The more I see of this island, the more I have second thoughts about recommending it, at least for more than a week´s visit. That sounds bad, I reckon, but the countryside reminds me of moors and heath in the bad weather, and in the good weather it´s the same around every turn. Granted, the nice weather brings out the beauty, but its constant nature dulls the senses after a while. Maybe this has something to do with having just been in the car for six hours.

Our weekend trip went well, although our car had to haul five people and baggage for the whole time, so it´s just as well we have arrived back at base now. One of the best things about travelling around Iceland is the lack of parking fees and admission fees. We had to pay neither at any of the places we visited. In the States we´d be in debt now for fees that would have been required at each location.

Saturday we visited Reykholt, the home of the famous Snorri Sturlusson who grew so powerful that the king of Norway had him killed in the 13th Century. He set down some of the better-known sagas, and the little visitor center at his farm sold them in a variety of languages. After leaving Reykholt we drove further east to our B&B, and while awaiting dinner we had a little side visit to a great falls (Hraunfossar falls on the Hvita river in Borgarfjordur). The site is in a lava field, and the main gorge and falls cut through it. From the sides, from beneath the various lava layers, numerous small streams fall into the gorge, making an enchanting atmosphere.

Sunday morning our B&B host led us on a tour of a local lava tunnel, which at one point had us all squatting down as far as possible so that we could pull ourselves along the very narrow and low tunnel. We could pull ourselves because wet ice filled the base of the tunnel, although my sweater kept getting caught on the jagged lava rocks. Once we traveresed the tight spot, we reached a large interior space heaped with chunks of lava and ice stalagmites. Although my camera flash failed to reach the depths of the tunnel, I did use a trick to get some excellent photos of the ice structures. Recalling National Geographic articles, I placed my flashlight at the base of the ice, so that its light carried up through. The flashlight itself stayed out of sight, so the camera (on low-light setting) got the illuminated ice features very well.

After the cave, we drove to Thingvellir, the location of the Althing, Iceland´s historic parliament. As a former member of Myrkfaelinn, this part of the trip became one of pilgrimage. Unfortunately the weather became drizzly and overcast for that part of the trip. Driving from the cave area to Thingvellier certainly posed a challenge to our poor car. With its heavy load and low clearance, the car frequently bottomed out on the rather rough track we used. The so-called road did take us pretty close to a couple of glaciers, and across terrain typical of the country´s interior. It´s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn´t want to live there.

From Thingvellir we drove to Geysir to see the spouting geothermal pools. Pretty cool. Pretty busy (with tourists). Geysir itself isn´t supposed to be erupting any longer, but it actually did during our visit. Well, not a full eruption, but definite venting. Walking around in sulphur clouds made for an interesting experience. Our hotel for the night, a few km down the road, turned out to be in the middle of nowhere. On the middle of a heath, I could only think that it would be a great setting for a murder mystery, although its moderness would detract.

We had dinner at the hotel, and my four comrades headed off to read, sleep or shower. Being in a walking mood, I hiked down the road about 7 km to see Gullfoss, one of Europe´s largest waterfalls. Impressive, certainly, but paling in comparison to Niagara Falls. However, being there at 9:30 pm had its advantages. I had the place practically to myself, with a beautiful sunset (sunlowering), dramatic clouds, and rainbows. The path down to the falls goes right down to the falls, and allows one to look up to see the water as it crests the first falls, then lengthwise down the gorge over the second falls.

On Sunday we all drove up to Gullfoss, viewed in under heavy overcast, then headed home. Thankfully our six-hour trip took place in the best weather we´ve yet seen. The downside, of course, being that we had to be stuck in the car for it. And the other downside being that we´re sure to get hit with bad weather in the field as repayment time.

We have not yet had our weekely meeting so I´m not sure what´s in store for tomorrow, but it will either be opening a new trench, digging through stones, or drawing the trenches we already have open.