Is anyone out there? Today we…

Best thought out plans often require us to adapt. Today we were to have caught the ferry after a trip to see puffins..those cute little birds that Iceland has adopted as a symbol and appear as tempting soft toys in all the souvenir shops……did not happen! Instead we caught the ferry two hours early as the wind had changed causing us to risk being stranded. We did see some birds flying from the rocks to fish that could have been puffins. They were chubby, cute, had orange beaks and black wing feathers. They were just a little too far away to be sure.

A harbour further down the coast was our new destination, some 70kms away and 2.5 hours ,still we were safe and not stranded. Once back on land we headed to a fabulous waterfall . On our left as we journeyed was the rounded mountains and glaciers and to the right, plains and sea. The land has extended with deposits of sediment from the glaciers melting due in part to the continued volcanic activity below it…more about that in a moment but first enjoy the beauty of the waterfall. It is so powerful that the spray could be seen from the distance flowing into the valley. There was a rainbow that stretched from side to side.

In 2010 there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland that disrupted the airlines of the world. We didn’t give much thought to how it affected people living near the eruption. It was not just the ash and rock,but also a glacier melting causing massive flooding to farming areas. Eyjafjallajokull erupted near one farm. The owners recorded their farm before,during and after the eruption. This gives a human face to the eruption.Iceland is expanding withe the deposition of silt,ash and other volcanic material. Can you spot the birds? They are suppose to be puffins!

From here we went to a Folk museum. Look at the turf house. People were living in these up until the early 1900’s.Amazing! Things we take for granted were unavailable in Iceland ,particularly in the south where they were quite isolated.

P.s don’t forget to let us know how we are doing……that is if we haven’t sent you to sleep!