Volcano tour

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When you hear of Iceland, what is the first thing you think of these days? Volcanic eruptions. We have volcanic eruptions every 5 years on average. Well, should have said used to have them every 5 years, seems there are volcanic eruptions every year now.
In 2010 an eruption started late night, but it only lasted a few days and everyone was excited to see it - that is Icelanders were. Many tourists cancelled their trips to Iceland because of that eruption. It quieted again soon and then we had the big bomb: the one with the impossible name woke up after 200 years of silence. AND, it sent ash and pumice into the air blocking all flight in Europe. Iceland airports were fine, didn't close at all.
Soon after the eruption started I was asked to be a private guide for a couple from France who wanted to see the volcano. They hired a Hummer and off we went the usual touristic places, to see the Golden waterfall and Geysir as well as the National Park of Thingvellir which is on World Heritage list for its history and geology. This is where the tectonic plates have left a big rift valley for us to admire.
On we went along the southern part of the country and as close to the volcano Eyjafjallajokull as we possibly could, crossing rivers and there it was: this amazing sight in front of us, the sound of it the ashes, the smoke and huge lava-rocks as big as the biggest buildings in Reykjavik. We spent three hours just admiring all this, taking photos and just thanking for being so fortunate to see such a wonder.
As we drove on the south shore we saw how the ashes from the volcano was covering everything. It was early in the spring so the grass and the trees had not woken up yet. After this we drove the sands east from the volcano, again some ashes there but as there was a little whirlwind we saw how the ashes gathered in some round clouds and danced over the black sand. My travel partners told me in Africa such little whirlwinds were called witches. So we called them witches and funny enough these hundreds of witches dancing on the black sand were all heading towards the volcano.
The day after we were further east, all the way to the Glacier Lagoon, the icebergs floating on the lagoon and some seals swimming in between the icebergs. The ashes from the volcano didn't reach so far east - were all blown straight south and southwest, still over to Europe.
On our way back to Reykjavik we couldn't but take time watching the volcano one more time, or 3 hours again so we reached Reykjavik around 10 in the evening - straight to the Maternity Ward where my little grandson had been born the day before.

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Photos

Eyjafjallajokull 2009
How peaceful the glacier was in September 2009!

Eyjafjallajokull 2010
The eruption in full swing

Witches
Here the witches are on their way to the glacier - witches meeting?

Myself
I close to the volcano

Glacier Lagoon
Blue water, white icecap