Iceland update

Iceland is beautiful. We drove from the airport to Reykjavik and saw what looks like a moonscape. The volcanoes have erupted so much, the ground is all black with light scrub on it. The city is about 30 minutes from the airport, so you get to see lots of it.

The second picture is this amazing building in Reykjavik. The top part of the wall shimmers in the wind, so it looks like it is moving. The whole city is covered in graffiti, some of it is really good and some is just normal graffiti. The good stuff is huge. Some of it covers the whole wall of a building, and it must be allowed and encouraged because it would take a long time to make!

Third is the harbor. The mountains are across the way, they were totally covered in clouds all day today. The whole city is cold and grey, but you can tell it must be beautiful on a sunny day. The wind whistles through the buildings and you can see why they have such a wool industry! In another post I'll show you all the hat I bought. It's Icelandic wool, hand knit. It's toasty warm,

Last is Finn next to a giant boat moored near the Viking museum. It was closed when we got there because we landed so early. Not much was open. We wandered around the city, walking from the hotel (Hotel Bjork!) all the way to the harbor. Then we walked back and our room was ready, so we napped before heading to the hot pools. Finn loved the water slide (I hit my head on the side of it...ouch) and the stress of school just melted away as I sat in it. Then we went to the Saga Museum which was cool but creepy. They made full sized figures of different stages in Icelandic history, with some of them in the process of being executed or burned at the stake. Good times!  

The next four are all at the Saga Museum. It was so windy it was threatening to blow off my new hat! The view was beautiful though. Then there are creepy people...Patrick is with a monk and the woman was one of the first women burned at the stake for being a witch in Iceland.

Now Finn is passed out, Pat and Anna are out exploring some more, and I'm boggling over the fact that it is 9:45 at night and it is still as bright as it has been all day. It's not going to get dark at all, apparently. I keep forgetting how far north I am right now. Finn and I have been having science lessons all day: what is a volcano and how does it erupt? Why are volcanic rocks full of holes? Why is it still daylight? Why is it still so cold here? He's going to learn so much on this trip!

EDIT TO ADD: stupid blogger won't let me email all my pictures are once. I'll have to do it in smaller batches, so there will be about 5 posts in a few minutes.