May 14, 2010

Actually woke up to an alarm! That is a first, and it was just after 7 am!!

Light rain.

Great looking beaches, all black, from ash of Katla eruption in 1918 and 1996.

Also crossed a lava flow about 50 km long, longest in world, from 1783 to 1786 eruption.

Very interesting as the bus will stop on the main highway around the island. Does not pull over. Hardly a car will go by and sometimes ages before we see another.

Stopped at the Basalt rock formation. Lava that has cooled quickly.

Stopped at a farm that has been in family for 3 generations. Man of just under 100 years old still lives there. Great place. Many small buildings with lava rock type walls, which are over grown with sod. Buildings have hay, and a even a blacksmith shop inside.

Even a very small community church, which would seat about 10 people. Complete with a pump organ.

Saw the fire part of Iceland yesterday with the volcano, today is the ice portion.Drove by a smaller Glacier, and then the much larger Vatnajokull Glacier. The largest in Europe. Also where James Bond, Die Another day was filmed! Tour on an amphibious war time type boat, which took us out around the icebergs that have broken off the glacier. Colours have the most beautiful blue!

Guide fished out a piece of glacier for us to taste! Crystal clear! He said would go great with a shot of whiskey, but he did not bring the whiskey! Note to self - 'bring whiskey the next time"

Night in Hofn, in a new part of a Hotel. Small, very nice, and very clean! Shower is a curtain around an area in the bathroom, not sunken. But did have slope to allow water not to flood the bathroom.

This eruption is about 80 times the size of Mt St. Helens.

Beers, 6 pack of 500 ml, 2100 Krona! about $17, bargain!