Tag: Iceland

The Not Taken Vacation: Icelandic Moss

Iceland Moss is really not a moss, but a symbiotic association between algae and fungus. It grows to be about 10 centimeters tall or about four inches , and is found in alpine and cold climates such as Iceland from which its name is derived. It can be used as an herbal remedy for a variety of complaints, such as pulmonary problems or digestive upsets and so on, although there is not a popular need for it apparently. The terrain and latitude of Iceland makes tall trees not very common, but Alpine plants and low-growing seasonal flowers, lichens, moss, and other such things make for a lovely landscape.

By no means am I trying to be a scientific illustrator, but looking at these plants, such as this lichen, just really fill me with delight because they’re so beautiful and so tiny.

Tomorrow I’m going to look at some of the photos I took before my tumble in Reykjavik, and hope to put in some drawings of buildings and historical landmarks before we move on to Ireland and Dublin where our next stop was supposed to be.

The Not Taken Vacation: Mountain Avens

The Mountain Avens, also known as dryas octopetala, is an Arctic alpine plant that’s in the family rosacea. It is a small flower which grows at higher elevations. It is found in the Arctic tundra of northern Eurasia, North America, and, of course, in Iceland where it is the national flower. Areas with high altitudes, such as the Rocky Mountains or the Alps and other high mountain regions, also are home to this lovely little flower.

The Not Taken Vacation: Icelandic Turf Houses

For our next adventure into Iceland I thought it would be really interesting to explore what life was like historically. In a country where there is obviously a lot of rock and turf, and a seeming dearth of trees, what better thing to think about than how people lived for 1000 years before modern architectural technology?

I googled “traditional Icelandic houses”as Reykjavik is full of modern buildings and not a lot of older ones that I could see. This made me curious. Native resources created perfectly warm houses. People need shelter, and creatively use what is at hand. Early on around 950 CE, native birch trees were for building, and later wood from shipwrecks or detritus found on the beach was used.

There’s a really great website called The Ultimate Guide to Turf Houses in Iceland and it is filled with the history of preserved buildings, including houses, barns, churches, and schools. Turf buildings deteriorate quickly if not maintained.

Below is a really good video on that web page, which I’m linking below. It has some great information in addition to the aforementioned web page.

Next? Plants!

The Not Taken Vacation: Grundarfjodur

I broke my arm last Wednesday in Iceland. By Saturday morning at 1:00 a.m. I was home, having spent several more hours getting home. I was exhausted. And while I was still in shock the reality of not being able to have a vacation didn’t come home until to day. It is so depressing to think that I was going to be off visiting new places and having adventures, and visiting friends who live in Spain as well that I have not seen in quite some time.

I have decided to not give into this as it will be rather depressing altogether! Instead I have decided to be the armchair tourist or armchair traveler, and visit places that I would have been or would like to see if I was in some of these countries, I am also using voice to text to dictate this, and then correct the errors as I go along. It is a lot faster than trying to type with two fingers on one hand!

The first place I’m going to go to is a very iconic mountain called Grundarfjodur. I have always loved the shape of this mountain because of the curves and the angles and its barren landscape. It’s located somewhere on the western side in the northern area of Iceland but on our trip we would have never seen it so I decided that I was going to paint it as if I were. There are a lot of public domain photos of this mountain and I have used one of those to get a sense of it.

To do these sketches I decided that I would use my watercolor kit that I put together for traveling, and use only it exclusively. It includes the brushes and paints and pens and pencils and a sketchbook and various odds and ends. It will be very limited in color and technique but it will be a fun experience altogether.

So with no more ado, let’s go ahead and take a peek!

Taking a Break

On our first outing on our trip I broke my left arm. We still are unsure how it happened.

We got an ambulance, spent hours in the ER, then came home on the recommendation of ER staff. Viking helped us out. The Icelandic medical personnel were wonderful.

We saw a couple of orthopedists yesterday – we got home in the wee hours of Saturday -as well as had a lovely chat with Jimmy, a retired orthopedic surgeon who is a cousin of my SIL.

Nothing malignant seen, but I have a lovely comminuted spiral fracture of my lower humerus. No elbow damage it seems as wrist, fingers, and forearm function. I am doing fine but very one-armed, typing with my right hand only. Too much work! Family and friends have been fabulous, too.

So for now, see ya later.