I am a tourist!

Number 5
The golden circle.
After a fine breakfast, I signed up for the afternoon tour of the Golden Circle. An abbreviated bus coach drive up to the Thingviller (yes, that LL gets the Tl sound), the Gullfoss waterfall (yep, that LL to!) and then over to Geysir, say it like geezer and you will have it. The original geysir, the first one to bear the name, is intermittent and they say it wants a couple good strong quakes to wake it up again. It's alright, as there are plenty of smaller hot pots of boiling water to bubble and burp, and one that shoots about 70 feet every four to five minutes. A bit of sulfur in the air, but not like visiting Lassen. While there are bubbly mud pots in some areas, this is not one of them. Strictly water at this location.
It looks like Iceland is just getting going with spring for the number of wildflowers out in bloom. Buttercups, yarrow, and a host of others that look familiar, but not quite what I know them as. Arctic terns out and about along the rivers, and other birds to add to my list. Still trying to figure out if I will get to see the puffins up close, this is the time of year they say, they are on the little islands by the millions, breeding away. Did you know that puffins only have one egg a year?
The Icelandic horses were everywhere in the countryside today, small but hardy and feisty I am told. Likewise the sheep, which roam the countryside and are only herded a couple times a year for tagging and shearing. They kept nestled in the hummocks created by the lava fields, so I am not sure if I was able to get a good picture form the bus or not. I will say that for a country this size, they have an amazing array of landscapes. I don't want to spoil it for your future visits, so lets just say you gotta see this place. And give yourself enough time to really see it. While rental cars can be expensive here, along with the gas, I would really look into the hostel room and car plan if I come back again. The ability to take your time and see what you like is nice. Be warned, the bus was sort of off-roading today, okay so really just not all the roads are paved all the way out yet, and the cars hug the edges when the bus comes along. The driver was great and so was the tour guide. Language lessons in the mix no extra charge!
I have a few souvenirs already, but I am sure I will find a few more before the trip is over. So, Sunday, tomorrow is my check out day at the Hostel, I will call my contact in Hafnafodur (sp) to make arrangements for the rest of my trip, not sure where I will be the next two nights but I am not worried about it. Trying to re-arrange the luggage to not have so many loose bits and pieces to carry as I will likely be taking the city bus service a couple of times with it all, and I want to be able to load fast.
Skype is working off and on, not sure what the hang up is, them or my little machine, but I do get a good talk in with Tory every now and then. The video is off and on, and if we conference call it the video is always off, but hey, it's all good. Time to upload and check the messages, will try to SKYPE in an hour or so.