yesterday was a special day for icelandic people. june 21st was the summer solstice, and yesterday the icelandic people celebrated midsummer. midsummer is considered to be one of four most powerful days of the calendar. the other three are christmas eve, new years eve and jan. 6, which is the end of the christmas season. a tradition for midsummer celebration is if you have an illness or sickness, you will be cured if you roll around in the morning dew naked.

for me, yesterday was the most physical day of the trip so far. the group was divided into two groups: one group was supposed to visit some remote, incredible terrain with a swim in a volcano’s cone and the other was to visit a couple towns, shop, and enjoy the culture. i was in the former group, which was cancelled due to weather. instead we rented bikes and biked the 20 miles around Lake Myvatn.

to start the day off, we hiked around an area next to the Hverfjall volcano called Dimmuborgir, which was across the street from our guesthouse lodge. the area consists of some interesting rock formations that were created when the volcano erupted and lava exited underneath the ground. the ground sank and the hardest rocks continued to stand. it was amazing to look up at the top of the rock pillars and think that’s where the ground was at one point.

afterwards, a small group of us (diane, andrew, helen and myself) hiked up the Hverfjall volcano. we went the difficult route which was straight up the side. it was tough but everyone made it up to a spectacular view of the cone and surrounding area. we hiked around the rim and back down the easy side.

one annoying aspect to this area are the flies. they buzz around your head, land on your face, buzz by your ears, and general annoying the shit out of you. my theory is they are attracted to heat. one way to reduce the annoyance is to wear a hat that covers your ears and head. i think i ate a couple on accident as they flew into my mouth and one landed in diane’s eye that dislodged her contact. the locals are use to the flies but not us foreigners. i think that is one of the very very few times i wanted fly tape. a fly swatter would be too much work. some people wear a bug net around their face, which i think would be as annoying as the flies.

all the hiking and walking around created a serious hunger and the only restaurant in town was packed with people so we did a supermarket lunch. the supermarkets in these tiny towns resemble a convenience store in the states. we dined on sandwiches and chips on the picnic tables outside the store with the incredible view and annoying flies.

next up, biking. we rented some bikes from the local hotel, i put on the tunes and biked like i was in the tour de france. i wasn’t going to hang with the group as i was more into the fitness than the scenery.

the ride was fun. a bit intense with the, what felt like, constant slight uphill and then it started to rain a bit. along the way, i saw what i think were lava bubbles. when the lava cooled thousands of years ago, it left a round hill with a hollow center. since then, the ceiling caved in and exposed the interior of the bubble. when i stopped to take a picture, i was instantly greeted by a massive swarm of flies. i made it around the 20 mile lake in about an hour and 40 minutes.

afterwards, diane and i grabbed a beer at the tavern. wow, i was tired. so, we headed back to the cottage to take a shower and a nap. i woke up to diane poking me to inform me that the others we biked with had already left to meet up with the shopping/culture group. we didn’t know the way or where they were eating. thankfully, chris had supplied us with a cell phone. after about 10 minutes of directions from chris, we jumped in the car and made it to the restaurant in 20 minutes (that was fast). the restaurant was in this beautiful fishing village on the north coast of iceland called Husavik.

the restaurant was wooden which is rare in iceland since iceland doesn’t have much timber. therefore, the restaurant was built from driftwood from siberia and norway. an ironic aspect of the restaurant was where the wood was carved into the shape of rocks even though the area has millions of rocks.

after dinner, chris had prepared a special treat for us. he knew an icelandic family that lived about an hour away from Husavik along the coast. he had arranged for us to meet them and celebrate midsummer with them on a black sand beach not far from their house.

they were a very friendly and warm family. except the kids, everyone spoke english really well. in fact, most of iceland speaks english really well. so, my group of friend was the first to be dropped off at the beach. one of the woman started with a small structure of a fire and had to leave to help bring the others. the wind was blowing fiercely across the beach, and due to the quickness of getting ready earlier, i had forgotten my hat and jacket. i had once again been caught off guard with the weather, which will be the last.

anyways, we waited and waited. john had the idea of building shelter against the wind. instead, we gathered as much driftwood as possible so that we could build the biggest bonfire when the icelandic people return with fire starting materials.

finally, more people showed up. there was mutiny in the group cause a couple people didn’t want to stand out in the wind and cold. so, once everyone arrived, a couple people headed back to myvatn (the cottages). despite this, the icelandic family was super hospitable and thoughtful as they provided the group with jackets, hats and blankets. once the fire grew, the cold was barely felt. the family passed around hot chocolate and rolled up pancakes that were very yummy. i had way too many.

it was midnight on the beach next to the fire and the sun was still out. i completely forgot it was so late. it was such a wonderful experience to celebrate midsummers with an icelandic family on the black sand beach next to a bonfire with the sun still in the sky.

john, jay, lydia and adrian were the first to head back. diane and i were ready to go but we had to wait for the next car. it was late and we were becoming tired. once we made it back to the car, i floored it. we were on a mission to make it back to myvatn as quickly as possible. after about 10 minutes of driving, we passed john.

there was no one around on the roads. even in the towns, no one was around. only the motherf*&king sheep were hanging out next to the road. sheep are fine creatures until they decide to hang out on the road.

anyways, we made it back in under an hour. we arrived at the cottage in great time. the group that left before the bonfire had just made it back as we were pulling in!

it was so strange getting ready for bed with the sun in the sky, but i fell asleep instantly.