ICELAND

                                        An Interesting Country

       Iceland, an island of almost 40,000 square miles and about the size of Ohio is a land of massive glaciers and mountains, rumbling volcanoes, lava fields, bubbling mud holes, geysers, powerful waterfalls, desolate highlands, fertile river valleys, and abundant bird life, but only 300,000 people. It is a geology, biology and history class without a textbook. Glaciers and snowfields cover only 13% of the land mass and only 7% of the land is fertile. Iceland's highest peak, Hvannadalshnukur, towers 6,500 feet. The coastline is dotted with more than one hundred fjords, and green, fertile valleys extend from them. Iceland also has more than 10,000 waterfalls and countless hot springs. 

One of many waterfalls

      Iceland is a hot spot of geothermal activity. Thirty post-glacial volcanoes have erupted in the past two centuries, and natural hot water supplies much of the population with cheap, pollution-free heating. Rivers are harnessed to provide inexpensive hydroelectric power. The Gulf Stream moderates south and west coast temperatures, but rain is common when warm and cold weather systems meet.

      Fishing is the nation's greatest resource. About 66% of the workforce is employed in the service industry. Icelanders enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Icelanders still speak the language of the Vikings (Old Norse).

      Irish monks first arrived in Iceland in 700 AD, but regarded it as a hermitage. Iceland was not settled until Norwegians arrived in 874-930 when political strife on the Scandinavian mainland forced many to head westward. The people are quite Scandinavian, their mainly Norwegian Viking ancestors brought along some Irish slaves over 1100 years ago who quickly blended into the population, and many Icelanders actually celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!  There are no Eskimos in Iceland.

      In 1281, after 200 years of peace, violent feuds and raids by private armies led to the end of control by Norway. In 1397 a union of Norway, Sweden and Denmark brought Iceland under Danish rule. Disputes between church and state in 1550 resulted in the Danes seizing church property and imposing Lutheranism on the population.

      In the 16^th century natural disasters of volcanic eruptions, four severe winters and crop failures resulted in 9000 people dying from starvation. In the 1800s nationalism grew, and free trade returned in 1855.

      The country has no army. During WWII concern about Germany led the British to protect Iceland. In 1941 the United States replaced the British. In 1874 a constitution was drafted, and the Republic of Iceland finally became a reality in 1944.

      Iceland is home to ten million Atlantic Puffins, and is the largest breeding ground for the beloved bird, a graceful swimmer and diver. The only native animal in Iceland is the wolf. There are no frogs nor turtles. Now mice, rabbit, mink introduced in 1931, and horses are included. The horse is small, strong, resilient and was used for farm work and transport. The 70-80,000 horses are docile and easy to handle. The only native trees are the birch and willow.  Glacial rivers are milky.  Sagas are Viking stories from the 12-13^th centuries that are hand written.

      My visit was in July and it was warm enough for all of us to wear shorts the entire time. It was a most interesting visit to a pedestrian friendly walkable city and an intriguing environment..

L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS

        A North American  Viking Settlement 

At the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland lies L’Anse aux Meadows, site of the first European settlement in North America nearly 1000 years ago. It  is a significant archeological find. Excavated remains of an 11th century Viking settlement consisting of timber-framed turf buildings (houses, workshops, etc.) that are identical of the same time period with those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland.

Viewing the outlines of Norse encampments at the UNESCO site stimulates the imagination while replicas of Norse sod buildings provide the stage for costumed interpreters to help one imagine what life in the harsh environment was like centuries ago.

            Our young Parks Canada guide told us, “Dr. Ingstad, a Norwegian, spent half his lifetime finding and working on this site, which he discovered in 1960. Unexpectedly a local fisherman told him about this place when the doctor asked if there were any strange or unusual earth formations around.”

            Walking on damp grass through the site, when asked our guide responded, “Only about 12-15 inches of wall was found. The weather had destroyed the upper parts of the wall. To preserve what is left the walls are covered with dirt which now is covered with grass.”

            The sail was the most important part of the Viking ship because it was made of wool and it took the wool of 90 sheep and many men working three years to make one.

            A building measuring 70 X 55 feet contained 5-6 rooms and fireplaces. Upper and lower walls were found. Lumps of slag iron found in several houses and large flat-surfaced stones near the river indicate the existence of a smithy. A large pit of charred wood, needed for smithy operations, was found in another pit. A tiny stone wheel carved from soapstone served as a fly-wheel on a spinning spindle  indicating that women were included in the settlement. The importance of L’Anse-aux-Meadows lies in the fact that it is the only place where actual evidence has been found that withstands scientific scrutiny that Vikings actually settled in North America. This permanent settlement took place 500 years before Columbus’s voyages.

            When we moved on to the sod buildings I was amazed at how comfortable they were inside. In the main building a “Viking” was playing a stringed instrument in front of a fire. The house was very warm and cozy---a great contrast to the drizzly cold outside.

Considerably different from later preserved settlements such as Williamsburg, it was a most interesting visit but the day was long with a lot of time spent on a bus. I’m not sure  there is a viable alternative though.