Getting Ready to Come Home... More Trolls!

So, we are coming to the end of our journey very soon.  Iceland is really amazing in so many ways.  First, the people are so nice.  The fish is delicious.  The views everywhere are breathtaking.  One thing we have noticed is that the clouds here seem different.  While we know that the can't possibly be, I have never noticed so much "cloud sculpture" back home.  Lastly, there has been so much to learn about earth and science from this trip.  It is amazing that Iceland really relies heavily on magma below for heating and the waters for hydro-power.  We could learn a lot from them!

Trolls Sighting!

So, trolls are VERY real!  There isn't an Icelander who would say differently.  Icelanders are very spiritual people - they almost embrace all thoughts, religious and mystical beliefs.  One of our tour guides explained that when a person is sick, the family will (of course) go to a doctor.  However, they will also visit people who have "the gift" or magical, spiritual insight and powers.  The people of Iceland have an approach that it can't do any harm to combine the science and mystic power of nature. 

Wherever you go, you will always see these giant white cylinders in fields, along mountainsides, etc.  One of my traveling companions asked about them.  We had a different tour guide who explained that trolls really love marshmallows!  These giant treats are left for the trolls to eat.  I guess you would want to keep a troll happy!  There were light green ones as well.  When asked, we were told that they were mint flavored!  Who knew?!?

Troll hiding in a lava fields courtesy of Mrs. Crawford. She was so lucky to get this photo!

Giant marshmallows left on the mountainside to feed the trolls!

More marshmallows for the trolls!

Some shopping - and a big purchase!

People strolling on the major shopping street enjoying the day.

The sweater that Mr. S. bought! I can't believe I bought a sweater in the middle of summer in Chicago!

I haven't talked about the Reykjavik style but it is pretty cool!  Many of the fashion items for sale are hand made.  It is really nice to shop and know that there is someone there who took the time to make the items with their own hands.  Most of the time, it has something to do with nature and being aware of the world we live in.  One of the "standard" fashion statements are Icelandic sweaters.  They are NOT cheap.  Mr. S. has been looking at many of the different options this whole trip.  Some are not made as well as others.  And, there is a jump in price for the better made sweaters.  Part of me things that the design of the sweaters is inspired by the mountaintops where there are often wedges of white snow between the sharp cliffs of rock.  Mr. S. bought a sweater!  Yay!

Can you see how the top of the mountain reminds me of these sweaters? There are tons of different varieties of sweaters. I opted for one with a hood.

Where exactly is Mr. S.?

The read dot! Right here y'all! I took this photo from the side of a restaurant wall. I thought it was pretty neat. It is very far North. It doesn't look as far as Antarctica for sure. Though, anything more north of this pretty much is covered in ice all the time.

Some New Facts About Trolls

This is a drawing Mr. S. found on the internet. He seems to have a lot of the physical characteristics I have been hearing about.

I do feel like I am becoming a bit of a "troll historian." So far, nobody is getting sick of me asking about trolls.  Did you know that trolls are very individual creatures?  From what I gather, Icelandic trolls are very big in size. They range from "large" to full on "enormous."  I guess that would be XXXXXXXXXXXL size.! Trolls are so big because they don't use up very much energy.  They, too, rely on the volcanic nature of Iceland for their energy.  In fact, they mostly reside underground.  So, they are warmer than most because they hang out where the lava is molten!  Also, they sleep A LOT!  Like all the time!  So, when they are done doing whatever they are doing - they just go right back to sleep!  Nice life!

There are a few characteristics of trolls.  They typically have very big noses.  This is because they live for a very, very long time.  Some troll shave horns, some trolls have jagged teeth (like fangs) that come out of the bottom of their mouths.  Some, though very few, even have tails!  For trolls, having warts on their face is a GOOD thing.  They view it as a fashion statement.  In face, they even gather up natural ingredients to help grow new ones as a fashion statement! While we might think these appearances are very, very scary, no need to worry.  Trolls have very high sense of self-esteem and think that they are beautiful just the way they are!   Everybody tells me that they are actually very loving creatures, though sometimes full of mischief!

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