Somehow the Icelanders manage to say it in like a syllable and a half. We've been practicing the entire time and still give ourselves away as Americans whenever we open our mouths.
We got to see it yesterday! From the south, we watched as steam rose out of the crater and created clouds. According to out historian/geologist/meteorologist buddy Erlinger, volcanoes create their own weather.
We drove for another 30 minutes to the northern side, where the water broke through the crater and flooded the valley. The volcano is under a glacier (which is why "jökull" is in the name) but it was entirely black because of the ash. The only white space was where the water had spilled over when the lava melted part of the glacier. the entire valley was black and flooded.
We got an entire trashcan full of ash to ration out and take home. It's like really thick and muddy sand. It's all outside on the porch right now because we are hoping it will dry out so we can take it home without adding 30 pounds to our bags. This may be a problem...
We also saw an old homestead of turf houses. Iceland was so poor until after WWII that most people lived in turf houses still. This series of houses is connected, because as the family grew wealthier they were able to build nicer additions.
Even though the houses were interesting and the volcano was AMAZING, most people really enjoyed the waterfall we went to. There is a trail behind it and it's constantly surrounded by rainbows when the sun's shining (which is 24 hours a day right now). Some girls edited their pictures to brighten the colors, and it looks like a Lucky Charms ad.
Just when I think I've seen the best that Iceland has to offer, it one-ups its own natural beauty with a new spectacle. Like Eyjafjallajökull, my mind is blown. Get it?
Bless Bless!
wow!
ReplyDelete