Iceland is full of this kind of thing: holes in the Earth spewing hot stuff. Fantastic. If you listen carefully, you can hear a greatly excited Bruce exclaim "Oh Boy!" What an expressive fellow.

Another thing Iceland is known for is puffins.



Puffins, as you can see from the photo, are tiny birds about the size of a moderately big bumble bee. They're very common on certain islands just outside the Reykjavik harbour, but even more common on the dinner menus of various restaurants around town. I have a sneaking suspicion that puffins are not actually eaten by the Icelandic people; they just think it's funny to feed them to the tourists.

You can get to know a people by how they present themselves in their advertisements. Really, there's only one big advertiser in Reykjavik-- "66 Degrees" clothing company. Everywhere you turn, there's a poster featuring one of its brawny models posed against a steely grey sky, looking really tough, sore or cold. They like this image of themselves, the Icelanders do. Freezing, pissed-off Vikings. Even the little girl they feature looks like she would happily split you in two with an axe if you so much a mention "capris and a nice light cotton t-shirt."