Sol, Ra and Helios are happy:-)

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And why wouldn't they be? Try to imagine standing on the 8th floor balcony of Sigrun Klara's apartment in Reykjavik and watching the sun slowly, oh so achingly slow, sort of set at 12: 30 - 1AM. T. S Eliot wrote, "The evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherized upon a table". So the rust and orange light would pour through the clouds not quite bringing darkness but an amber glow to the wide western sky. Poor Diana, Astarte, Artemis and Luna. Those moon goddesses would indeed be lonely in Iceland in the summertime because the sun rises again about 3 AM. How, I asked do you get little children to bed when it never gets dark? The answer was, "They go when they are tired".

First a HUGE thank you! This trip never would have happened without the urging(and invitation) of Sigrun Klara, a Delta Kappa Gamma sister, who I met last year while on a trip in Guatemala. She told me about the great deal that Icelandicair offers for anyone to stop for a week in Iceland on their way to or from any other place they fly. She also offered her apt. as a home base for a week. She became the tour guide, driver, and supplier of picnics for our many trips around the island. Truthfully, I never would have traveled there without her encouragement. So, thank you again.

So what is Iceland like? I still have difficulty trying to describe it to people. It is unlike any other place I have been on 4 continents. It is all about the landscapes: the beauty, the starkness, the glaciers, the bareness, the water and whales, the panoramic sweeps, and the oceans of purple lupines- vistas that are so hard to convey with a few casual words. And did I mention the lava fields? I've seen lava in Hawaii, at Arenal in Costa Rica, in Nicaragua but it is EVERYWHERE in Iceland. For hours we would ride along the Ring Road and see nothing but lava as far as the eye could see. It created an austere, desolate, extra -galatic interstellar spread of a lunar wasteland. Then way off in the distance would be a small white farm house with a tidy red barn snuggled up next to it. In the midst of these oceans of emptiness would be a cluster of houses, a village of farmers. Hearty, self- sufficient people. How they could farm this marly land was a mystery but there were large rolls of hay bales wrapped in white, black or mint green plastic just sitting in open fields. There were few fences. Sheep and horses rule. They have the run of the island. A farmer only fences in a plot of land he DOESN'T want them to eat. So if you are driving watch out for stray animals.

It is pretty impossible to see all of Iceland in a week so we concentrated on the south and east of Reykjavik. Everything we saw was spectacular, impressive and well worth the long drives. What did I like best? It is a tie. The Strokkur Geyser was amazing. It erupted about every 3 - 4 minutes. With no park rangers, fences or protective walkways you could could get right up to the lip of the bubbling, boiling crater. This is NOT a good idea unless you can run at the speed of light. It is so much fun to watch it explode and to watch people's reactions to it. My other choice was the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. This is where pieces of a glacier break off and float towards the sea. More and more pieces are breaking off and it is alarming to Islanders. It is ' in your face' global warming.

Other highlights were the Skogar Folk Museum, a very thorough history of progress in Iceland, with small out buildings that show a school, a church, a farm village. This is right near the Skogafoss, one of the largest and most photographed waterfalls in Iceland. Oh, and don't miss the Krafla volcanic crater. It is one mighty massive hole in the ground. It goes without saying that a whale watch is a must. It's an island, for God's sake, and the whales are everywhere.

Things helpful to know:
-The phone book is listed alphbetically by FIRST names.
-The weather: You must know the daily forecast and the implications it will have on any trip you are planning. If you are not sure ask an islander and they will steer you in the right direction.
-Gas stations are few and far between. Never get below 1/2 full and always use the rest room!
-when going on a whale watch wear a wool hat, scarf, gloves and a warm coat. It gets really, really cold out on the ocean (you are near the Arctic Circle !). Even if it is a sunny, cloudless, 70 degree day in Reykjavik, it is going to be damn cold out on the boat. Trust me on this.
-the hot water is really, really HOT. But you can use as much of it as you wants it never runs out.
- You can drink the tap water as it is very pure which waves loads on bottled water. This is good because.... see below-
- Bring buckets of money. Everything is very expensive. Plan on spending about $45 for a medium pizza; $13 for a hot dog, fries and Pepsi: $ 17 for a burger, fries and Pepsi; $ 65 for a simple buffet; $200 for a simple double room outside the city; $1 for a post card and $ 1.50 for an air mail stamp to the states; $5 for and ice cream and so on.

The Blue Lagoon- a hugely commercial endeavor that started by accident. The effluence from a hot water treatment plant contained salts and minerals which sealed a nearby lava( what else) field creating a huge pool. Since the Icelanders are very clever people they spotted a business opportunity. Now it is so popular that people stop on their way to and from the airport for a dip into the hot springs at $30 a head. The day we went it was overcast and the lagoon was a murky gray. It got even grayer when torrential rains poured down on our heads. We tried, with mild success, to huddle under some of the little bridges but after a while threw in the towel- so to speak. I've seen pictures of the lagoon on a sunny day and it looks lovely. I'm glad I went just for the experience and the fun of 'bathing' with a couple of hundred other people.

i hope you've enjoyed this latest blog. Next trip will be in October to Mexico..... see you then.
Carolyn (gunga)

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