I am constantly amazed at the landscape and weather of Iceland. In one word they can be described as: diverse. The wind, temperature, and clouds literally change every five minutes. The land is a beautiful mix of glaciers, tundra, mountains, and rivers. Speaking of, on our hike this afternoon (just a casual stroll after class), we climbed up a hill on Solheimar's property. We passed by a geothermal stream, picked some wild "blueberries", and found that we could see Eyjafjallajokull (the volcano that erupted in Iceland in May 2010) from where we were. The name literally means "Island Mountain Glacier" and is pronounced "Ay-ya-fee-holla-yoke-ull".
We had our first Icelandic culture and language class today. The words are hard to pronounce but actually quite simple in their literal meanings. The Icelandic language is one of the most intact and oldest languages in Europe... originating from the original Viking language. Also, apparently Icelandic men are more closely related to Norwegian men (Vikings) while Icelandic women are closely related to British and Irish women (women who were snatched up by the Vikings long ago.... also why all the Icelandic women are beautiful and they aren't so beautiful in the British Isles!).
Most of the group is headed to nearby Selfoss for a grocery shopping trip. I volunteered to stay behind with 3 others... the thought of trying to find ingredients in an Icelandic grocery store seems a little overwhelming right now.
I did get by first glimpse of the Northern Lights here around midnight last night. They were green and bright, but not really "dancing". Most folks were asleep, but my classmates Lily and Tracy were able to see them with me on the deck. The stars are incredibly bright out here too- no cities to pollute the night sky!
I'm off to take a shower (likely extremely hot by this time of day) and curl up with some readings for class. It's a little nice to have homework to do and get back into some sort of a schedule. Bӕ, Bӕ!
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