Entry 4: June 13, 2009
Snæfellsjökull Glacier

On Saturday, we climbed up a glacier in Snaefellsness known as Snaefellsjokull, which is also the famous setting of the book “Under the Glacier” by Halldor Laxness. Getting to the glacier was really difficult. The roads were all gravelly and so mountainous. It felt really dangerous to get up to actually see the glacier, but the scenery was so amazing that the roads hardly seemed to matter. The mountains surrounding Snaefellsjokull are no less glorious than the glacier itself. The glacier had many alternating patches of snow and rock until almost the very top of the glacier. Walking through the snow was really hard, but the rocky patches were a little easier. The most haunting thing about the glacier was the absolute silence when I just sat down and listened. It was so beautiful and so peaceful.

Entry 3: June 10, 2009
Hraunfossar and Barnafoss Waterfalls 

The Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls, located in mid-western Iceland, are located on the Hvita riverside. The waterfalls seem to flow from the rocks themselves, but are actually part of underground streams embedded within an ancient lava flow that covered the land a long time ago. The Hvita river appears to be a glacial river because it is so bright, clear blue. You could almost see to the bottom of the river, even at the top of the gorge. The waterfalls were awesome and inspiring, definitely not something to be missed, but so were the rock formations on the north side of the river above the falls. It is easy to see how the lava flowed across the land because the lava hardened into shapes that look like rippling water. Whereas elsewhere in the country it is difficult to imagine the rock being molten and flowing like water, here it isn’t hard to imagine red-hot magma covering the landscape. The “fire” side of “the land of fire and ice” can be clearly seen in this amazing area.

Entry 2 – June 5, 2009
The Wildlife near Skalholt

Since our group has been in Iceland, we’ve been living very close to nature. Skalholt, like most of the rest of Iceland, is very rural, with houses only every mile and a half or so. Needless to say, there is a lot of room for animals to run around. I had the most interesting encounter with the wildlife yesterday when I was outside meditating.

I was just sitting there in the grass, looking out toward Hekla from our back door, and I hear a shuffling in the grass. I thought to myself, “Maybe it’s a bird or goose or something” because there are a lot of birds in Iceland, but not much of anything else. Suddenly, an arctic fox runs out from the brush and stares at me. I was wearing a sweater lined in rabbit fur and that must have confused him because he took one look at me and ran off.

At the time I didn’t know he was an arctic fox because Dr. Grathwohl and Dr. Novak said there were very few predators in Iceland. But after looking up the thing I had seen in the “Guide to Iceland Plants and Animals” Dr. Novak brought with him, it could have been nothing else. It was dark brown and grey – that’s their summer coat. That was the closest I’ve ever been to a real, living fox. I didn’t get a picture, but I included one that looks just like the one I saw.

Iceland is unique like that. The wildlife doesn’t seem as touched by human life as it is in America. The birds come and go as they please, unfettered by houses and what few cars there are. The swans here are huge, about the size of golden retrievers – or that’s how they’ve been described. Sheep cross man-made roads and are given the right-of-way because they comprise a great deal of the living that farmers make here. The horses here (which are smaller than those in America) are more than happy to share their fields with blundering Americans who are just going for a hike down to the hot springs – they seem even more curious about us than about other Icelanders. And because it’s only dark for three hours here at night, the birds sing until the wee hours of the morning. It’s not uncommon to hear birds singing at 1 or 2 a.m.
This really is a magical place…

Entry 1: June 3
The Church at Skalholt

The Lutheran church at Skalholt is absolutely amazing, but not just because it looks beautiful. This past Sunday we were invited as a group to a very special Confirmation ceremony in which six new members of the church were dedicated. They all wore white robes and they came forward one by one to be blessed by the priest, Egill Hallgrimsson. Then their families joined them for their very first communion as members of the church. Egill Hallgrimsson also introduced us to the church during the Confirmation ceremony and, as a special treat, lead the traditional hymn "What A Friend We Have in Jesus" as part of his sermon. It was really wonderful to feel so openly accepted in a community that is so small and tight-knit. I know it made the adolescents who were becoming part of the church feel that much more special that we could be there for such an occasion. 

The chorus that sings at the church is renowned for its absolutely beautiful music. The music was very traditional and very moving, like old masses sung in Latin, but it was actually in Icelandic. Dr. Novak said that one of the girls who works here now once travelled with the chorus all over the world when she was only fourteen. The music fills the soul with joy and beauty. There are only about ten or twelve members of the chorus, but the music swells as though there were more than a hundred voices floating to the rafters of the church high above. The pipe organ music accompanying those beautiful voices makes the hymn that much more amazing. I know I will never forget our experience at the church and I look forward to the next time we visit for a worship service.