Land of Fire and Ice

Thursday, Aug. 31 - After a five hour flight from Boston to Reykjavik, we finally landed in Iceland. Our flight arrived at 6:30 a.m. local time. Since Iceland is four hours ahead of Pittsburgh time, it felt like 2 a.m. to us. Needless to say, this is not going to be a very active day. In fact, the tour group is not running any organized tours today, so we are free to wander around on our own. On the way from the airport to the hotel, the tour guide shared some interesting facts about Iceland. The country is known as the land of fire and ice because it contains both volcanoes and glaciers. In fact, the countryside on the way from the airport was a beautiful lava landscape. About 60% of the population of Iceland lives in the capital city of Reykjavik. The tap water in Iceland is the cleanest water in the world. It is a very safe place, so much so that we saw a young (maybe 5 years old?) girl walking alone along a busy highway, presumably going to school. We arrived at the hotel around 8:30, but our rooms would not be available until 2:00. There was a large room in the hotel where we were told we could stay until the rooms were ready. So there we were, about 60 people, spread out on chairs and sofas, trying to catch up on some sleep. We finally received our room key, and after perhaps one more nap, we will be ready to explore Reykjavik!