Lazing in Grindavik

July 1, 2013

There are always choices to make when touring. Today I chose not to ride. The day was sunny, the town of Grindavik charming, and the number of distinations I could reach before having to return to Reykjavik and surrender the bike and trailer limited. So, kicking back and enjoying the fine weather seemed like the right thing to do. Last night late, another cyclotourist pulled up in camp and aftyer quietly setting up his tent, and cooking his dinner, he disappeared into what I presumed was sleep. This morning he reappeared, and was in a much more social mood. Turns out he was finishing a three week tour and was taking the next days plane to his home in Italy. And he was thoroughly tired of Iceland. Asked why it was (in no particular order) the weather, the roads, the monotonous diet and the solitude of the road. I suspect that there are more than a few cyclotourists who have experienced that sort of burnout. I wasn't feeling that way myself, but I can empathize. I wished him well as he rode off.

I went to a supermarket and bought some soup for lunch and some pasteries because they were there, and ambled back through the town to the campsite. I tried to do some sketching, but my head wasn't in it so I just let the morning flow by.

I thought about sketching this scene as a sea scape, but just as I was getting the boats outlined, the one to the right pulled out.

After lunch I decided to take a hike around the peninsula that shelters the harbor and upon which the lighthous sits.

There are a lot of old foundations on the peninsula. These would have been covered with turf roofs when they served as homes for the local population.

The light is at the very end of the peninsula, which is itself a lava flow as you can see in this photo.

On the way back to the campsite, the birds kept up a constant surveilance of my progress, as did a few sheep.

This oyster catcher posed for his portrait. None of the other birds stood still enough for a picture.

Back in town I went for a cup of tea at a local cafe, wrote in my journal and waited for an appropriate time to eat dinner. Dinner done, it was early to bed.

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