Melissa and I centered a trip overseas around seeing the Cowboys play in London. We visited some friends we hadn’t seen in years, I worked two days in London, and we took advantage of Iceland Airs free layover to spend four days in Reykjavik. A few people have asked us how the trip was; my response is usually “okay” and Melissa’s is “pretty good.” My response is the result of a few things.

First and foremost, the game was great and I would have made the same decisions 10 times out of 10. Other than that, London was kinda a wash. This was my fourth time there and I spent most waking hours working, so there’s only so much to be had there. Melissa spent her two free days walking around the city and visiting museums she missed the last time we were there; she thoroughly enjoyed that. Our visit with friends was nice. We didn’t do much of all – I actually spent a good bit of time watching TV and playing Angry Birds. Other than that it was walks to the pub, eating, and taking them to their first American football game. I’m pretty sure they enjoyed it, seemingly against their will.

Iceland was interesting. We went at a less popular time of year, mostly because there are roughly six hours of daylight. We filled our days with activities, but it does take some adjustment to wake up at 9 am to complete darkness. The food and drive were ridiculously expensive – more so than London with a very unfavorable exchange rate. Hamburgers were $15+, an entree at a decent (not fancy) restaurant was $40+ , and a beer was $8+. We rented an apartment on airbnb and actually cooked in quite a bit to save money. The Blue Lagoon and other geothermal attractions are cool; these days I’m more interested in experiencing local culture and people. We did meet a couple off Couchsurfing for a few beers, which was enjoyable. I’d recommend visiting for a few days if you have a chance. I don’t think I’d describe it as a destination.

Perhaps most important, it was good to get away from work and the constant work we’ve been doing on our house. This trip was a good breather and one we certainly needed. The big daddy comes next years when we do three weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia. That, I’m really looking forward too.