Summer of Slow Travel

We drove through three terrains today. Started in lava fields that are old enough they have moss growing on them. It is thick and spongy and currently gold-colored. I tried to catch the feel, but the size is impossible to capture. It is like the big island of HI. These field stretch on and on.

This one you can see the turf right by a Rock still. I didn’t see any insects in the turf– I imagine there are some but not yet a lot.

Then we drove through miles of grazing country. Mostly sheep and a fair amount of horses –but now I know why the butter tastes so good– the cows are eating gorgeous green grass.

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The coolest thing today was talking to this fellow about Icelandic history. He was at a museum dedicated to one of the Sagas that took place on the farms.

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The Sagas are stories that happened for real (more or less) in the 900 to 1000. Then were related orally until Iceland had a written language AND the time and money for people to write them down. About 1200. The Icelandic language has stayed so pure that these are published AS they were written and read by school children.

The Njals saga started with Njal who was a very wise man.

His best friend Gunnir was an amazing fighter and handsome

Unfortunately Gunnir fell in love with Heleg…. Who had already KILLED one husband because he slapped her

Njal said ” I don’t think this is a good idea.”.

And sure enough their wives started a fight, their sons got involved, a mean neighbor told lies to everyone. Gunner died about half way through.

Then Njal’s farm was torched and he and his wife and their grandson died.

Strangely enough it then went to COURT. And each side paid the other for all the deaths and Njal’s son and Gunnir’s son became friends…

Wild.

So much happens every day. We were walking on the beach here in the middle of nowhere and saw this. There engine was sort of broken, so they let us on, but didn’t tell us how they got it– it is American.

Love.