Fire and ice

Large areas of farm area were covered by lava in the 1800’s. This now appears as a rough terrain. If you go to walk on it ,it is rounded rocks. This has been colonised by mosses. If you walk on the moss ,it dies. Where the moss has been successful,there are now small patches of grasses and flowers.

From the lava fields,we drove passed mountains carved by glaciers. These have receded with both volcanic action and human activity. Waterfalls drop down the sides of step cliffs onto farmlands dotted with rocks left by the glacier, rootless volcanic cones and white or brown fluff balls of the Icelandic sheep.

Ice breaking away from the glaciers may melt and cause flooding or float in lagoons formed at the base . It appears blue because the water is compressed so much that the crystal ice reflects blue light.We have checked out the main foods…..and a few unusual ones. Last night it was Angelica soup ( grows as a weed) and freshwater salmon. Tonight was lamb from those cute little fluff balls. Sadly readers, we swibbed out on eating smoked puffin, minke whale,swan or other native birds so we can not enlightened you about their flavour. We saw seals but thankfully,they weren’t on the menu either!