We checked out of the hotel and headed into town; we were all psyched about the ice cave adventure ahead with Katla Ice Cave Tours.  When we first entered the meeting area there were a lot of other people around. This was a little perplexing as we thought we had a private tour–it turns out that it was a private tour, just the five of us. (Whew!) Our guide's name was Mike. Personable young man who had immigrated from the Czech Republic and had been in Iceland for about two years. He was very informative on the ride out to the ice cave. He pulled off the road, got out, and explained that he had to deflate the tires so we wouldn't have such a bumpy ride while we're off-roading. We were certainly glad he did as it really was a very bumpy road. As he was driving, he explained about the landscape that we were seeing. At one point he drove over to the edge of a cliff so we could get out and take pictures. The view was spectacular. From the back of the vehicle, it looked like he was going to drive right off the edge of the cliff, but it turned out to be just a steep decline.  He began explaining all about how the ice cave and the surrounding area was formed; he talked about melting ice and volcanic eruptions that created a layered look that you see in the pictures. Once at the site, Mike handed out helmets and crampons which we proceeded to put on. We then begin the trek to the ice cave. It was amazing.

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With the ice cave part of the tour finished, we headed back into town. As he drove we were asking him lots of questions. We were all very curious about why the sheep seemed to be everywhere. He told us that in Iceland sheep farmers let their sheep loose to graze in the highlands,  fattening themselves up for winter.  In the fall, they use horses and dogs to round them up and bring them back to the farm. Mike also said he wanted to show us the Black Sand Beach and in doing so we would hopefully see seals and maybe even a whale.  The beach looked like it went on for miles and miles. Since this was a private beach,there was nobody else on it. We continued on to where the water came in and turned into a river. This is where the salmon come back in after they have spawned. It is also the place where you might see a seal and we did. This was an awesome adventure lasting way longer than it was intended to.

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The shop for the ice cave adventure was also a pizza joint. We shared pizza for lunch. One of the more interesting pizzas was the one with barbecued tofu and dates. I didn't think it was going to taste very good, but it was mouth watering. I was wrong! 

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We got back in the van and headed off down the road to the next stop on our itinerary. As we were driving we kept seeing the glacier in the distance.  We decided to stop and check out the glaciers you could see all around.As we got out of the van and started walking to get a better view, these three little sheep ran up over the hill. It was the mother and two babies. They looked like they were going for Kathleen, but then they went the opposite direction. A little further down the road a mama sheep and her baby darted out onto the road right in front of the van. I hit the brakes almost hitting them; luckily, they ran off and I missed.

Back in the car, we headed off down the road to our Iceberg watching expedition. I pulled into the parking lot but could not find any place to park the van. I ended up going into the parking lot for tour buses. I figured there were five of us, so we were on a tour.  Linda got out of the van and went to find out where we were supposed to meet. The tour group was on the other side of the parking lot, the furthest point. It turns out it was a relatively small boat where you put on a life jacket, and they drive you out to the middle of the fjord so that you can see the icebergs floating in the water. We did have the opportunity to see 800-year-old ice. Some of us even took the opportunity to eat the 800-year-old ice. It just tasted like ice! When the boat ride was over, Mary Ellen and I took the time to walk along the edge of the water. We were standing there watching, trying to see the seal who had popped his head out of the water. When, all of a sudden, we heard a loud crash. It was an iceberg splitting into two. 

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After the iceberg expedition, we drove into Hofn, checked into our hotel, and headed out for dinner. We had a wonderful meal at this little restaurant called Otto Matur & Drykkur right down the street from the hotel. The owner Audur was a wonderful host and served us wine while we waited for our table. The food was phenomenal and the desert was mouth watering.  
Linda scavenged desert from everyone at the table with an itty bitty spoon that had been used in the salt dish.

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