Happy Monday Steemit! As promised I've got some pics from the darker side of Iceland!
Hell on Earth
Iceland is very geothermically active. It rests between two tectonic plates (North America and Eurasia) and there were parts of the north that was so active it was like hell on earth - steaming orange dirt, bubbling mud pools, and deposits of reeking sulfur on the surface! The smell was awful. I went hiking one morning my bestie said I came back smelling like the Devil's backside!
The Abandoned Farm
We were driving along the southern coast and came across an abandoned farmstead. It was eerily beautiful. Iceland only has 300k residents, and hosts 1.9m tourists. Their economy is very dependant on tourism. Not much other than sheep can grow there. You get the idea looking at this place how hard life must have been for the historical residents of this island. Abandoned farm equipment and old junk sat rotting in picturesque ways, framed by the natural rugged beauty of the island.
Houses of the Holy
85% of the population still have some emotional connection with traditional beliefs - ones that include elves and trolls living along side humans. Here are two pictures of Icelandic houses of the holy. One the magnificent Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykyavik - including the massive statue of Lief Ericsson, founder of Iceland. A church with a Viking statue in front of it! Cool! The other an elf cairn intentionally built in the countryside as a home for elves in a pagan Icelander's backyard.
The Rock (and the Law)
When Iceland was founded in 830 very few of its settlers were literate. Most were fleeing tyranny of European kings. So once a year the Vikings would gather at the Logberg (literally Law Rock) for the Althing, the annual gathering in late June where the law was read out to the people. An icelandic flag now stands on the spot. And remember those tectonic plates? The site of the Althing was literally between the two plates. You can see the American one jutting out dramatically at the Logberg in Thingvellir National Park!
So there you have it! 10 days of Icelandic adventure in two easy to digest posts! I hope you enjoyed it. Its customary to add cuteness to the end of posts... here's some Sheep Fluffy Butt Tax! (Its hard to get shots of the front of sheep - they're shy and run away!)
