ICELAND

Mr Gudlaugur finally opens the door to his cabin, wearing a tiny blue towel. He has just come out of the sauna. The miserable cold keeps us fit: we are jumping, clapping, and shaking our arms and legs. The Icelandic wind plucks the tears from our eyes. Gudlaugur contemplates our pathetic fight against the icy elements and asks: "Is there anyone under all those clothes?" This enormous man of ample belly, firm in the face of the weather's onslaught, can be nothing but the reincarnation of the Viking god Thor. Great. A hero, just as we begin to freeze …