Fresh Land

This summer's travel included visits to two of the freshest pieces of land in the world, Iceland (made by volcanic activity) and the Netherlands (for the most part made even more recently by the Dutch; for more on our trip there read the next two postings). The comparison is closer than that: having been stripped of 99.5% of its trees by its agrarian inhabitants and then covered by sheep to ensure those trees never return, Iceland is also very much a man-made environment. For all that, it is extremely beautiful, and we've got the photos to prove it:

Well to the North, we didn't see the sun set the entire time we were there.

Much raw volcanic landscape to be seen.

Also, bizarre installations, only some of which are geothermal electricity generating plants.

Evidence of geothermal activity is all over the place.

We'd been in the country for less than two hours when Felix befriended a local fishing net maker and toured his manufactory.

That was a good day's fishing, though a long, long time ago....

Icelandic moss isn't moss, it's lichen, but it does cover a lot of Iceland.

Welcome to the Blue Lagoon. Will you be bathing today? No? Oh.

Well we will.

This is the Geiser after which all geysers are named. Not active at the moment, but plenty of leaping water elsewhere.

Leaping water, and falling water, lots and lots and lots of falling water.

As soon as you take off your polarized sunglasses you see rainbows.

Technically, Iceland's oldest swimming pool, surrounded by various bubbling pots and a mini-geysir of its own.

Healthful pool chemicals.

Climbing through a field of flowers to the top of a waterfall.

Side view of said waterfall.

For scale. 

And this one, much larger.

Not atypical landscape, especially on the southern, and wetter, coast.

Negotiating sharing rights pre-lunch.

Shall we climb higher? No?

Scaring ourselves.

Worth it for the view.

Scaring me.

How do you like Iceland, boys? It's epic, they reply. Indeed.

Acclimatized.

Even for people used to Route 1 there's some remarkable rock formations here.

Our ride. Thank goodness for the way back seat.

We're so excited to be at the edge of two continents (that's North America there behind us)!

Yay, they eat horse! (Unfortunately, also whale.)

Our driver.

Keeping up with the Jonesonses.

Lava posts, why not?

And lava tubes, too.

No trees but plenty of flowers.

Major geothermal activity, which is bound to mean...

More hot water for everyone!

Relaxing. 

Roads on map are often marked "mostly paved."

One of thousands.

On the edge of the Greenland Sea.

Things weather around here.

Roadside public hot tubs, you know, in case of emergency.

More roadside public bathing.

An inquisitive raven.

Ready for more swimming? Certainly.

Biggest water slide yet. 

Sudden dramatic lighting, house in Reykjavik.

The perfect sunglasses, lost within 48 hours.

Oh, that church.

Color!

Making new friends.

What see you there, Leif?

Time to climb Bifrost back to the heavens.

  It is also very fun, certainly so if you like water slides:

We had only a little more than a week there. It was surely not enough, but how wonderful to have gone at all.