Page 15 - 2000 ICELAND

like family outings, community celebrations, folks at work. The whole
exhibition probably extended about half a mile along the mountain face. It

was rather impressive and the people had taken it seriously since there
were wooden walkways and stairways constructed along the route to

permit close viewing and reading.

The weekend we arrived in Iceland, there were religious services in this area
commemorating the arrival of Christianity. However, Iceland must be

experiencing a lessening of church and religious influences because despite

there being excellent weather, significantly fewer people attended than
expected.

At this point in the trip, there was not much attempt at interaction among

the members of our group. Everyone hung diligently on Oskar’s every word,
both in French and in English, but there was general shyness about trying to

communicate with folks whose language was not English. The Canadian
ladies stayed pretty much to themselves as well. Guess this is classic

“primary tension.”

GREAT GEYSER

We then re-boarded the bus to head for the Great Geyser and its surrounding

thermal features—hot pools, bubbling mud pots, and other smaller
“spouters,” like Strokkur which erupts violently and frequently but not so

dramatically high as the name-giver. This area is not nearly as extensive as
Yellowstone, but it smelled just the same. There was not as much color

here either. The pools were not the brilliant blues and blue-greens you see
in Yellowstone nor were there as many colorful algae in the hot water run-

offs. But all the noise, odor and spurting certainly told you that hot magma

was very near the surface as it does in Yellowstone and New Zealand!

Our first night’s shelter was a real hotel, but not similar to anything we call
hotels at home; it was more like a youth hostel. Our dinner was in the

dining room of the hotel with family style seating for eight at each table.