9/30 & 10/1: real civil War reenactment - Walk amongst the camps Bring the Family, Enjoy the day in our woodland village...
Great PumPkin Patch • Wagon Rides to the Pumpkin Patch • Pumpkins for all inc. w/admission
$ 10 person Kids under 2 free *cash only
• Food & Refreshments • Lots of Kids Activities
mccracken Farms ~ 701 White rd., Brockport
September 24, 2017
Issue No. 39
Open Saturdays & Sundays 11-5 in October 585-395-0505
Free Petting Zoo
Pony Rides
(extra fee)
check our schedule on facebook.
www.westsidenewsny.com
West Edition
Distributed to Bergen, Clarendon, Holley-Murray and Brockport-Sweden
Trip of a lifetime for local woman by Kristina Gabalski After decades of dreaming about it, this summer Grace Griffee decided to make her long-time dream of traveling to Iceland to visit a pen pal friend she made back in middle school a reality. Grace, who lives in North Greece, says her pen pal story began when she was taking French in 7th grade at Spencerport Central Schools and decided to sign up for a French pen pal when given the opportunity by her teacher. At the same time, she decided to choose a second pen pal from Iceland. “I’ve always been intrigued by remote places and exotic locations,” she says. That’s how she got to know Thordis Sigurdardottir. Thordis and Grace are the same age and have spent the last 40 years communicating by letter, cards and eventually Facebook. Over the decades, they’ve also shared birthday and Christmas presents, presents for each other’s children, postcards and souvenirs from travels. The two met face to face 30 years ago when Thordis visited the States. Grace decided to finally make the trip to Iceland by herself this past July. “Traveling to another country by myself was a bit out of my comfort zone,” she admits, “but this year when April rolled around and I began thinking about summer travel, I decided at the drop of a hat to book a flight.” Grace says it is typical of her to do a lot of research and planning when she travels, but not so this time. She put herself into the hands of Thordis and her husband, Jeff, who live in Neskaupstadur, about 10 hours from the airport in Keflavik. Thordis and Jeff provided transportation during Grace’s stay and made sure she had an extensive tour of the country-
side and Iceland’s natural wonders. “They were the most gracious hosts I could ask for,” she says. “I had never met Jeff, who is from Denmark, and had only met Thordis during her visit 30 years before, but it was like we were long lost friends.” Grace describes the visit as an adventure. They spent the first day touring Reykjavik and Keflavik and made sure to visit lighthouses because Grace enjoys them. They also toured Viking World which is a history museum focusing on Iceland’s Viking heritage. Grace says the museum has a replica of a 9th century ship for visitors to climb-aboard. The three visited Hallgrimskirkja church where Grace lit a candle for her parents. The design of the church, “was inspired by the shapes created when lava cools into basalt rock,” Grace says. The trip included travel along the Ring Road which circles the country and Grace says her hosts were happy to make time for any spot she wished to stop. She saw rugged mountains, green mountains, glaciers, lava fields, moss covered lava fields and waterfalls. The landscape also included many sheep and horses. Jeff, “made a point of taking my photo at all of the stops so that I would not just have photos of places, but of myself in those places,” Grace says. “We had a lot of fun taking panoramic photos where I would run behind him when he panned so that it would look like I was in two places at once.” Stops along the southern route of the Ring Road included the Kerio volcanic crater (formed about 6,500 years ago); Geysir - a high temperature geothermal area; the giant Gullfoss waterfalls (31 meters high) carved out by glacial floods at the end of the Ice Age; glaciers; a gorgeous iceberg lagoon; and a black sand beach where visitors are warned against the, “deadly ‘sneaker waves’,” Grace says.
Thordis Sigurdardottir and Jeff Clemmensen at Kerio Volcanic Crater. Provided photo.
Grace Griffee at Jokulsarlon, a glacier lagoon in south Iceland. Covered in thick glacial ice until the 1930’s when the glacier started retreating, the lagoon today measures seven square miles (20 km2). More than 300 feet of ice still breaks away each year, reshaping the lagoon and filling it with icebergs. Provided photo. Grace says she and her friends had one One of the highlights of the route was hiking behind a waterfall by herself. “Needless more drink together at her hotel near the to say, my hiking boots more than paid for airport the night before her flight. “Many themselves,” she says. “Climbing slippery tears were shed and I cannot wait until I rocks just a foot or so from plunging over can see them again,” she says. Having such a dear friend in such a the edge, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so exfar away place is very special to Grace. hilarated.” They arrived at Neskaupstadur on the “I have always felt like people come into third day and Grace says she couldn’t be- each other’s lives for a reason,” she muses lieve she was really in the little town she about her 40-year pen pal friend. “She had heard about for 40 years. She stayed has brought so much to my life - from with Jeff and Thordis and met their three giving me perspective as a young girl children - Henri, 23, Agnes, 21, and Irena, on what life was like in another country to sharing everything that two young 18. The population of Neskaupstadur is less women, and now not-so-young women, than 1,500 and the town is nestled between would share about working, raising a family, caring for our parents and having the mountains and the North Atlantic. “During my stay, I enjoyed the family to say goodbye to them, and everything meals (and ate whale, unbeknownst to me in between.” Grace plans on returning to Iceland to until I had finished); visited with Thordis’ best friend, Rakel Gestsdottir, in her home explore more of the country, but mostly to where she, Thordis and I sat and talked spend more time with her friends. “I think about my trip every single like three women who had known each other their entire lives; hiked a beautiful day,” she says. mountain path down to the sea; and rode an Icelandic horse - all experiences I will never forget,” Grace says. Returning to the airport, Grace and her hosts took the northern route of the Ring Road. She says it was very different from the southern route and the July temperatures were in the 70s. The trip included a hike down to Dettifoss - a waterfall that is part of the largest canyon on Iceland - 25 km long and 1/2 km wide; exploring geothermal areas; swimming in a geothermal swimming pool and spending the night in the picturesque Thordis Sigurdardottir (left) and Grace Griffee at the Blue town of Akureyri. Lagoon, a geothermal pool and spa. Provided photo.