Darwin and Katherine - NT Part 3

Darwin and Katherine - NT Part 3

Wednesday

New Years Day, I was feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep and ready to go out exploring Darwin. I headed out along the lovely esplanade towards the harbour, and couldn't believe how everyone I passed wished me a "Happy New Year". What a friendly start to 2014! Even at this early hour, it was so hot, the humidity was close to 100 per cent and by the time I reached Stokes wharf, I was soaked through. I spotted The Indo Pacific Marine building, which I had seen on TV the previous night and was so pleased that it was open on New Years Day. What a fascinating place!

The gentleman, who built it 30 years ago, took my entrance money and was also my personal guide. There were only 3 of us there that morning, and it was so relaxed as well as being informative - I loved it. After watching a film about marine life, we were shown to the display room with a huge pool filled with coral and fish; apparently this was set up 20 years ago and has no filters.

Whatever was put in all those years ago, feeds everything and the whole eco system is a cycle that even cleans it out too. Everything in the tanks was from Darwin's harbour, and it was so colourful - the Northern Territories very own Great Barrier Reef. There was a red, white and blue sea cucumber that reminded me of the union jack - it just didn't look real.

There were smaller tanks with different marine fish in them and some of the fronts had concave or convex glass that magnified everything so much, it was incredible. I just couldn't stop taking photos! There was a tank of barramundi, and the guide threw something in to show us how fiercely they fight for their food! After an hour or so, he made us all a pot of tea and a scone before resuming the tour. Now he explained how the world was created, how the continents all broke away from each other, and told us all about tectonic plates and fault lines.

I found it fascinating! Another unbelievable fact was what you would need to make a cubic kilometre of ocean. It was so unbelievable, there was the normal stuff you would expect, but you also need gold, silver, aluminium, arsenic, copper, nickel – the list was huge. I spent 3 hours there, and loved every minute of it. I thanked the owner for a great morning and bought a DVD to remind me of everything I had seen in this special place.

When I got outside, the temperature just hit me; it could have easily knocked me out if I hadn't been wearing my hat. As I was already down at the wharf, I had to have a walk along the pier where people were fishing; before walking around the specially built seawater lagoon, that is fairly safe for swimming (although stingers can still get in!) and passed by the lido and wave pool - that was packed with families enjoying their day together.

It was early afternoon by now, so I took a slow walk back to my hotel through the shopping area, even though most of it was closed. When I got back to my hotel, I had a lovely few hours in the pool cooling off and talking to some ladies from Sydney, getting ideas about other places to go visit, before catching up on my washing, diary and of course sleep.

Thursday

I was up very early again - 5am. Before leaving home, I had booked to go on a tour to Edith Falls, Pine Creek and a cruise along Katherine Gorge. Whilst waiting to be collected from my hotel, I met a friendly English lady going to Kakadu, who was also travelling by herself and I told her of my experiences in Kakadu earlier in this trip. Just before she got off the transit bus she realized she had forgotten her water bottle, so I gave her my spare one - as our driver said he would refill our bottles with fresh iced water whenever we needed them filling. What a marvellous idea that is! Anyway, my long day trip began!

We headed south down the Stuart Highway (the same road that I had come up on only 36 hours before), and I wasn't feeling overly enthusiastic about this trip. After seeing Katherine Gorge from the helicopter and then having the long bus journey back to Darwin, I would have cancelled it, if I could have. The first stop we made was the Adelaide River War Cemetery, I was surprised to hear how Darwin was bombed in WW2 - more bombs actually fell on Darwin than on Pearl Harbour.

The Australian army laid temporary airstrips all along the Stuart Highway from Darwin to the Adelaide River because that was where they thought the Japanese might have reached. The cemetery was beautifully kept, but I have to confess to being more interested in the wallabies that were having breakfast nearby. All along the Adelaide River floodplains, the trees and grasses were similar to those in Kakadu; and there were also numerous Cathedral Termite mounds.

It is the grass-eating termites that build this type (the wood eating termites build their nests on their food source - such as on a tree) but there are other termites known as Terminus Darwinus, and at 12mm long, they are the longest termites in the world and can chew through concrete! We drove through the old mining town of Pine Creek; gold was first discovered there in 1872 when the first telegraph cables were being installed connecting south Australia with Darwin, and Australia to the rest of the world.

More up to date mining methods are used here now but the town hasn't grown at all and we drove through it in a few minutes. We stopped briefly at Emerald Springs for a quick toilet stop. I had stopped there when I was bused up to Darwin (when my Ghan journey was cut short), and the manager wasn’t happy at the unexpected stop and refused to give anyone anything to eat! Happily, he was expecting us this time, both this morning and later this evening for our dinner. By the time we reached Edith Falls we were all ready for a refreshing swim, but no such luck today - the water levels were too high after the past week's rains. And we all knew by now, that that means crocodiles! It was such a beautiful spot though, the water was cascading down the falls and there were palms and pandanas all around the lagoon - it was seriously idyllic! Quite close to these falls was where the train had derailed only 2 days before.

Unfortunately we only had time for a quick photo stop (I don't know how we would have had time to fit a swim in!) as we had a boat to catch at 2pm at Katherine, which was still about an hour away. I was disappointed we didn't stop there, the driver just drove through the town slowly, pointing a few interesting things out.

The main topic of conversation seemed to be the devastating floods that had occurred there in the past few years (which are marked on the railway bridge as well as on the clock in town). When I did the helicopter ride over this area 2 days before, it had given me a good perspective of how the gorges were gouged out through the plains, but the water flowing through them was a brown murky colour – not very picturesque at all.

I think that is why I wasn't enthusiastic about coming back here. After a lovely buffet lunch at the Gorge Visitor Centre, we boarded the flat-bottomed boat that unfortunately offered very little shade. The sun was right overhead, beating down on us. As much as they had iced water to refill our bottles, you could not drink the water quick enough - you were sweating so much.

I just wanted to tip the water over me. It was 45 degrees and quite unbearable. But as we cruised along the first gorge, the scenery kept us all enchanted - as did the freshwater crocodiles we spotted. There were also many interesting birds about, a kite, a peregrine falcon and a cluster of swallows in their nests, which were stuck to the roof of a cave. When we reached the end of the first gorge we had to get out of the boat and scramble over some rocks, along a path, to a different boat - to experience the second gorge.

We needed to change boats to avoid the rapids, which were fast flowing after the recent rainfall. The second gorge was even more beautiful, breathtaking and full of picture postcard shots - I loved it. The orange sandstone walls, with green and blue trees and bushes growing out of them were so gorgeous. There were white beaches, black caves and orange reflections on the water. You could see dramatic fault lines in the walls, and follow these lines, even around the sharp corners. This was where the amazing orange walls of The Escarpment that I climbed at Ubbir ended.

For me, seeing Katherine Gorge like this was so much better than from the helicopter (although that had still been an awesome experience). This was what the DVD says "There is nothing quite like Katherine Gorge in the wet - it is truly one of Australia's amazing natural wonders" - and it was! It was just too hot; it was the hottest I have ever been. It wasn’t just me; everyone couldn't wait to get back on the air-conditioned coach and to go to sleep. We headed back up Darwin, stopping for dinner at Emerald Springs. There wasn't much daylight left, and as the sun finally sank, through the windows, I watched my last wallabies feeding and saw my last billabongs. I would never be fed up of those amazing waterholes with so much life both around them and lurking below them. It was after 9pm when we finally arrived back to Darwin; it had been a very long but enjoyable day and I took no rocking to sleep.

Friday

This was my last day in Northern Territory; I had survived 2 weeks by myself and had, had a great time. There was just one more thing that I particularly wanted to do. I had been told me how good the Natural History Museum was - especially its display on cyclone Tracey that devastated Darwin in 1974. As I have a vested interest in cyclones, having been through one in Townsville in 1972, I just had to go. I decided to get a taxi there to save my legs and to save time - I didn't want to waste one minute!

The museum was free to get in and it was such a marvellous place. The cultural exhibitions, poisonous animals, shells, amphibians, sea creatures etc were brilliant. There was so much to take in, I wanted to remember it all, and so I took countless photos of notice boards. There was an unusual hanger full of dugout canoes and sailing boats. But the part that I had particularly come to see was the best bit. Apart from photographs showing what devastation the cyclone had caused to Darwin, there was a film by a reporter who went out the morning after the cyclone had struck, and the footage was totally unbelievable - everywhere was wrecked. I watched the film several times before I moved on to the area that had been made to look like the inside of various houses in 1974, and they had radio bulletins playing from that time too.

I remember the radio being on when cyclone Althea was heading for Townsville - it was a strange feeling; one I cannot describe other than to say that it took me back to somewhere I thought I could never have remembered. Then I went in a door, into a completely dark room, not a slither of daylight came through and the sounds began. It was actual recorded footage of the winds when cyclone Tracey hit Darwin. I had to go out the room and collect myself, it upset me - it was far too real. Anyway, not to be beaten, I went back in and listed to it all the way through - completely mesmerized! Then I went back in again and recorded it on my camera, so I could play it to my family when I got home. Then, totally hooked by now, I went in for one last listen. It was so real, I could not believe it - I was so glad that I had come to this museum. Apparently the average house price in Darwin in $750,000 and this includes $100,000 of reinforcement to make the house 'cyclone proof'! 

I had really enjoyed my trip out to the museum. Anyway, so that I didn't waste time, I rang another taxi to take me back to Darwin 's main centre. I wanted to do a bit of shopping; I had hardly done any all this trip, just to get some souvenirs. It was really hot again, well into the forties, just for a change! There was one last thing I felt that I needed to do before I went back to my hotel for my last dip in the pool. I went to the Australia Travel Tour office and told them what a great time I had, had and what a good and informative a tour guide Robbie had been. I had learnt so much those first three days; it had really helped for the rest of the trip. Well I am a believer in fate, so guess what happened next? In walked Robbie saying that they should give him a pay rise after all that praise! It was lovely to see a familiar face, someone that I knew. We had a lovely little chat; he wanted to know what I thought of Alice (he agreed that it wasn't a safe place to walk around - even in the daytime!) and then he needed to go off and pick some tourists up. It made my day meeting up with him again and being able to thank him for making Christmas so wonderful. I took myself off for some lunch and then back to the hotel, where I spent a couple of hours relaxing by the pool.

All the hotel staff had been brilliant the whole trip, but the manager was the best, when I asked him about a late check out, he sorted things out so that I didn't have to pay at all! It was being my lucky day! Once I had checked out, I wandered over the esplanade to have my last look at the sea in the daytime. It was going to be the lowest tide of 2014, so it was quite a sight. It made me think of when a tsunami happens and the ocean recedes so much that it leaves so much of the mud flap, beach and rock pools. Then I went to the cinema, to see The Railway Man, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The only downside was that the air conditioning was so powerful in the cinema; I sat there shivering all the way through the movie. There seems to be no pleasing me where the heat was concerned. It was nice to get back outside in the warmth and as I still had an hour of daylight left I headed back up to town – as I really fancied a smoothie from the Boost Bar. I was disappointed that it had already closed, but my luck was in today, and I ran into Robbie again and he asked me to join him for a drink. It was good to be able to buy him drink to say thank you for being a great guide, cook, driver etc, and he did appreciate my gesture. I only had the one drink and wanted to get back before it was really dark, so we said our goodbyes again. Now as you can imagine, I was feeling pretty good! I got back to the hotel, a three-hour wait for my airport pick-up ahead of me; I settled down to catch up with my diary - I was 3 days behind! And what should happen? Vicky, who had just got back from Kakadu came into the bar looking for me; the hotel manager had given her a complimentary bottle of wine because there was a problem with her room, and she wanted to share it with me! Oh my, how nice is that! Well, we both discussed the adventures that we had, had the last 2 days, got rather tipsy and my three-hour wait seemed to fly by! We felt like old friends after that short space of time and found that we had so much in common. What a last day I had, had! So much kindness, I felt truly blessed and so happy and content. I had been a bit apprehensive about going to the other side of the world, just me on my own; but I had, had the best time of my life and I felt fabulous about myself. I got on that plane heading home and had lots of writing to catch up with – so I suppose that says it all. I hadn't been lonely and miserable staying in with my diary, although I do like to do it so that I can look back and relive my trip - especially one as fantastic as this had been! This one had been my trip, for me and with me! And as always, I couldn’t wait to plan the next one!

The beautiful beaches of Darwin that have so many dangers lurking closeby!!!

In the meantime, please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Iceland Adventure

Iceland Adventure

Sunday 26th  May

I arrived at Heathrow just after 7am, ready for my flight to Iceland – just 2 hours, but in a completely different direction than I had ever travelled before, past Nottingham, over the Lake District, and across Northern Ireland. As we approached Iceland, the weather started to deteriorate and we landed amidst torrential rain. Luckily, by the time I got to my hotel in Reykjavik – it had dried up! I had heard that the weather changes very fast here, I just didn't quite realise how fast! Reykjavik was named by its Viking founder in 874, and the name actually means “Smokey bay” - after the pockets of steam rising from the ground and its many streams. I was surprised how grey the countryside looked; it was as if the island was a huge dark rock. As we approached civilization though, it was a completely different view - everywhere was so clean and pristine. Iceland had been somewhere that I wanted to visit for a long time. Its unspoilt mystical scenery, its active volcanoes, its spouting geysers, glaciers, waterfalls and lakes had been drawing me there for years - and now I was finally there. The landscape was going to be exceptionally diverse; from fjords with glaciers, through vast black lava plains, to green valleys and dramatic coastlines.

It was going to be an exciting, adventurous trip. At only 20 million years old, Iceland is the youngest country in Europe; and it lies across the vast undersea split known as "The Mid Atlantic Ridge" - where the 2 great plates of the earth's surface are pulling apart. This makes it one of the most volcanically active sites in the world and it is constantly on alert. On a different note, it is blessed with wonderfully clean, fresh air, the midnight sun - giving endless summer days, and Northern lights brightening the long winter nights. I was staying at the Natura hotel, on the outskirts of the city, with views across Faxafloi Bay and the majestic Mountain Esja. Once I had checked in, I went a walk around this most northerly capital city, but the wind was howling, and it had been a very long day, so I put off walking too far until later in my trip. The sun came out though, and the views of the snowy mountains, not too far away, were just waiting for me tomorrow. It was light most of the night due to “The Midnight Sun”, when sunset and sunrise almost become the same time. It was a good job there were blackout curtains, else I never would have slept. But then, after how long a day I had just had, nothing was going to keep me awake.

Monday 27th  May

The tour I had booked on was "Volcanoes and Glaciers - The Land of Ice and Fire" and the group was mainly Americans, a couple of Danish people and two other Brits. We left Reykjavik at 9am, and within a few minutes we were driving through endless lava fields, two different types - flat lava and prickly lava. We passed herds of Icelandic horses, which are very similar to moorland ponies - a hardy breed, with thick coats and a sturdy appearance. We travelled south down the "motorway", which was only a country lane by our standards, to the greenhouse town of Hverageroi where almost every home has a huge greenhouse. The area is so fertile, that it is known as the agricultural centre of Iceland. Everything is grown here, from tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, oranges and bananas to fancy flowers. As we drove through the Lowlands, all the farmhouses looked so neat and well kept, they were only one storey, mainly wooden built and immaculately painted.

Our first stop was at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, a 180-foot high torrent of gushing water. I excelled myself, and braved the cold, slippery pathway, and walked behind the waterfall. What a noise it made when you were between the water with the rocks behind. I did get rather wet - as you would expect, but it was something I was glad to have done. We continued south past well-kept farmland, crossing many glacial rivers, and the next stop was the now-famous farm at the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano that had erupted in spectacular style only two years before. 

The family that live there documented the whole event and put it on film for visitors to watch. It was really interesting to see how normal people dealt with and overcame such a catastrophic natural event. Further in the distance was Mount Hekla, which is the currently the country's most active volcano. Experts are saying that it could start erupting at any time, and the results would be devastating not only for Iceland - but for the whole of Europe. Our lunch stop was at the Skogar Folk Museum, where we were given a guided tour of the 70 year old museum, and introduced to its founder who showed us how to "hand spin" sheep and horse hair into usable wool.  

Just a few minutes from the museum was Skogafoss waterfall, where I opted out of the 400 steps up to the top to see the view. It was amazing enough at the bottom for me this time, and it had taken hours to dry out after my earlier waterfall adventure. Then we continued to a black beach, with basalt formations both below the cliffs and rising out of the ocean, these were known as the sea stacks of Reynisdrangur. 

Our hotel for the night was only on the other side of this cliff, at a small town called Vik - when I say town, I think hamlet would be more appropriate, but our hotel was pleasant enough overlooking the sea. When I went into the lounge before dinner, a group of Americans shouted me over to join them, and made me feel so welcome – I felt so lucky! We had a lovely evening meal, angelica soup (which is supposed to be good for many ailments!), followed by pan-fried trout in wine (absolutely delicious), and a type of apple pie with cream.

Tuesday 28th  May

Today was going to be so exciting; I went a little walk before breakfast and took photos of the picturesque red and white church, standing high on the hill above Vik, and of the rock formations out at sea. The houses that were everywhere, in a multitude of colours, were stone/brick built, but had corrugated sheets around the walls as well as on the roof. This was for extra insulation, and also, as I noticed later on, it made them very easy to clean down - with a hosepipe! When we left Vik, we were travelling over lava fields, which I expected to be dull and dreary. How wrong could I have been! 

The lava is covered in a "grey moss", which is actually green moss and it takes everything a lifetime to get a foothold and grow on this moss. There are hardly any trees about, because the early settlers cut down what trees there were, to make houses and boats, not realizing that they would take more than a lifetime to regrow! The small blue lupins that have been introduced to this island, to stop erosion, stand out very well against the dark black lava. We headed back onto the motorway, crossing temporary bridges that were still being repaired after the eruption and subsequent floods of only 2 years ago. The bridges are built in sections now, so that only a section or two may be washed away, not the whole bridge! The first stop of the day was to have a close look, and feel, of the aged moss, on the mounds of lava - which surprisingly was very spongy and dry, quite a picture. As we drove along the coastal road, the scenery was amazing; I was expecting it to be rather dull, but it was spectacular and so like the Scottish highlands. The cliffs were huge, with so many waterfalls and crevices in them. Some of the cliffs were different shades of black and grey, and others were varying shades of green. At the base of these cliffs, sat pretty farms, so neat and tidy - just how you would have drawn as a child, with a door in the centre and a 4 section window either side. There were sheep in the fields, with their new lambs, a few cattle, and more Icelandic horses.

It wasn't long before the glaciers and mountains appeared on the horizon. This was the National Park, which contains the highest mountains, well over 6000 feet high, and the largest glacier and ice lagoons! We stopped at a viewpoint just before the entrance to the park, where an old plane was situated; it had crashed many years ago high up the mountain in the snow, and was carried down the glacier and deposited here. We entered Skaftafell National Park, Europe's largest National Park, with an area of over 12,000 square kilometres and contains much of Iceland's most outstanding areas of natural beauty. The coach parked up and we walked up to see Svartifoss waterfall with its thundering water rushing over black basalt columns.

The view from the top, of the panorama back over the way we had arrived, was far more interesting. You could see the glacial rivers flowing through the lava field, as well as the deep canyon, that the waterfall had carved out, running down to the plains below. There were several ptarmigans nesting in the hillside too.

I did a bit of exploring on my own, and discovered another smaller waterfall, plunging into a small, dark pool with the quaintest wooden cottage standing next to it - that was my favourite bit! The last stop of the morning was down a bumpy unmade black lava road and what we saw at the end of it was totally unexpected. It was the end of a glacier, with icebergs calving off it. They were varying shades of black, grey, brown and white, and as much as it was an amazing sight - I did feel slightly disappointed. 

The water they were making, and falling into, was such a murky brown colour - it really spoilt the scene. The glacier itself though was an incredible sight and knowing how dangerous they are, I felt terribly privileged to be able to get so close to the edge of one. We couldn't get too close to the edge of the path, where only a couple of years ago two German men had lost their lives. 

After having lunch we continued driving past impressive high cliffs, the extensive lava fields and glacial rivers and I was full of anticipation for the highlight of the day, (actually of the tour for me) - Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon. After an hour, we crossed a suspension bridge and below it, there were icebergs floating towards the ocean. OMG! 

This was nothing like the ones we had seen a few hours ago - these were magnificent. I could not believe what I was seeing, and I would never be able to describe the unbelievable beauty of this magical place, that I felt so privileged to be seeing. There were hundreds of turquoise humbug striped icebergs, moving stately and subtly out towards the sea. They are calves of one of the glaciers belonging to Vatnajokull, the largest ice cap in Europe.

Its snout is stained with black lava grit, which has been flowing down these mountains for centuries - gouging out a 100 metre deep lake before eventually reaching the ocean. This stunning lagoon is almost 18 square kilometres of pure magic, and unbelievably the pieces of ice that we were seeing were 1000 years old. Real Jurassic park, but on the water! 

Some of the icebergs were washed up on the black beach, which was on the ocean side of the bridge; but this area was home to violent Arctic terns, so I resorted to take some long distant photos. It didn't matter though; there was plenty to see in the lagoon. 

Amid the colourful ice, there were seals enjoying the attention and having their photographs taken; it was one of those occasions when you cannot stop taking photographs. 

As well as having the view from the ground, we went on an amphibious craft, which was like a lorry (with wheels), but then it floated on the water like a boat. We had a delightful hour cruising around this amazing lagoon that has been the backdrop in many movies, such as Batman and James Bond. 

After getting the last photos of the amazing blue, black, grey, turquoise and green icebergs - we had a very long drive back to our hotel in Vik.

We didn't get back to the hotel until after 8pm, so it was about 9pm before we had dinner, which was tomato soup, lamb with vegetables and cheesecake, after which I went straight to bed - I couldn't even stay awake to write my diary up.

Wednesday 29th  May

We left the hotel at 8am to catch the ferry to the Westman Islands. I had no idea what today held in store, so I have to confess to not being excited about it! I am not good on boat! I had taken a travel sickness tablet and intended remaining seated for the 40-minute crossing - which wasn't too bad. I went out on deck just as we were docking, and could not believe my eyes.

What a beautiful place - it looked just like the Scottish islands (one of my favourite places in the whole world)! The sun was shining, the grass was green and the sea looked like a mirror. The small harbour on the main island of Heimaey was so colourful; all of the houses were immaculately painted in different colours, as were the fishing boats. 

Then there was the most unusual backdrop - two volcanoes. The younger had erupted continually for 5 months in 1973; you could see where it had destroyed houses - and where the lava flow had come to a halt - in some peoples back gardens. This is why it is now known as the new Pompeii of the North. 

Our coach and guide had come over on the ferry with us, so we had a two-hour tour of the island. The first stop was to see some replica "Turf houses" which is how they would have been made in Viking times. We continued around the island, up to the lighthouse where the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. 

The islands surrounding Heimaey were magnificent; many stood hundreds of feet tall, with black steep sides and grassy tops. It was incredible to see a house literally perched on the top of each one! Apparently, everything to build and sustain the house and family within it, has to be hoisted up the steep cliffs to the top. The photographs that I took of the coastline from here were absolutely "picture postcard" quality, and that wasn't to do with my camera - it was the fabulous location.

Just down from the lighthouse, we went to a bird hide - there were supposed to be puffins nesting in the cliffs. It was easy to see them flying and floating on the ocean; but to be able to get a photo of one standing up was a different matter. It seemed that as soon as they came out of their tunnelled nests, they flew straight off. But, as one to preserver, I did eventually get a shot of one standing up, just before he took off.  Next we were taken to see where the lava had reached, when the volcano erupted in 1973, and to see how they were rebuilding, even leaving an old house in situ, and building around it. We drove up the volcano next, although we did have to walk up the last few hundred yards, to see inside the crater. That was pretty hard going because the hillside was so crumbly with loose lava. At the top, it was charcoal black, as expected, but it was compact and totally rounded. The last place we were taken to was the far side of the harbour, where the water was like a mill pond, close to the high cliffs and there was an old Norwegian church with a quaint old house next to it. By now it was lunchtime, and we were free to explore by ourselves for a few hours. I was so thankful that the sun was shining. I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

I went back to see inside the Old Norwegian church and walked around the harbour, watching the different birds up on the high cliffs. Next, although it was the opposite side of town, I went to see the Viking turf houses again; stopping to pick an ice cream up on the way. I decided to take a short cut, and went up a path that I thought would cut off quite a big corner. It did, but I ended up going up a cliff and along its edge for quite a long way. Exhausted, and a little worried where I was going to end up, I decided to have a rest and finish my ice cream. I thought if I fell, it would be better if I had both hands free! So I sat on the hillside, high above the road below, in the pleasant sunshine. Then I smelt an awful smell; and I realised that a sheep and her two babies had joined me - they must like ice cream! It was time for a quick exit, scrambling down the side of the cliff as carefully as possible. After taking some photos of the Viking turf houses, I headed back to town and had a drink with a few people from tour until it was time to catch the ferry back to the mainland. We still had a long drive to our hotel and didn't arrive until after 8pm again. Dinner was cod with lemon-flavoured potatoes, and an Icelandic pudding called skyri, which was a sort of creamy mousse. It was such a pity we weren't at that hotel earlier, it was the nicest hotel we had stopped at - and it had hot tubs outside. But it was so late by the time we had finished dinner (10.30pm), we were all too tired to use them.

Thursday 30th May

I got up nice and early, wanting to go for a walk before breakfast, but it started raining just as I got back to the hotel and was still raining when we departed at 9am. The first stop of the day was at an ancient religious area, where we all went inside the newly built church (more to get out of the rain than anything else). We then headed on to the Gullfoss golden waterfall, which is a national park and Unesco world heritage site. These were impressive, probably the most impressive waterfalls that I have ever seen.

As we walked up to the viewing platform, the wind was that strong, that it nearly blew me off the path and the rain was so violent, beating down, it really spoilt the visit there. The waterfalls themselves were quite amazing, they thundered down in several steps plunging hundreds of feet below into a mile long gauge. After a few photographs, most people were ready to get back on the dry coach. By the time we reached the Geysir hot springs, the rain had stopped and we were able to see the famous great Geysir and Strokkur - hot springs that spouted every few minutes.

It was intriguing watching water being sucked down into the mouth of the geyser, then it started to bubble, and then it erupted. But if you didn't have your camera ready at that exact minute, you would miss it - it was over in a second or two. It took several attempts before I managed to get a good shot. The warm steam everywhere was quite nice, especially after getting so cold and wet earlier, but the water spouting out of the ground could be as hot as 200 degrees, so you had to make sure that you stood down wind of it – else you could be scolded.

We stopped here for lunch before heading off to Þingvellir National Park, where the ancient parliament met for centuries on the shores of Iceland's largest lake. Thingvellir is a park not only full of birds and wildflowers; it is an area of exceptional geological and historical interest. It is on a natural fault line where the geological tectonic plates of America and Europe are tearing slowly apart, which you can see as you drive through the park. 

Firstly, you see cracks in the ground where the European plate is ending, and then you are in what they call "no man's land" for about a 100 metres, before you see the American plate, a cliff face that has risen out of the ground as far as the eye can see. This platform provided a remarkable natural arena where the ancient parliament met to make laws and settle disputes, from 930 until 1789, when the plain "fell" in an earthquake, and the power base shifted to Reykjavik. 

Even now, these two plates are moving at a rate of 2 centimetres every year. We all got off the coach and crossed the river, walking up to the pathway to the point where the ruler would have addressed his people - you could easily have imagined a council taking place right there. But the heavens opened on us, so it was impossible to get a photograph that did this place the justice it deserved. We drove on past the beautiful turquoise Parliament Lake, and it was hard to believe that it is actually below sea level - as we appeared to be so high up.

I would love to have stopped and taken some photographs of it, but neither the weather nor time permitted. This day had been the Golden Circle tour day, and was one of the most popular that visitors to Iceland do. It was so disappointing that our last day had been so wet; but the other days, had more than made up for it. We weren't too late getting back to the hotel in Reykjavik and all I wanted was a long, hot bath, but the rooms only had showers. So, I went down to the spa, where I had a swim, some time in the sauna and a good while in the hot tub (which was 41 degrees) - heaven! To finish off my day, I went to the bar for some food and a beer, which was a bit dark and thick for my liking and the term "puts hairs on your chest" springs to mind and the young barman was really friendly and helpful. I had been very impressed with everything about this trip, the people and the country as a whole and would recommend it to anyone.

Friday 31st  May

Although today was my free day, I still had to get up early as I was going to the Blue Lagoon. When I arrived, I was given a wristband for a locker; but this also had an electronic code in it, so that you could use it to buy a drink etc with it too. I had to have a mandatory shower before putting my bathers on, and then I went outside, carefully walking over the slippery decking to get into the water. As I wasn't intending putting my head under the water, I had decided that I would be all right to leave my glasses on - big mistake! The constant steam, from cold air and rain, hitting the hot water, made it extremely difficult to see. The hot water is a by-product of the local power station, and no matter what the weather is like, it is usually hidden by clouds of steam. But that didn't stop me enjoying myself.

The geothermal water was so good, it was hotter in certain areas - apparently they are the areas where the water comes in, from as deep as 2000 metres below ground, and it can reach 180 degrees. The lagoon is so picturesque, situated in the middle of a large black lava field; and the water is an amazing phosphorescent aquamarine colour, rich in minerals, silica mud and blue green algae. The temperature was between about 37 and 39 degrees, and it was no deeper than my shoulders, so I felt quite safe. As I moved around the lagoon, I noticed that people had white stuff on their faces; at first I thought that this was suntan lotion - but realised it was silica mud that was free for everyone to rub on. I thought that I would give it a try!

You were supposed to leave here looking ten years younger! It didn't rub in very well, and someone told me later, that you have to let it dry on, rather than getting it wet. I had a chat with some very friendly Americans and a couple of young chaps from the north west of England, who were over here travelling and camping for a month. I told them all about the Westman Islands as they were quite keen to go there and they told me that the Orkneys are even nicer than the Outer Hebrides (another place to put on my list!).

I saw huge man, who looked like a Viking, he got in the water fully clothed and said, "Who wants a massage?" What a sight he was, and what a photo opportunity I had missed! After a few hours, and feeling totally invigorated, I headed back to my hotel. As much as it would have been very easy to stay there even longer, I only really had the afternoon to explore Reykjavík. I was given a bus pass by the hotel, and armed with a map and bus routes - I headed off in the rain. Two buses later I reached Reykjavik Botanical Gardens, which has an enormous collection of plants, indigenous to this area, as well as many other plants that prove that it is possible for them to thrive in this climate. I found it quite disappointing, perhaps it was the rain that was putting a damper on things  - but it was just a small tidy garden that looked like it had just been planted. I expect it would improve as the summer wears on. I carried on walking, through an area that must have been the sporting district, because I saw several football stadiums, a swimming pool and an arena. There was a man jogging with two husky dogs - that made me smile! When I finally reached the ocean, and got my bearings (I was happy to see the new black opera house - but it looked a long way away!), I decided to make use of the bus pass again and two buses later, I was in the middle of town.

But if I had thought it was raining earlier, that was nothing compared with the rain that came down then. I told myself that I was going to stop at the first cafe that I came to, and in the distance I could see "open". When I reached it though, it was a sex shop! I did manage to find a real cafe nearby and have a pot of tea, and shelter from the storm.I wandered through the quaint streets, keeping the Hallgrimskirkja church tower (the tallest building in Iceland), always in my view, as I knew my way home from this spot. Also, I knew that the Perlan, the revolving restaurant that looked like a giant UFO - was close to my hotel. I arrived back at my hotel at 5.45pm, and gave my bus pass back in, to avoid being charged a £200 fine!

I was cold, worn out and felt wet through to my bones - there was nothing else for it! The spa beckoned again. Oh and was it hot! It was hotter than yesterday! A real treat though, although after a while I couldn't stand the hot pool and opted for a relaxing swim. And a chat! I met some very pleasant people from England and America and ended up spending a lot longer in the pool than I intended. I had some tea and a Gull lager in the bar, before retiring for the night. And guess what, at 10pm the sun came out! Just on cue!

Tomorrow I wasn’t going home – my adventure was continuing. I was flying off to Greenland for a few days – look out for my next blog!

In the meantime, please check out my other blogs as well as :-

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com