This morning started with another 8.30 pickup. I crept downstairs and attempted to make my hot chocolate until Evelyn appeared from the laundry room and took over - probably for the best as I was attempting to add the chocolate powder to the milk before I'd heated it and it wasn't dissolving at all. Today's trip was with Reykjavík Excursions but the pickup was with Íshestar, in a minibus. I was the second pickup and was requested to sit in the front, presuma...

Yesterday, on the way back from Landmannalaugar, we discussed the wind. There are two experimental windmills up - experimental since it can get windy in Iceland. The guide told us that Hurricane Sandy had winds of about 48 m/s. Shortly after that, there were storms in Iceland too, in which at one point the wind on the highland road was measured at 70 m/s but generally, their storms are around 25 m/s. Icelanders, by the way, are very precise about everything. W...

When I woke up, I was convinced my alarm was about to go off and I was about to have to crawl out of a nice cosy bed. I was delighted, therefore, to discover it was only 2.58am and I had hours still to sleep. I woke up ten minutes before my alarm, got up, pottered around, enjoying the fact that my bag was already packed for the day and went downstairs to make hot chocolate. There was still no sign of a kettle in the kitchen so I found a pan and was in the midd...

I successfully got on a coach just before 8 this morning, slept most of the way to Heathrow, checked in, got through security without being searched and stopped at the Tin Goose for some breakfast, while watching breaking news of the helicopter crash on the screen across the other side of the café. My plane this time was Askja, a spectacular volcano in the Highlands out towards the east of Iceland. It's got a massive flooded caldera and on the edge of that is...

Today dawned very bright and clear. With no plans for the day, I decided to go the Pearl and maybe as far as the geothermal beach. But first of all, I had to go down to the seafront to say hello to Esja, who I haven't actually seen yet. I walked along the seafront, took photos of the view, took photos of the Viking boat, enjoyed the sky and the sun and the fact that I could see Esja and went along to Harpa. It's always interesting to go inside. It's not a very...