Some Final Photos and Comments from Iceland

 One the best things about the tour we had in Iceland was getting away from the coastline and into the interior to see farming country.

one of the larger farms we saw along the road

snow on the mountains and unique mountain shapes

lots of snow in some mountain areas

grazing Icelandic horses

The horses might stay out in the fields all winter. The sheep were still out in the hay pastures, but will be moved to the barns before it gets too cold. We did not see any cows. Margaret said they were moved to the farm barns already.

wrapped hay bales

We learned the sheep are moved to the mountain areas for the summer. The hay fields are mowed and baled for winter feed. The sheep are moved back down to the farms and hay fields in the fall. I did not have any good photos of the sheep other than this one:

We stopped at a grocery store and a guy parked his truck in the lot with these two sheep in the back. We all took photos of the sheep! The ones in the pastures looked much bigger, fatter and woolier!

This farm has an observation tower? It also has a number of barns for the different animals.

I was very impressed with the roads in Iceland. We never drove over a pot hole, road heave, or other road hazard one would expect in a country this far north. The roads were narrow, but in excellent condition. There were no semis on the roads we traveled, but a few box trucks. 

We saw a number of museums. The Akranes Folk Museum honored the people who settled the Akranes area.

This woman was of particular interest. GUĐRÚN GÍSLADÓTTIR (1868-1954) was a midwife.

she delivered 1166 children in her lifetime

she thanked coffee for helping her get through the long nights

As you know, we did not see any Northern Lights during our stay in Iceland. The weather just did not cooperate. But we did visit the Northern Lights Museum in Reykjavik. After learning what causes the Northern (and Southern) Lights, we were able to use our phone cameras to take a photo of a simulated one.

I didn't get to see the Aurora Borealis, but I did get to drink one! The hotel in Reykholt served it. It was so yummy, I had another the second night.

vodka and Curaçao

(the bar ran out of gin or rum, the usual first shot

so substituted vodka the second night)

mango juice

Until it was stirred, the bottom of the drink was blue and the green was on top. I looked at recipes online, and this one must have been a special of the hotel bar. Very refreshing.

We stayed two nights at the Foss Hotel in Reykholt (The Medieval Village village). Butter was served at the tables on a rock and topped with special salt. Creative. Funky. Tasty. Unusual.