The Reykjanes Peninsula

I enjoyed a surprisingly pleasant afternoon after the morning had been rather frustrating and annoying. After the cow barn and the shit shoveling, we had to drive home the farmers' sheep and horses from the neighboring pasture where they have spent the summer season. This activity entailed running after reluctant animals in rubber boots as the animals naturally wanted to stay out on the their pasture in this fabulous weather instead of coming home to their sheepfold and horse barn. I don't even blame them! To make matters worse, Gudny Halla, the farmer's wife, was kind of stressed and yelled contradicting instructions all the way. In the end, however, we managed to safely bring the critters home.

It had been agreed upon that I was to drive to Reykjavik International Airport to pick up a couple from Germany who come to stay on the farm for approx. a week almost every year. I took the opportunity to drive along the southern coast to see the countryside, and I really had a good time there, which made up for all the frustration before.

I wouldn't actually go so far as to calling myself reckless but somehow I frequently find myself in situations which might be considered kind of risky. The thing is, I don't reflect upon potential risks or dangers just in the situation (when it would actually be useful), but these insights only come to me afterwards. As Mini, my American host mom, has already stated 18 years ago (OMG, has it really been that long?), I 'like to live on the edge'. Well, nothing has changed in that respect, which is also a rather soothing thought ;-)

Anyway, to make long story short, I pulled over at a spot near Grindavík because a sign indicating a point of interest had caught my eye. The tourist information board said that there was to be found an old, ruined settlement partly covered by lava. So I parked the car and started walking down the lava field. I can't help it, I just have a certain predilection for 'historical monuments' that's why I was eager to find these old ruins. The lava field was huge, though, and the advertised settlement hard to find. In fact, I didn't find anything of significance, but was eventually running out of time instead as the sun was about to set and I standing in the middle of this huge lava field. I made it back to the car just in time before it got pitch black, and even managed to take these beautiful pictures of Grindavík Harbor at night :o)

 By the way: some pictures seem blurred which they aren't! You just have to klick on them again and they will open in a new window pin sharp ;-)