Back from the Land of the Sagas!

[eldritchhobbit]

I am back from a fantastic week in breathtaking Iceland. The "Liberty and Property in the 21st Century" conference was extremely thought-provoking and productive for me, and my trips in Reykjavik (on the day of the Reykjavik Marathon!) and Thingvellir were enchanting. The beauty of the country's land and history was simply stunning: no wonder great minds from Sturluson and Tolkien to Verne and Laxness have been inspired by the "Pearl of the North."

If anyone is interested in seeing the photos I took during my stay, you can access them all HERE.

Or, if you would like just a sample, my favorites are the following:
* Hallgrimskirkja (church) and the statue of Leifur Eiriksson in Reykjavik,
* the cemetery in "Old Town" Reykjavik,
* the falls and cliffs of Thingvellir, and
* Thingvallabaer (farmhouse at the site of 1,000 anniversary of the Althing) and Thingvallakirkja (church built on the site of one of Iceland's first churches) at Thingvellir.

And happy late birthday to euclase, who celebrated the occasion while I was gone. I hope you had a fantastic day, and will enjoy many, many more to come!

I am dreadfully jetlagged and facing the first meetings of my classes in two days, so I may be a bit slow to catch up with everyone, but I will do my best. I look forward to learning all I missed and being back in touch with all of you in LJ-land!

And a quote for the day:

"When reindeers run with wolves, they have to howl."
from Halldor Laxness (Iceland's Nobel Laureate in Literature), from a personal letter

Comments

Hello

[faramirgirl.livejournal.com]

Welcome back (((((you))))) I have missed you. Glad that you had a good time.

Re: Hello

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! (((FG))) Missed you too, my friend!

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Wow...! The pictures are amazing - I know so very little about Iceland. What a great experience it looks like you had; you make me want to go study up on its history now. Very dramatic shot of the church steeple - I can see why you liked that one.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! :) Iceland has a remarkable history, especially during its Free State period (930-1262), which is truly unique in world history, and its literature is equally impressive, with the Icelandic Sagas and Eddas. And Tolkien drew so much for the Icelandic tradition, including the names of Gandalf and almost all of the Dwarves from The Hobbit! I've become quite fascinated in the last few years with Iceland's culture, and seeing the place has made me all the more enthusiastic. Thanks for letting me share! :)

[sneezythesquid.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! It's always good to get away every now and again. I know we all missed you, and celebrate your return.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Many thanks! :) How are you doing? I see that handsome Browncoat bracelet you have - awesome. I'm counting the days...

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

OMG, that graveyard is AWESOME! And the pictures of Hallgrimskirkja and Thingvallabaer are prize winning - GORGEOUS! Can't wait to see the others - the link isn't working for me right now. Iceland is a place I really know very little about. Not a lot of scenic pictures floating around and it's not a place I personally have any connection with. Please talk about it all so I learn something!

Welcome back! We missed you!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you SO much! I'm thrilled that you like the pictures. Let me know if you can access the others - if not, I'll come up with another way to share them. I knew you'd appreciate the cemetery! Iceland really has a remarkable history, especially during its Free State period (930-1262), which is truly unique in world history, and its literature is equally impressive and unusual, with the Icelandic Sagas (a noteworthy literary form, with fascinating stories) and Eddas. I've been interested in Iceland because of its political innovations and its influence on Tolkien (who drew a great deal of inspiration, not to mention character names, from Icelandic literature). After visiting, I'm more taken with Iceland than ever!

[randomalia.livejournal.com]

Glad to see you! Sounds like you had a fantastic time - the photos are wonderful. What beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing them with us!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) It was fantastic, but now I'm glad to be back. It's Fall, time to get back into the swing of things. How's the thesis and research coming? (And, as importantly, the fiction writing? *wink*)

[randomalia.livejournal.com]

It's all very slow on both fronts, unfortunately! Thanks for asking :) At least with fic, I have a few WiPs up my sleeve that I can tinker with. Hope you're doing well; settling even with all that is going on.

[semielliptical]

Beautiful photos - thanks for sharing! I'm particularly smitten by the landscape in the last one.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked the pictures. The landscape really was breathtaking. The influence of all that volcanic activity makes it seem so otherworldly, and it is on such a huge scale the camera can't really do it justice.

[fungus-files.livejournal.com]

welcome back, A! :)

so glad to hear you had such a fantastic trip. the pics are amazing. esp liked the statue of Leif (yes, he and I know each other on a first name basis).

good luck with the catch-up & hope you recover from the jet-lag soon.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

As long as it's Eriksson you're on first-name basis with, and not Leif Garrett, that's okay. *wink* Eriksson is cool, in fact - I think he could deliver the smackdown to Columbus any day. With one arm tied behind his back.

Thanks for the good wishes. Hope all's well with you!