A walk through Austurdalur

The 18th of August was International Geocaching Day and to commemorate with the thousands of others around the world we did a slow geocache through the beautiful Austurdalur (east valley).

We parked the car about 3 kms from the cache location as the road was only suitable for 4wd

The arrow points to the car.

   The walk was fairly easy, not many inclines, we just followed the gravel road

and walked pretty much parallel with the winding river through the valley

 The weather was pleasant not too warm or windy.

 the views were breathtaking...I never get tired of this landscape

we walked through a farm

plenty of horses 

and the sheep were scattered in the mountains

The road seemed to follow the same winding pattern of the river

 We always start out together but it does not take long for us to settle into our own pace 

and the walk  becomes a more solitary meditative journey as you breathe in and reflect on the amazing vistas before your eyes.

The cache location was here, near a cable car.  

Patricia wanted to cross the river and walk back to the car from the other side...fortunately you needed someone already on the opposite side to operate the cable car...phew...lucky escape!

Another house that speaks to the hermit in me.

 All in all a pretty spectacular day.

Spring is here and more Perla love!

The weather is very changeable at the moment each day is so different, but the warmer sunny days are becoming more common and daylight is with us pretty much from 3.30 am until nearly 11pm at night.  My body clock is adjusting and I go to sleep in broad daylight and wake up in the same.

We can tell spring is here and summer is nigh as the snow seems to have left us,  the trees are bursting into leaf (the few that there are)

 

and shrubs are full of buds,

 

the grassy areas are slowly becoming greener 

 

and the lambs are all a bleating.

 

Yesterday, although overcast with a light misty rain (called súld in Icelandic)

 

Perla and I went for a walk up the hill around the small farms, the farm animals (sheep and horses) are all very inquisitive and usually wander up to the fence to check you out.  I wanted to see how Perla would react when around other animals, I hoped she would remain calm and quiet, she did and passed this little test with flying colours. The sheep were very interested in her and came right up to the fence with their lambs in tow to give Perla a good sniff and to check her out.  Take a look in the video below.

 We continued on our way, passed a couple of riders on horses and then walked across to the hidden garden...you have seen plenty of this place when it is white with snow, however now it is looking a little different.  I haven't really walked through here for a while as it became very slippery and treacherous with the many layers of ice and snow.

I think it will only get greener, no doubt I will post more pictures as time goes on.

Lazy Days!

The Þorroblót last Saturday night heralded the start of a very lazy week, the hallway is half finished, I should have painted the door frames and doors by now but just haven't...no excuse really! 

If you want to know what a Þorroblót is checkout this post and this one from last year.  This year I have to say the food was more to my taste, Sigga took pity on us foreigners and prepared sushi and chicken wings and instead of the sheeps head we had sheeps head paté made by Kristin which was quite tasty.  Patricia (a food scientist) marinated the sheeps testicals, rotten shark and whale in a mixture of various herbs and spices which I think certainly improved their original flavours, although her partner Bjarki was not so sure, as his idea of heaven is the traditional þorroblót food...what can I say...each to their own!

 Our array of food...you can see the sushi in the far left corner and Patricia's marinade in the squarish container, the chicken wings are hidden from public view, we were already treading dangerous ground with the sushi!

Our little group was multinational

L-R Patricia (from Brazil) and Annabell (from France)

L-R Sigga and Bjarki (both from Iceland but they have lived overseas before, Sigga in Australia and Germany and Bjarki in Japan where he met his lovely Patricia) and of course the missing Aussie photographer.  And to make it truly an international event we all ate with chopsticks.

The view from my windows are amazing and they entice me outdoors, so this week I have been on a few long walks. Wednesday morning after standing at the kitchen window admiring the vista of the fjord I had the irresistible urge to walk along the shoreline, the temperature was about -7c but it felt wonderful, the air here is amazing. That was the first thing I noticed when I stepped outside the airport after arrival...the air is just so phenomenally clean and fresh and invigorating.  I always feel rejuvenated after a good walk here.  I have posted too many pictures of inside lately so here are a few of the outdoors...the landscape here never fails to take my breath away.

The shore here is covered in pebbles/rocks of all colour and size

I am still picking up heart shaped ones and went home with my pockets bulging...the large one is bigger than my fist.

The weather on Thursday was an absolutely magnificent 4c, the sky was blue, the sun was out and the air was still, so this time I walked up over the graveyard and down the other side with Freyja (who missed out on the walk the day before...I felt guilty and had to make it up to her).

 The view of the town from the graveyard

 Sheep here are very curious animals and as soon as they see you they come closer to check you out.

Whilst walking, Freyja and I encountered a man on horseback taking his trusty steed for a little tölt. Freyja was very good only making a half hearted bark at him.

The tölt is so smooth the rider barely moves up and down, this is my style of horseriding suitable for young and old...hopefully in the summer I get to have a go.

The days here are getting longer and before I know it there will be nearly 24 hrs of daylight, at the moment sunrise is around 9.30am and sunset about 5.30pm.