Episode Seven, Reykjavik

 Episode Seven, Reykjavik 

 Departing Heimaey at 0500 hazy cold morning and no one to see us off. Because it was a perfect leaving with me on the helm of course. Birds were awake though.

Harbour wall of lava

 Some of the smaller of the Vestmannaeyjar Islands.

We were under way early and only just clear of the harbour entrance and our engine shut down....we are so very jaded by all these fuel issues.  This one was our omission, in our fatigue we omitted to check the glass of the fuel filter.  This view we had for a while. The issue again was water! Bio diesel in our experience is very prone to it and it's a bane on boat engines. Anyhow got it all sorted in about an hour while Sally did an excellent job of sailing the boat in very little wind.  

 Looking astern

The Myrdals Jokull Glacier reaching up to the clouds...this was looking forward.

 Arrived 0230 the next day.

 After 2 more filter changes and a pod of Orcas passed us on their way East. Seas were lumpy and confused most of the way with very little wind. That is Harpa, a glass music, meeting restaurant Bar, theater kind of place in the background.

 Massive, large fishing boats.

Expedition boat from the Netherlands.

 The concert hall and harbour. We are on the right hand side of the photo. 

It was a quiet morning so we warped (Sailors term) the boat around to point out into the dominant wind direction. Except for the next few days where it blew from every other direction

 The Brokey YC, office and shower block. Low tide=steep climb

 Lutheran Cathedral Nope it's a starship in disguise. Went to a service a week later and it was all in an Alien language.

Fish museum knot board.

 Found another.

 Viking festival lunch. Vikings ate very well!

 Wet day for a festival. it was so wet they canceled a battle until next year. Woozez. I thought they were supposed to be tough?

 Lots to see.

 Looks like shrunken heads for sale.

 Braiding yarn.

 Closed due to rain we expect

 Smokey mountains from the window of the mini bus at the start of our 9 hour tour of the Golden(Gul) circle.

 Tingvellir National park. the site of the first parliament. The divide of tectonic plates  America & Asian They were not all on our Bus!

Love the patterns 

What a view.  Fresh water lake. All the Pictures I had seen before of Tingvellir never showed the lake or surrounding area just the crack in the rock.

 Looking up stream

This used to be the main road.

 Lots of lava formations

 The execution pond.  

Where they executed women by drowning them for any and all reasons especially not doing the dishes and being witches

When Iceland converted to Christianity, they would only do so with warm water. Men just had they're heads lopped off just around the corner.

The baptismal font from when Iceland converted to Christianity Warm water stream.

 Hot baths right next door. 

Gullfoss three tiered Water Fall. 

Gives Niagara a run for it's money!

Falls drain to a canyon Noisy place even with my ears turned off!

People on the ridge

 Strange geyser land 

Hot pool with crystals Temp about 100*C

 Noel getting great video

Happy, warm and wet A Geezer soaked by a Geyser I knew there was a reason why no one else was standing near me. Just realized it as it started to come down! Not too hot nor too cold .

Boiling baby. Where's the baby?

 Kierd volcano crater, people on the ridge.

The bus tour was nine hours long and the last place was this volcano and crater 

 55 meters deepCraters galore and where I (Noel) lost the GoPro!

The city museum took a bit to find but was interesting, all about the founding of the city. Icelanders say the smokey (Cloud covered) mountain's break the harsh wind. Year round they love going to the geothermic bathing places.   

Reykjavik city origins museum. There are many one subject museums about this city. 

 

And so ends this blog entry, next will be telling you about our time in and about Reykjavik and where we go from here...