Rhetoric & Budget

     Rhetoric (Ethos, Pathos, & Logos) ●

     When we told our friends that we were going to Iceland, they all thought we were absolutely insane.  I mean, who in their right mind would want to go to a place that's literally called Iceland?   We definitely proved them wrong when they saw all the beautiful pictures of the waterfalls, lakes, and mountains.  You could hear their jaws drop when we Facetimed them from the Blue Lagoon.  They are't the only ones, though because today the Blue Lagoon is on the top ten places on the travel bucket lists of millennials.  Iceland is finally getting the recognition that it deserves for its glaciers, five star restaurants, art, music, and so much more.  Iceland is the third happiest nation according to a study conducted recently, and it's infectious just like laughter.  (Pathos)

     For those scared of travel because of the dangers associated with being in a new place, not knowing anybody, not knowing the emergency help numbers, and possibly not even knowing the language can be very daunting.  Rest assured though, Iceland is one of the safest countries there is, the annual murder rate is only five people per year.  In the US however over 73 people have died alone in mass shootings, and that was only within two months.  Not to mention gun violence which killed 10,955 and 5,709 killed by drunk driving.  (Logos) There has never been a threat or an occurrence of terrorism in Iceland, unlike the US which has been devastated multiple times by terrorist attacks.   Iceland is one of the safest places that you can go, even safer than your own home.
     And if you are afraid of having to learn some strange language, everyone in Iceland speaks English as well!   If you ever have a question or need help, you can always just ask.  While Icelanders can be a bit grumpy, their hospitality and helpfulness cannot be beaten.  Besides, who isn't grumpy from time to time?  I have met some of quite possibly the nicest people on earth during this trip, and I wish more than anything to be able to keep in touch.  

     Iceland is the place for someone with an adventurous spirit who wants to really grab life by the horns.  It's for the lovers of nature and the wild.  It's for adventurous foodies ready to try new and exciting courses.  It's for people who love greasy pub food and fine dining.  It's for those who like to meet new people and learn about new cultures.  Iceland is for people who like to dance all night and swim in beautiful hot springs.  Iceland is for you, me, and everyone.  Because of our two week long trip to Iceland, I'm not sure if any other place can measure up (Pathos). I would recommend a trip to Iceland for honey moons, birthday excursions, or just to spice up your life a little when the daily routine gets too much to bear.  

    We were so fortunate to get to stay in Iceland and we will never forget the amazing memories that we made there.  I think I can speak for all of us when we say that we would love to be able to go again some time, and for more people to take the leap and go to Iceland.  They definitely wouldn't regret it, they only thing they would regret would be not going. 

Budget Spreadsheet ●
Iceland Trip Budget

August 25th // Silfra Crack and Journey Home

Silfra Crack Scuba Diving // Sport ●

     It was our last day in Iceland and at the Black Pearl.  We couldn't help but feel sad when we packed our suitcases because although we knew that we needed to leave eventually, packing our bags made it final.  We all had to sit on Abby's suitcase because she bought over 20 puffin stuffed animals, which did lighten the mood a little.  We had to have breakfast on the go, some granola bars washed down with five hour energy.  
     45 minutes outside of Reykjavik is the Silfra Crack,  a deep underwater cave where people can dive.  It was formed when two tectonic plates separated and then subsequently were filled with melted glacier water.  The water is completely clear and drinkable.  In fact, most water in Iceland is potable.  The deepest point in the crack is 63 miles, but we weren't going to go that deep obviously because we aren't experienced divers.  Or divers at all really.  
     We got there and suited up.   They had special prescription goggles that we could use, which was nice because over half of us are hopelessly blind.  The water was freezing cold, but the wet suits shielded us from most of the temperature.  Not only was it beautiful down there, but we got to literally swim between tectonic plates, which was certainly a once in a life time experience.  We swam around for three hours and then had to go back to the hotel for the last time.  

Silfra Crack 

     We left the hotel at 1:45, with our bags ready and dressed for the airport, to go drop off the rental car.  After we gave the car back at 2:00 we called a cab to take us to the airport.  We got to the airport at 3:30 and got some muffins from Starbucks.  We waited around and looked at those horrible souvenirs at airport kiosks until it was time to go over to the terminal for to board our flight at 4:50 pm.  We got state side at 12:00 am, and although we would miss Iceland, it was good to be home.

     

August 24th // Returning to Rekjavik and Learning About Genetic Research

     Genetic Research // Technology ●
     The sun rose--more than it had been already, of course--over the cliff as the ocean beat the rocks below.  Little puffins squawked for their mothers, and they ended up waking us up like an alarm clock. We woke up at 6:30, which was brutal, and walked back to the car by 8:30.  We finished what was left of the snacks as we walked and then drove the last five hours.  We checked back into the Black Pearl Hotel around 1:30 and unloaded the car.   
      Taylor sprinted into the bathroom and showered as quickly as possible.  I don't know who was happier that she has showered, us or her after being cooped up in a car with her for the past day.  We were careful not to unpack too much because we were leaving tomorrow as we got ready to go meet Alda and Odda at the University of Iceland.  We left the hotel just before 1:45 and met them at 2:00.  First thing we did was really quickly get lunch at the cafeteria and catch up.  
     After that we went to the research labs.  Iceland is an extremely homogeneous population, meaning that there is very little genetic diversity.  Their low rate of immigration and gemological records that go back 1,000 years makes it a genealogical gold mine.  
     Nearly 1/3 of the country's population has donated or sold a sample of their genetics for research.  This has led to some backlash, however, because those who have not contributed feel like they are being blackmailed for their DNA by companies and those who have donated because research companies want to expand their databases to discover more about human genetics.  
    Through Icelandic genetics they have already found a gene that is linked to risk for Alzheimer's and a gene that can cancel out the effect of other genes.  
     The impact of these discoveries could lead to immeasurable advances in the medical field. Think of the significance of a gene that can cancel out another one, for example, and now that we can identify what genes cause Alzheimer's, in the future we could nearly eradicate the devastating degenerative disease that causes the brain to deteriorate in the elderly.  Those who have not donated sometimes get packages in the mail with fresh swabs and a notification that they will collect the samples in the near future.  Those tactics are very manipulative, and has recently made some people loose support for the industry.  
     It has also shown insight into evolution.  They were able to find our most recent common male ancestor, which they are calling the "father of humanity" by analyzing the DNA of over 2,600 Icelanders, and partial DNA of over 104,000 more.  He lived between 174,000 and 321,000 years ago, which contradicts the finding that the first humans lived 364,000 years ago.  Through this they can now work to find mutant genes which could give insight into what genes in the Icelandic population--which could then be used as a based for researching other populations--an immunity to disease.  So far 20 million variants have been found and even more genes have been linked to risks for even more diseases, like liver cancer and thyroid issues.  
     It's understandable that the researchers are so desperate for more samples of DNA, Iceland is like the holy grail of genetics.  They just might be the future for all of us.  
     We thanked Alda and Odda and had then went back to the Black Pearl for a good night's rest before tomorrow's busy day.   

One of the researchers in the lab 

August 23rd // Hofn, Mývatn Lake & Quick Trip to the WestFjords

Humarhöfnin Veitingahús// Indigenous Foods ●

Langoustine pizza

     We woke up at 7:30 am at the Glacier View Apartments, and left at 8:00 am.  We went to Hofn, a town about an hour and a half away.  Hofn is the second largest town in south east Iceland, and was the nearest place that we could get a hot breakfast, which after so much cold yesterday, we really needed.  
     Alissa got Beech smoked cod-liver, which came with a salad, pine nuts, and sun dried tomatoes.  It smelled surprisingly good for liver--not that I smell liver very often, don't be weird about it.  I got Klettur, a smoked dish of mutton--lamb--which interestingly enough came from Skaftafell National park, where they had grazed.  It had several a delicious side salad, which had basil oil, pomegranate, and blue cheese.  

Sandwich cake

     Taylor got something that I had no idea could even exist.  She got a sandwich cake.  Yes, a sandwich cake.  It is exactly like it sound.  It's all the ingredients in a sandwich in cake form; the bread replaces the sponge cake, cream cheese is used as frosting, and cucumber and parsley is used as decorations.  Strangely enough, it's actually a common Scandinavian food, and can be found in Norway as well.   It was garnished with turnips, cucumber, hard boiled eggs, and shrimp.  Abby was pretty disappointed because she became completely obsessed with the idea of a cake sandwich, but because of her shrimp allergy she couldn't try any.  She glared at Taylor as she ate and she vowed to cook her own sandwich cake when we got back to the US. 
     Abby and Kyndall all shared a Langoustine pizza.  Langoustine is a breed of slim, pink, lobster that originates in Norway, but also lives in Iceland because of their close proximity.  It was a bit of a strange breakfast to say the least, considering that it consisted of lamb and lobster, but it was a nice last breakfast during our road trip. 

Mývatn, Godafoss, & Látrabjarg // Nature ●
     After we finished breakfast we got on the road for five hours to Mývatn lake.  It's full of lava formations because of the nearby  Krafla volcano.  It's a eutrophic lake, meaning that it has a lot of algae and aquatic life because of abnormally high levels of nutrients.  There is a small lava island in the middle of the lake that was formed from a tectonic plate shift th]at resulted in lava being squeezed out.  It's surrounded by vibrant green algae and small fish. The lake was formed during the ice age.  Thirteen spices of ducks inhabit the lake.  
      Mývatn also describes not only the lake itself, but also the surrounding region, so we had a bit of trouble finding it.  Finding the lake wasn't the big issue, once we were there we had the most trouble finding a nice place to put down our picnic blanket.  It was absolutely beautiful there, so there was no way that we couldn't find a pretty spot, but it was a challenge finding a spot that wasn't slimy.  The algae, moss, and other strange green plants covered just about the entirety of the lake. 

 Mývatn

      Taylor really wanted to try and find a way to get to the lava island in the middle of the lake, given that it's only about one foot deep.  As we protested, she took off one of her boots, stripped off her sock, and stuck her foot in.  She immediately slipped on a huge glob of algae, and fell face first into the water.  With her hair hanging from her face like Spanish moss in wet muddy clumps, she looked up and screamed at the top of her lungs when a frog jumped at her face.  I don't think I've ever seen a person move quicker in my entire life.  She sprung up from the water onto the ground and shook like a dog.  
     Kyndall went into the car and grabbed a towel for Taylor.  As we set up for the picnic, all quietly mocking Taylor, Kyndall helped her figure out how to was off the mud--mainly so that we could keep our deposit on the rental car.  
     "Let's try that thing where you take a tarp, poke holes into it, and tie it to a tree.  We have the rope and the and a tarp, plus the extra gallons of water.  I think I saw it in an episode of Hannah Montana forever ago," Kyndall suggested.
     "I don't think that I want to put that much faith in an episode of Hannah Montana with my hair.  But--well--I guess it's better than smelling like fish all day," said Taylor. 
     Kyndall grabbed the supplies out of the car as Taylor fished through her bag for her shampoo and conditioner.  Kyndall and Taylor tried to find a tree, but seeing as Iceland is known as "the country without forests" it didn't work out.  
     Taylor remembered the beach umbrella that we brought for the beaches that we never used.  Kyndall tried to hand the bag up to one of the rods in the underside of the umbrella.  After a few tries it worked out and Taylor was able to wash her hair.  She changed into clean clothes in the car and joined us back at the picnic looking pretty defeated as she looked off into the lake eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  
     "I miss my kitten," Taylor said, "She has cuddles and she only smells like fish, like, 30% of the time."
     Other than that, the picnic was pretty pleasant.  We got back on the road at 5:30 in the evening. 

     Half an hour away is the Godafoss, also known as "the waterfall of the gods".  It got the name because a prominent pagan figure, essentially with the equivalent amount of standing as the Catholic Pope, threw statures of the Norse gods into the waterfall according to legend in the year 1,000.  Though the statues have never been found, the story still symbolizes Iceland's official conversion to Christianity.  Icelandic paganism continued up until 1000 AD when Christianity became law, and their old gods--Thor, Odin, others--and goddesses--Frigg, Ēostre, others--had to be abandoned.  Norse is the old pagan religion and legends of the Scandinavian people, which originated from older Germanic Mythology.  It's actually quite interesting, not only because of the complexity of its legends, but how it also spread through only poetry.  The original way the religion was spread not through scripture or a prophet like most others, but by written poetry.  It's also astounding the impact that it still has now in Iceland.  They may have converted to Christianity over 1,000 years ago, Norse culture is still very much alive.  They still believe in trolls and the language is almost completely unchanged.  
     The Godafoss is about 100 feet wide and 40 feet tall, and is the rock formations around it make it one of the most impressive waterfalls in all of Iceland, despite its not even being on the top ten tallest.  Looking at it I can see why the pagan figure chose to throw them into this waterfall above all others, it makes for a very good dramatic gesture.  I was tempted to stand at the edge of the cliff and dramatically throw something off of it myself, but while it was an act of symbolic change back then, now its called littering.  

Godafoss

     We wanted to at least get a peak of the Westfjords before we left because what they showed us at culture night seemed really cool.  The drive was a grueling seven hours, but by taking an hour and a half long shifts made it bearable.  
     When we finally got to Látrabjarg in the Westfjords around 12:30 at night.  Látrabjarg is the westernmost point in Iceland has a giant cliff that stretches out over the Atlantic ocean out 8.7 miles long and over 1,443 feet up.  On the rocks, puffins nest in the summer.  It was so cool walking all the way to the tip, which took forever, but was totally worth it for the view.     There were little puffin chicks on the rocks that you could see if you crouched down at the tip and bent your head over the edge.  Taylor and I didn't have the stomach for it because of our crippling fear of heights.  Kyndall of course, just sat at the edge of the cliff and leaned farther and father over it until we were all yelling at her for it.  Alissa had thought to bring a loaf of bread with her in a little Nike bag to feed the puffins.  It probably wasn't ethical to feed wild birds white bread, but it sure was fun.  They would toddle right up to your hands, snatch an entire piece, and then hop off. 

     

Látrabjarg

     We had all taken turns carrying the tent up the cliff, and set up camp around 2 am.  We ate the remaining pop-tarts and snacks that we had packed for the road trip.  We were super tired so we unrolled our sleeping bags and went to bed.  

August 22nd // Ice Caves and Beautiful Lakes

      Ice Caves & Jökulsárlón // Nature ●

Kverkfjöll ice cave

     The tour started at 11:00 in the morning, so we were able to sleep in until 10:00 which was nice.  We met the rest of the party, a team of about ten photographers, ten minutes away.  The tour guide told us the biggest rule: leave only footprints, take only pictures.  Everybody got into one of the three big Range Rovers to ride to the ice caves.  
     We were going to Kverkfjöll ice cave, one of the largest ice caves on earth.  They expand 1,764 miles and 1722 feet tall, and are located under Vatnajökull, the largest ice cap in Iceland, and the Dyngjufjöll, a volcanic mountain range.  Ice caves are frequently formed from when a glacier melts a little, and the water eats away at the ice until there is an air pocket that eventually expands.  Others, in the case of Kverkfjöll, are formed by hot springs and geothermal vents under the ice.  
     A small stream runs through most of the cave, and the blue ice looks like glass.  The cave is fairly unstable because the glacial movements and the unstable magma chambers under the caves makes them susceptible to collapse.  There's even a warning sign in the parking lot to warn inexperienced tourists not to try exploring the caves without a professional tour guide.  The safety wavers we had to sign were extensive, but we trusted our tour guides and couldn't resist the ice caves.  "If we're going to our deaths, we might as well die in style," I said to Abby who got a little nervous when she saw how big the waver packets were. 
     "They're just about as big as the ones for bounce houses, and no one's ever died in a bounce house--actually I take that back one time one deflated on me and i almost got smothered.  Still scarred for life by that.  It was like being sat on by a rainbow elephant," Kyndall shivered.  
     "You're not helping, Kyndall," Taylor said, rolling her eyes.  
     We still ended up still doing it because majority rules.  Abby grumbled all the way there, promising to haunt us if we die.  Arguing that if we all died, then how would she haunt a ghost, didn't help at all.  

Alissa, Taylor, Abby, and me freezing while Kyndall brags

     We got to the caves at 11:00 as planned, and explored the caves for the next four hours.  The light trailed through openings in the cave as the mist danced over the light beams.  
     Abby lost her shoe... somewhere. We're not really sure how, or why it was only shoe, but Abby had to struggle-hop everywhere with a wet sock. We're still not sure if the tour guide noticed, or if it's still there.
     There was frozen over snow that capped the ice under the openings.  The wasn't clear like it is back home when puddles freeze over, it was a rich blue.  We hadn't thought it would be that cold, so we didn't wear snow pants, but Kyndall in her stupid coat was nice and toasty because it went all the way to her knees. 

Jökulsárlón

           Walking inside the caves was pretty slippery, so we had to be careful when we walked back to the Range Rovers.  
     Once we got back to the hotel we packed up and drove to Jökulsárlón, which literally translates to "glacier river lagoon."  It was only a hour long drive to Jökulsárlón from Skaftafell hotel. 
     Jökulsárlón developed into a lake when the glacier started receding from the Atlantic ocean, which made a beach and lake full of bright blue glacier chunks.  Every year it gets a bit bigger because the glaciers are melting, and is currently at about 7 square miles, four times what it was in 1970.  Jökulsárlón is the deepest lake in Iceland at 814 feet.  
     The tour started at 4:30 and lasted for an hour.  The water was so clear that you could see the bottom of the icebergs all the way to their bottom.  Seals lounged on the ice burgs in between dives into the water to catch fish.  Large seabirds like Arctic Terns catch herring, trout, salmon, and other fish.  Puffins also live at Jökulsárlón. 

Jökulsárlón

     We booked a night at the Glacier View Apartments in Hnof, only two hours away from 
Jökulsárlón. 

August 21st // Vik and Horses

     Horseback Riding // Sports ●
    At the hotel there's a restaurant also, which was really convenient because Vik is a very, very, small town and there's not much there except country side.  We had heard about the lavender fields around the Myrdal church in the summer. The church is up on a high hill on the outskirts of town and can be seen from anywhere in town.  
     It was a short

Abby with "Maximums" doing the
most awkward pose ever

walk to the church from the hotel so we were going to just walk, but our feet were so sore from the hike yesterday that when we found a stable that rented out horses for the day, we decided to get some.  
     Iceland has it's own special breed of horses, aptly named Icelandic Horses, with thick long fur and are more or less pony sized, at only 13-14 hands.   Horses are highly respected, even worshiped, in Norse Mythology and the admiration still holds.  The breed came about from both natural selection and selective breeding.  
     Horses who had shorter hair and were larger unfortunately did not survive often because of how unforgiving the winters in Iceland are.  As a large horse with short hair living in -22 degree weather, it was very difficult to find roughage to survive and keep warm.  Icelanders recognized this, so they started breeding those who had an abnormal amount of hair and shorter stature.  That's how these unique, fluffy, horses came about.  

The Shetland ponies in their
cute little sweaters 

    Today though, if horses aren't fluffy enough, or are a bit too small to keep themselves warm, they give them little sweaters.  Kind of like how my grandma puts her Chinese Cresteds (bald dogs that Taylor says are "vaguely off putting") in pajamas and rain coats, they put their little horses in thick, specialized, long underwear.  
     The horses come in two varieties, either as Shetland ponies, or just short standard horses.  There were a couple Shetland ponies out at pasture who were wearing those little sweaters because they were so small that they got cold even in the summer.  The people who ran the stables said that they normally keep them inside during the winter when it's chilly, but the little guys like to play with the big horses too much to stay inside too often.  
     Kyndall in her coat was about ten times a big as those little adult baby horses.  It was hilarious.  Anyway, those who haven't ever seen horses with this much fur may not even be able to comprehend how fluffy they are.  They look like tiny Clydesdales who rolled around in a barber shop.   To say the least, it was probably the best experience in my life.  I've peaked now that I've ridden one of those tiny fluffy miracles.  
     Abby's horse was named Maximums...at least that's what she made us all call him.  His real name was Peanut, which he would only respond to, but she insisted because that's what the horse was named in Tangled.  We rode up the hill on a small dirt path.  We even got to trot, which is basically when a horse runs.
     I've never been very good at trotting, but compared to Abby I was a graceful pro.  She kept yelling, "Slow it, Max, I don't want your sass!"  Of course, Peanut was like, "They call me 'Stacy,' They call me 'Maximums,' That's not my name, That's not my name,"  (The Ting Tings, "That's Not My Name") and bolted off.  Everybody else, though, had a nice stroll and a calm trot, as Abby screamed as Peanut was speeding up the hill.  It was a lot of fun, and seeing Abby's hair all crazy from the whiplash wasn't too bad either. 

     Lavender Fields // Nature ●
     Lupin lavender grows along roads and lakes, which we had already seen, but this field of lavender was enormous.  Lupins grow in purple, pink, red, yellow, white, and blue.  The most common colors are obviously purple, but in the field there was blue, purple, pink, red, and a few random yellows.  
     We had to keep the horses from eating the lavender because, while it's actually calming because of the oils in it for them, they absolutely hate the taste.  My horse would take a huge bite, then angrily snort because it didn't taste good.  Then, he would take another bite and get grumpier and grumpier until he was snorting and stomping while simultaneously taking huge bites.  He was like a toddler throwing a fit because he wanted chocolate pudding, then remembered he didn't like chocolate, but still kept eating it because his little toddler brain refused to stop and instead he just got progressively more angry.    

     Lupin is planted for soil fertilization to fix nitrogen levels with the beneficial bacteria in their roots.  It's very common in Iceland because lavender thrives in dry soil.  It can also be used for medical uses to help boost immunity when it's boiled into tea.  We had brought thermoses full of hot water and picked lavender to put in them.  The tea was actually really good, although it had a bit of a perfumey taste, and it was nice to have something warm on a chilly day.  

The church and the lavender    

     We rode back to the stable and said goodbye to the horses at 3 and went back to the hotel to hang out for a while until we got back on the road.  The hotel has a big hot tub, so we decided to warm up before we packed up.  We stayed in there for much longer than the suggested 15 minutes, about three hours.  After Alissa nearly passed out, we finally went back to our hotel room to pack up.  
     We got dinner at the restaurant again and then checked out.  On our way out of town we decided to stop to get a couple snacks for the rest of the trip and, of course, more five hour energies.  Also, we had to load up on extra gas because Vik is the last town with a gas station for a very long time.  We got in the car and drove for one and a half hours to Skaftafell in Vatnajökull national park. Once we got to the Skaftafell hotel we settled down in our room for the night to rest up for our big day tomorrow.  

August 20th // Beautiful Beaches

     Dyrhólaey Peninsula & Reynisfjara Beach // Nature ●

At the glacier 

     We ate our pop tarts that we had packed and each drank two five hour energies... each.  At the little grocery shop in Reykjavik before we left, we stocked up on a bulk pack of them because we decided we would rather sacrifice sleep than not getting to see all of the places along the Ring Road.  We planned to all drink those on our shifts driving or after a long night.  As for sleep, we wouldn't get much of it, but when it wasn't our turn driving we would take a nap. 
     There would be a fairly long gap in between hotels in after Vik, which is the last town for about about three days, excluding the one in Skaftafell national park.  We wanted to explore more of Eyjafjallajökull, but we were pretty tired still so we only went a couple hundred feet up the glacier.  The ice glowed blue in the morning light with black rocks jutting out.  
     We hadn't really thought it through, but honestly we kind of like the idea of glacier climbing in our pajamas just for the heck of it.  Kyndall's pajamas just so happened to be her giant coat, so she was set, but everybody else was wearing flannel bottoms and heavy sweaters.  Abby was wearing these ridiculous Christmas fuzzy toe socks.  She didn't want to waste time lacing up her hiking boots, so she put on a pair of flip flops which she had brought as shower shoes just in case went to a campsite with showers.  She looked like a more festive version of those stereotypical tourist in white knee socks and sandals.  To say the least, it wasn't Abby's proudest fashion moment.  
     Certain spots were so steep that we had to take hold of ice chunks.  We hadn't thought to wear our gloves, so our fingers got cold.  
     There were little spots of snow that wasn't frozen over and we ended up having a snowball flight.  Abby's flipflops became really slick so when Taylor hit her square in the face she slipped and fell onto her stomach and penguin slid all the way downhill.  She didn't even fight it.  She just slid down straight as a board and squealing.  
     We all ran down to try and stop her, all except Taylor who fell down laughing and slid down herself also.  She laughed so hard that she started spinning as well as sliding.  Kyndall tripped and started sliding on her butt.  
     Alissa and I just walked down calmly because we weren't about to get wet from the ice.  I'm not about that life.  All three of them added in a snow bank, first Abby, next Taylor crashes into her, and then Kyndall crushed the two of them under her ginormous coat.
     Once they got up and walked back to camp, soggy and cold, we started packing up after getting dressed for real because pajamas weren't the best for 50 degree weather.  We packed up camp and left around 10:30 to get back to the car.  It was down hill and the trek was much easier this time so we managed to get back in only 7 and a half hours.  I drove the first shift once we got back to the at 5:30 pm, but we weren't near any restaurants, obviously because the next town was Vik.  
     We ate granola bars and some dry cereal, which wasn't ideal, but it worked in a pinch.  We wanted to get to Vik before we had to stop for the night somewhere random instead of at a hotel.  But we wanted to make a few stops along the way at a couple beaches.  

Dyrhólaey arch

     Our first stop was Dyrhólaey.  It's a peninsula which used to be an island, but because of volcanic eruptions and lava flow, it is now connected to the main land.  
     Eyja is the Icelandic word for island, which is where it got it's name.  Dyrhólaey has a 1,300 foot cliff overlooking the ocean with a soul light house gracing it's precipice.  The light house is a 43 foot structure made of white concrete with a red paint trim.  
     On the left of the building there is the keeper's quarters.  It's the second light house to be built there.  The orrigonal was made in 1910 and was only a steel frame with a light attached to it as a transitional lighthouse until the present one was built in 1927.  We were lucky to go when there was no one there to bother or be bothered by.  
     In the water there is an arch of hardened lava.  Puffins nest on the cliff and hang out on the arch.  They were absolutely adorable and I had to resist the urge to try catching one to keep as a pet.  They looked so snugly, almost like a stuffed animal.  We hiked down the ledge to the beach itself.  Most--if not all--beaches in Iceland have black sand, which are very rare.  We only stayed for like an hour, and then got back on the road.  

Alissa at Reynisfjara

     This time it was Taylor's turn to drive, but she got it really easy because the ride to the next beach, Reynisfjara was only about an hour and a half away.  Reynisfjara beach is known as one of the world's best black sand beaches and in 1991 it was ranked as one of the best non-tropical beaches in the world.  
     There are three rock formations in the water.  Legend has it that Reynisfjara was formed when trolls pulled a three masted ship ashore and when daylight broke, the ship turned into rock.  Another legend  is about a husband whose wife was taken by two trolls, and frozen to death at night.  The husband made the two trolls swear to never kill anyone ever again. Her spirit lives along with the sea, rocks, and trolls to this very day as the story goes.  
     Reynisfjara is actaully known as a more dangerous beach though, it's rough currents can overpower those who are not careful.  Often times tourists aren't careful, and in several instances they have needed to be rescued.  They don't take into account that there is water on both sides, so when avoiding one side's waves they get bombarded by the other. 

 Reynisfjara

     We got back on the road when high tide hit around 6:30 and set off for Vik to stay in the Icelandair Hotel.  We were all really looking forward to getting to sleep in real beds and take nice hot showers, especially Abby, Taylor, and Kyndall after their trip down the glacier.  

     It was only a forty five minute drive to the hotel, which we were thankful for because we were running on five hour energy fumes at that point.  Once we got in our rooms we just collapsed in our beds and didn't so much as move a finger until lunch the next day.    

August 19th // Waterfalls and Ice Volcanos

     Bryggjan Cafe // Indigenous Foods ●

Plokkfiskur 

     After we ate breakfast at the the Bryggjan, a small cafe a little less than half an hour from the Blue Lagoon.  Kyndall finally found a food she liked, an Icelandic seafood pancake, aptly named seafood pancake.  "I mean, I like seafood and I like pancakes--," Taylor interjected by yelling something about waffles, "shut up Taylor, so I might as well try," said Kyndall. 
     When she go it she looked a little disheartened seeing a tomato slice laid on the top, and she picked it off like she had just found a long dark hair in her food. Alissa asked her if she was going to be alright jokingly, and she responded with, "I mean I'll survive," in all seriousness.  The second she took a bite, though, she looked like a toddler trying chocolate for the first time.  
     I had Plokkfiskur, a creamy fish Icelandic stew, made from fresh cod, potatoes, celery, heavy cream, chicken broth, chopped carrots, and topped with diced tomato.  All the meals we'd had in Iceland so far were made with fresh ingredients, local as much as possible.  Mainly because they value freshness in their food and being an island so far in the north, very few foods are imported from other countries.  Food there is more expensive if it involves foreign ingredients because of the difficulty to get them.  Fresh fruits and vegetables that aren't suited for cold climates are a little less than twice as expensive as they are in the states.  
     Taylor had a special kind of sandwich in Iceland, a smoked salmon, egg, and spinach sandwich.  Technically, it was more of a toast, because there was only a bottom piece of sourdough bread, spread with a sauce made from lemon juice and zest, mustard, and dill.  Normally back home smoked salmon is used more sparingly, almost like a garnish, however, it was piled on high.  Iceland has incredible seafood and doesn't hold back when it comes to serving it, the portions are full of a variety of fish in nearly every dish. 

     Seljalandsfoss Waterfall & Eyjafjallajökull Volcano // Nature ●

From inside the cave

             We got back on the Ring Road around 10:30 am to really start the road trip.  We drove for a little less than two hours and arrived at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.  It's one of the best known waterfalls in Iceland.  It was formed from the nearby volcano glacier called the Eyjafjallajökull, and at 197 feet tall its only a few feet away from being the tallest waterfall in the entire country.  It is bed by the Seljalands River.
    Behind the waterfall there is a cave that you can walk along the ledge to.  We carried our picnic basket and blanket with us behind the waterfall and into the cave.  It was incredible in there and the cave was much larger than I had thought it would be.  From the outside it doesn't even look like there is one, but I'm really glad that we thought to Google all of the places we were going first to find out any and all cool unique things.  The inside of the cave was very different from the stereotypical stalagmite filled, damp, and creepy caves like in Scooby Doo.  Instead, thank goodness, it was mossy, dry, and all around comfortable. 
     From inside of it you could see all of the rushing water flood over the waterfall and the sun shone through it in a beautiful way.  It was really nice to have the padding from the moss to sit on under the blanket.  
     There were little clovers growing all over the caves, and Alissa managed to find a four leaf clover somehow.  She then proceeded to do the worst lucky charms leprechaun impression I have ever heard.  Taylor dared her to put it in her sandwich and eat it to "have the luck literally inside of you forever...or like the next eight hours."  We all bet her five dollars that she wouldn't, but "My mother didn't raise a fool," she said and stuffed the clover into her mouth, "Pay up idiots."  
     We hung out in the cave for a good hour after we finished eating just to explore it.  The moss is all over the cave, it goes up the walls and even though it looks like moss, it's actually grass growing from the roof of the cave.  We tried to skip stones in the water, but the current from the waterfall made it pretty difficult.  Also, the fact that I am absolutely terrible at it to begin with.  Abby and Kyndall tried to show me how, while Taylor silently shamed me with her skills and Alissa tried to look for another four leafed clover.  

Skógafoss Waterfall

     We got back on the road and drove only half an hour to the Skógafoss waterfall.  It's 82 feet long and 200 feet tall.  It has back rocks and sand which makes it look sinister almost.  It was really beautiful, but we had to move quickly past it unfortunately so that we could get onto the  Fimmvörðuháls.  It's a nine hour hike through the mountains, but it's got a lot of flat land, and leads to the Eyjafjallajökull glacier volcano.  
     The entire hike has a rock lined path with thin orange rope tied to stakes to guide hikers all the way to the volcano.  We grabbed our packs out of the car and set off.  Since we camped for the night, we packed sleeping bags, which were pretty bulky, but the nights get very cold and we knew we'd be thankful for it later.  
     We all took turns carrying the tent throughout the 14 mile hike.  It's the most popular hike in Iceland despite its length and the fact that overall the hike goes up 3,300 feet. In certain parts it's quite difficult, and Taylor, whose turn it was to carry the tent at one point, had to literally throw it up to Kyndal because it was so steep.  
     It was tiring and we had to take many breaks, but it was so worth it to see the views.  The path itself was beautiful, and it was the perfect weather.  Normally, weather in the 50s isn't very pleasant, but because we were carrying so much stuff that it was nice because we didn't overheat.  We sang camp songs like "Baby Shark" to keep busy.  Taylor insisted that we had to sing "500 Miles" at least three times We went an hour between every water break so that we could keep up the pace and make it to where we were going to set up for the night before too late.  
     We got to the Eyjafjallajökull around 11 pm at night, but it was still light out obviously because of the midnight sun.  Pitching the tent was really hard, especially because I lost rock paper scissors and had to figure it out while everybody just laid on the ground in sheer exhaustion.  It turns out that my terrible puzzle skills did apply to tents and I had to pass the torch to Kyndall and Abby who are really good at solving issues like that.  When they gave me grief for it I reminded them,"I can barely lace shoes what did you expect?"  
     We took the ramen out of our packs and prepared the bunson burner to make some dinner.  We debated wheather or not we should build a fire because Eyjafjallajökull has an ice cap and we worried if the heat would be destructive.  In the end I did build one because the ice cap has receded so much that we were in the middle of a clearing and around 100 feet from any ice.  
    Since we had to walk so far and already had a heavy load, we had to look for some fire wood.  Iceland is known for not having any real forests, which we probably should have considered before we looked for a good half an hour.  The good part of our failed wood search is that we got to explore the glacier some before going to bed.

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano

     The Eyjafjallajökull's summit is at 5,417 ft and has a crater around 2.5 miles.  The volcano is covered almost completely by an ice cap called the English Eyjafjalla Glacier.  The ice cap is covers about 62 miles.  Icelandic nature is very strange coming from the US because an active volcano and ice doesn't seem like it would work together.  Iceland is on a tectonic plate they have a lot of geothermic heat, and because they're so far north, it's very cold, the combo is actually very common.  Geysers that emit hot gasses, even more volcanoes, and hot springs are very common in Iceland, which is the opposite of what it's name indicates.  The last time the Eyjafjallajökull erupted explosively was in 2010, and ever since then the volcano has been more active than ever.   
     We didn't really know what to do with the little hot dogs we had brought, so just like they did in the olden days we roasted them over the bunson burner.  It didn't go very well.  They were still edible, but they were by no means good.  Surprisingly Kyndally actually did like the burned hot dogs, honestly she's a mystery.  
     Around 1 am we went to bed and climbed into our giant sleeping bags.  I couldn't help bu remember that little book called "The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar" when I saw Alissa all bunched up in the sleeping bag with only her face peeking out.  She started inching around like a caterpillar and we all almost died laughing.  Once we settled down it felt so good to lay down after such a long walk that we fell asleep almost instantly. 

August 18th // Blue Lagoon and Ring Road Day One

     Blue Lagoon // Nature ●

     We left the Black Pearl around 8:30 to get on Route One, which the locals call the Ring Road.  The Ring Road is one continuous highway that circles all of Iceland and hits every city and nearly every landmark.  Those who travel the ring road get to see

Map of the Ring Road 

beautiful beaches, historic churches, waterfalls, hot springs, and more.  We'd come to the conclusion that Iceland is basically Yosemite National Park but as an entire country and a thousand times better.      We loaded the car up with plenty of snacks to last us the over six day trip.  
     Technically, traveling the ring road on average takes only six days, but we wanted to take an extra day to hike to a volcano, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.  We knew that we would have to pack very strategically to be able to be prepared. We made sure to pack a few canisters of gas because towns in Iceland are few and far between. We brought plenty of extra water, but luckily all spring and river water in Iceland is extremely clean.  If there were any emergencies we could just bottle it straight from the source, or add one of the iodine pills we brought if the water seemed a bit sketchy for any reason.  We brought all of our coats, packed hiking boots, bought a large tent in town and some sleeping bags and pillows.  We also bought a Foreman grill for when we were camping between towns overnight to cook meals and a Bunsen burner.  Ramen was the cheapest and took up the least space so we packed enough to feed a small army.  It was a bit cramped in the car, but we knew we'd be fine because for the first few days all of the locations were really close to one another and by the time things started spreading out we would've already eaten half the food.  

The Blue Lagoon 

     Our first stop was the Blue  lagoon and spa.  It was only a 40 minute drive from Reykjavik.  It felt a little pointless to load up the car only to unpack everything in less than an hour.  We arrived at the Silica hotel and Spa--named after the mineral silica that can be found inside the clay of the Lagoon--and got situated in our room.  The view from the window was incredible, with mountains and a clear view of the Lagoon.  We changed into our bathing suits, grabbed our towels, tied our hair up, and walked 15 minutes to the Spa.
     While the words Blue Lagoon bring up images of a foggy, sinister, sea monster inhabited swamp, the Blue Lagoon is anything but, it's soft glowing blue water looks like it would be freezing cold and resembles cotton candy ice cream, but it actually ranges from 98-100+ degrees F.  Steam billows off of it and the second you get near it you already feel warm. 
    The day was only 56 degrees so we were happy to get out of the cold and be melted by the hot water.  There were long gray docks which you could jump off of into the water and we all cannon balled in. 

      The Blue Lagoon is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where Reykjavik is also located.  It is the most visited attraction in all of Iceland because of it's natural healing properties.   It's a man-made lagoon which is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant Svartsengi.  Every two days fresh water is put in.  Superheated water is vented from the ground near the lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity to be used in Icelandic homes and businesses. Then the water is fed into the lagoon for people to enjoy.  

Kyndall and Abby at the Blue Lagoon

     The Blue Lagoon is located close to the world's first renewable methanol plant. The minerals silica and sulfur which are abundant in the Blue Lagoon can be used to treat skin conditions like psoriasis.  The spa doubles as a research facility to find treatments for other skin ailments for either cosmetic or medical use.  Guests often scoop up some of the mineral rich clay and use it as a face mask, similar to how people do with the mud at the Dead Sea.  We all covered our faces in the thick white clay and we all kept saying, "Hello Clairece" in our best Hannibal Lecter Voices.  Abby didn't get it at first because she isn't into horror movies, and when I, being a horror movie connoisseur, explained to her that in The Silence Of The Lambs Hannibal wears a mask of human flesh, which freaked her out.
     Naturally, Alissa, Taylor, Kyndall, and I all chased her around echoing "Hello Clairece" even louder.  Abby scooped up a big handful of mud and threw it straight into my face we chased her.  We all started lobbing giant globs of clay at each other.

     We had to be careful not to overheat in the water, but luckily we got to stay in the water longer thanks to the cold drinks which are handed out in the pools.  Waitresses in black one pieces that are made to look like suits with bow tie necklaces waded around and passed out drinks.  The drinks are blue in little stem glasses and taste like Hawaiian punch, with a little kick from the vanilla vodka.  Drinking and being boiled alive probably wasn't our best decision, and after an hour we were getting dizzy, so we went to the little cooling off showers.  The ice cold water was refreshing and we jumped right back into the lagoon afterwards.  

The spa 

     In recent years traveling to the Blue Lagoon has topped millennial's travel bucket lists, so the spa was packed.  The revenue from the spa has been very good for the Icelandic economy which in recent years has been branching out from mainly being fishing based and is now moving into a more multifaceted economy.  The spa is open year round and it is even more popular in the winter when temperatures are freezing.  The spa remains a nice 100 degrees year round, even when there is snow all around.  
     In the middle of the pool there is a small island with sharp rocks and a wrap around deck where two towel shacks and showers are.  We got out and grabbed towels and went back to our room to change for lunch.   The hotel has a restaurant that overlooks the Lagoon with a glass railing.  After lunch we got massages and pedicures.  Taylor asked them it they could make hers look like flannel, and when they said no she got them black instead.  We went back to the Lagoon after our toes were dry and swam some more. We stayed out in the water until late at night, and then went back to our hotel room to rest up for tomorrow. 

     

August 17th // Cultural Festival

     We went took a short nap until 10 am after getting home from the museum and our crazy night at the bars, but we couldn't really sleep in because we didn't want to miss Culture Night. All pretty groggy, we went to the Stofan Café for coffees--lots of coffee. It's a green faded wooden building with a bright red door and steep steps, which Abby tripped over. We all got a coffee. Then a second, and a third, and a fourth. By then we were clear headed, if not a little jittery--Kyndall was practically vibrating--and wanted to thank Alda and Odda for calling us a cab last night.
      As soon as Taylor started dialing the phone, though, we realized we never got their number. Thankfully, Iceland is such a small country that every citizen can be found in a single phone book, organized by first name. We found Alda in no time and called her to thank her. She was happy to hear that we had gotten home safely and invited us to have lunch with her and have a tour of her job since we seemed so interested the night before. We couldn't wait to see them again and get to find out more about their fascinating jobs.

     Culture Night // Holiday ●
      In Iceland, every year there is a Culture night.  Cultural institutions such as museums and theaters annually organize to showcase Iceland's unique history.   Concerts are organized with  popular and even fringe Icelandic bands.  While the date does change every year, the cultural festival is a very important event in Iceland and it was so cool getting to see attend the 22nd annual Culture night.  It's the largest festival in Iceland, and that's saying something because there are numerous festivals.  They range from commemorating art and music to local festivals dedicated to elves.   This year 100,000 people came, which is remarkable because the entire population is only around 325,000.  

Alissa at the waterside on Klapparstigur street

     On each street around the Reykjavik harbor there is a different attraction.  Along Klapparstigur street, known for it's bright colored buildings and bars, a carnival was held.  Iceland's top DJs and young musicians, such as Yoga Dance Party, performed.  It was so much fun dancing to the music--thankfully Kyndall used the moves Alda and Odda taught her last night instead of the Macarena.  
     There was even a 658 foot sip and slide along the whole street!  We slid on our feet like with socks on hardwood and penguin belly slid.  I threw Abby like a bowling ball and she slid straight into Alissa.  She fell too and they both slid for another few hundred feet.  It was hilarious because they spun, rolled, kicked each other, and yelled.  By the time they got to the end of the slide they were uncontrollably laughing.  We slid on giant animal floaties, on green alligators and pink flamingos.  We slipped and slid up down the boulevard for an hour until our knees were scraped from the plastic and our fingers pruned up.  
     The Krás street food festival 
had stands with clear overheads and colorful balloons tied to them.  Restaurants from all over Reykjavik, and even some from outside communities, had little stands.  High end and casual restaurants alike gave their spin on street food.  The energy was great and everybody, customers and food stand workers alike, was having a great time.  Everybody seemed so overjoyed to get to meet fellow Icelanders and get to learn more about their crazy, creative, colorful country.  

Dons Doughnuts

A stand on Krás street 

      We got delicious pork tacos, juice smoothies, and "dirty pork sandwiches".  Bæjarins Beztu, a street food place down by the harbor said to have the best hot dogs in Europe, set up a booth also.  It had been hard to find food that Kyndall like since she's so picky--honestly it's a wonder she's gotten this far--so she was really stoked to get to try such a prestigious hot dog.  Former president Bill Clinton himself called them the best hot dogs in Europe...Kyndall wasn't as impressed, but don't take her word for it.  Even the aptly named Meat Soup wagon came down to the festival.  It serves only traditional Icelandic meat soups and is said to be just like your Icelandic grandmother's stews.  It's adorable and covered in little cartoons of soup.  We all split a small bowl because we were pretty full for 900 isk, or $7 usd.  We topped it all off with some of Dons Doughnuts, which were probably the best doughnuts I've ever had.  When you get them they're still warm and have just a pinch of salt sprinkled on them to bring out the flavor.  You get to choose caramel or chocolate sauce and your own topping, similar to a server yourself frozen yogurt place.  
     There was an emphasis on all natural and organic food, which seems to be very important in Iceland, nearly every stand proudly displayed "Organic".  Taylor was really happy to get to try the waffles at the Vöffluvagninn, which translates literally to waffle wagon. 
     This started and argument about weather pancakes or waffles are better, Taylor a passionate waffle lover, me a passionate pancake enthusiast.  "Pancakes get soggy, they're like sponges!  Waffles have nice little pockets for butter and syrup, how can you not love that," said Taylor.  "Waffles are too square!  Taylor, when they're too crispy they hurt your mouth, I have literally been cut up by them.  But you know what will never betray you? Pancakes," I argued.  It only got uglier from there.  We ended up having to leave the food festival and go over to the Westfjords stands. 

The Westfjords are the circled region

     The Westfjords are a peninsula north of mainland Iceland.  Because they were separated, while their culture is fairly similar due to their viking influence, it is still unique.  It's mainly a fishing community because of their natural harbors and lack of low land for agriculture which limits then to sheep, with a population of roughly 7,600.  We learned a brief history of the Westfjords.  They were isolated from the mainland and had been living off the sea for a very long time and they didn't experience many of the the famines that early Icelanders endured form crop failures.   They even were safe from plagues.  
      They were very remote and because husbands frequently died at sea, women ran the communities and were highly respected. In fact, Iceland as a whole has been very progressive in nearly all social issues.  Currently they have a female president, and their first one elected was in 1980.  They legalized gay marriage in the early 90's, although recently there has been a lot of uproar about their staggering 14% wage gap.  Because of their remote location, it was very hard for Westfjordians to gain as much wealth as the rest of Iceland, and they only recently have.   They are a very hard working people and are grateful for the new luxuries they have.  
     Many of the villages have been kept alive in recent years by Thai, Filipino, Lithuanian, and Polish immigrants.  They have the highest rate of immigration in all of Iceland.  We even got to try some of their native cuisine, which unfortunately included delicious pancakes.  The argument was re-sparked and even more intense.  We decided to agree to disagree, and Taylor couldn't help but admit those pancakes were pretty incredible.  They were lightly powdered sugared and drizzled with a chocolate wine sauce.  We tried other Westfjordian foods, which were mainly seafood, so Abby wasn't too thrilled because we wouldn't let her try any.  "Sorry for not wanting you to die," Alissa said as she shoved a spoonful of seafood out of Abby's hand.

     Then we went made our way over to Arnarhóll where concerts were being held.  Arnarhóll is this big field in the middle of Reykjavik with a hill that overlooks the whole city.  It had a huge stage built up, lights, and streamers.  By then it was around 6:00 pm and the light started to dim a bit at least.  
     Of Monsters And Men preformed songs from their album "Beneath the Skin"  and a bunch of other ones from their older albums (apparently Taylor knew all about them and spent a good twenty minutes recommending all kinds of indie bands and folk music), which confused me at first.  It turns out they, like Bjork, are from Iceland. Most Icelandic music is folk music or EDM, electronic club music.   
       We got went up to the front row and had fun for the next two hours until we went back down to the food festival to get some dinner.  By the time we got back it was really crowded over by the concerts so we put down a picnic blanket on top of the grassy hill that overlooked the stage. 

Our view of the fireworks 

      Finally it got dark around 1 AM and the fireworks display at the Harpa could begin.  We were heard that Arnarhóll was the perfect place to see them, and it was true.  Around 50,000 people gathered there to see them, the rest had either taken their children home or were at the Harpa.  They started out with red and then moved on to brilliant blues, purples, greens, and whites.  It was incredible because from Arnarhóll you could see the reflections of the fireworks coming off of the harbor, and the Harpa looked like it was glowing.  All of it's intricate glass work lit up like a Christmas tree and the whole building was turned purple.  It was so pretty that Abby literally cried.  We went back home to the Black Pearl and spent our last night in Reykjavik before our trip on the Ring Road.