Loopie - Joop

Besides Japan, Iceland is another country that does commercial whaling. Its quota ain't that high - just 40 whales a year. To those animal activists/whale protectors, 40 may seem a lot though, given that almost the entire world has pledged not to whale no more. We saw minke whale meat being served on skewers but didn't dare try it after our very enjoyable afternoon stalking the whales on the high seas. They are really smart and adorable creatures - so stop whaling before they go extinct.

Here's something we've never seen before - Basalt Columns. Rectangular blocks of basalt formed by the cooling of thick lava. Reynisdrangar, that's what they call these basalt stacks found at the bottom of Reynisfyall near the town of Vik in Southern Iceland. The Icelanders use these columns extensively in Reykjavik city. I initially thought they were carved by masons, but they turned out to be formed by nature!

Can you believe that huge, burly Vikings used to stay in such short, cute houses? Reminds me of Hobbiton if you ask me. This house was used all the way till the 70's. When we went in, the doorway was barely tall enough for Hao-e (and he's not tall, mind you). Just imagine. Skogasafn Museum near Skogafoss Waterfall, tries to replicate the life of Icelanders from Viking days till present. We were amazed at the creativity displayed by the early Icelandic people who struggled to survive in the harsh conditions with minimal resources. Fish hooks, double-thumbed gloves, waterproof garments stiff with oil (no goretex in those days), they braved the icy winds and unpredictable weather on this fishing boat to bring in some fish for food. More hobbiton-like houses. They are really short and cramped. The 2nd photo shows the interior with a fairly modern gas stove.

Here is the first series of photos we took in Iceland - there, you'll find all those stuff from Geography textbooks. (Geog buffs alert!) This is a simple one - a thundering waterfall formed by melting galciers - Skogafoss - on the south-western part of Iceland. This waterfall has a legend attached to it relating to Iceland's Viking heritage - apparently there's Viking treasure hidden in the waterfall but it's located at the end of the rainbow. See if you can find the booty.