... literally driving in circles. Partially because there are so many traffic circles deliberately put at intersections to avoid traffic lights as well as jams. The occasions when we have encountered other vehicles at those round-abouts have been few, though we have visited at least a dozen today. Or maybe just the few intersections turned into multiples when we would miss a turn, or take the wrong road. forced to retrace.
We arrived in Iceland after an overnight flight from Newark, NJ on Thursday. Dragging in every way: big wheeled suitcases that are rolling smoothly\well, but after sleeping for a total of thirty seconds sitting blot upright surrounded by snoring, coughing restless travelers it was a rough night. Part of the planning was reserving a vehicle for getting us to the many sights to be seen, so we went straight to the car rental area, along with hundreds of others also expecting wheels on demand. The one we were to get was not on the property: had not been returned to agency from previous driver. It appears we might had accidentally acquired an upgrade after a two hour wait. Loaded up and on our way.
This area is so sparsely populated that it is apparently considered a 'crowd' when more than two cars or trucks meet and someone has to 'give way' as vehicles arrive at the same round-about at the same time. P., our logistics person with much experience, the planner and organizer for this venture said that a happenstance meet of three or more in a parking lot is considered 'crowded' by the locals. I guess part of living here on this sparsely populated island is being willing to spend long stretches of time in solitude. There are several good sized towns, but many live out in the empty spaces, miles from service or neighbors. They are truly independent, which is a polite way to say 'loners' or possibly curmudgeons,
We have definitely been tourists today, found ourselves in situations where there were other people: sometimes three or four, but once where there were dozens. Driving through some areas where the landscape was so bleak it truly looked other-worldly, like it could have been modeled after the surface of the moon. Raw, rough-edged bare rocks with places that were so obviously lava flows the surface appeared to be just now cooling. I am sure it occurred hundreds of years ago, but the pattern of the cooling lava, pooling, running into low spots was so plain, it might have happened last week.
Other places where the earth was fertile enough to grow grasses that rolled in the wind as if it were a living thing. The grass had been harvested for hay to feel livestock over the long winter months, with sheep and horses being put out to pasture. Many places where some type of small, low growing mosses and lichens have almost completely covered the barren rocks. Providing the appearance of Special Effects team being used to provide a soft covering to moderate those sharp angles and edges of the hurtful looking rocks that cover many square miles in the aftermath of long ago volcanoes.
Those eruptions that occurred so many centuries ago, continue to happen today. As we traveled the highways of the country we saw many places were steam constantly escapes from fissures. Some of this geothermal energy is used for heating homes and businesses, trapped and piped put to use, to impact the population. I believe some of that intense heat is converted to energy and used to enhance the lives of Icelanders. We saw miles and miles of pipeline laid to transport the steam to places it could be put to good use: a natural product from their environment being harnessed to provide for the community.
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