Trips

Sun., 11/10 - Lava Cave, Perlan, and Reykjavik

This morning's adventure was a guided tour (with about 30 other tourists) into a large lava tube, Raufarholshellir Lava Cave. Cooling lava formed a shell over the flowing red stream of lava creating a cave. No animals, insects, birds, or bats live in lava caves. There are white spots of a harmless bacteria and red patches were iron has oxidized. Other formations include some “lava straws” and shelves with “lava tears,” but no stalactites or stalagmites. The guide turned off the lights when we were deep inside the cave so we could experience total darkness. If a person or animal stayed in total darkness for three months, they would lose their eyesight. Photos were difficult - the only camera that worked was the iPhone!

Ready to go caving	In the lava tube
Formations inside Raufarholshellir Lava Cave - oxidized iron provides the red color
Well-lit stairway
Lava tears	Lava tears
"We were there" photo	Exit
Back to Reykjavik to the Perlan Museum where we ate lunch - chicken thighs, new potatoes, and coffee ice cream and then had two hours to walk through the excellent museum of earth, wind, and fire. The three of us started with the aurora film in the planetarium and then sat and “experienced” an earthquake and the following rift volcano eruption. Sea birds, bugs, an Arctic fox, and a polar bear. Unfortunately, the Puffins have left the south coast for the colder north shore of Iceland so we did not see any in the wild. There are evidently some Arctic ptarmigan in Iceland. Whales, cod, some trout, and salmon are among the edible fish here. We walked through the manufactured, but real, ice cave into the gallery explaining everything about glaciers. It is a well done, informative museum. The section on climate warming and receding glaciers with visuals of the progression of shrinkage was hard to deny. I wish we had had more time in the Perlan.
Reykjavik skyline from the Perlan	Wall of puffins
Wall of puffins	Rain, gale force winds, and low visibility accompanied the drive to the hotel. We learned that all domestic and international flights were cancelled today. There were 20 or 30 people sitting in the hotel lobby with nowhere to go. This is not unusual in Iceland and our group has been very fortunate to have been able to see and do all that was on our itinerary. Tonight was our Farewell Dinner at the Icelandair Marina Hotel. We had a fish soup as a starter. The entree was lamb and new potatoes. Dessert was a large layered sheet cake, all chocolate. Our group only ate half of it.
Mon., 11/11 - To the Westman Islands Today we were on our own until 3 PM. It was raining hard all day and about 35° so walking outside was not really a pleasant option. Check-out was at noon, so we sat in the lobby to wait. The seven of our group not doing the post-trip extension left for the USA at 1 PM and we finally left for the regional airport in town at 3 PM. The flight to Vestmannaeyjabær, the main town on the largest and only inhabited island, Heimaey, took 22 minutes. The plane, a 19-passenger, two propeller plane never got above the clouds. The ferry is the other option to the island. It is a 3+ hour ferry-boat ride (on a good day). In this wind it would have taken 4 1/2 hours on the boat after a 3 hour drive to the south shore of Iceland to get to the ferry port. We checked into our hotel, the Vestmannaeyjar, and then Andres took us for a short walk around the four blocks of “downtown.” Dinner was quite a feast. The young chef cooked only for the six of us and prepared a gourmet meal of lamb, twice-baked potato, and roasted vegetables, including parsnips and seared kale. Desert was a sample of four desserts he will have on his Christmas menu. He studied in Tuscany, Italy, and may be aspiring to Michelin Star status.
Westman Islands The island of Heimaey is the only one that is inhabited and Surtsey, in the bottom left corner, is a newly formed island.
The airport terminal	Interesting frame around this window
Model of a puffin	The post office

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