The Land of Fire and Ice

Hello all from the isle of Iceland!

My birthday was pretty laid back which was cool. I went to the National Museum in the morning and then walked around town the rest of the day. I had some great meals though. For lunch, we went to this popular seafood place by the water. In addition to some fantastic lobster soup (the Icelandic lobster tastes different), I tried something not many of you would guess...whale. It was minke whale on a kabob and it wasn't too bad, tasting sort of steaky. For dinner, the Frigge's (the great family I'm staying with) made Icelandic lamb (which is an Icelandic staple). It also was fantastic. The Frigge's made the day nice which was great!

Yesterday, I went on the Golden Circle Tour. It was absolutely amazing! The scenery is breathtaking and the nature wonders are spectacular.

I took a bus along with countless other people from around the world, and we ventured East to the Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysers, and the old Icelandic Parliament area. I'm amazed by all of the scenery here so I was glued to the window the entire time. After about an 1:30 hr bus ride, we arrived at Gullfoss waterfall.

It was quite windy yesterday and what was so awesome about it was that once I stepped off the bus I could feel the mist from the water. Unlike a lot of places at home where they don't let you get anywhere close to the edge, here u can just walk right up to the edge. It was during this stop that I realized how much I enjoy waterfalls. Just the sheer force and beauty of them. For that reason I am looking forward to hopefully seeing two if Iceland other great waterfalls this weekend.

Our next stop was the hot spring geysers. It is such a strange phenomenon to watch these things in action. The only one that has been active for sometime now, went off approx. every 5 minutes. It was no exact science though, because sometimes it would go off big twice in a row and other times it would be just one small outburst. Needless to say this was quite frustrating for those trying to capture the moment on their cameras.

Although I eventually joined in, it was funny to see so many people surrounding the geyser with their cameras held at the ready for over 5 minutes. I had to use two hands after a while because my one hand started shaking from being up so long. All across the fields next to the geyser were mini geysers either emitted mist or bubbling up slightly. It was strange to look over the field which looked like it was smoldering from an ousted fire. Some of the water for scolding hot and they made u aware by tiny signs that blended in with the surroundings. Obviously, you were expected to know it was hot, but people put their hands in, including me, and luckily the water I choose wasn't scolding. The water felt kind of slimy on my hands because of all the minerals that are in the water. It was an interesting feeeling.

Our final stop was at the old site of the Icelandic Parliament, which was actually the first Parliament in the world to encompass an entire nation (fun fact). The scenery here was extraordinary! We didn't actually go to the building, just walked around the area. It was only a small housing look place which didn't look anything special per say. But surrounding it was mountains on three sides and a huge lake on the other. One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Vast green space, mountains, and water all added to a pretty awesome place!


After returning to Reykjavik, I got two Icelandic hotdogs for dinner at the city stand that rumor has it, sells the best hotdogs in the world. Can anyone guess the reason they are the best?....they are made of lamb. That's right, lamb hotdogs. And they were outstanding! They are served on a bun with raw onions, fried onions, ketchup, sweet mustard and remoulade. It is a very mild tasting dog, which actually seems to make it more tasty.

Today, I'm headed to a town known for there elf/gnome/hidden people population and strange dealings with them. The info site describes the lava in the town as "especially alive with more than 20 types of dwarfs, four types of gnomes and all manner of elfin beings." Collectively, they are called "Hidden Folk." Also, there is the volcano show. And who knows...

I'll try and report back in the next few days. Vi ses!