Mirvish - Return to Grace

This show was a lot of fun and was flowing over with familiar hits, enthusiasm, awesome dancers and ‎amazing musicians. With a spattering of history, the show covered the highlights of Elvis' career.  Steve Michaels did an incredible job of capturing the essence of the King, in mannerisms, charisma and voice, really drawing in the crowd. Highly recommended if you grew up with Elvis !

Soulpepper - Borne

A very interesting and moving play, opening your eyes to some of the challenges of being in a wheelchair that you may not have thought about. Also addressed pre-conceived notions and insensitivities. Real life stories and triumphs, real people. 

Soulpepper - Twelve Angry Men

An amazing production, extremely well cast. Fresh rendition of a classic. You should make an effort to see this play.

Iceland - Day 8 - Blue Lagoon and Home

With a morning check out and evening flight it makes good sense to visit the Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport. Also, after a week of sightseeing, albeit not a lot of walking on the bus tours, we are ready for a relaxing warm soak.

We spent 2 hours luxuriating in the silica thermal waters of the Blue Lagoon. I tried the silica mask, but it just made my face feel itchy. Healthy drinks at the pool bar is a nice treat. Had a light lunch at the cafe, walked around the grounds a bit, then off to the airport. A wonderfully relaxing way to end our visit to Iceland.

Reflecting on our stay, Apartment K was very comfortable, with lots of space for a family of 4, well equipped for making meals and a fantastic location. Being able to have breakfast, coffee and snacks in our room really saved us a lot of money, even though we were purchasing food in the corner stores (we didn't find the big grocery store only minutes away on Ingolfsstruti until our last Day). Also nice to have a glass of wine and light appetizer (salad, fruit) and rest a bit before heading out for dinner. Very close to the Grayline tour bus terminal, less than a 5 min walk to join our tours, saving the extra half hour each way for hotel pickup and drop off.‎ Only caveat is that we were above a very popular nightspot and the closed windows didn't quite block out the noise.

Iceland is a very interesting country, with lots of uniques things to see, and wonderful people, eager to tell you all about the sagas (history of the settlement of Iceland). You can go hiking, horseback riding, biking, camping, boating, all types of activities for the nature enthusiast. We all enjoyed the trip immensely and my daughter is already planning when she will come back - perhaps in the fall next time for the music festival.

Iceland - Day 7 - Reykjavik

A nice leisurely start to the day, browsing the book store for some books on Iceland. Found an excellent, albeit pricey ($40), book on walking tours in Reykjavik (6 in all) which just came out 2 days ago. Had a good coffee and delicious carrot cake at Stofan, then on with our walking tour, new book in hand.

We had fabulous soup, sandwiches and pastry for lunch at Bakari Sandholt, with artisan bread. The long line-up was worth it. Don't worry, there is lots of seating.

Continuing up Laugavegur street, the boys dropped into the Phallological Museum (they were not impressed), ‎while the girls did some shopping. Heading up to the Cathedral we were on time for a lovely performance on the organ‎. Then to the craft stores along Skolavoroustigur to browse and be tempted.

A rest at our hotel before an evening explore of the Harbour area. Not finding a restaurant we could agree on in the Harbour (although several looked good), we went back to Ingolfsstruti and had dinner at Solon. The crab cake appetizer was amazing and so were the mains. Definitely recommend this place.

As it was the summer solstice, everyone was dressed up and ready to party all night. We were taking pictures on the street at midnight – no flash required !

Iceland - Day 6 - Vestmannaeyjar: Pompeii of the North

Heading to the Westman Islands, most of the two hour drive is along a now well familiar landscape. Our adventure really starts with a ferry at Bakkafjara to the island Heimaey, where a major volcanic eruption in 1973 destroyed half the town and buried the rest in ash and lava. The large, comfortable ferry allows adequate viewing, fries and coffee is available on board, but the sea is rough today and walking is difficult - some of us are worrying about seasickness, however the ride is too short (about 40 minutes) for that to set in.

After about a 10 minute rest stop we are back on a boat, smaller one though, to cruise around the island, check out the coastline of lava and see the puffins in their nesting place. Not long into the trip we are on the ocean side and the waves are really rocking the boat. Not taking my cue from the captain ducking below the dash, we are caught by a massive wave coming over the bow and are soaked. A number of people, my teen and husband included, are now starting to feel ill. My son is 6'7" and, with a guardrail only up to the top of his thigh, waves pitching the boat and finding ourselves airborne at times, I am worrying about him going overboard. Pulling into a cave at the end of the tour we were serenaded by the captain, who also turned out to be a great sax player. Awesome acoustics in the cave.

After a delicious soup at the Cafe Kro (free wifi!) we enjoy a bus tour of the island, driving over the buried town and next to the volcano that destroyed it. A little creepy - thinking we are driving on an island with active volcanos, although the locals assure us they have very good early warning systems in place now.

Several stops along our island tour included an old stone house, a puffin nesting area, gazing out at a young island (formed only 40 years ago by a volcano) and some totally amazing views.

Back to the Cafe Kro for a screening of the documentary about the 1973 eruption, a yummy donut-style cake and the best latte in Iceland.

Reverse order to get home - ferry to the mainland and bus. The driver recommended an Italian restaurant named Italia on the main street by our hotel and we had a fabulous dinner. Pizzas and penne were great. Deserts were amazing and big enough for 4 of us to share 2 - we strongly recommend the ice cream cake.

Iceland - Day 5 - Reyjkavik

This is another day to explore the museums, other places of interest and, of course, the shops. Look for the “duty free for travelers” signs to get your VAT back.

‎The Settler's museum is a must see. Then we headed up Slolavoroustigur street for some shopping and enjoyed a delicious and reasonably priced, for Iceland, lunch at Cafe Babalu, en route to the Hallgrimskirkja. Nothing in the decor of the cafe indicates what you will find in the bathroom - lifesize Star Wars character cut-outs and colourful flashing lights. Check it out !

Headed back to the apartment for more shopping along Laugavegur to get some jewelry made by Icelandic craftspeople, with designs influenced by the local rocks and culture.

Down to the harbour for dinner at the renowned Icelandic Fish and Chips - definitely lived up to its reputation.