Iceland and Potfest at Compton Verney on 24th June.

Left home at 3.15am then picked up Chris in Witney. Easy trip in less than 3 hours but a long wait for car which was miles away from the Airport next time go for big name rental co.

Church in Reykjavik where we have a great lunch at Kol.

Then drove across to Borgarnes through a very long tunnel under the sea then a long bridge over an estuary.

The lupins are everywhere, mainly purple blue with a few white.

The houses in the countryside have vermilion rooves. The whole place is greener and warmer than expected.

One of many farms. Some had large dairy units. There were also many sheep.

A bit of snow.

The Basalt Hotel was over a thin wooden bridge, it was warm and simple with good food.

We then made our way to Geysir. You can see for miles and the roads are narrow, pothole free but take long detours around lakes. We ended up using over £70 worth of petrol despite having a hybrid jeep which used that energy up first.

We had a picnic on the way and also saw this church on a hill.

I liked this row of trees near the church. A creek on the way from Basalt to Geysir.

Another church on the way to Geysir.

At Geyser we stayed at the Geysir Hotel which was up market and beautifully decorated. A lot of people, coach trips, etc so didn't stay long but did see the geyser shoot up a few times. It was the 21st so the longest day and we thought there would be some celebrations but no - Independence Day is celebrated on the 17th June. However, we had booked a nice dinner and I had beet carpaccio which was good but not as good as at Kol, and tiny lamb chops which were delicious.

We had our picnic watching a man harrowing his fields and then took a track into a nature reserve and another church. For non-believers it is strange that we looked at them but they have interesting architecture and colour and are of course centres for the local population.

Some nice wooded area here. Although it is often stated that there were no trees there are now plenty of different species.

Now for some basalt hills and moss and wild flowers.

It is weird stuff, about 2 inches thick but as soon as you pick it up it disintegrates in your hand.

There are lots of wildflowers.

An old turf covered shed and volcano.

We found this geothermal plant.

We then went to Selfoss.

Here the town centre is being completely renovated with newly painted corrugated iron buildings in the old style. we had a coffee in the Konings Kafe where we saw the same shelving up to the ceiling that we had seen at Geysir.

We saw some lighthouses and tried to reach them but no chance as we had promised not to go off the main roads.

On our way on our third day we found a place by the sea called Strandakirkja where I took a lot of photos of the abandoned and semi-derelict sheds and the terns which dive-bombed me when I went to find their burrows. It is not a place you would visit but would make a wonderful backdrop for a crime film.

As we left we came upon the blue lagoon and took a quick look.

From there it was mostly a geo park with moss and huge basalt rocks. But here are some farm pictures.

Then we found our way back to Keflavik around the sea using the Museum of Rock and Roll as our marker.

Our flight was much delayed by some passengers who were later for the previous flight. Leaving at about 11.30 I got home at 6.30 pm. All went well, Chris and I got on well, shared rooms and driving and so will be happy to travel again together. Now that Gill is not here it is really nice to have some else to share these experiences with.

24th June

Met up with Diana at Potfest but it was 26degreees and I could not stay long which was a pity as there were a lot of nice things to look at.

Did get 4 pieces and chatted to potters whose work I have. I love Ben Fosker's plates.