Hotel Hofdabrekka Vik

... for a magical end to our excursion up the crevase.

Back in the car, we made it as far as a glacial lake before the water became too wide for us to cross. So it was braving the gusty wind for a few quick pictures of the protruding glacier before heading back toward the ring road.

Vik is clearly a summer destination, but being here in the fall doesn't make it any less beautiful. The black sand along the beaches looks like ...

... 1078;е со своей посуд 86;й. Вот как оказы 74;ается народ путеш 77;ствуе& #1090;. Приче 84; не студе 85;ты, а в ...

The Foss, or waterfall, is ubiquitous in Iceland.  As previously mentioned, the fall line between highlands and coastal plain is sharp and all that water has to go somewhere in a hurry.  There are several large, magnificent fosses, like Gulfoss, of which I've already written.  There are also innumerable smaller ones.  The best ones we saw were in the south and the east since the lip of the highlands is pretty much jammed up close the the ...

... blue waterfall in the distance. Since I have been in Iceland, it is hard to fault the Icelanders. They are a really freindly bunch and very well educated. When you walk around the capital you here a mixture of english and Icelandic all the time and everyone speaks English. The lonely planet says that if you know of a safe city than Reykavik to let them know and they are definatley right there, the place is so safe and clean it is ridicoulous. I really ...

... instead of our planned South Coast adventure. However, as the guidebooks and locals say, 'If you don't like Iceland's weather, wait 15 minutes.' Sure enough, in the 30 minutes it took us to eat breakfast we watched it clear up completely, become bright and sunny and then cloud over again. Feeling hopeful, we decide to check the traveller's centre downtown and find out what the day's weather and road conditions would be like. 'Slippery but passable and ...

... and a puffin nesting area. Finally, we stop at some dramatic basalt columns for a group photo before continuing to our hotel in the tiny village of Vik (less than 400 in population). Dinner is an excellent trout, that is thick, meaty and pinkish in color, making us think it is salmon when served. A souvenir shop that is open until 10pm is next to our restaurant, satisfying the shopping urges and capping a perfect day on tour! Hugs, Dan

I've been reflecting on my SEEDS experience...that's the group we volunteered with at Thorsmorck....it's stated goals are to promote intercultural community and contribution, particularly aimed at some environmental need.. Oscar, who started it only a couple of years ago, has done a great job of integrating the program into the culture of Iceland...he's set up work camps that bring people together from all over the world, at the same time providing ...

My last hitchhiking day, in New Zealand, was easy. Tomoko, a Japanese girl, insisted on hitchhiking together from Arthur´s Pass to Christchurch. "Let´s do the hitch" she always said. First, I was reluctant to hitch together but I agreed if she´d do the thing with the thumb. She did with a big smile and I watched her doing so. Now the job was all on me again. I took the bus to the very last outskirt of Reykjavik, where the ...

... but apparently they were still out at sea...