We passed the arctic circle and headed up to the north side of Iceland- to Akureyri.
In fact some say, visiting Iceland may be the ultimate nature trip. It has virtually no pollution and all energy is either geothermal or hydroelectric. Drinking water comes from pure glaciers, fish is caught in unpolluted waters: even the lambs and cattle graze in fields untouched by fertilizer. Most Icelanders live in and around the capital, Reykjavik, leaving huge chunks of the volcanically active island quite deserted.
Who are the people that live here? Per Pleep, the people are pretty much an eccentric breed and Bubba would definitely fit in. They speak one of Europe’s oldest languages and little has changed since the days of Vikings. They must get accustomed to the endless light of summer and the gloom of the long winters. Wonder if they use those happy lights they have up in Alaska?
In geological terms, Iceland is a mere baby. No more than 20 million years have passed since volcanoes on the floor of the far northern Atlantic Ocean began to spew lava, laying the foundations of what would become Iceland. Today it is still one of the most volcanically active spots on earth- giving Pleep a chance of observing a land still in the making.
Quick Facts from wiki:
Flag: Blue with a red cross outlined in white fimbration, extending to the edges of the flag. The colors are symbolic for three of the elements that make up the island: red is for the volcanic fires, white recalls the snow and glaciers, and blue is for the skies above.
Population: 332,000 (2016). An estimated 9% (29.900) of the population is of foreign-born nationality. UIKEYINPUTDOWNARROWMedian age is 36,3 years.
Capital city: Reykjavík. The largest municipalities are Reykjavík* (122,000); Kópavogur* (34,000); Hafnarfjördur *(28,000); Akureyri (18,000); Reykjanesbær (15.000). * denotes cities in the capital region.
Size: 103,000 sq. km (40,000 sq. miles), bigger than Hungary and Portugal and a little bit smaller than Cuba.
Government: Iceland is a parliamentary constitutional republic. Suffrage is universal from 18 years of age. The president is elected by direct popular vote for a term of four years, with no term limit. Most executive power rests with the Government, which is elected separately from the presidential elections every four years. Althingi is a legislative body of 63 members elected for a term of four years by popular vote. Judicial power lies with the Supreme Court and the district courts.
Language: The official language of Iceland is Icelandic, a North Germanic language derived from Old Norse. It has changed relatively little throughout the centuries. English is widely spoken and understood.
Religion: Most Icelanders (80%) are members of the Lutheran State Church. Another 5% are registered in other Christian denominations, including the Free Church of Iceland and the Roman Catholic Church. Almost 5% of people practice ásatrú, the traditional Norse religion.
Economy: GDP = $15,15 billion. Unemployment rate: 4%.
Currency: The Icelandic monetary unit is the króna (plural krónur) – ISK.
Time: Iceland is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) throughout the year, and does not go on daylight saving time.
Akureyri (pronounced ah-koo-rare-ee) stands strong as Iceland’s second city, but a Melbourne, Manchester or Montréal it is not. And how could it be with only 18,000 residents? It’s a wonder the city (which would be a ‘town’ anywhere else) generates this much buzz. Akureyri nestles at the head of Eyjafjörður, Iceland’s longest fjord, at the base of snowcapped peaks. Pleep heard it was just a stone’s throw from the Arctic Circle so he kept busy waiting for his tour, throwing that stone. A growing number of cruise ships have been stopping by with the passenger numbers sometimes overwhelming the town-in a good way? Boca doesn't understand why this gorgeous place has not been over run with tourists?
Pleep took the Santa Claus tour.
Pleep took the Santa Claus tour.
OH YES YES!
EVEN SANTA HAS TO WASH HIS SUIT NOW AND THEN.
Bubs and Boca jump on their bus....
Despite an apparently flippant attitude towards volcanoes, Icelanders do not forget the threat they live with.
Stunning absolutely stunning.
One cube after another...
They must like white paint.
Yup, lots of boxes.
At least it's a color.
Botanical garden? Yup, over 7,000 species. How in the heck do they get all of them to grow here? 
Microclimate. Boca is getting some good ideas for Highcroft Drive.
Remember when you grew those in Atlanta?
How about these?
and some of those. What a delightful surprise the town's botanical garden was...they are very proud of it as they should be.
Good opportunity to walk off that big breakfast Bubba.
And no, we can't we grow these in Naples either.
Unique bubbler. 
Pleasant and strolling the garden but the real attraction is the surrounding area. Wow. Magnificent!
Most of these pics were taken from the bus on the ride up... Sweeping views of the rich farming land with glacier-scoured mountains to the west. Quite a few farms with the land dotted with hundreds of gigantic white, blue and pink (yes for breast cancer awareness) containing hay for the winter.
Cows and sheep wander at will.
Lots of those white marshmallows (hay).
Sheep on the roof to eat the grass?
Putrefied fish. Bubs will take a pass on that one.
Godafoss is one of the most visited waterfalls in Iceland and means fall of the gods. It is one of the most spectacular we've seen. With a length of 110 miles, it is fed by the local glacier. 
According to legend, it got it's name from a local guy who threw all the former pagan statues in the river...at the time of the country turning to Christian belief.
And always a gift shop on the way out...$320 USD. Sooo you Bubs.
This book was marked 39K. I asked Bub what was that in greenback? He said $39. I said, "are ya nuts! This 5"x 6" small book should be $5-6". So ol' Boca marched up to the cashier and asked her the same question, "$39" she replied. Holy Moly- the did say it was expensive up this way.
Bubs enjoyed reading about how to prepare "Ram's Balls".
Yes, details are important.
Bubs, is that guy farting????
Yup.
NO GRAFITTI!
CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN
This sweet sweet spot is a must see. Come before it becomes commercialized-it will. The locals are trying to figure out how to do this and not ruin the land. Grand and delightful to see.
And why do they call it a welfare country? Per Bubs, the international monetary fund had to bail them out, meaning they were spending more than they made. Hmm.
And back to the boat for some happy hour.
Pleep heard about this guy on his tour today....
Captain of Icelandic national football team invests in beer spa
Pleep is all over this....
The new beer spa close to the town of Akureyri in North Iceland has a new investor. Aron Einar Gunnarsson, captain of the men's national football team, has bought a ten percent stake in the spa which opened in June, according to local news site Vísir.
The local brewery Kaldi opened the beer spa next to its factory in the village of Árskógarsandur by Eyjafjörður fjord, close to Akureyri. The concept is modeled after popular Czech beer baths.
There, guests can literally bathe in beer in addition to other beer based treatments. The brewers claim that bathing in beer has various health benefits, such as skin revitalization.
Professional player at Cardiff City
The Icelandic national team rose to fame by defying expectations at the 2016 European Championships in France last summer. Having qualified for a major tournament for the first time in its history, the Icelandic team reached the quarter finals, memorably beating England in the previous round.
The Icelandic national team rose to fame by defying expectations at the 2016 European Championships in France last summer. Having qualified for a major tournament for the first time in its history, the Icelandic team reached the quarter finals, memorably beating England in the previous round.
Aron Einar plies his trade at Welsh side Cardiff City, currently competing in the second tier of English football.
Click the link to article and scroll all the way to the end to check out the video.
Click the link to article and scroll all the way to the end to check out the video.
PLEEP SAYS BROTHER NICK COULD TAKE THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!
HOLLYWOOD IN ICELAND
In the span of just a few years Icelandic landscapes have become one of the most valuable export commodities of Iceland. Not just as the main magnet for growing tourism, but also as the backdrop to Hollywood movies, TV series and advertisements. Per our guide:But magical or dramatic landscapes are not enough: You need local talent and expertise to help foreign film crews find the right spots and produce those movie projects. One of the very best Icelandic production companies, True North, has worked on a number of Hollywood Blockbusters, including the latest Star Wars movies and the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise.The 2017 show reel of True North is an amazing collage of Icelandic nature and landscapes in cinema. Among the movies are Rogue One, Captain America - Civil War, Jason Borne, The Huntsman, Noah, Prometheus, Oblivion, Secret life of Walter Mitty, Thor - The Dark World, Fast and Furious 8, Transformers, Sense 8, The Last Witch Hunter, Flags of our Fathers, Star Wars The Force Awakens and Justice League! PLEEP THINKS HE COULD DO SOME WORK HERE.
Check out this info on movies shot in Iceland clip
Bubba can't figure this artwork out??
Are most men color blind? He swore the wall was black- hello Navy.
Are most men color blind? He swore the wall was black- hello Navy.
This is the cleanest port we have ever seen-goes with the very clean town. A tidy bunch they are...
At the dock, tires are lined up along with the orange ladders...
Not a pile of garbage or graffiti to be seen.
View on the way out of the port...
from our balcony,
absolutely magnificent.
Back to Pacific Rim for those Korean BB Ribs...
Hey Bubs, this cracker looks like the rice you bought at Costco with the black bugs in it...I guess they just cook it here...more protein? I must say mighty tasty.
One more piece of bad art- good night Bubs.
A note from Quail West (home) today:
Good Morning:
This summer's weather has been record setting. The start of the rainy season in June ended the area's drought conditions but produced rainfall exceeding a "200 year" event. Quail West received over 36" of rain in June and July. Our average annual rainfall is 54". This week our daily temperatures have been in the mid to upper 90's with a heat index over 105! The rain and the heat provide the perfect conditions for algae, mold and mildew to flourish on a roof.
DEAR QW,
NOT MISSING THAT SWAMPY WEATHER
LOVE,
BOCA AND BUBBA
And now the Governor also sent a note about a tropical depression in SW Fl? All ok?DEAR QW,
NOT MISSING THAT SWAMPY WEATHER
LOVE,
BOCA AND BUBBA
