Teresa's first BJJ Globetrotters camp was in Iceland, which was a fun destination for a trip for us as a couple, too! We traveled through NY, where we had a great lunch with Teresa's mom. Then off to Iceland.
We arrived, and took a rental car from the Airport (about an hour outside of the city) into Reykjavik, where we met up with my friend, our host for the night, and Mjölnir owner, Bjarni, as well as buddy, and longtime Globetrotter, Priit Mikhelson. We had a great breakfast together, then pushed through travel tiredness to make our way to an active lava flow in a place called Fagradallsfjall, where we had a hike to see the flow, and where we got to snap some cool pics together.
The next morning, we went to the famous Blue Lagoon for some hot spring action. The technicolor water and basalt stone walls made for an other-worldly immersive experience, and we were really glad we bothered with the drive and expense to come here. Afterwards, we grabbed groceries, and settled into our AirBnB for a bit before finding out that our rental could not be returned anywhere but the airport. I took a little solo trip to return the car, and shuttled back into Reykjavik.
The rest of the week was spent on our walks (and sometimes rented-scoots) to the worlds largest MMA gym, built into the side of a mountain: Mjölnir, for jiu jitsu classes and seminars by teachers from all over the world. I taught my 2 classes and 1 seminar, all of which Teresa attended and filmed for me. Teresa got to try a dynamic all-women's class taught by a tough, Icelandic female coach, and enjoyed many rolling sessions in with everyone here for the camp, as well as locals. A ton of jiu jitsu, some home cooking in the AirBnB, and some restaurant visits, including with my friends from a prior year, Kata and Vignir.
Camp events rounding out the week also included a glima (Icelandic wrestling) competition between the Icelanders and the visitors, which we watched cliff-side, and a movie premiere of a new Globetrotters documentary, held in a cool theatre, where all hung and partied after. We had a couple more scooter trips before leaving: one to get our COVID tests before returning home, and one to Sky Lagoon, which was fantastic for flushing the intensity of the week, and truly reconnecting.
We had a successful trip home in terms of traveling at a good pace and keeping a peaceful vibe, on an otherwise potentially stressful trek. All in all an amazing trip for the action, the people, and growing as a couple out in the world (after a year-plus holed up mostly away from other people)!
(We arrived home to the delivery of my new guitar! Included here because of timing, and because scandinavian metal is the big reason I bought a 7-string at all :D )
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