Hello friends and family! Greetings from Lake Myvatn in northern Iceland! We still haven't been able to figure out how to pronounce the name, but we are settled nicely in the charming (small) town of Reykjahlid, right on the lake (though our view is of the parking lot...) We intended to camp tonight but the weather outside is frightful, and we have had an action packed couple of days, so this hotel was a welcome warm spot to rest. Day before yesterday, Robert and I departed Reykjavik in glorious sunny weather, and wandered up the Ring Road toward the Snaefellsnes Penninsula. Ambitious, we first drove a rugged gravel track through an ancient lava field once occupied by the Berzerkers (from hence the name). It was crazy! Later we explored the fishing village Grundarfjordour, which we thought was tiny, but had pleasing hamburgers. The towns of Olafsvik and Rif were even tinier, as we followed the road around the penninsula. We found a fun and lively hike outside Olafsvik thanks to the excellent guidance of the strange but sweet old man who ran the tourist information center in town. The afternoon was incredibly picturesque as we visited the lighthouse and basalt cliffs in the shadow of Snaefellsnes, snapped funny pics at the stone troll (inhabited by the spirit of the mountain), and the 19th century church on the sea in Budir. We barely made it back to Grundarfjodur before we were too tired to proceed, only to discover the campground had not opened for the season. Grump. Fortunatley, a nice hotel on the water in town was more than accomodating! We got an early(ish) start to Akureyri in the north, but it took us forever to drive there, since someone (me) decided to direct Robert onto a secondary road (gravel, potholes, singlelane bridges) because it looked more "efficient" than the highway, when viewed from the safety of the map. Sigh. Fortunatley, we made it just in time to meet a guide who took us riding across the northern plains on a pair of tiny, shaggy, and altogether charming Icelandic horses. Though Robert claims never to have been horseback riding before, he was a natural, and I was graceful enough to keep up with him and snap fun pics. The cheapo hostel in Akureyri was disappointing, and we're both shocked at how terribly expensive everything is, so today at Lake Myvatn we're taking in the free sights -- huge fields of molten lava flows, and a quick hike to the caldera of a local volcano. Tomorrow we're off to Egilsstadir, but hope to take in the bubbling mud and sulfur pits on the way :-) Sending our love! Love T