Today we headed out for another bus tour! In our class we have been studying lots of Icelandic Viking Sagas. Many of these sagas are based off of true facts and real people. We got to see plenty of great Icelandic sites. They are more impressive if you have read the sagas.
We got to see Brak’s Sound and the Settlement Center. While there I walked through the Egil’s Saga exhibit. It was a great layout and really helped me understand the saga better. Everything is better with pictures.
We were also able to stop by Skallagrim’s burial mound. It doesn’t sound too exciting when you tell someone about it, but Skallagrim was a big part of the saga. It still blows my mind that these people in these stories were real and that I got to see things that they saw here in Iceland.
Many of these sagas were written by Snorri Sturluson (1179-121). We were lucky enough to visit Reyholt, the place where he lived. They have a very extensive museum laid out about him. He was a very accomplished writer and a law keeper for his clan. He is one of the most important people in Icelandic history, and it was great to be able to soak up part of that history.
Our final stop was to another set of falls. They are called the Children Falls. They come from a glacier river and they are beautiful. Some of the river actually runs underground because of the lava fields that they are set in. Every time an eruption happens, the lava helps form new aspects of the river.
It rained all day, but even through the rain covered windows, Iceland is breath taking. It upsets me so much that none of my photos give this place any justice. Iceland is somewhere I hope to come back to someday!
For our last night in Iceland, we went out with a bang. Our group had dinner at The Viking Village. We ate a traditional Viking meal, that was served to us by Vikings! We started off with a group shot and beers. Shots are not my thing, I don’t know what it was, but I could do without it again haha. The beers however were delicious. We were brought out plates of fish jerky and shark, both were surprisingly good. That was followed by a course of fish soup, loaded up with lobster, muscles, scallops, and shrimp. I was in heaven! Then we had plates of lamb, potatoes, vegetables, and slaw brought out. I was stuffed well beyond capacity but that didn’t stop me. Dessert was a simple strawberry ice cream, and I did my best to finish it all.
We were entertained by a very boisterous Viking warrior. He sang to us and kept us laughing all through the meal. I couldn’t have picked a better location for my last night in Iceland. The memories I made here will last a lifetime, I don’t think I’ve ever wandered more beautiful countrysides in my life. I can’t wait to come back here and soak up more 20 hour sunlit days and perfectly placed summer rains!