A Night in the Bathroom...

This weekend, three of my friends (Libby, Constantinos, and Christian) and I decided that we wanted to take a weekend trip down to the south coast of Iceland. I had seen pictures of some pretty impressive looking coast line (sort of Oregon-y, actually) near the little town of Vik. We didn't really want to rent a car because it was going to cost us each about $60. We discovered that the bus would have been about the same price, and would have locked us into a particular route, which we definitely didn't want. Given our success with hitchhiking the previous weekend, we decided to try our luck again-- this time with a slightly more ambitious goal. Vik is located approximately 190 km from Reykjavik, so the distance didn't seem outlandish. We knew that we could run into a bit of trouble because of a lack of traffic (hwy 1 along the south coast is not exactly raging...), but we decided that we would just go into it with open minds about exactly where we would end up. It didn't REALLY matter if we got to Vik, because we knew that the entire journey was going to be beautiful (we were going to be in Iceland, afterall!).

At about 8:30 on Saturday morning, the four of us trooped out to the bus stop outside of Gamli to catch the city bus. We took the bus out to a place where we could easily walk to Hwy 1, the highway that goes around the perimeter of the country. We split up into two groups, Constantinos and Christian in one and Libby and me in the other. Libby and I knew that we probably had an advantage given our gender, but we were alright with that! Christian and Constantinos walked ahead of us to clarify that we were indeed in two groups. Libby and I stood where we were for a couple of minutes with our thumbs out, waiting for the gap to open. After a bit, I realized that we were standing off to the side of a roundabout, which probably made it pretty difficult to tell where we wanted to go. After realizing our mistake, we began to tramp down the road behind Christian and Constantinos, smiling at the cars with our thumbs eagerly outstretched. After about 5 min, some sort of SUV pulled over. The driver popped out and offered us a ride by opening up the tailgate and gesturing for us to put our bags in the back. We got in the pristine, leather backseat and told the driver (a 50 something man) and his passenger (another 50 something man) that we were attempting to get to Vik. They replied positively, but didn't tell us where we were going. I thought that I should maybe ask how far they were going to take us, but never quite got up the nerve. After about 30-40 min, they dropped us off at a junction in the middle of nowhere, as they had to start heading in the other direction. We got out, giggled excitedly about how wild we felt, and then began to walk down the road. After about 3 minutes, the first car that passed us pulled over and told us that we could get in. This guy was probably in his late 40s. We talked about horses for the majority of the ride, which was just fine with me! He probably drove us for 10 or 15 min, before dropping us off at another junction in the road. This time, we were hardly out of the car before a huge land rover pulling an equally huge trailer (covered in big, fancy decals) pulled up beside us. I can't even remember if we had our thumbs out! This beast was occupied by a wiry, middle aged man and his 15 or 16 (we're guessing) year old son. They were going to ride ATVs somewhere, and seemed excited to give us a ride. We knew that they knew where we wanted to go, but we weren't sure exactly where they were going all of the time. They took us along on a couple of errands with them to pick up an ATV and to drop off some horse show fliers (I guess he makes fliers or something), which required bumping around on dirt roads and stopping to roll down the window to talk to horses and dogs. All very interesting. They seemed nice and were enthusiastic about telling us what we were driving by, even if it was obvious (ie. that is a cow). They eventually drove us past their turnoff so that they could drop us off at Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful waterfall that has a sweet path you can walk on behind the crashing water. They told us that we must take the walk, and we weren't about to protest! After getting pretty darn wet (luckily we had rain gear, well actually, I guess Libby's pants got soaked), we walked back to the main road and continued walking towards Vik. By this time, we were only 59 km from Vik, so we felt like it was going to be totally doable. We had been in sporadic communication with the other group, so knew that they were about 1 stop behind us-- not too bad. For the next hour and a half we walked along the road, chatting happily, but getting picked up by no one. We got a call from Christian and Constantinos telling us that they were in a similar situation, which wasn't exactly encouraging. Even though we still felt pretty confident that we would make it, I think both of us were starting to feel at least a tincy bit apprehensive. We started talking about where we could stay if we didn't get to the next town (which was Vik), constructing plans that involved begging for hot water and sleeping in barns. It actually sounded sort of exciting!

For the majority of our adventure, it had been misting or raining lightly and cool. At this point, however, the rain started to come harder and the wind began to pick up. We tried our hardest to look pleadingly at the cars, but no luck. The cars were coming at about 5-10 minute intervals, so with each car, we had plenty of time to get excited. Finally, a blue van pulled over and an old Icelandic man got out. He told us that he wasn't going far, but that he'd be happy to drive us for the bit he was going. He talked most of the time we were driving, but we couldn't really understand a lot of what he was saying. We thought that this was probably unfortunate, because it seemed like he was trying to give us helpful advice. Oh, he somehow knew our volcanology professor, but we couldn't understand the connection! Eventually, he dropped us off in a parking lot by Skogafoss, another gorgeous waterfall in the "town" of Skogar. The wind and rain were crazy (50 mph) when we got out of the car, so after a little confab, we made a beeline for a little building that looked like it might contain bathrooms. The first door we opened let us into this little room that contained a shower and sink. It felt warm, so we bustled inside and locked the door. Our new home! We contacted Constantinos and Christian to inform them that we had found our home for the night. It was about 2 pm when we arrived, and we didn't leave until 9:30ish the next morning.

After a couple of hours, the boys stumbled in, a bit battered from the wind. The small room definitely seemed smaller with two more people, but it was certainly preferable to being in the wind and rain that was pounding the exterior. We hadn't brought much in the way of entertainment and our dinner required hot water, but we made do! We had brought some snacks (apples, cheese, crackers, dried cranberries, cookies, and bananas), so we sort of rationed those out throughout the night. I had brought East of Eden by John Steinbeck, and we wound up spending the majority of the evening taking turns reading aloud from the book. It was actually really cozy! Yes, we were packed like sardines in a public restroom, but I'd say that we had fun! Time went remarkably quickly-- we stayed up until almost 1 am, if you can believe that! We did some fun food experiments, like trying to make oatmeal in our mouths or cook couscous in cold water (both had marginal success), read, talked, laughed about the situation, and slept! We slept head to foot to maximize space, and while no one slept super well on the hard, tile floor, I feel like we all woke up reasonably well rested. We think that the floor was heated (sort of like the sun room at home) which was wonderful! We put all of our stuff in the shower and propped our shoes on the little window sill so that each of us had room to fully extend our legs (almost-- mine sort of went up into the shower, but that was ok).

In the morning, we were greeted by an absolutely astounding view. It was cloudy and cold, but the rain and wind had stopped! We walked over to the waterfall and admired the clear, blue water that was streaming away from it. We didn't diddle around for too long, however, because we knew that getting back to Reykjavik was going to be challenging. We set out along the road and were probably only passed by two cars in the first hour. Neither of them appeared to even think about stopping. After walking for over 3 and a half hours, Libby and I were finally picked up by an extremely nice, young, Icelandic couple who were heading all the way back to Reykjavik!!! We felt TERRIBLE leaving the boys behind, but someone had to go! After they dropped us off on our doorstep, we began strategizing in earnest about ways we could help the boys get home. While I was unpacking with my thinking cap on, Libby came shrieking into my room and told me to look out my window. Lo and behold, Christian and Constantinos were walking down the sidewalk! We flew downstairs and out the door to greet them and see how on earth they had managed! Turns out, a bus happened to stop where they were eating lunch and they were able to pop on! What luck!

We didn't see Vik, but I still think we had an amazing time! While we were walking along the road, Libby and I couldn't stop remarking on how stunning the scenery was. Not a bad place to "have" to go for a long walk. It felt really, really good to not really know how we were going to get from place to place, but to have faith that something was going to work out. Also, we did the entire trip for only $2.00! Quite the bargain! I think having people along who were absolute troopers was key-- whining people could have made the whole thing miserable. Man. What an adventure.

Festival of Lights and a Blue Lagoon Birthday

Libby showing our confusion in the car. Does he know where we want to go?

One of the best attempts

My vegetarian shepherd's pie has at least 15 more minutes to bake, so I thought I would take this time to catch up on at least some of the events that have transpired over the course of the last few days! I continue to be amazed by how much fun I can pack into a single weekend. I also feel as though I haven't even made the slightest dent in all that I want to see and do before my time here is up-- I have to get moving!

Last Thursday I got to race an outdoor 10k! It felt so good to run quickly surrounded by other people! I don't think I had realized how much I was missing the social aspect of running until I was in the midst of it again. When Stefan told me about the race, I really had no idea what to expect. He picked me up in wild, windy, cold, icy weather and we drove out to one of Reykjavik's hot pools, Árbæjarlaug. No one seemed to be deterred by the nasty weather-- I suppose one just has to suck it up if they want to be a consistent runner in Iceland. After a couple of minutes of instructions in Icelandic, I recognized the familiar sound of the gun and we were off! I forgot to start my watch, and if there were any splits, they were called in Icelandic, so I was pretty much running in the dark, both literally and figuratively. Because I didn't know where I was or who was in front of me or behind me, it made it a wee bit difficult to run a tactical race... I just sort of ran and hoped that I was going at a reasonable speed! I wasn't expected a good time, given the strong head wind and icy paths, so I wasn't too concerned. After an unknown amount of time, I saw a little flare on the ground and realized that I was finishing! I wound up being the third girl, I do believe, but hopefully next month I will be able to run with the girls who beat me. I wasn't particularly tired, so it seems within reach. I came home feeling happy and excited about training once again!!!

On Friday night, some of my friends in Gamli surprised me with an early birthday cake! I had known that we were having a pre-valentines day party downstairs, but I didn't know that there was going to be a birthday bit!!! Libby and Alex made a DELICIOUS carrot cake (because of how many carrots they witness me eating) with "Happy Birthday" beautifully written across the top in Icelandic (see the picture). Two other people had made three pies, so I was in hog heaven! It made me feel so good! After eating a ton of dessert, Libby, Dom, Sam, and I were having a dance party in the common room that turned into a photo session. We were trying to get the best picture we could of the four of us jumping off chairs. I included the one I thought was the best here. After hanging out at home until 1:30 or so, we headed downtown for a few hours. It was a pretty good time, but the downtown scene is getting a little bit old. There is only so much bar time I can handle.

On Saturday, I finally figured out how to run all the way around the mini-peninsula that I live on! It felt like such a success! I had gotten almost all the way around several times, but had just been missing this little connecting bit. It is such a beautiful place to run. Gorgeous green blue water, beautiful snowy mountains, a picturesque city, the smell of seaweed! Yayayay!

Saturday evening a group of us participated in a night walk up Esja that was part of Reykjavik's Festival of Lights. We got a free bus ride from the parking lot right across from our building (handy!) to the foot of Esja. We had been wanting to climb Esja for a long while since it is the thing that stares down on us every time we walk outside our door, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. There were probably 60 people or so gathered at the bottom of the mountain for the 10k hike. We took off in the late dusk, so it wasn't long before it was completely dark. It was cool to look behind me and see this long string of bobbing head lamps coming up the hill. We didn't go all the way to the top of the mountain because of increasing amounts of snow, but we stopped at a place that gave us a great view of the lights of Reykjavik. The city looked so much bigger than it feels! I think I stay in such a small part of the city that I forget that there is more to it than just the downtown region! The walk down was pretty painful due to my sooorrreeee quads, but it was a good kind of pain! The footing was also super precarious in places because there was a nice layer of water over packed snow. No one seemed too concerned, however, and would just cheerfully pick themselves up if they went down!

When we got home, we ate a quick dinner and then scampered across the field to the Nordic House where a Reggae pop band from Greenland was performing. Because reggae and Greenland typically do not mix in my mind, we were pretty curious to see what it was going to be like! Their definition of reggae turned out to be pretty different than the Bob Marley type reggae that all of us are accustomed to. In fact, they pretty much seemed to be a normal rock band. But that was ok! It was still enjoyable!

The next morning, I opened my door and in popped a collection of five balloons! Not realizing what they were, I screamed, assuming that it was probably someone trying to attack me! I don't think the balloon giver was really going for the scare effect, but it certainly made it all the more exciting!It sort of felt like I had gone downstairs to find my decorated chair (what happens when I am at home), which was cozy! At 1 o'clock, Libby, Allie, Sam, Dom, and I took off on our mission to hitchhike to the Blue Lagoon. Hitchhiking is supposed to be really safe and relatively easy here, so we were pretty confident that getting there was not going to be a problem. We took the city bus to a place where we could easily walk to the main highway and managed to get off at the right stop! We broke up into two groups since one group of five was unlikely to be picked up. Sam and Allie (the group of two) walked about 75 m in front of us and almost immediately got picked up. It took my group about 20 min to get picked up, but it finally happened! When I opened the door to the car, we quickly discovered that the man driving spoke no English! Funnily enough, he was the first Icelander any of us had met who didn't speak English! We got into the car, but really were not convinced that he had a clue where to drop us off. He didn't seem to recognize the name Blue Lagoon, but luckily Libby happened to have the translation written down. She drew a little picture of a lagoon looking thing next to what she thought was the correct Icelandic name and it worked! He drove us all the way there, even though he had to go about 10 km off of his route to get us there!

Even though the Blue Lagoon is incredibly touristy, it is totally worth a visit. The water is such an unbelievable color and it is pretty darn fun to have this huge area to swim around in. We spent about 4 hours in the water, which is probably the longest consecutive amount of time I have ever been in a pool! They have these little silica mud stations set up around the lagoon that you can rub all over your face. We had a really good time with that and left feeling fresh faced and invigorated. The pool is really neat because the temperature varies pretty dramatically in different parts of the lagoon. The majority is a temperature that feels really warm, but is cool enough to stay in comfortably for a really long time. It is pretty shallow, for the most part, and much of the bottom is covered in this weird feeling goop. At first, the goop felt sort of disgusting, but I think it grew on all of us as we squelched our toes through the muck. They have a few cute little bridges and have created a cave out of the lava. The entire thing is surrounded by bumbly lava that is encrusted with thick mats of moss and lichens. It was fairly misty on Sunday, but every now and then enough fog would blow away to show us that you could actually get some pretty spectacular views of mountains and lava fields from the lagoon on a clear day. Off to the side of the lagoon, they have a dry sauna, a steam room, and several cold showers. What a day of luxury, my oh my!

While we were regrouping in the lobby after changing back into our regular clothes, this boy sitting at the table next to Libby and I asked us where we were from with an American accent. It turned out that he was from Idaho, which was exciting for both of us! A bordering state! He was actually the first person from the West Coast that I have met! We casually asked him where he was staying and how he had gotten to the Blue Lagoon and wound up wrangling a ride for three of us back to the city! We had to walk back from their (his and his "friend" who we think might actually be his step dad...) hotel, but that was ok! They were a funny duo. Clearly EXTREMELY wealthy and proud of all of their world travels.

When we got home, Constantinos (one of the members of my cooking club) had made us some delicious potatoes and a huge omelet! Awfully nice to come home to an already prepared meal! Later that evening, while I was chatting with my parents on Skype, Dom, Allie, Alex, Sam, and Libby vigorously knocked on my door and then proceeded to sing me happy birthday! They also presented me with a carrot, half a tub of Skyr (one of my favorite foods here), and a nice, home made card. They all did such a good job of making me have a wonderful birthday. It was clearly not a typical 21st birthday, but I'm pretty positive that it was way, way better! I remember being worried before I came that I wasn't going to have any friends who were close enough to even know that it was my birthday, much less do anything for it, but they certainly proved me wrong!!!

A day in the life...

Out at a club one weekend with the usual suspects!

The view across the pond by my building

I don't really have anything major to report, but I decided that I would take this opportunity to give a little description of what my life is like on a day to day basis. Be warned-- since I haven't written it yet, it could be that my typical day will be a boring thing to read about; we shall see!!

Here is a blow by blow of Tuesday, February 10th:

9:00: I wake up to my little travel alarm clock, which dangerously sits within reach of my bed. Because it is still dark outside at this time, it is pretty easy to pretend that it is still the middle of the night and not time to get up for class. On this particular morning, however, I successfully wrangled myself out of bed. I get ready in my room while quietly listening to one of my Seeqpod playlists on my computer.

9:30: I grab my box of Euro Shopper brand puffed wheat cereal and head into the kitchen. The hallway is dark and all the doors are shut. I wonder if anyone else has managed to get out of bed for class. The kitchen is deserted as well and stays that way while I make my breakfast. Lately, I have been eating a bowl of puffed wheat mixed with this thin, milky, sour yogurt stuff (liet mjolk), and a few frozen strawberries. Since the kitchen is empty, I take my bowl back to my room and eat while reading all of the emails I got while I was sleeping. This bit is one of my favorite parts of getting ready in the morning. Since I am sleeping during prime evening email time at home, I usually have a nice little accumulation of fun emails and facebook messages to read. They typically get my day off to a good start.

9:50: I take my bowl back into the kitchen and check on the progress of the other kids who have 10 o'clock volcanology with me. Usually they are just sitting down for breakfast. I dangle around in the kitchen, feeling progressively more anxious about being late for class (it's a 6.5 min walk to the class from our door, 5.5 when it isn't snowy). Eventually, I give up on most of them and head out.

10:00- 10:40: I sit in volcanology with a look of dismay on my face. I still can't get over how boring and slllooowwwwwwwww this professor is. He will mumble around about one slide for 20 min when he could have said what he needed to say in under two minutes. I attempt to attentively take notes for awhile, but even if I write down everything on the slides, draw all of the figures, and write down everything he says, I still somehow manage to get ahead.

10:40- 10:50: We get a 10 min break in the middle of the lecture. I usually take this time to walk over to the little cafe area located a few steps from the class room. They always have several glass pitchers of cold water set out on a metal cart that we all cluster around. After we finish our glasses (the same type of glasses we have at home!) we put them on the bottom tray on the cart and head back into the dark classroom. By this time it is pretty light, which makes the room a little bit less of a sleep chamber.

10:50- 11:30: I listen with renewed enthusiasm for a bit, but am pretty quickly lulled back into boredom by his monotone voice and perpetual fuh mmm ahhh hmmm search for the right word. I do have to cut him some slack, as English is not his first language. I actually feel sort of sad for him. He always dresses up for class in a suit, but there is usually something a little bit crooked about his shirt, which actually goes pretty well with his tousled hair. He seems like he is probably an incredibly nice and caring man, but just doesn't have the public speaking thing down. I always try to smile at him encouragingly!

11:30: We all make a bee line back to Gamli to get out of the cold and back into our warm kitchen.

11:36.5: About 5 of us gather in the kitchen for lunch. I usually eat some sort of sandwich type deal. PB & J or purple cabbage and cheese.

12-3: This is the time that I tend to spend in my room reading, looking around on the internet, writing emails, or doing some homework (if I can somehow manage to cobble some together). Otherwise, I go downtown to grocery shop, go to a cafe, look around, etc.

3:00: Because my knee has been hurting lately, I usually head to the gym at 3 to workout on the elliptical machine or stationary bike. Sometimes I lift weights and do core work as well. When my knee isn't hurting, I run out along the coast.

4:00: I go to aerobics or yoga. I am a regular attendee at yoga (which is on Tuesdays and Thursdays) but I tend to go to aerobics about once per week. They are pretty hilarious classes. They are taught in Icelandic, which means I always have to be craning to figure out what we are supposed to be doing. It's a lot of fun, however!

5:00: If I am on dinner duty, I begin cooking. Otherwise, I find out the tentative plan for when our dinner club is planning on eating and adjust my schedule accordingly. Unfortunately, we often don't end up eating until 8:30 or so, which really throws my 6:00 programmed stomach for a loop!

6:00- bedtime (12-3 am): I usually spend the rest of the night in either the second or third floor kitchen hanging out with a bunch of people from both floors. We sometimes watch a movie, but it usually takes us until about 11 to actually decide on movie that we all want to watch.

There we have it!

We are currently working on plans to go to Snaefellsnes peninsula for the weekend. I think we are going to attempt to "couch surf" to save money-- we shall see! Tonight I am going to race in a 10k, which I am excited about! As I look out my window, I see horizontal, blowing snow, so I think it might be a little bit on the chilly side! Ah well! I'm sure it will be great!

I miss you all and hope you are well!!

FM Belfast and Vestmannaeyjar

(These pictures are all from Vestmannaeyjar on the island of Heimaey)


The last few days have been absolutely jam packed with activity. There is no way that I will be able to give everything the descriptions they deserve here, but I will do my best to give a general overview!!

...I have to interrupt myself here, because a barista just concocted the most delicious chai tea for me!! I usually don't even attempt to order chai here, because they don't seem to have it, but for some reason I had a good feeling about this place. We are in a place called Cafe Rot (with an accent over the o) and are all sitting in these huge comfy chairs, surrounded by cute lights, books, and a nice amount of open space. The guy at the counter happened to have one chai tea bag and decided to try to make me a chai from scratch, instead of out of one of those mixes they use in the US. It is delicious!!! So many extra little flavors! Apparently, he worked in a coffee shop in Hawaii for 9 months and learned about chai lattes there. He told me that no Icelander would order a chai-- interesting! Yum, I could just gulp this down!!!!

Anyway, on Saturday night, the student council political party, Roskva, hosted a "Sweat Party" at Club 101. They had arranged for the Icelandic band, FM Belfast (one of my favorites), to play a free concert there, which was incredibly exciting for me. We got there at 10 or so to ensure having a good spot on the dance floor, but we needn't have worried because the club was small enough that anywhere would have allowed for a good view. The band didn't start playing until about 1 am, but it was completely worth the wait. For the entire show, I was right in front of the stage, probably 4 ft from the band members!!!! I had no idea what I was in for, however, and wound up coming out of the concert feeling like I had been in a brawl for the past 2 hours. Everyone was SO dancy, jumpy, and pushy that kept getting pushed onto the stage, onto the floor, onto other people. There were times when I was a little bit on the scared side, but for the most part it was sort of exhilarating. After the concert started and I began to realize how hard I was going to have to fight to keep my place, I got super determined to stay where I was. I kept telling myself that this experience was going to help me keep from getting boxed in during races because I was getting so good at holding my ground. Probably not entirely true, but that thought definitely made me even more determined.

Oh! On the way to the concert that night, we saw northern lights! It was only our second time seeing them while being here, so we were all super excited! We haven't seen a dramatic show (probably partly because of all of the light pollution) but we definitely have the attitude that anything is better than nothing!

The next morning we got up and began our journey to Vestmannaeyjar (otherwise known as the Westmann Islands). We took a one hour bus to Þorlákshöfn from Reykjavik and then took a three hour ferry ride to the island of Heimaey , the only inhabited island. Heimaey is a incredibly exciting place because of its wild (and recent) volcanic activity. In 1973, Eldfell, one of the volcanoes on the island, erupted unexpectedly. All of the 5000 residents were forced to evacuate and much of the town was overrun by lava. I think all of the lava from the eruption caused the island to grow by 2.3 square kilometers. We could walk around on the lava that was burying the old buildings (400 houses and shops), which felt pretty weird.

We (9 other people and me) stayed in a really cute guesthouse for a pretty reasonable price. We didn't get there until about 3, so only had two hours of daylight left. After plopping our stuff down, we immediately headed over to the town pool for a bit of a swim and hot soak. It still seems so funny to me to bring my swimsuit everywhere I go, but I feel like I use it almost every time I bring it! After that, we ate dinner ( I made a group dinner with 3 other boys, which lead to the formation of our new cooking group) and then decided to go for a night walk. We wound up hiking up to the top of Eldfell and getting some pretty incredible views. The ground was snowy and the moon was bright, so it was pretty easy to see where we were going. We didn't have a trail, so we basically just headed straight up the mountain! One whole side of the volcano was blown out in the 1973 eruption, so we hiked around the rim of the crater up to the highest point. If you dig in the ground on top of the volcano, the ground is still really, really hot-- hot enough to bake bread!!! It felt pretty amazing to sit on the top of the volcano and gaze out at the North Atlantic Ocean, little lights on Iceland's mainland, and the city beneath us. Ahhssdgkljjhdflgkjhsdfg I get shivers thinking about it! A few of us stayed up on the mountain longer than the others, but when the fog started to roll in, we decided to head down. After an uneventful descent, we spent a few hours exploring the town. When we got back to the guesthouse, we discovered that a tiny, cute, black and grey kitten had snuck into our area from the neighbors house! It was a little bit rambunctious and wound up preventing a bunch of us from getting a good night's sleep, but it was totally worth it for a little bit of cute animal love!

The next morning, we got up early (7:30) because we wanted to hike up the other volcano in town, Helgafell, to see the sun rise. It was another steep, trail-less scramble, but we managed to get to the top well before the sun rise. It was FREEZING, but luckily I was pretty bundled. People who weren't quite as bundled as me had some miserable moments, I do believe, but I still think that the general sentiment was that it had been totally worth it!!! After staying on top of the windy volcano for about an hour, a subset of us hiked down the other side of the volcano and then spent 4-5 hours exploring the immense lava flow from the Eldfell eruption and other parts of the town. Talk about a scenic place, my oh my!!!!!! While we were walking along the harbor, we saw tons of birds dive bombing into the water in extremely rapid succession. It looked like one would plow into the water after something and then all of the others would try to follow. We stood on a little black sand beach to watch them dive into deep green water that was backed by smooth, flowing, orangy-brown cliffs capped with pristine, white snow. Absolutely amazing.

Although I spent more money than I would have liked, I think it was completely worth it! It isn't every day that one gets to go to such an unreal place. I wish that photos could do the place justice, but unfortunately they don't even come close. I guess you all will just have to come visit me here!!!