Directionally Challenged: Africa via Iceland?

When Micah and I decided to embark on our African adventure a world of possibilities opened up in the route that we would take there. A favorite winter time pass time soon became looking up the various airline fares to destinations that would eventually deposit us on the great continent of Africa. We didn't pay too much attention to distances or to the fact that we didn't have an infinite amount of time. Wanderlust took over, and we embarked on a journey that took us as far north as Reykjavik to the tip of South Africa-- not exactly the most logical way to Tanzania!I had an inkling to go to Iceland ever since I read a NY times article about the Icelandic belief in Huldufólk, or Hidden People. I loved the idea of grown men not exactly denying the existence of elves, gnomes and fairies. Iceland soon became a place that I knew that I must one day go.

We were lucky to get a 'free' layover in Iceland for almost a week, and the opportunity to go on one of the most memorable backpacking trips I've ever been on. The out of this world landscapes of Iceland were literally eye popping. I was amazed at beautiful rhyolite mountains that rolled off into the horizon in every color of the rainbow, the way that the ground steamed and bubbled, and the velvety green of the valleys was really too beautiful for words. So without further ado the land of the gnomes...