August 2: "The Fall"
First half of the day completely flat then gently undulating in the afternoon with light head winds or moderate cross winds. Far off we could see some showers that fortunately left us in peace. Accompanied on several occasions by birds with curved beaks. We prayed that they had no nest to protect because the length of their beaks largely exceeded the depth of the ventilation holes in our helmets. A dozen Iclandic horses galloped beside the road with us, manes flying in the wind. What pleasure to be so close to nature. Much less traffic than yesterday which made the day infinately more agreable and no difficulty in finding our way out of the city like the day before. We were really happy and confident, so much so that we thought the effort we had made had been instrumental in endorphine secretions which were responsible for this state of euphoria! We were filled with merriment and wonder. We thus arrived at the campsite at about 4 PM. However a small incident spoiled this otherwise idyllic day with a view of the Hekla Volcano: a fall trying to start on an upgrade. Anne twisted her back so painfully that we had to wait a good fifteen minutes before she could move. So intense was my suffering, I imagined the worst: vertebral fracture, slipped disc and tutti quanti. I was in tears thinking that the holidays were "already" over? Once Anne had very slowly succeeded in getting up again, we continued on foot until the top of the hill and another start but this time with much less confidence. Fortunately the Hvolsvollur campsite was only 4 km away and the reclined recumbent seat allowed Anne to continue pedalling without increasing her discomfort. After setting up the tent, a quick tour of the village allowed us to find the public swimming pool. Back "home" to pick up swim suits and towels and back to the pool for a good shower, a shampoo, and a 20 minute soak in the jacuzzi to Anne and especially her back's delight. And icing on the cake, the lifeguard brought us coffee (free!!!) at the edge of the jacuzzi. (He supervises the two swimming pools (shallow and deep pool) and the jacuzzi with video cameras, no doubt to stay nice and warm inside because all three are outdoors, like the great majority of the swimming pools in Iceland.
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Isolated
farm
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Just after
the fall
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