Islands of Ice and Islands of Sand

Iceland was a fascinating place to visit. I thought I was going to a version of Ballard and I ended up in a bizarre country of many contradictions. Iceland has the highest rate of literacy in the world (100%) and the highest rate of alcoholism in the world. I'm not sure how they can read so much while so incredibly drunk and I can attest to the level of inebriation these people are able to achieve. The bars are open til 7 or 8am on Sat and Sun mornings to accommodate the thirst for alcohol. Yet the level of drunkenness that here would result in fights to the death, property damage etc. there only finds people happier and happier. There is no violence, no property destruction aside from the occasional dropped glass and everyone just loves each other that much more. However, I did find the people pushy and rather obnoxious, men and women alike and regardless of blood alcohol level.



In addition, I did not expect Iceland to be so green. In places it reminded me of Ireland.

Iceland?

This waterfall is famous and my keyboard letters will not let me reproduce the true Icelandic name. It is one of three places that one visits on the famous Golden Circle tour, the other two being the Geysir (source of the familiar name geyser worldwide) and the original seat of the Viking Parliament, the first in the world.

Strokkur, the active geysir on the Golden Circle.

The above is the beginning bubble of an eruption of the active geysir which erupts about every 5 to 6 minutes. In the background, you can see more typical Icelandic weather which is in contrast to the extraordinary weather we had the rest of the time. It was also light all day although from about midnight til 4 am, it was more like a perpetual sunset instead of broad daylight.

That water is VERY hot people!

This was the route my 7 hour trail ride followed into the mountains to see the hot springs. Again, very green and that water is hotter than hell, hence the steam. Needless to say, all the geothermal water in Iceland is superheated due to the geological baby that Iceland is. It's the only place in the world where the water piped to the city has to be cooled first rather than the hot water heated. It reeks of sulphur but it is very good for the skin and for health in general. Maybe that's how they manage to drink themselves into oblivion and still have one of the longest life expectancies in the world.

The above stream is one which, had I been able to swim (and remembered to pack a swimsuit) I could have sat in or swam in like a hot tub. But due to a weather miracle which occurred during 5 of the days we were there, the weather was spectacular and very warm. So I wasn't excited to sit in water that was over a 100 degrees to start with and when I couldn't even leave my feet in for more than a few seconds, I settled for sleeping on the banks.

The ride itself was lovely due to the unique gait of Icelandic horses (DO NOT call them ponies, a rule I learned the hard way!). The gait is called the tolt and it is a fast, pacey trot for lack of a better term. However, although the horses appear to be bouncing in a trot like fashion, the gait itself is so smooth on a well trained horse that if feels as though one is not even moving. No need for rising trot and sitting trot is like reclining on a soft lounge chair. I almost fell asleep, it was so effortless. The Icelandic horses can keep up this pace for a very long time and some of them have a fifth gait which is beyond a gallop although the horse companies will not allow us to ride that fast because of risk of injury to horse or inexperienced rider.

My horse was very beautiful....but like many beautiful things in this world, not of remarkable intelligence.

Iceland is famous as well for the Blue Lagoon. The Lagoon is a naturally occurring pool set in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a lava field. The color comes from the large amount of white silica in the water. As with all the other pools in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon water is geothermically heated and one must go through a brutal showering regime policed by locker room trolls who ensure the tourists get it right. At least you know the water is clean...

Paul and I in the blue, blue lagoon...

In exchange for some bar hopping activities, which aren't exactly up my alley, I forced Paul to go on the Puffin cruise with me. Iceland is one of the few areas in the world where large numbers of puffins come to nest for the breeding season. Unfortunately, I do not have a telescopic lens on my camera so you have to take my word for the fact that near this lovely little house, are thousands of puffins on the cliffs.

Alas, I had a puffin tapa that night for dinner...

Iceland has many culinary wonders. I tried puffin, reindeer, skipped the fillet of foal (with an outraged squeal of horror), a million different kinds of fish and the traditional Icelandic dish of fermented shark. The shark is fermented for 3 to 4 months and is served in a little jar because the smell of ammonia is so overpowering. The piece of shark comes with a little toothpick. One is supposed to spear the shark, swallow it ASAP and follow it up with a shot of some alcohol I could not pronounce if my life depended on it. Here is the photo sequence:

No problem. I've got this under control...

OH MY GOD! What kind of a country is this????

Actually, the shark was fine. I chewed it and enjoyed it and I thought it was fairly bland. It was the shot that almost killed me and produced the above face. The horror!

When Paul gets his act together and sends me the gazillions of photos he took, I will have more to post so stay tuned.

As promised, when I returned, PB and I went up to Boundary Bay to visit the clan as we have not been up this summer. The weather was lovely despite some iffiness to the forecast initially. PB had a great time running with Daisy and he actually swam, mostly because his mama cruelly left him stranded on a far sand bar and forced him to swim in order to catch up with me...

Daisy quickly learned that forcing PB into the water was an immediate win for her.

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you...

Please remove the water from my ears.

The view was great and as always, lots of sea birds to see which drove Darwin crazy as always.

Helllllooooooo Darwin.

PB was exhausted and slept all the way home. I didn't have the heart to bathe him that night so he got a bath the following day. He was not happy:

You cannot see me behind the pole.

Later, after a walk in the sun, his highness collapsed from exhaustion. It's tough living a life of such luxury.

Wake me for dinner.

Last but not least, PB thanks his grandparents for caring for him during my absence. Disappointed with the lack of treats, he turns to more pointed methods to express his hunger.

I will now eat your foot. Nom nom nom...