to leave.  My Icelandic is not nearly as good as my Spanish so who knows what will happen today.   I know what the reader is saying right now, “That is why he travels with Patrice”.

Signing off for now.  The next time you will hear from me we will be in Akureyri (I hope).

Back with you again.  We arrived in Akureyri after an uneventful flight.  Unfortunately upon arrival we were greeted with a thick cloud cover.  Prospects look dim for seeing the Northern Lights.  This morning we met some Canadians who were leaving for home today without accomplishing their goal of seeing the Northern Lights.  Misery might love company but it didn’t make me feel any better.

Akureyri is a lovely little town and I do mean little.  We decided to spend an hour or two  strolling around the town.  After about 20 minutes we were done.  We saw a number a restaurants and gift shops.  There wasn’t much activity at any of the stores except for one.  We saw what we thought must be a grocery store because there was a tremendous amount of foot traffic.  We decided to take a closer look and it turned out to be a liquor store.  We were told that Icelanders like to drink on weekends.  From the look of the activity in this store the people of Akureyri like to get an early start on the weekend.

Tomorrow night we are supposed to go on our Northern Lights tour.  If the chance of seeing the Northern Lights is slim, the trip will be canceled.  If that is the case Patrice and I will go to a local tavern and watch the locals partake in the Icelandic Saturday night drinking custom.  Possibly, we might even join in.

Please pray for clear skies for tomorrow night.  If the skies are not clear, you will have one sad correspondent writing home to you.

So far, except for hotel personnel, the only people we have met here are from Canada or the States.  That is not totally true, we also met a couple from Dubai.  So I started to wonder if we really were in Iceland.  Today’s adventure answered that question for sure and the answer is YES!   Fantastic sights proving that what we had heard about Iceland’s natural beauty is indeed true.

After breakfast we were met by our tour guide, Jon (pronounced “Yawn”).  We have had two tour guides thus far and both have been named Jon.  We were given some local history on our way to our first stop, Thingvellir National Park.  Don’t ask me to try to pronounce it.  Let me just say that National Park in Icelandic is “þjóðgarðurinn”.  Need I say more?  The park was wonderful and looked like a miniature version of Zion National Park in Utah.  In addition to beautiful cliffs that have been formed by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates we saw huge trout in the streams.  We were told they weighed 20 lbs and I think that might have been understated.

After the park we headed to the Gullfoss Waterfalls.  On our way, Jon #2 said that they were more spectacular than the Niagara Falls.  They were special but sorry, Niagara has them beat.  See this 17 second video for a glimpse of the falls at this link: https://youtu.be/MEOy5JcyPsA

Next we were on to Geysir Geyser.  Geysir is Icelandic for Geyser so a bit of redundancy in the name.  Apparently it is spectacular but it only erupts about twice a year so you will have to settle for this video of its neighbor, Strokkur (“Churn”) Geyser that erupts every 8-10 minutes.  Sorry about the red line (not sure what caused that) and I have no idea what is being said (in what I assume is Icelandic) in the background.  The link to the video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsj2SH1Imow

Next the most important stop on the tour …………. you guessed it, lunch.  We ate at a local green house, sorry but I don’t recall the name.  They grow all their tomatoes indoors (correct, minus 2 degrees Celsius is not ideal for tomato growth) and according to our server produce 18% of the tomatoes eaten in Iceland (30% according to Jon #2).  The food was spectacular.  We both had the tomato soup and it was delicious.  At the table your centerpiece is a fresh basil plant from which you can use a specially formed scissors to harvest and slice the basil into strips.  For dessert they offer Tomato ice cream, Tomato Cheese Cake, or Tomato Apple Pie.  NO I AM NOT KIDDING!  And here is a picture to prove it.

Upon leaving the restaurant we got to see some Icelandic horses.  This is the only breed of horse in the country.  No other horses are allowed to be brought into the country and if any of the horses ever leave the island they are not allowed to return.  This is in order to preserve the breed’s purity.  Check out this 7 second video of them licking what we were told was a salt cube: https://youtu.be/JyiiS-tEs_Q

Our last stop on the tour was at the Kerid Crater Lake.  The crater was formed an estimated 6500 years ago as the result of collapse of the land over an emptied volcano unlike a volcanic explosion which experts (not me) say is the cause of most volcanic craters (I am a parrot repeating what I was told, I have no idea what I am saying).  This was my favorite spot because of its beauty.   This 19 second video doesn’t do it justice but you do get a peek at our guide (Jon #2) and Patrice.  I think you can tell how cold it was by looking at Patrice.  The link is: https://youtu.be/tfoUHMGLCY0

Tomorrow we leave for Akureyri.

Our plane touched down in Reykjavik at about 6:00 AM this morning.  We had a very long wait for our luggage because it was delivered on carousel #2 when we were told it was be on carousel #1.  I suppose we should have anticipated that since when we left New York we were told to board at Gate #2 but actually entered the plane at Gate #1.  Getting through customs took seconds.  I have to admit I was a little concerned because we hired a driver to pick us up and have had problems with that in the past.  Last year, in London, we looked all over for our driver.  When we finally found him he said he was sitting in the cafe.  Now why didn’t we think of looking for him at the cafe rather than at baggage claim WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET HIM!  So upon exiting the Reykjavik baggage claim area I was very relieved to see a young man holding a sign that read, “Robert Reiss”.  He was standing next to another young man with a sign reading “Robert Reiss”.  I suppose two drivers are better than none.  We got that mystery solved and were on our way to the Blue Lagoon .

The Blue Lagoon has been described as one of the most famous sights in Iceland.  We were told that the Lagoon was formed by an industrial accident.  In an attempt to harness the geothermal power created by the mixture of volcanic lava, fresh water and ocean water this wonderful bed of warm (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit) water was created.  Mother Nature met Corporate America (oops I mean, Corporate Iceland) to create the park.  The facility is very well run.  Upon arrival you are given a robe, sandals, towel, identification bracelet and taken to showers where you cleanse prior to entering the Lagoon.  You then move very quickly from the warm shelter of the dressing area into the water.   No one is shy about getting into the water when they are outside in a bathing suit with an ambient temperature of 36 degrees.

Once in the water you feel amazing immediately.  You then wade yourself over to the the “Mud Bar” where you apply a “Silica Mud Mask”.  After 10 minutes roaming around the water looking like a monster you remove the the mud and apply an “Algae Mask”.  These treatments are supposedly very therapeutic for your skin.  I don’t know if they do anything but they do make you feel great.  I am ready to return for another dip right now.  And I do think it helped my skin?  What do you think?  See below.

After the Lagoon we were escorted to our hotel in Reykjavik.  Having not slept on the plane we were exhausted and decided to take a nap.  Upon awakening we took a free city walking tour.  We learned a lot about the history and culture of Iceland.  For example we were told that spelling of all Icelandic words is determined by grabbing letters from a bag of “Alpha Bits” cereal and then placing them down in a random sequence.  We also saw some interesting sights.  Our guide pointed out some typical Icelandic eating spots.  See below.

After the tour we went back to the room to warm up.  Dinner was at the hotel tonight because one of us was too wimpy to get his toes cold again.  Did I say “his” toes? …………Yes.

Today was our getaway day from New York but since our flight didn’t leave until 8:40 pm we had some time to do some more things in “The City That Never Sleeps”.  We had a wonderful breakfast at Margon.  Patrice read about the place in a food magazine and we were expecting a special experience.  The place looked like a dive.  Once again we tried to use our Spanish but were answered in English.  The place might not have looked very special but the food was excellent (see below).

After that we took a walk over to the main office of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.  We were very impressed with the office and staff.  We will tell you more about that place later when we will return to New York in three weeks to do some work for the Foundation.

Upon walking back to the hotel we saw some very interesting sights.   For one thing, there were loads of food trucks lining the streets.  I suppose people are too busy and the streets are too crowded to stray far from the workplace to go somewhere for lunch.

But this restaurant appealed to those wary of dining from a food truck (see below).

Leaving the city was not easy.  JFK airport is only 18 miles (13 miles as the crow flies) from our hotel but it took us about an hour and 30 minutes to get here.  The cabs in New York are equipped with small televisions that have interesting sound bytes to keep you entertained during your ride.  They play a series of stories then repeat.  The first 2 or 3 times are fine but after hearing the stories 6 or 7 times you start getting a little disturbed.  Luckily I discovered a mute button.

 

Our flight will board soon.  The next time you hear from me will be in Reykjavik.  I just love showing that I can spell.  Patrice here now, took him about 5 minutes to figure out how to spell Reykjavik and that was even WITH Google’s help.

I know many of you think our trips are all about going to great restaurants and baseball games.  I hear your whining about poor Patrice and how she has to suffer while I pursue my goal of attending games in all 30 MLB parks.  Well relax, today was all about her.

We started our day by going shopping.  I found a great store that sells high end purses (see below).

Then Patrice expressed an interest in going to the Statue of Liberty.  She didn’t have to say it twice and I had her there (see below).

 

Being the nature lover I had to show her some of New York’s natural resources (see below).

Museums are also among her favorite things to do so I took her to a museum dedicated to private investigators (see below).

But of course how could I forget her favorite (see below).

I am happy to say that tomorrow we leave for Iceland.  This trip to NYC does not rank among my favorites.  One thing I did enjoy was the Museum of Moving Images where we saw a very interesting documentary “I Am, Or How Jack Became Black”.  The film maker explored the problems presented to multiracial individuals in our culture.  We had the opportunity to meet the filmmaker who was born deaf and had a black father and white Jewish mother.  The film reminded me of the book “The Color of Water” by James McBride where the author discussed his Jewish mother and black father.  If you have not read the book, I strongly recommend you do.

We also went to see the shows “A Bronx Tale” (based on the film and gave it a C+) and The Band’s Visit (about an group of Egyptian musicians who visited Israel and we gave it a B+).   For this trip Broadway Lights were not a big success.  Hopefully that will mean that the Northern Lights will be spectacular.  I am hopeful but based on past performance (Christ the Redeemer being fogged in and the Total Eclipse of the Sun blocked by cloud cover) I am not getting my hopes too high.

 

 

Many people have told me “You sure spend a lot of time talking about food on your blog”. Then there are others who say, “I sure love all the stuff you write on your blog about food”. This entry is geared toward the later group.

Yesterday we ventured toward Central Park to have breakfast at a restaurant recommended by our friend, Nancy.  The restaurant is called Sarabeth’s (40 Central Park S, New York, NY 10021).  When we arrived there was quite a crowd.  Diners can choose to eat outside (we were quoted a 25 minute wait) or inside (a 20 minute wait).  It was a bit warm and humid so we opted for the shorter wait inside.  Before being seated we took a short walk around the area looking at the Ritz Carlton and Marriott Essex House hotels. Both are classic looking hotels and quite a bit more expensive than our room at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.  Apparently this area is  more geared to business travelers who don’t mind spending the extra dollar to be close to their meeting locations as long as they can pass the expense on to their customers.

When we returned to Sarabeth’s we were seated promptly next to a lovely couple who were visiting NYC on business.  The husband was from Argentina and the wife was from Puerto Rico.  We never pass up a chance to practice our Spanish but they quickly replied to us in English.  I guess our Spanish needs some work.

Back to the cuisine.  Patrice ordered the Lobster Roll against my advice.  I explained that it is a Boston specialty.  How could NYC match up to the lobster rolls we had at Neptune Oyster in the North side of Boston?  The roll arrived and I scoffed at its small size and and larger price than what we had in Boston.  Patrice let me taste it and I have to admit it was every bit as good and maybe even better.  I had the salmon eggs Benedict which was also superb.  The only thing I found lacking at Sarabeth’s were the napkins.  Shouldn’t a classy place like this have cloth napkins?  Apparently they don’t think so.

This morning we were feeling very guilty about our indulgence the previous day so we started today in the gym.  No pictures of that since I looked ready for a 911 call and that was before I even started to exercise.

We then showered, got dressed and discussed what we should do today.  How about MOMA?  Or the Guggenheim?  Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building are always fun.  What do you say we go to Junior’s instead?  Junior’s won out over the others.  When you come to NYC you have to eat a corned beef sandwich and a potato knish.  LA’s version of these two dishes just does not measure up.

It was only 77 degrees today but with light showers earlier in the morning it was incredibly humid.  While waiting to be seated I heard a woman suggesting that she and her family sit outside because “it is so delightful”.   Obviously this woman has never been to LA.  I was hoping for a table inside but  willing to accept something outside because I was getting hungry.  After being seated I told the waiter  I knew what I wanted and  ordered without looking at the menu.  “I will have a corned beef on rye and a potato knish” I said.  “We don’t have knishes” was his reply.  “How could that be?  Isn’t this New York?  Isn’t this Junior’s?”  “We don’t have potato knishes” was his answer.  I settled for the corned beef sandwich knowing that there would be so much meat I wouldn’t have to eat for the rest of the day.  Junior’s is known for serving sandwiches that have dislocated many jaws.  When the sandwich arrived I saw that times had changed.   That was not the sandwich I remembered but it still tasted good.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing in and around the hotel.  At night we went to Caroline’s, a comedy club very near the hotel.  We saw the “New York Kings of Comedy”.  They were a group of 5 comedians who did their own stand up routines and also a couple of bits with each other.  As Patrice likes to say, “It was good but not great”.   I would say, it was not good.

 

Patrice and I enjoy Broadway shows.  The smash hit “Hamilton” has created the main buzz in town but the show “Dear Evan Hansen” has not been far behind.   It has been a huge success and a very difficult ticket to get.  All shows have cancelation lines and if you wait before the performance you can sometimes get lucky and be rewarded with excellent seats.  Patrice is a pro at this and volunteered to wait in line for “Evan Hansen” while I went back to the hotel and worked out at the fitness center.  She is a real trooper.

After my workout I showered then went to join Patrice on the cancelation line.   As I was exiting the hotel lobby I saw basketball legion, Julius Erving, aka “Dr. J” talking to some people.   No one seemed to even notice him.  I knew Patrice was waiting but I had something that I needed to share with him.  So I turned around and went back into the hotel lobby and all I said was, “I would like to tell you a Dr. J story”.  He graciously agreed to give me some time to tell my tale.

It was 1976 and my brother-in-law, Morty, and sister, Annette, had season seats for the Los Angeles Lakers.  They offered me the seats to see Dr. J’s first appearance in Los Angeles with the understanding that I take the daughter of one of Morty’s friends to the game.  I agreed in an instant.

I spent the days leading up the game telling my friends, “I am going to see Dr. J, I am going to see Dr. J, I am going to see Dr. J”.  The big night arrived and I went to pick up my date.  Soon after picking her up it became apparent that this was not going to be the woman of my dreams.  I didn’t care because, I was going to see Dr. J.  It didn’t matter that this woman was awful, hell I would have taken Hitler as my date if it meant I could see Dr. J.

We arrived at the Forum and when we were about to enter the arena I reached into my pocket for the tickets AND THEY WERE GONE!.  I went into a panic.  I retraced my steps but I couldn’t find the tickets. My date then said in her high-pitched, squeaky voice, “I guess we can’t go to the game?”.   She said it in a way that you knew she was relieved.  I on the other hand was trying to decide where to hide the body because I had decided to murder her.

Finally I asked a security guard the most ridiculous question.  “Did anyone find any tickets and turn them in to you?”   I waited for the guard to reply, “In your dreams, buddy”.  Instead he asked “Where are the seats?”  I had to confess I didn’t know, they were a gift from my sister and her husband.  He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the tickets.  Needless to say I was incredibly grateful and I got to see Dr. J.   Now 41 years later I got to tell the great one the story.  He only had one question, “Was that the girl you married”.  I quickly said no, with such disgust in my voice that I got a laugh out of him.

I then went to meet Patrice in line and tell her what happened.  She asked if I got a picture with him but in my excitement I failed to think of that.  Oh well, next time.

Hello fans we are off again on our way to seek adventure and fun but in reality I am just looking for food and baseball. Unfortunately no baseball is planned for this trip. Instead we are on our way to Iceland in search of the Northern Lights. I hear that they are spectacular and my friend Allen told me he got to see them from the cockpit of an airplane. That was years ago when airlines would on occasion let passengers visit the pilots. Allen is very old. I am too young to remember those days.

Followers of this blog are most likely saying right now, “Guarantee, no northern lights on this trip”. Readers might remember when we went to Brazil and Argentina and saw some fantastic sights but the attraction that brought me there was Christ the Redeemer.   Unfortunately we didn’t get the view I had hoped (see below).

Then there was the trip to Nashville on August 21, 2017 to see the total eclipse of the sun. We saw some incredible views but just moments before totality, cloud cover prevented us from seeing what people, just a few miles away, told me was spectacular (go ahead pour salt in my open wound).

Let’s hope this time will be different. Well more about that later. Now we are on our way to New York City. Our plan is to make a short jump from New York to Reykjavik (bet you didn’t think I could spell that one) rather than a more grueling flight from Los Angeles. Also this way we can ease into the time change (Iceland is 7 hours ahead of Los Angeles).   New York offers Broadway and great restaurants and we love both. I promised Patrice that this would not be a baseball trip but I did notice that the Cleveland Indians will be in town to play the Yankees in the first round of the American League playoffs. I mentioned that to Patrice and she started to cry. I guess this doesn’t look like it will be a baseball trip.

The flight from LA has been great. Take off was smooth and so has been the flight to this point.  We are currently somewhere over Ohio.

Patrice and I watched the movie “Snatched” with Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn. It made me laugh but it was very silly at times. After the movie we compared notes. Patrice said she liked it. I said it was kind of stupid to which she replied, “Sometimes I like stupid things” and was staring at me when she said it. Was that a message to me?

Landing soon so I better sign off.

 

 

I got up early this morning and accompanied by my daughter, Lindsay, we headed to the hotel gym for an intense work out.  We made plans last night to work out this morning but when I got up I was feeling so very comfortable that I was willing to take a pass until I got a text from Lindsay “Are you up?  Are you ready?”.  Damn that girl!  Actually I am grateful to her because I knew what lay ahead for me and my stomach.

I am so glad people love living in this part of the country because there are already too many people in Los Angeles.  As I said before it is just too hot for me in the South.  You might also recall that I love Southern cooking.  Patrice found us a gem for breakfast today.   We ate at 417 Union (located oddly enough at 417 Union Street) and we were offered the usual Southern gems such as Chicken and Waffles (Robert had that) and Biscuits with Gravy (David’s choice).   They also had Lox and Bagels.  Sorry, I don’t order Shrimp and Grits north of the Mason Dixon line and I won’t order Lox and Bagels south of the same border.  I might reconsider them if I can see a hunched over 70 year old Jewish guy with a Brooklyn accent at the cash register.

Here is a look at breakfast menu:

After breakfast we took a short walk to pick up the “Hop-On, Hop-Off” city tour bus.  We had to wait for 3 buses before we could find one that could take on 6 additional passengers.  It is incredibly crowded here with all the “Eclipse Seekers” in town.  We didn’t get off the bus until it had almost completed its loop and brought us back close to our hotel.  We then walked the short distance back to the hotel and along the way saw a number of people selling eclipse t-shirts and hats, long lines at various restaurants (we lucked out this morning, we got seated immediately but when we left there was a long line out the door).  We also saw a of couple people wearing Trump t-shirts (hey, we are in Tennessee, be careful what you say here).

After the tour we went back to the hotel to cool off.  David found us a great video of the ABC coverage of the solar eclipse on February 26, 1979.  Announcer Frank Reynolds (remember him?) quipped,  “If you miss this one, guess you will have to wait 38 years until August 21, 2017 because that is the next time a total solar eclipse will be seen in North America.”

If you want to see and hear Frank back in 1979 check this link: http://people.com/human-interest/abc-news-report-covering-1979-solar-eclipse-wishes-for-world-at-peace-in-2017/

Tonight we will have dinner at Husk (37 Rutledge Street).  It will be late when we return to the room so I am posting now.   If you want to see what we had last time at Husk, look at this link:  http://wp.me/p5Z9hV-15v

Tomorrow is the big day.  We are all very excited about the big event.  Talk to you later.