GOODBYE+ICELAND

A short detour through some old fishing villages before heading off to Þingvellir National Park, where the Icelandic parliament, the Alþingi, was established in 930, making it the world‘s oldest functioning legislative body. The park was inscribed on UNESCO‘s world heritage list in 2004, the first Icelandic site on the list. Þingvellir is also where the North Atlantic Rift, which separates the North American and European continents, is very prominent. The rift offers a bridge between the two and a veritable no-man‘s-land inside the Almannagjá ravine, with the North American continent on one side and the European continent on the other.
 * [[image:IMG_3628_2.jpg]] || [[image:IMG_3629.jpg]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_3656.jpg caption="Hard to get lost when every farmhouse is on the map!"]] || [[image:IMG_3657.jpg]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_3685.jpg]] || [[image:IMG_3699.jpg]] ||
 * THINGS WE NOW KNOW ABOUT ICELAND**
 * 1) there are a lot of horses
 * 2) there are a lot of sheep
 * 3) there are not many people (2/3rds of the total of 317,000 live in Reykjavik)
 * 4) they eat a LOT of fish and lamb (and the occasional whale, puffin and horse - probably why there's so many?)
 * 5) safety rails are deemed "soft" even if the mountain is steep, the drop is horrendous and the road is narrow and windy (and even wet or icy)
 * 6) alcohol is very hard to buy except in restaurants where it is very expensive - the govt controls the sale and there are only 13 places in all of Iceland (5 in Reykjavik) which only open for short set times - we never managed to find one!
 * 7) petrol is also govt controlled which is good in that it is the same price everywhere!
 * 8) Icelanders will rarely instigate a conversation but will chat if you persist!
 * 9) the Icelandic Book of Jokes would be very thin
 * 10) Continental breakfasts of sliced meats, cheese, cold boiled egg, tomato, cucumber and bread or toast get very boring after two weeks
 * 11) when the snow comes and the wind blows it gets very very cold
 * 12) the Northern Lights are difficult to catch but worth the effort!
 * 13) thermal baths are great but the smell is awful
 * 14) it is a wonderful place to visit!