Environmental Memory and Change in Medieval Iceland, August 2014 – Part 2 (The bit with all the photos)

To give you a bit more of an idea what it was like in Iceland, I’m doing a second post! (Hold your cheers)

We began with a truly epic bus journey (like, 12 hours worth of epic) through the central highland of Iceland, from Reykjavik to the Bárðardalur valley.  The route is an ancient one, called Kjölur and it passes between the Hofsjökull and Langjökull glaciers on a very bumpy gravel path.  Our original route was planned as Sprengisandur, the other main route though the interior, but it was impassible.  On the way we got to see the beautiful Gullfoss:

Gullfoss

and Þingvellir, the site of the Alþingi, the country-wide assembly started in 930CE:

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We were staying in the Bárðardalur valley, about an hour’s drive from Akureyri, the main town in Northern Iceland.  It was beautiful and remote, but the organisers and the lovely people at Kiðagil looked after us so well!

A lovely morning at Kiðagil:

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Hiking excursions led us to some of the most beautiful waterfalls! Here I am at Aldeyjarfoss:

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The lectures were held in an informal atmosphere on the upper level of our house at Storuvellir. It’s a bit blurry, but look how happy we all are:

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(I was sick so I got the couch)

Our peerless leaders were on hand to educate us out of doors too:

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(Viðar Hreinsson and Tom McGovern, close to Lake Myvatn)

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(searching for souvenir pieces of Viking-age slag and volcanic rock at an iron-smelting site)

And finally, a group photo:

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Truly, one of the best experiences of my life!

 

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