.::. The Honeymoon - Part 4 .::.

We flew from Munich to Iceland. Not the best way because air tickets ain't that cheap (cheaper from London).

Iceland is a very unique country. It's the first country that we have been and do not know how their currency looked like. It's amazing that the whole country is wired effectively and you can pay for your bus tickets with your credit card on the bus. We paid for everything by card and they have these wireless device that is even faster than those wired ones in Singapore shops. So yes, you do not need to exchange for any of their currency to travel around Iceland!

We were in awe once we arrived and got on the bus. It's one of those countries with landscapes so dramatic that you just had to be in awe. I was praying to catch the northern lights, but out of the few nights we were there, only the first night was clear.

Another great thing about Iceland is that the airport shuttle drops you at your hotel (most hotels anyway). The tours also picks you up and drop you back at your hotel.



So obviously, the first thing we did was to call up the tour agency to book the northern lights tour. It was a clear night with beautiful stars and freezingly cold. Really cold. We were driving around, trying to chase the lights. The tours informed each other of their location and if there were clear skies or clouds closing in. It was a long night and after hours of waiting, we almost gave up hope.



And at the last stop, we finally saw it. Not impressive really, but hey, at least we saw something! It was so hard to get out of the warm car into the cold at every stop. The lights were flickering at the horizon, with lots of stars.

We did try hunting for the northern lights again the following night, but didn't see anything.



We followed a tour the following day, to visit all the scenic areas. It's really amazingly dramatic landscapes. First stop was this flat plane covered with snow and a hint of the sun in the horizon.



This was one of the most famous waterfalls in the world. Frozen. It was so cold here, I had trouble smiling with my frozen face. After like 30 minutes out in the cold, gosh, the hot soup we had for lunch was so good.



And here's the geyser! I captured the moment just before it shoots up. The tell-tale sign is this blue dome just before it erupts.



Here's us.



Another super cold area with lots of historic significance. But it was just flat and really vast.

After a whole day of touring, we had dinner at one of the famous restaurant and paid a bomb for really fresh fish and delicious food. It was yummy.

The next day in Iceland was a relaxing day. We slept in, walked around in town and went to Blue Lagoon, this geothermal pool that was stunning and really shiok in the cold weather.

There's also mineral clay to be used as a mask. It's not only Asians that are erm cheapskate. I saw so many ang moh bringing containers to bring those mineral mud home. It's per entry for the Blue Lagoon and you can use the mineral mud freely, but obviously not supposed to bring it home! They do sell the mud and other mineral products at the store!

Totally breathtaking place. I think both of us enjoyed it a lot and it was a nice relaxing day as our tour was coming to an end.

Right outside Blue Lagoon.

Some graffiti in town.

We've come to the final destination of this trip and have done a loop around Europe yet again.

First stop was Four Seasons duck. It's yummy, but still wasn't as nice as we remembered. The first time we had this was really unforgettable.

I wanted to watch Les Miserables desperately. And ridiculously, all tickets were sold out for the next few days. We usually bought discount tickets on the same day and did not expect this to happen. This was probably because of the recent movie that brought renewed interest to the show. When we were choosing between this and Phantom the last trip, all tickets were available on the same day! 

I only have myself to blame for not checking or booking tickets earlier on when I was in London just 2 weeks before. The box office was very rude too, telling us there were no more tickets at all. I asked if there was any way, if someone did not collect tickets or anything, he barked that there's NO MORE TICKETS AT ALL - like I did not understand English. *bleah* Very disappointed, but well. Next time!

We went to Camden Market, somewhere we have not been before. Sit on motorbikes and eat chinese takeout box and fish and chips in the cold.

We spent quite some time shopping in Selfridges. Gosh it's a nice place to shop! I love all the furniture and household stuff. We nearly wanted to buy a clock back, the grey one in the middle that the husband likes. But the thing is, we didn't need a clock and it's kinda big to carry back. We didn't in the end.

Oh, and nespresso capsules are ALOT cheaper in London. We bought like 12 sleeves of capsules back at about 50 cents each.

And the last night in London was Chinese New Year's Eve. He insisted on having steamboat, which was fine by me. But he insisted on going somewhere quite far for steamboat instead of the one in chinatown that had mediocre reviews and cost about SGD$40. The further one was cheaper and had better reviews.

So we dropped our stuff at the hotel and took a train out of town (we were staying at Victoria). It was a 45 minute train ride and when we walked out according to the map, it was a residential area and very quiet. It brought us to a quiet and dark neighborhood with no sight of the restaurant. There were nothing but houses in sight even when we reached the very short road where the restaurant was supposed to be. I was cold and hungry by then, it was already after 8pm. We finally saw a couple and asked them for directions. To our dismay, they told us that the address was at the other side of London, very far away. There was the short road with the same name in the neighborhood, but the address and area wasn't there.

Gosh. I was really cold and hungry by then. The train back to town would take another hour and there were nothing to eat around that area. I was grumbling and feeling incredible, not knowing to be angry or to laugh at how the husband has yet again brought us to the wrong place during our travels. He was acting sheepish and trying to gauge if I was really upset, but at the end I guess both of us found humor in our situation. After all, it's having each other's company that was the main point.

We were contemplating MacDonalds near our hotel or heading to Chinatown to find some food. We ended up at Chinatown and made it into a chinese restaurant around 10pm, just before they closed.

On hindsight, I guess we were thankful that the map brought us to a nice residential neighborhood instead of one of those areas that we should avoid. I mean, we had no idea where we were going!

This is how London's Chinatown looks like during Chinese New Year. You can find everything here. I think London should be a nice place to live in. I ilke London, in a not-too-crazy but very fond sort of way.

And this was us, after a long day and adventure around London on Chinese New Year's eve. We flew back the next day, just in time for Chinese New Year.

It has been yet another great trip as a couple. And it was on our anniversary when he wrote me a card that made me realize how accommodating I was with the husband's schedule and everything. I practically planned the whole wedding single-handedly and the husband did not need to worry about any of the details. I didn't even make him visit endless bridal shops to choose my gown as I bought it myself online. The hotel coordination, the flowers, the prep work and the everything was all settled by me. He just had to choose when I asked him to and show up with me when needed, while I did all the homework. I didn't get upset when he had to leave right after the wedding and was actually supportive of his study trip. Then, I planned the whole honeymoon. He just needed to give his inputs on where he wanted to go and I made everything happen, choosing the most convenient hotels and cheapest deal and routes. I've done all the research and find out where and how to go the nicest places. And when he had his classes, I was entertaining myself and enjoying the me-time to travel around alone, buying him toiletries without whining nor throwing any tantrums. Perhaps, I finally saw what he loves about me though his default answer is 'because you're ben ben de (silly)'. He's happy to let me do these stuff (there are some stuff that he does and I do not ever touch) and I really do not mind getting these done, for us.

I think we make a great team. I'm as thankful to have him as he is to have me. The honeymoon was well, one of the many memorable trips we had that brought us closer yet again. These are moments that I'd like to remember in the many years to come.

To many more happy trips~!