Iceland's Eastfjords from Egilsstaðir to Höfn

 

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Though this is a year for which we're both looking ahead (as in Astrid and me both having cataract surgeries a week apart on January 25 and February 2!), I'm starting off the year here by going back to Iceland from last May, not wanting it to drop off the radar into a Black Hole.

This 7th day of our trip on May 12 (see overview here) is a good smattering of Iceland, if that's all you see, showing both the highlands and the fjords, with both mountains and valleys.

[credit:  Capture the Atlas]

We started the day at Egilsstaðir (upper red arrow) and drove south to Höfn (lower arrow).

This was the collage on Facebook that started off that day, which I will now flesh out.

We had just gone through our only day of snow the day before,
still lingering on the ground as we started this day, on May 12th!

As you can see, we're still in the highlands.

It feels sacrilegious to say this became almost monotonous.  Maybe hypnotic is a better word.

We spent hours driving through terrain like this throughout Iceland. 

But soon we descended to the eastern fjords and found signs of life.

Can you imagine living in that kind of "solitude?"

We had been so excited about seeing Icelandic harbors

but had no idea they would also look isolated and barren like this.

Another look at the fjord area, with the valleys...

...all the while, looking back up at the mountains, from the valleys below.

And yes, all those formations are of volcanic ash over the years.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This was my next Facebook collage from that day,

when we stopped at a sheep farm by the side of the road.

It was totally unexpected but when they saw us, the father-son duo (this being the son)

invited us into their barn to check it all out:  500 sheep in total.

And, according to the father, he (the father) knew the names of them all!

There were two lambs that had just been born that morning, already standing up and walking.

I wished I had asked what their names were!

We really got our education that day, especially about why some horns have to be cut.

If they aren't cut, they can bore into the jaw, making it impossible for the sheep to eat.

If they can't eat, of course, they die.

All that blood--did you know??--but apparently the pain lasts only 10 minutes.

[video credit:  Astrid Wijdekop]

As you can imagine, this was the highlight of our day.

Did you notice (hear!) the road in the video?

How ingenious that the sheep can walk under it to the pasture beyond!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

After the sheep, we headed to our destination town for our overnight in Höfn,

the second largest fishing port of SE Iceland, population ca. 2500.

By then it was late afternoon, after the catch of the day.

Believe it or not, these were the remains still caught in that flat net all spread out.

Overlooking that harbor was this Íshúsið Pizzeria, with lobster pizza as their specialty.

Their lobster is actually langoustine, or Norway lobster, smaller than our American lobster.

Hands down, it was the absolute best pizza I have ever eaten.  OMG.

What a way to end that incredible day!

Sheep Shearing and Such in Dutchland

Let's take a commercial break from our England trip and throw in some fun...for my Friday the 13th, full-moon birthday!  (Supposedly there won't be another full-moon Friday the 13th until 2049, when I assume I'll be dead and buried.)

This past Monday was Pentecost Monday here in the Netherlands, a federally-recognized holiday.  And what did we do?  Well, just watch!

We drove back to Ottoland to the sheepfold to see the sheep being sheared.

(or is that shorn? either or?)

You may recall we were there in March to see the new-born lambs!

How is it possible that the sheepfold could have been emptied of all those sheep

in order to set up a fair-like venue for a special day!

We even bought some multi-grain flour for our bread machine, ground by a nearby windmill.

We got there in plenty of time, before it was too busy, and watched vendors set up shop.

Have you ever seen a spinning wheel like that?

There was a potter...

 ...a face-art painter...

...and even live entertainment.

But when we got to the fleece corner, we were reminded what we had come for.
Yup...to see the sheep being shorn!
Clearly many had already had their haircuts...their 3kg bundles for sale at €8 each.

From the outside, a wee pen was already loaded with the lucky few for the day.

And because we were early enough, I had a front-row show for the first sheep of the day.

Father and son brought in one sheep at a time from the make-shift pen.
Ready, set, go!



Now THAT is an education!  Five minutes from beginning to end.
(The record for sheep shearing is 45 seconds.  Can you imagine?)

BTW, Astrid says it's cruel NOT to shear sheep, especially for the summer months.
Did you notice how much this one seemed to enjoy the whole thing, kinda like a massage?!
In fact, even the sheep waiting seemed all comfy and cozy, as though knowing what was in store.

And after the shearer was done, he rolled it all up for the fleece stock,
while explaining the properties of the fleece, with its lanolin, and such.

He got such a kick out of my excitement, he came over to show me the shears.
Just like farmers everywhere, he knows his stuff.

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

As if that weren't enough, as we left for the car, we heard a ruckus across the street.

What to our wondering eyes should appear but...TRACTORS.

A tractor parade of way over 100 tractors of every type and kind and brand!


I suddenly remembered my video option and caught the last 20 at the end.
How cool is that for a holiday ho-hum thing to do!

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And since three is a charm, you know...

...as we arrived at the sheepfold...

...and as we left, we saw several groups of Roparun runners.
These were running from Hamburg, Germany, to Rotterdam, and just happened to pass by
right outside the sheepfold on the same road where the tractors also were.
Is this crazy or what!  Running 560 km in 3 days to raise money for cancer.
In 22 runs over the years, €57 million has been raised thus far.

How's THAT for a day outside on a holiday weekend, shooting the breeze!

Dutch Sheep in Ottoland: Part 2

When I told you (last post) that our two Saturdays a week apart at the Ottoland, NL, sheepfold were as different from night and day, I meant it. This time, we were two of only a handful of visitors.  Everyone had come the weekend before.

So in that regard, we looked at everything with new eyes.  And this time it even occurred to me to take videos with my camera!

Before going into the sheepfold, I snuck around back to look in through the open door.

There was good light and the week-old lambs were eating off the hay bales.

And Astrid was already there, capitalizing on the photo op.
(and, yes, that's the famous Dutch wind I love!)

There were lambs cuddling....

...and lambs nuzzling their mamas...

 ...and lambs wandering around while everyone else was eating.+

Even lambs jumping around for joy...just to be alive.
Hello, World.  Here I am!

A different Billy Goat Gruff from the previous week was on top of a bale, King of the Mountain.

What a handsome dude!

But THIS is what totally captivated me!
Every time I looked for 30+ minutes, they stood munching and staring at each other,
while little lambsy-divey watched from below.
Was it spring love???

No amount of distraction distracted them!

We really did have the place to ourselves.
Sheep heaven.

Towards the end, the shepherd came in and talked with Astrid.
Do you remember him from here, when he brought his flock to Gorinchem in September of 2011?
All that time we kept saying we'd go out to his sheepfold, which we finally did.

As we left for our car, guess who followed us!
It's not all work and no play for these smart, adorable sheepdogs...or for Astrid, either!

Next door to the sheepfold, other sheep were out in the fields, doing what all sheep do.
Come April, all the lambsy-diveys will be out there with them.
This is what spring is all about for sheep in the Netherlands!

And did I mention that the Dutch do NOT mainly grow their sheep for lambchops?  Or I should put it this way...sheep slaughtered for meat is exported, which explains why I rarely find it on menus when we go out to eat! They grow their sheep for WOOL, which is in bountiful supply here in Dutchland.  I can live with that.

 Sister Ruth's new grandbaby gitl, Olive Rose, was born this past Monday.
As a sweet tribute to her and to all lambsy-diveys everywhere, especially those who need holding,

here's my own Ollie lamb:  I love you!

Dutch Sheep in Ottoland: Part 1

Remember when I did my post on the shepherd who came to Gorinchem with his flock of sheep to mow one of our nearby dikes?  That was in September of 2011!  Ever since, we've talked about going to his sheepfold in spring to see the newborn lambs.

Which we finally did!  In fact, we went two Saturdays in a row and had such a different experience each time, I'm going to make this a two-part series!

The first time was a zoo because everyone and their aunt and uncle were there!  Part 1....

 Even Silverleaf (our new car) got in on the action, out in farmer's country, 7 miles from home.

We were there to see the sheep, of course...and 230 of the 250 lambs being born this season.

The shepherd is building up his flock...to do more mowing out-n-about, like in Gorinchem.

It's good for the sheep and the public and the environment.  And it's educational.

If you can't go to the sheep, he'll bring them to you!

There were more sheep than you could shake a stick at.

Coming and going.

Don't you love the pink bonnets!

There were two colors designating the ram inseminations:  green and pink .

Green was for the first batch of lambs and pink for the second.

(Don't you love the chicken acting like she owns the place.)

There were even two billy goats owning the place.  This one we saw the first Saturday.

He LOVED the attention of anyone touching his horns!
(But watch your jacket and camera strap!  Nibble-nibble.)

However, it was the little lambsy-diveys everyone was there to see!

And what is cuter than a child holding a lamb.

This is where the zoo part comes in...we could hardly squeeze in to take pictures.

"Mommy, can we pleeeeease take her home?!?!?!?!"

Just act cool, Bro.

I AM cool, Bro!

Don't you love how the lambs can handle all the attention.

Even the older kids thought it was cool.

See what I mean?  I think Astrid put Blackie to sleep.

Lullaby and Good Night.

Speaking of Astrid, she got the total lay of the land, talking to the volunteers.

If you are a sheepie person, can you imagine volunteering there!

To be continued....