The sheep missed a blob there on the cliff.
Sandfjall
Don’t worry. They’ll be back to finish.
1100 Years of Sheep Roaming Free vs. Industrial Agriculture
Leave a reply
Author Archives: Harold Rhenisch
What a Difference a Sack of Fertilizer Makes
Sandfjall
The Cross at the End of the World
Literally. From this point, something else, not “world”, continues.
Hraunhafnartangi
The Light-Keeping Sheep of Hraunhafnartangi
Keeping us safe where no man dares live any longer.
Hraunhafnartangaviti lies 800 m. south of the Arctic Circle. Much of Siberia washes up on shore.
Beautiful Raufarhöfn
This graveyard in a part of Iceland rarely visited fills me with joy. The church, like so many, is an imported thing, steeped in nationalism, colonialism and paternity, but the graveyard, ah, that is 1100 years living all at once.
And in a way that has no words, at least not yet. To date, it exceeds the capacity of the literary writers of Reykjavik, far to the southwest, but I like to think that some kid, alone here just below the Arctic Circle, is living the moments right now that in a decade or two will give it voice. What a day to look forward to!
The Right Gifts to Leave in a Dwarf’s Church
So, you’ve made it through the fog …
… and across the bridge …
… and the other bridge …
…carefully! …
… to the Troll Church in Seyðisfjörður…
… with its skylight and its steeple …
… but what do you leave for the dwarves? You want to be a good guest, right? Well, a needle and some wool, maybe?
A flower? Heather is a good choice.
And the blue of the sky and the sea and the white of the waves.
And shiny things. 1 kronur coins with their flashing codfish are perfect. Dwarves love shiny things.
Might as well admire the view, eh.
And the human church next door. Not so well-built, of course. Not so experienced with stone work. Poor things. Great with plastic, though!
And then back. What else? Easy does it.
And to town.
And, yes, the dwarves have come along. The Icelanders will call it “nature,” because they’re polite and they know that the rest of us like that stuff. They know better. They even call it a “town”…
… when it is really, two. Such good manners! Such sneakiness!
Lunch in Iceland? It Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank
So, lunch. That would be nice. Why not the Apotek in Reykjavik?
Highly rated. A rather desolate environment, sure…
… but you came here for desolate, right? The bracing subarctic! And there is a fine menu. Why, the hamburger is only about CAD$40. Add a Gull, of course, and it’ll be around $55.
What? That was a whole day’s food budget? Not to worry. There are other options. The road to Seyðisfjörður, for example, or just off to the side, in case there’s a car. Serving travellers for 1100 years.
Neðri Uðafoss
The menu is simple.
Bilberries and Rainwater
Add a Skyr for CAD$2.00…
15 grams of protein!It even comes with a clever little Chinese folding spoon, which you can keep as a souvenir! And you can wander while you eat.
Efri Selfoss
Bring a coat, though. It’s Iceland! Oh, and dessert is the same as lunch.
But that’s OK, right?
A Guide to Icelandic Waterfalls for Architects and Their Guests
Icelandic waterfall (windspeed 45m/second).
Bjarnarfoss
Tourist version:
Ah, the limitations of man-made materials!
Jogging in Reykjavik
Better than a bicycle, any day! (At least in late April!)
The Best Way to Approach the Sea
Sideways, so sly?
Or head on, so bold?
With a house for company?
With a fence for (ha ha) protection?
Or with a sandbar to still that water down until it turns to swans?
In snow?
In the midnight sun?
From halfway down a ridiculous cliff called, for some reason, a road?
From the land of the dead at the bottom of the cliff?
Among muck-raking sheep?
From the city?
From a place on no map?
From a boat?
From a coal mine?
With a lighthouse?
Through a gate while tipping over in the wind (a common affliction)?
On a lazy evening when horses come to visit and refuse to eat your apples because they’ve never encountered such a strange thing before?
At the end of the road?
Without a road at all?
When the sea turns to silver?
When silver turns to the sea?
When the sky rains gold?
Over the mouth of a river?
Or when the sea flows into a river’s mouth and speaks of deep mystery?
These are the mysteries of people who live after the landing that makes firm ground out of waves that, wouldn’t you know, is not so firm after all. Yeah, best, maybe to just wade out with the trolls.
Waiting for whatever comes!
A Farm in Iceland 