Weird: Back in Holland

Strange to be here again. Back in Holland.

From harsh winter weather in Seydisfjordur to mild Spring/Summer weather in Holland today. From being in Icelandic culture, talking Icelandic, eating Icelandic to Dutch again. It's strange, a pity, weird, good, all at the same time, to leave behind what I've been working on for 2,5 years...

I drove straight from my arrival in Esjberg (Denmark) back to Holland. On the way I had two very nice hitchhikers which I dropped at Hannover (thanks for the pie!)

After all the twisting and slipping on the road to Seydisfjeordur, my car was trembly and I was worried that my tyre would fall off or something. But 865km to Muiden and it was all fine. It probably just had to be balanced again or something.

It, means my van. I've been thinking of a name. Þorkell sounds funny, as nobody in mainland Europe can pronounce the name. Or Stjáni blái, the Icelandic name for Popeye. As my car is blue (blái) big and strong, I thought it would fit.

The trip on the ferry is extremely boring, as expected. I was happy having my cycle tour in the Faraoe Islands and the possibility of fitness and swimming on the ferry.

On the way home I got only stopped once. The police had to figure my numberplate and couldn't place it.

I was very jokey and told them it was probably a hard game figuring the origin of my numberplate.

I forgot to write on my car:

Bankroet ehf (efh=Icelandic for the Dutch 'bv') (bankroet=bankrupt, but roet=ash)

Waarde(loos) transport (value 'less' transport)

I'm thinking of making a big sticker for on the window. Nobody will get the joke though, only when they recognise the numberplate.

Now I'll have to start building up my things again here in Holland. Finding myself a place to live, friends to climb with, finish my studies, find a job...

This is my tick-list for now:

- change car into official campervan

- get the tyres balanced again

- get through Dutch MOT.

- get Dutch numberplates

- start paying Dutch car tax/insurance

- write/finish my studies (takes more then a month I guess)

- get fit in climbing again (train 5x a week)

- get myself a job (IRATA)

- have enough money to go to Iceland for a visit

- go to Berdorf, Ettringen, Freyr, Frankenura...and go to the Alps this Summer!

- learn to dance Salsa

- clean up the mess in my room (sorry mum, I'll really clean it up...)

- become rich ;)

Tórshavn

Yesterday at 9 Faraoe-time (8 Icelandic time) I left Iceland.

Scary, funny, exciting, weird, sad, good, double...

I stared at the cliffs until they disappeared in the darkness. All that was left was a big sea with big waves.

And now, after a 17 hour sailing (no sails on this boat though) I arrived in the Faraoe Islands (=part of Denmark) I didn't get seasick but it's weird to do fitness on a boat, to eat yogurt (half went on my trousers) and to sleep like you're in a big hammock.

With around a 1000 people in once we invaded the little town of Tørshavn, Thórshafn, or Tórshavn, still not sure of the right spelling...

And soon I'll get on my bike and cycle around the island (really, it's so tiny that I can cycle around)

Het altijd gezellige...Seydisfjordur

Monday evening I arrived in Seydisfjordur after a very interesting slippery drive.

Yesterday I spent the whole day doing...nothing... It's surprising how little a town can offer. One supermarket, two wool shops and some shop that said it sells medicines but actually sells make-up. No horseriding (I planned to go horseback riding), no cinema, no museum, no...nothing.

So I went for a long walk and spotted amazing cliffs and ice. Perfect short dry/mixed routes and longer ice lines. I know I'm not the first to climb here (if I would have find any belaybitch), Gummi and his friend have been here before (see their report on climbing.is)

I asked all around town if they knew any iceclimbers. Went to the fire brigade, rescue services, supermarket, school, youth hostel, some restaurants (only open in weekends...), asked some fishermen. But no, no iceclimbers in this town. Skiing then, horseback riding, walking, no....nothing.

It was very tempting just to take my axes and go somewhere on my own, but, knowing that there are no iceclimbers here I guessed nobody would know how to save me if anything would happen...

So I went cycling instead, bought some wool to knit a pair of socks and had as a mission to get free internet out of my car (here it is:)

Today same crappy weather, even worse (more snow) and nothing to do.

Any suggestions? (Yes, already been reading, writing, knitting, sleeping, cleaning, calling, chatting)

Trip to Seydisfjordur

Two days on the road with only bad internet connections. So no new post the last days.

The trips has been more and more scary. Not only because of the idea that I'll leave Iceland, but also because of the slippery roads.

All started well with a good road to Myvatn from Akureyri. When I arrived in Akureyri it was -8 in the sun and freezing cold in the night.

For breakfast I had frozen bread with frozen butter and frozen banana. The gas hardly worked because of the cold, so I drank frozen water (impossible...).

And I went for a swim! In the natural hot spring in Myvatn (yes, the secret one, I'm not going to tell you where to find it)

Yesterday I drove on to Egilsstadir and later also to Seydisfjordur.

I thought, I could still make my decision of staying in Iceland when I would arrive in Seydisfjordur, but...the road down was so bad that I really think I can't get back to Egilsstadir for the next days!

On the highlands to Egilsstadir to Myvatn (180km) I slipped and almost went off the road! Just because the wind grabbed the car on the icy road. The road to Seydisfjordur was 10 times worse: 10-15% steep hills, bends, wind and a road that looked more like an ice-skating rink then a real road.

So I slipped again, almost went off the road a couple times, and at the fourth time almost going off, I gave up driving... I stopped some Icelanders who were on the same road down and asked what I could do. One of the men offered to drive the car down. I didn't trust it for a bit, but took the chance. He also slipped a couple times, twisted two times a couple circles and got the car down in Seydisfjordur.

So tip number 1 for when you get to Iceland in winter times (which is now) : get nailed

(I mean...get nailed tyres on your car..)

Now in Seydisfjordur, I'm extremely bored and hope to get something to do soon. Something like knitting (been reading all day already).

To make it all a bit worse: loads of amazing ice here. Really, perfect conditions and...nobody to climb with! I don't get it: a country full of ice and hardly any iceclimbers.

The pictures I took on the way...

More changes

OK. After breaking up with Valdimar, loads of things changed.

Last night, after Örvar's birthday (Beautiful black hair Örvar!) party, I decided I should get on...

The main thing is, that I'm now driving up North and will try to catch the boat. I'm still doubting if I really should get out of Iceland now or not. Should I suddenly leave behind all these things I'd been working for for years?

It feels weird but every hour and day I'm getting more 'relieve' and energy again to move on an make a plan of what I'm going to do next.

One of the main things playing in my head, is my studies. I really think now I should finish what I'm doing, more then ever I'm motivated to lock myself up in a box and write what I have to write for my studies.

But now first getting further up North into the cold.

Hopefully I find somebody to climb with, preferably ice! But rock or boulders are ok as well :)

And then see tomorrow if I can catch the boat or not!

It's scary and lonely to drive all the way (more then 800km) on my own through no-mans-land, but it's also beautiful to see the country again...

These pictures I took today on the way to Akureyri.

Mess

The van is a mess, even now that we're just with a two, after Corné left.
There are icescrews on the floor and draws in the bed.
We tried to hang up all the stuff but now we have to cook with iceaxes above the sink. Hopeless...

Kandersteg

After a train-road-trip we arrived in Kandersteg, Swiss.
It is so great to be in between those beautiful big mountains. I get this thrill of wanting to climb them all and never leave this place!
There is so much to do here. Even if you're over 50 you can still have some fun with ski-walking (langlaufen) in this langlauf-resort of Kandersteg.
But we didn't get there for the langlaufing...
In Ueschinen the is a big cave with a ice curtain and loads of mixed routes!
With an hour walk we got there and I didn't believe my eyes: all routes filled with the world's best iceclimbers. Little puppets hanging in between massive icicles.
Corne took pictures of Dennis and me and hung around the Romenian girls.
My eyes fell out of their sockets by seeing this cool rock and ice, my arms almost fell off because of the pump en my hand broke off because of the cold. But wauw, that's so much fun!
I hung around in an M8- and almost climbed it!
The next day, today, Dennis and me went up again. We really wanted to climb and almost ran up into the valley of Ueschinen.
After some dubbing we decided to get onto a route called Pink Panther. (M9+)
I started and got over the ice, and some further, and then I was so pumped, cold and confused of what to do...I climbed on to the almost top just before the next curtain and went down.
Then Dennis' turn. He struggled, went longer and longer and then lost his axe!
So me again. Further and further...and then I fell, too pumped, nooo! Dennis then climed the route and was satisfied he could still do it. A good test.
I climbed the route third go. And I was so happy I climbed this cool, pumpy, various ice-rock line! Afterwards we tried something harder but had to leave the route. Time was up.
I'm going back there!
Dennis has some nice pictures of us on his Picasa album

On the road

Tuesday Dennis and me left for Italy. Really late (thanks to the brilliant Dutch train system) but we didn't really care.
We drove through Austra with a little sleep stop somewhere in Germany and a emergency stop after the Fernpass (the brakes started to complain).
Dennis' van is brilliant. With two sleeping compartments, heating, good music and loads of fun movies. We watched Planet Terror and laughed our ass off.