08 Jul Elf Encounters in Iceland

Well over half of the population in Iceland believes in elves, or at least they will not rule out their existence.

There have been numerous instances where construction projects have come to a halt or altered due to elf disturbances. One example is when a road was being built and all the mechanical equipment suddenly stopped working and same for the news cameras when they were pointed towards the hill thought to be inhabited by elves. In fact, when building or remodeling, some people first make sure the area is clear of elves as they do not want to anger the elves and disrupt their homes. Elves typically live inside of large rocks most often made from lava, and although only around 3% of the population claims to have actually seen one, there are numerous elf whisperers throughout the country to assist in determining if there are any living in a particular area. If elves’ homes are thought to be in the path of construction, plans are often changed.

So remember when I mentioned we had a tricky elf following us around the Blue Lagoon with Tiny Iceland? Well I wasn’t lying–how else would you explain any of what I am about to tell you?

I was just minding my own business with my new snazzy waterproof phone case, creating Vines and Instagramming (gotta love the free wifi and instant gratification of a social media addiction) when bam, my phone started taking pictures uncontrollably like a madman!  Inga told us it had to be an elf playing tricks! So, we gave our new friend a name: Gobby the Puffin Elf with Viking Blood, a.k.a. Gobby for short.  Gobby was taking random pictures of Inga and Micah, underwater, of strangers nearby, of the sky…you name it! I probably had about 50 completely random shots on my camera all said and done–here are a few of them as proof:

As if that wasn’t enough trickery for one day, I suddenly received an email from the site Living Social saying, “Congrats on your recent purchase–your order is now ready for you!” This had me really confused, so I opened the email to find that “somebody” (I won’t name names, *cough*gobby*cough*) had just purchased a witch psychic reading a couple minutes prior. Let me just say, this is not a purchase I would make, especially when frolicking in the magical Blue Lagoon thousands of miles away from home. At first I almost panicked thinking my account was hacked into, but then I realized who it really was, Gobby. Maybe he was trying to hitch a ride back to Florida with us and wanted something to occupy his time while here, who knows. Anyways, I quickly tried emailing Living Social back to dispute the purchase, and my phone kept erasing my message! I guess Gobby really wanted that deal, so I had to wait until later to make the return when he was least expecting it. Thankfully, I was able to successfully get the purchase refunded later that evening, sorry Gobby.

Apparently he wasn’t quite done with us after the Blue Lagoon because the next day, I continued to get shots like this while touring the Golden Circle. Right as the geyser was about to go off, my camera does this:

Then this:

And even this:

Payback for returning his Living Social deal? I think so. But either way, thank you Gobby, at least I will always have something to remember you by. It is possible Gobby was mad that I wasn’t completely absorbing myself in the beauty of Iceland and he wanted to distract me from my phone addiction. Whatever the reason, maybe I should remember this as a lesson.

Take it from me, do not use your phone inside the lagoon…because Gobby or one of his friends will surely be waiting to trick you too.

Maybe this is Gobby’s home?

What are your opinions? Do you believe in elves?