Greetings from Reykjavik!

Good morning friends and family! Robert and I arrived safe and sound from our long but uneventful flight due east to this northern capital. The skies were overcast and gray, but the vistas are wide open, and volcanic rock is everywhere. The water in the hotel shower smells distinctly of sulfur, which gives it an otherworldly feel. With as much energy as jetlag permitted, I bounded out onto the streets of the quiet city and took myself on a self guided tour courtesy of my guidebook, whose pages are dog-eared from my study and research. The buildings in Reykjavik are remarkable for their color. People have green houses, blue houses, pink apartments, and blue cottages. Windows are sashed with yellow or orange, rooftops shingled in bright red, neon green. In the brilliant sunshine of this morning, it's a cacophony of for the eyes. Robert and I treated ourselves to a nice Italian dinner last night (not cheap -- this place is pricy, pricy) and this morning we plan to hit the road to see the natural sights within easy reach of the city: the Gullfoss waterfall, the Strokkur spouting Geyser, and a bunch of other things that we can't pronounce :-) Sending my love, Tory