The original Viking horse

September 2025 -- Two animals are part of Iceland's national identify:  sheep and horses. Like Icelandic sheep, the Icelandic horse is the only breed in Iceland and one of the purest breeds in the world. They are the original Viking horse, descending from the horses brought to the island by Viking settlers in the 9th century. 

Viking horse

Pretty paint

Lara making a friend

Back to back

Say cheese!

Compared to US horses, Icelandic horses are smaller, only 13 to 14 hands high and 730 to 840 pounds. Many would consider them a pony. But they are considered a horse and they are strongly built. It goes without saying that the Icelandic horse is hardy and rugged. While the sheep spend the winters inside being fed, the horses stay outside all year-long. They have a double-coat for insulation in the winter.

In front of a waterfall

Along the Ring Road

I like horses, too.

During our trip around the ring road, Lara and I stopped many times to view horses and take pictures of them. They were a constant site. We observed them in larger groups than the sheep, which were generally scattered unless they had already been rounded up, in which case they were grazing the bottomlands, mostly hayfields. 

Rounding up the sheep (Rettir)

Kerið Volcanic Crater

September 22, 2025 -- One of the last places we visited was Kerið Volcanic Crater in South Iceland (Golden Circle). According to the web site, "Kerið was not formed by a volcanic explosion, but rather a cone volcano that erupted and emptied its magma reserve. The weight of the cone then collapsed into the empty magma chamber, creating the current crater. The water in the bottom of the crater is at the same level as the water table and is not caused by rainfall." 

Kerið Volcanic Crater

65,000 years old

The trail down

Such vivid colors

At the bottom

Top of the crater

Lara at the crater

A different view

A one of a kind museum

September 21, 2025 -- How can you go to Iceland and not go to the penis museum? The Icelandic Phallological Museum is one of a kind, the world's only genuine penis museum.  It is dedicated to collecting, displaying, and studying penises. The study of penises is called phallology.

"I didn't know dick until I went to Reykjavik!"

Outside the museum

Penis molds of the 2008 Icelandic handball team

Iceland's penis museum was founded by a school teacher Sigurður Hjartarso,  who collected penises for 37 years before opening a museum in 1997.  Most of the penis specimens are from the animal kingdom. The farm animal penises come from slaughterhouses. Seal and whale penises were provided by fishermen.  The penises of the larger whales came from whaling stations. The museum also displays phallic artwork or penis-related objects and knickknacks. The gift shop sells penis-related souvenirs. The café serves waffles shaped like penises. 

Posing with the penis mascots

Over 300 specimens

The penises are either preserved in formaldehyde and put in jars or dried and hung on the walls. The largest penis in the museum is the ~6 foot long penis of the sperm whale. The smallest penis is from a Hamster, only about 2 mm. Poor fellow. There are also plaster casts of penises. 

Penises from over 90 animals

Penises of all shapes and sizes

Little ones

Despite the theme, the museum is very well curated. There is a lot of scientific information about the penises and reproductive habits of the animals from which they came. 

Caged penis

Penis art

"This museum is not for pussies!"

Everything looks like a penis!

So many uses

Plastic casts of penises

Penis waffles, of course

Swallow Falls State Park

October 10, 2025 -- There are more than 60 state parks in Maryland. Swallow Falls State Park in Garrett County is one of the most picturesque. It's home to three waterfalls and old growth forests. It features Maryland's highest free falling waterfall (@ 53 feet). The park was crowded (though not overly) when Ty and I visited in October. The leaves had begun to change, but weren't at peak yet.

        The leaves were just beginning to change.    

Trail along the river

Tolliver Falls

Park shots

On the trail with Ty

Famous campers

Casselman River Historic Bridge

October 10, 2025 -- When Mom & Dad lived in Garrett County I frequently drove past the Casselman Historic River Bridge (near Grantsville), but no so much recently. In fact, I didn't realize it was a state park, a small one albeit, only 4 acres. It is currently under renovation. Ty and I stopped by after visiting Swallow Falls. Twice actually.

Designated a state park in 1957

The bridge is a historic structure along the National Road, a 354-foot long stone arch bridge that was built in 1813-1814. At the time, the bridge's 84-foot span was the largest in America. It was originally built to accommodate future canal boats. That's why the arch is so tall. The bridge often experienced heavy traffic due to western expansion. During the Civil War, it was used by both Union and Confederate Armies. The bridge was closed to vehicles in 1953.

Declared at National Historic Monument in 1964.

A tributary of the Youghiogheny River

We visited the park twice. I had fallen in the park. I tripped over a rock and went down, face first into the turf. Fell on my knees and hit my head. Ugh! Shortly after leaving the park, I noticed I wasn't wearing my glasses. I figured they must have fallen off when I fell. I looked all over for them. A couple of people even helped me look. But no luck. I retraced my steps after I left Swallow Falls, driving back to Deep Creek, thinking I might have left or lost them at the places I visited. No luck. I went back to the park. Walked all over. Still no luck. The glasses were lost!  Turned out to be an expensive day.  

Staying in Iceland

September 12-22, 2025 -- Lara and I stayed 9 nights in Iceland, at 7 different places.  The total cost was about $2000, a little over $200 per night. Some of the places had private baths. Some didn't. Some had breakfast. Some didn't. We usually had twin beds, sometimes a double bed that was really just two twin beds pushed together. Some of the places had contact-less check-in -- you received information  via email. Others had reception desks. Most of the nights I slept really well.

We spent our first night in in Selfoss at the Hotel South Coast. Selfoss has a population of 9,000, which is "big" by Icelandic standards. We went to a food court for dinner. I had pizza (so-so). Lara had pasta.

Hotel South Coast (not my picture)

We spent our second night at Guesthouse Edinborg in South Iceland, about 35 kilometers from Vik. I hadn't been able to find an affordable place to stay in Vik, so we had to backtrack. It was located in a very scenic area with a mountain behind it. 

Guesthouse Edinborg

Vagnsstaðir Guesthouse was the next place we stayed at. It was another property located in the scenic countryside of South Iceland, close to glaciers and the ocean.

Vagnsstaðir Guesthouse

The most interesting place we stayed was Arbakki-guesthouse near Egilsstaðir. We got there after dark. The place was in the middle of nowhere. The main door was locked. Fortunately, I found an unlocked door. It opened into the laundry room that was full of junk. There was a door to the kitchen, then the hallway where four rooms were located. We were the only ones staying there. We had the whole house to ourselves. It was a little creepy, but overall a decent place to stay. Recently renovated. 

Arbakki-Guesthouse 

Nothing around but horses and a cow

Our best accommodations were Öndólfsstaðir Farm B&B in Lauger in Northeast Iceland. It was a sheep farm. They had horses and goats, too, and a friendly Border Collie. We stayed two nights. I wish we could have stayed longer. Breakfast was fantastic. All of the dishes were Polish pottery. I asked the proprietors a lot about sheep production in Iceland. They invited me to visit with them (in the barn) while they were making culling decisions. They had about 100 ewes.

Öndólfsstaðir Farm B&B

An Icelandic sheep farm

Icelandic sheep

Við Hafið was a guesthouse/hostel located in the coastal town of Ólafsvík in West Iceland. We were on the top floor and had a view of the sea. Our room was okay. Bathrooms were shared. The place smelled like curry. We had to take our shoes off which was weird. It was fine for one night. We ate at a gas station-like place next to the hotel. It was probably the worse food we had in Iceland. We explored the town the next morning.

Við Hafið Guesthouse

By the sea

We spent two nights in Reykjavik at the CityHub. It was a modern pod hotel, unlike any place I had stayed before. Our pod had bottom bunks, with a partition between the beds. There wasn't much room. We left are big suitcases in the car and packed for the airport in the parking garage. The bathrooms were shared, but very nice. There were even bath robes for us to use. There was a lounge where you could relax and buy drinks. We used a bracelet to open our door. The place was in a very convenient location. I'd stay in a pod hotel again. It was similar to the hotel I stayed at in Paris, but considerably smaller.

CityHub Reykjavik

Pods

Cozy