12th May - Reykjavik, 64°N 22°W, GMT-1

On discovering the cheapest flights from New York to Manchester went via Reykjavik we decided to have a short stopover there. Our flight was getting in early in the morning and we couldn’t check in until the afternoon so we decided to go to the Blue Lagoon, not far from the airport. The Blue Lagoon has geothermally heated pools that are around 40°C all year round. The air temperature is just 2°C and there is a brisk wind as we walk from the changing rooms to the lagoon. Once in the lagoon you can have a massage, a drink at the bar or give yourself a silica mud facemask - supposed to make your skin smooth, it definitely makes your skin cold as the damp mud increases the windchill dramatically. Iceland looks like the whole planet must have looked 2 billion years ago, all boulders and fissures and volcanic ash. It’s light 24 hours a day at this time of year but it’s still cold and windy.

Reykjavik has this impressive church which looks like it was built by Tolkien’s elvin people. There is a (very convenient) lift to the top of the tower where you get great views of the city and the mountains beyond.

It’s Sunday and the city is pretty quiet apart from one road, Bankastraeti, which is constantly jammed with cars. Does every journey in Iceland involve driving down this small street? The two vegetarian restaurants that we had found on the internet were both closed on Sundays but we found an Icelandic restaurant that had one vegetarian main course. We gave the fermented shark and smoked puffin a miss and stuck with more conventional fare.

It is day 285 of our trip, part way through the 40th week away and it all ends at 11:35 tomorrow when we land in Manchester. Will our house be still be visible through the weeds in the garden? Will Max the cat recognise us? Are we ready for UK weather again? We’ll soon find out...