Velkomin Til Islands!

A Vikings tale...
They came from over seas...
We arrived by ferry, making a 2 day journey from Bergen, Norway and spending a day in the Faroe Islands.

My first impression of Iceland was intriguing.

The roofs were BLUE!

The lands contoured and mysterious;
Steaming,

and frozen.

Alluring in an unexplicable way!
A perfect environment for Trolls!


Where land can swallow itself up

or spray paint itself in brilliant colors!

Dare to brave the 28 kilometers of unpaved road to Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe and you will be rewarded!

This place is in the middle of a desert!!


Some of the people were whalers in the past,

leaving safe havens, like Husavik, in small boats.

Today, "modern"Vikings take to the seas in even smaller vessels, kayaks, originally from Greenland, partaking in festivals of a sort which are called "symposiums."

(Faroese row boat on the beach too!)

They can be a great place to learn, and to meet folks with similar interests. We were invited to attend the Eric The Red Symposium in Neskaupssadur by Steini Sigurlaugsson, from Eglisstadir.
(Steini, Ari and Nigel)
Ari's Parents hosted us in Neskaupssadur.

At this event, I took part in a helicopter rescue.
Though slightly apprehensive, I reminded myself that, "these are professionals."
The view from above was unbeatable!

It is very windy underneath one of these things and actually, it can be easier to perform a rescue in windy conditions when the helicopter can counter forces against the wind.

There were classes for people of all ages and abilities, which could have gone on all night.

The sun is out for 24 hours a day at this time of year!
And we took advantage of as many of them as possible!

We really had a splendid time in Iceland

Three Leg Tour

It all depends on how you look at it. Maybe it's 2 or 4 or 5 legs!

But, May 6th Nigel and I depart for Venice, Italy, Stockholm (yes, Sweden!) and from there, take an airplane to Bergen Norway to catch a ferry to Iceland via the Faeroe Islands.

We will participate in The Voga Longa and teach at the Bibione Symposium south of Venice.

Neither Nigel nor I have been to Italy before and we are especially looking forward to this unique opportunity to paddle in Venice when there will be no motor traffic!

While in Sweden we will be teaching staff from the major sports outlet in Hungary.

And there will be some business meetings with Point 65.

Then, it's on to Iceland!

This portion of our travels is particularly meaningful because Nigel and his friend, Geoff Hunter were the first people to circumnavigate the island in 1977. At that time there were no kayaks in Iceland and now, he has been invited back to teach.We have decided to take the ferry, in part because that is how Nigel made his earlier journeys there with kayaks. This means a bonus visit to the Faeroe Islands, the islands midway between Norway and Iceland, a place I first heard about from my friend Mary Jane Mucklestone. One family vacation in the late 60's, her father flew the four of them in their single engine plane from Seattle to Europe. They made a few stops along the way including one in the Faeroes.

The legs of this trip are quite contrasting yet each one is significant. (I have been preparing by studying Italian and Icelandic and talk about opposites!!)

But I look forward to the impact they will have individually and as a series of experiences.

There most certainly will be some unexpected connections made and some twisted tendrels to untangle back in the studio.
Until June...