Today we drove from Varmahlid to Akureyri. We had a minor hiccup in the morning when we had to fill up Adblue in the car (no idea what it was but apparently it is an engine-cleaning additive, that the car's readout said would stop the car working if not replaced). So we thought it best to replace it...

Mary-Ann drove today and so I could see around us more. There was quite a climb through the mountains and although there was still lots of snow, the roads were clear. The scenery was stunning, with pillowy mountains interspersed with sharp jagged ones, and the black ribbon of the road snaking away into the distance through the whiteness. After last night's extortionate dinner in Varmahlid we had a (relatively) cheaper lunch outside Akureyri before heading to the hotel.

After checking-in, we set off for the riding centre where Lola and I had an hour's ride on Icelandic horses. These iconic horses, whose hardiness seems to encapsulate the country's resilience to its harsh environment, are bigger than they look. Their stature is distorted by slightly shorter legs but they are not small - and you see packs of them everywhere! So anyway, we had a very nice, if slightly windy hack through the snowy fields - Lola's horse got slightly spooked by a lorry but she stayed calm and we finished our ride without incident. After a hot drink and a cake we headed back to Akureyri - before returning to the hotel we had a little walk along the waterfront, (Akureyri sits on the West side of a long fjord), and Lola and I played snowballs and Theo had a little run-around.

We had a really nice dinner at an Italian restaurant before heading to bed, when Theo was very naughty and would not stay in bed! There was a sliding dividing door between our room and the lounge, (with him repeatedly climbing out of the cot in our room), and we would see his little hand or foot quietly sliding the door open to get to us. Naughty but very funny....