After watching the geysir erupt a couple of times, we had a quick packed lunch (brought with us from London, as we hadn't had time to go to a supermarket in Iceland), and explored the geothermal area surrounding the geysir. There are many hot springs, smaller geysirs, and fumaroles in the geothermal area. Toni got lost in the sulphorous steam from the fumaroles...

We then caught the bus to Selfoss ("Barn Falls"), the small town (pop. 4466) where we were staying for the night. At this stage, the rain had finally stopped, so we pitched our tent at the campsite. I picked up some methylated spirits for our Trangia stove at a petrol station, and we had a quick cup of tea before setting off for the supermarket to buy provisions for the rest of our trip.

At the supermarket, Toni was mistaken for an Icelander. This happened several times on our trip, and is probably down to the fact that many Icelandic people look quite Irish, and not Scandinavian at all. Slaves taken from Ireland by Icelandic vikings have certainly left their mark !

We ate a meal of fish and potatoes at the Gisthemilið Menam, and experienced first hand the expensive alcohol prices - £5.50 for a half litre of lager. It must be even more expensive in the trendy bars of Reykjavik.

The next morning, we caught the 9:30 a.m. bus to Þórsmörk.