And Away We Go!

Reykjavik, Iceland

Last night we caught a night

flight out of JFK to begin our

 journey in Iceland.

On the approach into Iceland

from the air, the landscape looked

very brown and barren with small

two lanes roads that twisted

along like slithering snakes.

The design and decor in the

airport was very Scandinavian

and as we approached the doorway

and felt the cold wind we remembered

why they call it Iceland.  Once outside

we could see all the volcanic rock that

made the landscape appear so brown.

On closer inspection you could see

interesting lichens and mosses that

added some color.  Even the evergreens

look more brown than green, I don't

know if this is due to the rocks they

are growing near or due to the

thermal springs running beneath them.

On the airport bus into

Reykjavik I thought we were

entering a little village and then

discovered this is Reykjavik.

I didn't see any tall buildings, it

is all very small, a surprise since

this is the capital of the country.

There are many pretty old houses.

Some interesting stone buildings.

This is a church Kate had been

excited to see so she had us

hiking up the steep streets to

find it.  Honestly it became a

sanctuary for us, we were so cold

and we reached that moment

where we had "hit the wall" as

far as lack of sleep was concerned

and three of us ended up dozing

in the pews.

I love that an ordinary

residential street can offer

such spectacular views of

the harbour and the snow

capped mountains in the distance.

Do you think the residents

take this beauty for granted?