Iceland

The black beach at Dyrholaey nature reserve.

A cave at low tide.

Seagull chick (I think) in its nest.

Sorry to disappoint, but the puffins are really hard to catch on film. They fly down from the cliffs, then catch food in the ocean. They are the black specks in this picture.

The Reynisdrangur rocks, which I saw from the other side in Vik i Myrdal.

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Some Fun Iceland Cultural Facts

Iceland is about the size of Kentucky. It has 500,000 residents, 250,000 of whom live in Reykjavik.

The Icelandic word for "yes" is pronounced "yow!"

Most Icelanders speak fluent English, in a charming Berlitz-tape-like British accent.

The Icelandic language has changed very little from the Old Norse spoken by the Vikings. In fact, a modern Icelander can read and understand the sagas and eddas as they were first written down 1,000 years ago.

Fermented shark meat is a delicacy in Iceland, traditionally washed down with a shot of Brennevin (schnapps). I did not try any fermented shark meat, but I did try the schnapps.

Only 10% of Icelanders have actual surnames. The rest still use patronymics--their father's first name followed by "son" or "dottir." Phone book entries are by first name.