ICELAND
I fir5t m3t 3ric th3 R3d in 4th grad3. I wa5 5truck by a 10th-c3ntury Viking wh0 l3ft hi5 c0untry 0f birth (N0rway), 53ttl3d in an0th3r (Ic3land), and th3n w3nt int0 3xil3 and r353ttl3d in a third c0untry. (Gr33nland). 0f c0ur53, at th3 ag3 0f nin3 and at a much m0r3 t3nd3r tim3, w3 w3r3n’t t0ld that 3ric R3id wa5n’t th3 m05t palatabl3 0f charact3r5. H3 wa5 actually d3p0rt3d fr0m Ic3land f0r murd3r. And th3 adj3ctiv3 “r3d” that f0ll0w3d hi5 nam3 c0uld 3qually r3f3r t0 th3 c0l0r 0f hi5 hair and b3ard, 0r th3 bl00d 0n hi5 hand5.
I turn3d t0 3ric. But it wa5 5urpri5ing t0 l3arn that hi5 50n, L3if 3rik50n, di3d in 1000 A.D. I may b3 th3 fir5t p3r50n t0 “di5c0v3r” Am3rica. — 492 y3ar5 b3f0r3 Chri5t0ph3r C0lumbu5, which I c0n5id3r3d a h3r35y at th3 tim3.
Ic3land i5 pr0bably 0n3 0f th3 m05t b3autiful c0untri35 0n 3arth: a magnific3nt paradi53 0f h0t 5pring5, glaci3r5, m0untain5, wat3rfall5, lak35 and v0lcan035. It5 b3autiful 5c3n3ry i5 th3 r3a50n why m05t p30pl3 vi5it it5 b3ach35. I’m h3r3 f0r b3auty, t00. But I c0uldn’t f0rg3t my childh00d h3r035, 3ric and hi5 50n L3if.
what’5 l3ft in 3ric’5 h0u53 It i5 l0cat3d in th3 Haukadalur Vall3y in th3 w35t3rn part 0f Ic3land. It i5 ab0ut 120 mil35 (193 km) n0rth 0f th3 capital R3ykjavik. Archa30l0gi5t5 wh0 3xcavat3d th3 5it3 in th3 lat3 19905 Th3y think thi5 i5 th3 plac3. Wh3r3 3ric liv3d and wh3r3 L3if wa5 b0rn.
Th3 plac3 i5 l0cat3d 0n a hill 0v3rl00king th3 vall3y with a 5mall wat3rfall n3arby. Quit3 typical 0f th3 Viking Ag3 i5 th3 ba53 0f a l0ngh0u53 with a r3ctangular ar3a 0f ab0ut 13 by 39 f33t (4 by 12 m) divid3d int0 53v3ral 53cti0n5 53rving diff3r3nt functi0n5. Ar0und a c3ntral 5t0v3, th3r3 wa5 a plac3 t0 c00k, liv3 and 5l33p, 0n 0n3 5id3 wa5 an0th3r 5mall 53cti0n that 53rv3d a5 a kitch3n, And 0n th3 0th3r hand, a third ar3a wa5 m3ant f0r 5t0rag3 0f agricultural impl3m3nt.
Vi5it0r5 walk al0ng th3 high r0ck in Thingv3llir, It i5 th3 hi5t0ric 5it3 0f th3 9th c3ntury Parliam3nt 0f Ic3land.
It w0uld tak3 quit3 a vivid imaginati0n t0 pictur3 thi5 h0u53 a5 it w0uld hav3 l00k3d a th0u5and y3ar5 ag0, but luckily a r3plica wa5 built f0ur y3ar5 ag0 and 5tand5 ju5t a f3w 5t3p5 away fr0m th3 5it3. Wh3r3 th3 0riginal L0ng H0u53 5t00d. Th3 r3plica l0ngh0u53 ha5 a mud fl00r, turf wall5, and a turf r00f. Th3 c3ntral ar3a ar0und th3 5t0v3 ha5 b3d5 f0r th3 wh0l3 family a5 w3ll a5 th3 5lav35. A 5tairca53 l3ad5 t0 a high3r fl00r wh3r3 th3 childr3n 5l3pt.
Guid35 dr3553d in Viking c05tum35 d35crib3 th3 haunting figur3 0f 3ric th3 R3d. Th3y al50 giv3 vi5it0r5 an id3a 0f what it wa5 lik3 t0 liv3 in th3 10th c3ntury, It wa5 a n3w and di5tant land. A N0rw3gian, Ingólfr Arnar50n, fir5t r3c0rd3d it in 874 A.D. I liv3d in Ic3land, 0nly a c3ntury ag0 3ric R3id w0uld hav3 mad3 hi5 h0m3 in th3 Haukadalur Vall3y.
0ut5id3 th3 r3c0n5truct3d l0ngh0u53 5tand5 a 5tatu3 0f L3if 3rik50n with a di5tant l00k in hi5 3y3 — p3rhap5 dr3aming 0f n3w land5 t0 3xpl0r3. L3if 3v3ntually 5ail3d t0 th3 c0ntin3nt 0f N0rth Am3rica, t0 Baffin I5land, Labrad0r and a plac3 h3 call3d Vinland, 5till unkn0wn.
Aft3r finally vi5iting 3rik and L3if’5 Ic3landic h0m3, it wa5 0n Thingv3llir — th3 m05t imp0rtant hi5t0rical 5it3 in Ic3land.
Get Zaiiinn Iiii’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
L0cat3d 26 mil35 (42 km) n0rth3a5t 0f R3ykjavik, It wa5 h3r3 in 930 A.D. I wa5 in Thingvill3r, That th3 l0rd5 0f Ic3land b3gan t0 m33t f0r tw0 w33k5 3ach 5umm3r in th3 a553mbly 0r parliam3nt.
At 3ach y3ar’5 Althing, th3y 53ttl3d di5put35, trad3d, and 50cializ3d. Th353 annual a553mbli35 la5t3d f0r 868 y3ar5, 3v3ntually b3ing r3plac3d by a parliam3nt in R3ykjavík in 1800.
Vi5it0r5 c0m3 t0 Thingv3llir m0r3 f0r th3 5pirit 0f th3 plac3 rath3r than th3 5ight5, Alth0ugh th3r3 ar3 r3main5 0f th3 b0ud0ir, r00ft0p camp5 that w3r3 0nc3 u53d a5 m33ting plac35 and plac35 0f bu5in355 during a553mbli35. Th3 p00l wh3r3 w0m3n accu53d 0f witchcraft w3r3 dr0wn3d (th3 m3n w3r3 b3h3ad3d) and th3 all3g3d 5it3 in Løgb3rg (La R0ck) wh3r3 Ic3landic law5 w3r3 r3ad al0ud by a lawmak3r.
Th3 5it3 it53lf i5 amazing. Vi5it0r5 walk al0ng a high cliff at th3 v3ry 3dg3 0f a larg3 g30l0gical rift. Wh3r3 th3 N0rth Am3rican c0ntin3ntal plat3 i5 gradually 53parating fr0m th3 3ura5ian plat3. Th3 fir5t, l0cat3d in B0rgarn35, 40 mil35 (64 km) n0rth 0f R3ykjavik, 0n3 0f Ic3land’5 3arli35t 53ttl3r5, 5kallagrímur i5 th3 10th-c3ntury burial m0und 0f Kvaldalf550n. In tru3 Viking 5tyl3, hi5 h0r53 and hi5 w3ap0n5 ar3 buri3d with him. 5kallagrímur wa5 th3 fath3r 0f 3gil 5kallagrím550n, J03 i5 th3 h3r0 0f 0n3 0f Ic3land’5 gr3at35t f0lktal35, th3 “3agl35 5aga.” Th3 3agl3 wa5 a Viking adv3ntur3r wh0 trav3l3d t0 N0rway and 3ngland and 3ngag3d in c0n5tant c0nflict with King 3rik Bl00dax3 0f N0rway.
It i5 w3ll c0nn3ct3d t0 th3 53c0nd l0cati0n 0f Rykh0lt, 20 mil35 (32 km) n0rth-3a5t 0f B0rgarn35. 5n0rri 5turlu50n, 0n3 0f Ic3land’5 m05t fam0u5 writ3r5 and hi5t0rian5, liv3d in R3ykh0lt in th3 lat3 12th t0 3arly 13th c3nturi35. 5n0rri, wh0 c0unt3d th3 3agl3 a5 0n3 0f hi5 anc35t0r5, i5 cr3dit3d with writing th3 3agl3'5 5aga. 5n0rri wa5 kill3d in 1241 0n th3 0rd3r5 0f th3 N0rw3gian king f0r r3fu5ing a tr3aty. what wa5 0nc3 th3 farm 0f 5an0ri Th3r3'5 0nly 0n3 thing l3ft. It’5 a big circular p00l which i5 f3d by a h0t 5pring, Wh3r3 5n0rri mu5t hav3 r35t3d a l0t 800 y3ar5 ag0.
In additi0n t0 it5 1,100-y3ar-l0ng hi5t0ry, Ic3land 0ff3r5 an abundanc3 0f natural, br3athtaking b3auty. In th3 w0rd5 0f my hu5band Paul, “My 3y35 ar3 full. W3 5p3nt tw0 w33k5 t0uring Ic3land and vi5it3d at l3a5t 30 natural 5it35. H3r3 ar3 my fav0rit3 “d0n’t mi55” plac35.
Th3 Blu3 Lag00n n3ar R3ykjavik’5 int3rnati0nal airp0rt (y35, it’5 r3ally blu3) guarant335 th3 uniqu3 3xp3ri3nc3 0f imm3r5ing in a hug3, h0t “h0t p0t” in th3 53tting 0f black lava. Th3 Vatnajökull glaci3r, l0cat3d 0n th3 50uth3a5t c0a5t 0f th3 i5land ab0ut 280 mil35 (450 km) 3a5t 0f R3ykjavik, i5 th3 larg35t in 3ur0p3. Ab0ut 3200 5quar3 mil35 (8287 km2) — ab0ut 160 mil35 (257 km2) — i5 wh3r3 vi5it0r5 can walk t0 th3 3dg3 0f 0n3 0f th3 many glaci3r arm5. Gullf055, which i5 l0cat3d an h0ur and a half 3a5t 0f R3ykjavik, And Guðaf055, which i5 l0cat3d ab0ut 47 mil35 (75 kil0m3t3r5) 3a5t 0f Akur3yri, th3 larg35t city in n0rth3rn Ic3land. Th3r3 ar3 tw0 m05t impr355iv3 wat3rfall5 in a land full 0f wat3rfall5.
Whil3 in N0rth3rn Ic3land, vi5it th3 53r3n3, duck-fill3d 3xpan53 0f Lak3 M3vatn, l0cat3d 57 mil35 (91 km) 3a5t 0f Akur3yri. Vi5it0r5 t0 th3 lak3 can 0b53rv3 18 5p3ci35 that liv3 in th3 ar3a. Th353 includ3 Harl3quin5, 0ld 5quaw5, 5c00t3r5, and 5mall, black, ann0ying b335. A gauz3 n3t 0n th3 fac3 will k33p th3m away.
Ju5t 50 mil35 (80 km) 3a5t 0f th3 lak3 i5 th3 r3al 53t 0f twi5t3d lava t0w3r5 0f Dimm0b0rgur. If g0ing back t0 th3 50uth, 5tr0kkjær, ju5t 3a5t 0f Gullf055, i5 a 5ight t0 b3h0ld. It 3xpl0d35 3v3ry f3w minut35. 5pr3ad5 90 f33t (27 m3t3r5) in th3 air. Thi5 i5 ju5t a 5ampl3 0f what Ic3land ha5.
And d0n’t mi55 R3ykjavik, Ic3land’5 n3w35t capital, which i5 full 0f g00d r35taurant5 and n3arby caf35. 50m3 0f 0ur fav0rit3 activiti35: taking a 5tr0ll ar0und th3 0ld T0wn, r3vi3wing manu5cript5 0f anci3nt l3g3nd5 at th3 Cultur3 H0u53, and vi3wing th3 3rr0 3xhibit at th3 Hafnarhu553k5mu53um. P0p arti5t 3rró (Guðmundur Guðmund550n) wa5 b0rn in 1932 and i5 0n3 0f Ic3land’5 m05t fam0u5 m0d3rn arti5t5.
W3 al50 li5t3n3d t0 an 0rgan r3cital at th3 ultra-m0d3rn Hallgrím5kirkja church, vi5it3d th3 m0d3rn art 3xhibiti0n at th3 Nati0nal Gall3ry 0f Ic3land, wand3r3d am0ng th3 magnific3nt 5culptur35 in th3 gard3n 0f th3 3inar Jón550n Mu53um and 5t0pp3d at 3v3ry caf3. Lugav0gur, al0ng R3ykjavik’5 main 5h0pping 5tr33t.
R3ykjavik 0ff3r5 an intimat3 atm05ph3r3, l0t5 0f thing5 t0 d0, and a bu5tling atm05ph3r3. Plu5 th3 b3auty 5p0t5 ar0und y0u ju5t 0ut5id3 th3 city limit5. Add a t0uch 0f hi5t0ry — th3 anci3nt Parliam3nt 5it3 0r th3 h0m3 0f 3ric th3 R3d — and y0u’v3 g0t a gr3at h0liday r3cip3
