Author: kirkreadings

Jökulsárlón

Our stop at the glacial lagoon of Jökulsárlón was pretty brief but the walk along the shores was incredibly breathtaking. Fed by the terminus of Breiðamerkurjökull the icebergs slowly drift with the tide from the lagoon out to the Atlantic. Some end up drifting back into a nearby beach but the majority enjoy their new found freedom and slowly become apart of the ocean.
I could’ve spent hours here and come October I will be doing just that! Flight back has been booked, so I shall see you the first week of October you frozen iceberg beauties.

Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon – Iceland

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“Kind-Horn”

Meet “Kind-Horn” an Icelandic Ram from the farm at Nýpugarđar Guesthouse. I named him because of how kind he was to trot over and let me take his portrait while the thousands of others I saw on the trip would simply run away. What amazes me about the Icelandic sheep is that they carry the same genetics as the sheep from over 1100 years ago when they were brought over from Norway. It is a common theme here that history prevails everywhere you look.

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The Althing

Thingvellir National Park sits between the Almannagjá and Heiđargjá faults and is a visual representation of the Continental drift.  That in itself is worth going to experience. But for me, the main draw was just over the ridge to the left. The original site of the oldest democratic parliament, the Althing. Established in 930 the Althing was a yearly gathering of all the chieftains of Iceland to discuss the law and settle disputes of all kinds. They met at the Thingvellir “Parliament Plains” all the way up until 1798.  Their parliamentary structure was way beyond its time and a reminder of the rich history and pride that engulfs the great people of Iceland. …

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Thingvellir National Park – Iceland

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Spirit of iceland

Too me, the spirit of Iceland is encapsulated in the eyes of the great Icelandic horse. Free and boundless as the ever changing landscape allows. At every turn you see them running free, with a playful yet immensely powerful demeanor. You can see why their family lineages are as documanted and rich in history as the Viking roots of their human counterparts. For when you stand eye to eye with them you can feel them read your soul as if it was one of the great sagas of old.

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Gođafoss “waterfall of the gods”

Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi was the lawspeaker in the year 999/1000 when Iceland’s legislative assembly was debating on which religion to practice. The Norse Paganism or Christianity. Thorgeir himself was a Pagan priest and chieftain but after a day and night of meditation he decided in favour of Christianity. It is said that when he returned home he took his idols of his gods and threw them over this waterfall for which is now known as Gođafoss “the waterfall of the gods”.

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Gođafoss- Iceland

Sólheimajökull

We visited numerous glaciers while in Iceland and the experience will stay with me forever, especially hearing the valley echo with the sounds of the ice calving away. I have always been a firm believer in climate change but standing on a glacier and seeing the amount it has receded in recent years was truly eye opening. The Sólheimajökull glacier pictured here has receded over 1 km since 1995 and is far thinner as you can see.

Sólheimajökull – Iceland

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