I am wet to the bone, frozen and the happiest girl alive
It's so bright. At night it's never totally dark. It's quiet. There is no trees rustling behind the window nor cars swooshing by. The only sound is the occasional rain battering on the roof. But now it is snowing.
Monday 2.5
I wake up at 4.00am. I wake up at 5.00am. I wake up at 6.00am. I rise from the bed at 7.00am, giving up.
Around ten I walk to Bjarni's place and we go through the plan for the day. I am offered sour milk and cereals for breakfast and I'm not convinced. Sour milk? Well..It's the icelandic way. I try to eat half, but embarassed, dump the meal in the thrash. Luckily we head for Husavik, where I get to go to the local store and buy some food for myself.
At Husavik I pay a visit to the whale museum. The exhibition is small but well arranged and interesting, and there is even a rare bluewhale skeleton which is formidable in size and smell.
In the evening I get to go for a two hour ride with Anna the guide and two swedish tourists. My horses name is Visa and she seems like a very kind and peaceful horse. My job is to learn the route as we ride.
We start the ride and it's sleeting, the sea is roaring and the cold wind goes to the bone.
I have clad myself in a warm set of underwear, a hoodie, riding pants, a fleecejacket and windbreaker jacket. Over all this I dress up in a winter overall.
Anna is going in the head of the line, me the last. We ride against the wind to a blacksandy beach and the horses' hooves go deep in to the sand. We go over a flowing stream trusting the horses to find the right steps in the rocky brook. It's sleeting so hard that it's hard to keep your eyes open, and still we go down steep slopes and go up even steeper hills, totally trusting the horses.
Up on a hill with an amazing view to the churning sea we take a break and tighten the saddlebelts. When we continue Anna asks me to come beside her and tells me about the route and ways of acting on the tour. The tourists seem happy so we take the longer route regardless of the weather. We tolt a little and Visa is excited when we get closer to home.
I am wet to the bone, frozen and the happiest girl alive.
Later we clean the stables with Anna, and Bjarni shows how to feed the horses. Also I learn that in Iceland you mostly move the horses by grabbing them under the chin and taking them where you want to without using halter and rope.
We take the horses in from the paddock by just opening the stable door, chasing the horses in and they go in their pens themsleves, with just small help from us.
Lunging the horse is also a bit different to what I am used to see. The horse is free in the small riding hall and listening all the instructions from the handler. One of the stable's dogs was free and almost running under the horse, who didn't mind at all.
All the horses are used to dogs, I hear. They don't care a bit when the youn Scottish Border Collie Salka tries continuosly to herd them. Sometimes she even pulls their tales in frustration!
I wake up at 4.00am. I wake up at 5.00am. I wake up at 6.00am. I rise from the bed at 7.00am, giving up.
Around ten I walk to Bjarni's place and we go through the plan for the day. I am offered sour milk and cereals for breakfast and I'm not convinced. Sour milk? Well..It's the icelandic way. I try to eat half, but embarassed, dump the meal in the thrash. Luckily we head for Husavik, where I get to go to the local store and buy some food for myself.
At Husavik I pay a visit to the whale museum. The exhibition is small but well arranged and interesting, and there is even a rare bluewhale skeleton which is formidable in size and smell.
 |
| Whale skeleton |
In the evening I get to go for a two hour ride with Anna the guide and two swedish tourists. My horses name is Visa and she seems like a very kind and peaceful horse. My job is to learn the route as we ride.
We start the ride and it's sleeting, the sea is roaring and the cold wind goes to the bone.
I have clad myself in a warm set of underwear, a hoodie, riding pants, a fleecejacket and windbreaker jacket. Over all this I dress up in a winter overall.
 |
| Visa having a meal |
Anna is going in the head of the line, me the last. We ride against the wind to a blacksandy beach and the horses' hooves go deep in to the sand. We go over a flowing stream trusting the horses to find the right steps in the rocky brook. It's sleeting so hard that it's hard to keep your eyes open, and still we go down steep slopes and go up even steeper hills, totally trusting the horses.
Up on a hill with an amazing view to the churning sea we take a break and tighten the saddlebelts. When we continue Anna asks me to come beside her and tells me about the route and ways of acting on the tour. The tourists seem happy so we take the longer route regardless of the weather. We tolt a little and Visa is excited when we get closer to home.
I am wet to the bone, frozen and the happiest girl alive.
Later we clean the stables with Anna, and Bjarni shows how to feed the horses. Also I learn that in Iceland you mostly move the horses by grabbing them under the chin and taking them where you want to without using halter and rope.
We take the horses in from the paddock by just opening the stable door, chasing the horses in and they go in their pens themsleves, with just small help from us.
Lunging the horse is also a bit different to what I am used to see. The horse is free in the small riding hall and listening all the instructions from the handler. One of the stable's dogs was free and almost running under the horse, who didn't mind at all.
All the horses are used to dogs, I hear. They don't care a bit when the youn Scottish Border Collie Salka tries continuosly to herd them. Sometimes she even pulls their tales in frustration!
 |
| stable |
 |
| Salka |
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| riding hall |
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