Saturday, July 05, 2014

A Series of Unfortunate Events....


I had a lovely two day holiday in Iceland.  It was not supposed to be so short, but my traveling companion became ill and, after an over night hospital stay and a day to organize an early return, we flew home.  What I saw in Iceland was gorgeous!  It is a beautiful country, full of lovely, friendly people, expansive vistas, volcanoes, steam vents, waterfalls, Icelandic horses, sheep and lots of baby lambs, beautiful rugged coastlines and fjords and a Viking history so strong you can taste it.


In my very short visit I saw fields of lupine and buttercups.  It was breathtaking.  The waterfalls, each more lovely than the last, are everywhere.  No matter where I pointed my camera I got wonderful shots.



Our bus driver was Olaf, and he was a gentle man and a gentleman.  Lots of smiles, great driving and a pleasant demeanor.  I liked him a lot.


Icelandic poppies were blooming.  I can't say I was surprised to see Icelandic poppies in Iceland, but it still gave me a real thrill.  I grow them in my garden, too.


Boiling hot water bubbles up from the underground all over the country.  And I do mean boiling hot water!  It struck me as rather unnerving to see steam vents releasing clouds of foggy steam in random fields, here and there.  Not a sight I am used to!




There are large numbers of the small, sturdy Icelandic horses.  They are a more common pet in Reykjavik than cats or dogs!


There are beautiful little churches everywhere.


And the coastline is picturesque and pristine.


There are snug little harbors....


 ....and cozy little farmsteads with glacier-topped mountains behind them....


....and fields of wildflowers.  It is so beautiful.


And the lupines.  Fields and flows and drifts and clumps of blue, blue lupine blooming joyously all over the country in June.  I can't wait to be able to return to finish my visit.

When I returned home to face the medical issues with my dear sister-in-law, Nonie, at that already stressful time, my hard drive crashed.  I've just gotten my computer back and reloaded all my files and photos and programs and music and that took days.  It was, as I said, unfortunate.

The upside is that I leave for two weeks on Nantucket with my best friend on Monday morning!