In Greenland :) One more stamp in my passport, just because. We had not even thought of going to Greenland before we arrived in Iceland, but then we heard about a day trip. After a little debate, we decide to splurge and go. It is a lovely, and stark country. It was pleasant on the day we went. Brisk, but not much wind. I cannot imagine how harsh the winters are there. As you approach the airport, you see the fields of broken ice chunks. It is amazing, and the blues of the ice are almost beyond description. They are such a vibrant, light blue. Parts are like the color of the ice cream blue moon or daquiri ice, but with more clarity. We walked from the airport to the village, Kulusuk, while the guide answered ... read more

We are back in the capital, and turned in our rental car Saturday morning. Reykjavik is fairly small, so not having the car is just fine with us. Before returning to the city, we toured the Snaefellsnes Peninsula on the west coast. I´m sure it is a lovely area when the sun is shining. We happened to be there on a day when they 'had the most rain we´ve had in a whilé', according to a local. Oh well. Again, if these few rainy days meant we had some gorgeous days, especially when we went rafting and dog sledding, then I´m okay with the rain. Snaefellsnes has lots of beaches of various colors, more lava fields, and lots of twisty, winding roads. It was super windy when we were out on the peninsula; I whipped out ... read more

And waterfalls. We've seen so many over the last few days. They are all sooooo gorgeous, and many have their own special characteristic. Svatifoss with its basalt columns, Foss a Sidu that sways in the wind since it is just a wisp of a fall. So far, Seljalandfoss is my favorite because we were able to walk behind the fall. We're hoping to see the granddaddy of them all tomorrow - Dettifoss. In case you haven't figured this out, foss means waterfall. Other sights include some canyons, interesting rock formations, lots of black sand beaches, and lots and lots of ice. Some of the rock formations are attached to a legend, like Troll Rocks by Vik. Story goes that two trolls were trying to haul in a boat when the morning light struck them and they ... read more

Translation: I don't speak Icelandic. That saying can be found on many items - tshirts, sweatshirts, mugs, etc. Reykjavik has a very small town feel. We've wandered the waterfront and downtown area a bit over the last two days. Janet and I met in baggage claim after arriving at the airport. Customs were the quickest and most low-key I have ever been through. We didn't even have to fill out any entering documents. After settling into our accommodations, we met with our booking agent to go over our driving itinerary. Sola was incredibly helpful with logistics and suggestions for activities along our drive. She also suggested a fabulous bistro for lunch. I had the seafood coconut soup, and it was divine! Awesome flavor and chunky bits of fish, lobster, and shrimp. Delicious! Today, we took a ... read more

The last few days in New Zealand were a mixture of busy and relaxing moments. We saw some awesome and colorful geothermal areas in Rotorua. For me, the smell was not so bad. For others, they were ready to regurgitate. We met up with some friends in Rotorua. The Waitapu Thermal Wonderland is quite the area to hike around - the views are lovely. Just outside of that area are these very cool looking mud pools. They burp and gurgle as they spew mud. Really fun to watch and listen to them do their thing. In the "wonderland", the Champagne pool is well known due to its vibrant orange color. We also saw some amazing greens (think ectoplasm) and yellows. That evening we went to the Tamaki Maori hangi. Hangi is basically a traditional dinner. This ... read more