buses, boats and helpful people

You've got to love the way that plans never quite come together the way you'd expected. Sometimes it just makes for something so much better than you could have imagined.

So I was in Ólafsvik, sitting outside the bus stop, looking at the bus timetables and trying to get my head around which ones I needed to catch. Realising that I still had 4 hours to go before I could get to Stykkishólmur I was about to try and find something else to look at, when a couple offered me a lift instead. Bargain! So I got a lift to Stykkishólmur with Jose and Maria, a couple of Venezulans from Canada who were on a whistle stop tour of West Iceland. Really lovely people and I managed to catch these sights from the car window on the way.

It was definitely one of those parts of Iceland that made me want to stop every 5 yards, the scenery was just screaming out "photograph me".

So once in Stykkishólmur I decided to stay over and camp, the weather was pretty nice and I needed to wait until the Saturday to catch the ferry to Brjansaelur. With the evening to pass I had a good look around and Stykkishólmur is actually a really pretty little village/town.

completely loved the harbour area and also the church. It's pretty funky and looks like it should be used by a Bond villain.

Just looking at it makes me want to buy a big white fluffy cat! Pity the inside isn't as purty as the outside. Anyway it was more of a relax and enjoy the evening kind of day, so I booked in at the local campsite and just chilled out for the evening.

Which also brings me to a quick point. Lindsey if you're reading this, THANK YOU for the totally cool last minute pressie of the sleeping mask. Without which I would have been completely screwed. Camping in the summer is fine, as long as the sun has the decency to go down at some point. If it doesn't you'll be stuck in a warm,  glowing tent that seems to suck up the sunlight and redirect it directly into your eyes...

Oh and another thing. Iceland doesn't have that much in the way of wildlife, but they sure make up for it with the birds, really noisy birds...

Saturday morning a bit tired and looking at the grey clouds that were again blanketing the sky, I should have been a bit down but actually I'm feeling pretty chipper.

No really I am. It was probably the best crossing I've had. Usually I get so seasick that I'm just hanging onto a rail looking pathetic.  This one I was quite happily listing to Depeche Mode and hanging out on deck. It might have been grey but it was still very pretty.

The ferry stops at the island of Flatey on the way and you can either pass by or stop off until the next ferry. I thought it would be a bit of a shame to miss a good nose around, and the island isn't more than a couple of miles round.

I love the different colours you find on icelandic buildings. I think they paint them because it's not exactly the prettiest thing when your house is covered in corrugated iron (its to help protect it from the elements).

Most of the buildings are pretty old, and you have to be careful with your water useage as there's only one well on the island.

When I was walking around the island and being divebombed by the Arctic Terns I found these cool shipwreck remains.

They just happened to be on one of the nicest parts of the island, very peaceful and bizzarely enough even with the cloud cover it was pleasantly warm, the perfect excuse to sit down and relax for a while. 6 hours in fact. I didn't realise the wait in between ferries would be so long! At least it gave me a chance to take even more photos...

Ok this is turning into another long post! I'll finish it off tomorrow, and hopefully manage to get you to Isafjórdur where I am at the moment!

Ciao