October 1, 2009

Slept rather well, was woken up at 7:30. Ate some breakfast, and hit the road. Headed out around the Snæfells peninsula; the western most part of Iceland. The Snæfellsjökull glacier marks the tip, sitting atop its mountain at around 1440 m. Was the setting for the entrance point in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Drove up to a road going up the mountain, and were greeted by a snow-covered road and a sign that read:impassable. Ah well, so much for that. From there, stopped and ate breakfast in Olafsvík. A small town, bounded by mountains and the ocean. Climbed a waterfall on the edge of town. Almost slipped and fell off taking photos off the edge...but I didn't. Nice try, nature. Picked up some liquid provisions and headed north towards Akuryeri, the second-largest town in Iceland. I took a bit of a wrong turn, and headed up the wrong side of a fjörd, almost running us off the road as i was driving and looking at the map. Got back on the right track though, and eventually made it to Akuryeri. Looked around for a while for a place to stay the night. Hotel far too expensive. After an hour or so of searching, found a hostel. Oh, reception is closed? But your self-locking door, failed to do its job. Found a shower and towels in the hallway. Washed up. Drank our drinkin' drinks in the common area upon very comfortable red leather couches. Amazing. Drunkenly made it to a bar. Water guns and shots of fire and people buying us shots and all around merriment. Got split up, Jamie and Peter went joyriding with some locals, the rest of us found our way back. Talked in the kitchen with some French guy who was actually supposed to be there and ate some peanut butter sandwiches. Come to think of it, not sure how we got back in the second time. The door definitely locks after you close it. Ah well. Slept comfortably.

Sept. 30, 2009

Woke up early, hungover and with about 4 hours of sleep. Got some cleaning done and packed for the trip. Renting a car from some lady in town. No signed papers, just trusting us to return with the car. Got a rather late start, as everyone else is dragging today, too. But, after figuring out how to get the car to go in reverse, we headed out. Drove through the Golden Circle, a popular scenic area. Climbed this small volcanic hill, took in some great views of the undulating mountains, and the road twisting through them. Then drove to the town of Geysir, which geysers are named after. The geysers there erupted about once every 5 minutes. The light was very dim by the time we got there, but they still looked amazing as the bubbling water would suddenly explode, shooting a steam jet 50 feet into the air. Isidora and Johanna had a couch to sleep on in a small college outside of Borganes, so we headed there in the darkness. I relieved Isidora from driving for a while, learning to drive stick as we went. Did pretty well, but have trouble getting into first from a stop. Leaving the main road around Iceland, route one, we encountered quite a few stretches of unpaved road which, at points, had me thinking the tires were going to fall off. Stopped off in the middle of nowhere so that all of us could stretch. Got back in and...car doesn't start. Hm. Peter, Jamie, and I began to push the car, not that we'd get anywhere, but, eh, why not. After about 10 yards, the wheel apparently locked up, and we could only watch and laugh as the car containing Isidora and Johanna slowly rolled off of the road and into a ditch. Was pretty sure it was stuck there, but somehow the 5 of us managed to push it out and back onto the road. Waited a while. Checked under the hood. Everything fine, besides the stupid battery. Wait some more. Finally stood in the road as a car came from the opposite direction. The were some jumper cables in the back of our car, and after a turn of our key, the car started, and off we went. Arrived in the small college in Bifröst around 11:30. A stray dog and cat kept following us around everywhere we went. It was weird. Apparently the dog had swine flu. Ate some dinner in the place that the girls were staying. Handed Jamie and Peter my tent. I slept in the car.

Sept. 29, 2009

Hmmm, writing this post a few days too late. Don't really know what I did. Let's see if I can make up something interesting. After defeating the horrible dragon, the townspeople felt it necessary to throw a parade in my honor. Hm, this sucks. Its been relatively decent weather. Getting to know the lay of the land here at the house. Everyone around here are cool cats. OK, that's today. Ah yes, remembering now. One of the housemates, who is a chef-in-training made a really good Thai pasta dish and some mushroom soup for dinner. Went out with a bunch of people to a bar for Karaoke night. Drank my fill, and sang a few songs with the other brave souls. Several people were shocked by how bad my voice was, despite me warning them; always a victory. Was a hell of a fun time though. Planning a trip up north for the next few days with Isidora, Jamie, Peter, and Johanna.