Eruptions, erections and Champagne.

Wow! What a fantastic ride report and some lovely pictures - thank you for sharing your honeymoon with us.

Iceland is now on a list of places I want to visit.
 
Right, where was I?
Ah yes, off to the Herring Museum right up in the north at Siglufjordur.

On the way we take a small detour into Hof.
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Home of the.....
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As in many places throughout the world, hardship had forced people elsewhere to seek a better life.
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Hof is a pretty village close to the Arctic Circle but I saw it in the middle of summer and I guess it didn't appear that way to the many who found it necessary to leave.
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We head north again.
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A heavy mist became a big problem for Ange a bit later, when the road climbed higher, became covered in gravel with big drips into the sea below.

It got to the point where she was so far out of her comfort zone she was in tears whilst riding very slowly, I only realised it was that bad for her on the way back.
At that point we stopped for more tea, lots of reassurance and as a special treat I cleaned her visor properly.
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We stopped at this remote garage (for tea) on the way there, just before her traumatic experience, it was closed on the way back when her emotions became overwhelming so once more it was out with the stove and out of the cold wind.
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All this just to visit a flipping herring museum?
Yes, but we both agreed it was worth it and was suprisingly interesting.
So we arrived in Siglufjordur, which had once been a very busy port, full of fishing boats and all the herring oil processing plants etc.
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These days it's little more laid back.
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Lots of interest here and even had a good look around the folk music centre.
But it's the Herring museum I wanted to see........ bet you can't wait.:D
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So then, the herring museum.

It comprises of three or four of the original buildings built on the waterfront where the fish were landed....and dealt with, which was basically, cleaning, cooking and squashing the oil from them.
The final product being shipped to Europe mainly as animal feed and fertilizer.

The museum left us with a wonderful understanding of the intense labour, hardship and lifestyle of the thousands who used to work there.

Here's a few pics.:)
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On the hillside above the town, the lonely graveyard marked where many of the workers now lay....

Meanwhile, outside was a reminder of how times have changed and why people come to Siglufjorder now.
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Next stop, Akureyri, capital of the north they say.
Bit of a dump where tourist ships call, I say.

By now the travelling was begining to catch up with me.
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There's a motorcycle museum on the outskirts of town, we call by the following morning.
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It's shut:mad::mad::mad:, we're too early so press my nose up to the windows to drool:drool
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More about this bike later, we're at Godafoss waterfall.
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This poor German guy was touring with some others on vintage bikes but his old bike had blown up on the way to the ferry so had to go back and pick up his very nice AT.
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Up to Husavik next and somewhere we'd both been really looking forward to.

Mainly known for whale watching, I'd read somewhere about the only penis museum in the world.
Now I'm only really interested in my own but it's got to be worth a look hey?

Husavik
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:clap Excellent. I have a friend who's become obsessed with Iceland and travels from California at least once a year. She was telling me how much of the Island used to be forrested but was harvested to the point that the top soil blew away and can't support new growth.

Great report (and your GS looks the biz too :cool: )
 
I wanted to visit Pingvellir, the junction of two tectonic plates of the mid Atlantic ridge and are more visible here than anywhere else in the world.
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Excellent stuff Tim. A few years ago we dived the cave system at Pingvellir. Startlingly clear water, with rebreathers and no bubbles it looks like you're floating in space.
 
Excellent stuff Tim. A few years ago we dived the cave system at Pingvellir. Startlingly clear water, with rebreathers and no bubbles it looks like you're floating in space.

Ah now that's been on my list to do for a while. I doubt I'll be doing it with rebreathers (not qualified) but the dive is certainly something I'm planning.

Originally I was a geologist, so diving along a plate boundary would be quite fun.
 
Ah now that's been on my list to do for a while. I doubt I'll be doing it with rebreathers (not qualified) but the dive is certainly something I'm planning.

Originally I was a geologist, so diving along a plate boundary would be quite fun.

Cold, though - slightly warmer with a rebreather as you're breathing pre-warmed gas, diving open circuit you'd need to use all the cold water diving techniques. Water was 3c.

Dr JM in the entrance to the system

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccscuba/6217417530/" title="DSC01230 by 1mgs, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6224/6217417530_9623c967b2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC01230"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccscuba/6216895245/" title="PICT0003 by 1mgs, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6031/6216895245_6c97dcdc1b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="PICT0003"></a>

The actual divide of the plates
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccscuba/6217411408/" title="PICT0174 by 1mgs, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6218/6217411408_3004cc18f8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="PICT0174"></a>

We snorkelled the glacier field in Jokulson too
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccscuba/6217408322/" title="PICT0151 by 1mgs, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6217408322_35ebe034e5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="PICT0151"></a>
 
Nice pics. Most of my diving has been warm water, due to living abroad, I'm planning on getting a dry suit and starting uk diving next year, will take a little time to get used to the cold I would think.
 
Well! I never bothered to read this thread after the iinitial few posts.....after all Iceland is just a boring place...snow, fog and rain :blagblah...:blast:blast

What a fantastic report Tim . I have enjoyed every minute of it tonight thanks. The pics are stunning and hats off to you both. :bow

Now come back and bloody finish it off or have you gone all "Skygod" on us.
?

BUMP!
 
Tim , What a fantastic RR . Not many would ( i suspect) be so candid with their own, and new wifie,s emotions on an open forum ( but this place aint any auld forum is it :augie I was there same time as you both Wifies 50 th birthday pressie |What A PLACE !!!!
All the best congrats !!!!!!!!
 
It's not for me to speculate as to why Mr Hjartarson changed his career from school teacher to collector and curator of a penis museum, or to be more polite the Phallological Museum but it is an impressive collection not only of penises, penile folk lore, penile trinkets to take home for your aunt but also penile parts!
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The collection ranges from some of the largest to some of the smallest penises in the animal world. Its largest exhibit is a portion of a blue whale's penis measuring 170 centimetres long and weighing 70 kilograms; the specimen is apparently "just the front tip", as the entire organ, when intact, would have been about 5 metres long and weighed about 350 kilograms 450 kilograms. The penis bone of a hamster, only 2 millimetres long, is the smallest item in the collection and requires the use of a magnifying glass to view it......the only one smaller is thought to belong to a GS rider from Reading.
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Putting it all into perspective.
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Despite my best honeymooning efforts, if you know what I mean, it was time to get out and drag her away from her giggling, ooh's, aahh's and aargh's!
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Anyway, size doesn't matter.....does it?
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When your lady wants to stay at the camp to read her book, you start fidgeting, pretend your bored and generally annoy and interrupt her until she suggests you go for a ride.
Result, I can even take her bike!
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So just keep heading north along coastal tracks.
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A wonderful sense of freedom and space up here.
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Always more fun exploring on a smaller bike.
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Heading back toward Husavik and I noticed a track leading to a hill overlooking the town.
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Nearer the top the track became rocky with tight hairpins so was relieved not to be alone on my own big GS. I later met a group of Germans on two 650GSs and a TTR600, only the TTR made it to the top.

A great few hours ride.
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