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Daily Prompt: Come Fly with Me

Forestwood

Daily Prompt

Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.

65.6833° N, 18.1000° W

Dimmiborgir, Iceland

This is the further I have travelled away from home. A heavy metal band shares the same name. I travelled thirty hours in an aircraft and then another six hours in a car to get there. An other-worldly place that means “The Black Castle” or ” Dark Fortress”, reputed to be where the infamous Jule Lads ( mischevious Icelandic Santa elves) live. Covered, as it was this day, in snow and ethereal light, the place looks magical and menacing at the same time. Was that because I was told black magic rituals are sometimes carried out in the lava caves and formations?

Not far from the Arctic circle, and at a more northerly latitude than the southern areas of Greenland, visiting Akureyri and Dimmiborgir was a rare privilege for someone from “Down Under”.  A snowstorm threatened to prevent our travel to this place and for a while, I was terrified out of my wits that I would end up frozen by the side of the road in a stalled car. I had already seen at least one car upturned at the side of the road, and the snowploughs were working overtime just to keep the road for disappearing in a “white out”. I have nothing but awe for the Icelanders who drive in these conditions. But made it, we did, and the skies lifted to let us in.

Iceland is a place where the people appear to survive on the very extremes of possible human habitation. Amongst the gobsmackingly special arctic scenery, the stillness and quiet of small, often isolated communities, is the obvious resilience of the population, despite incredible natural and physical adversity that spans many generations.

KirkjanKirkjan – Place of black magic

This post is dedicated to my good friend, Guðriður. Someone and something I will always ponder about. A unique experience so so far from home.

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

18 thoughts on “Daily Prompt: Come Fly with Me”

  1. What a wonderful place… Truly real. I’d love to visit one day and sit with that force… I believe it has something to teach not to fear.

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      1. I doubt it, Amanda. Even in summer it’s a dangerous sailing ground for a single hander! I’ve too much respect for Iceland!

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      5. Maybe… It’s all about the balance between courage and common sense in the end. The sea bed is littered with fools!

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      6. There was a lot of disparaging comments made about her in the press here, when she ran into a ship in the bay one hour or two after leaving port on her solo attempt. But she rallied and later finished the circumnavigation successfully. I can tell you I was also sceptical about her chances after the initial setback. But she made it and no doubt, a fair share of luck is thrown into the courage/common sense mix, at least with the weather conditions.

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      7. She’s still alive after a truly heroic attempt so my respect is there. No one was hurt, so fair enough. At least she practices what she preaches, unlike many in this world.

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    1. There is a soft cushiony feel to the atmosphere in snowy places ( when it is not blowing a gale, of course). I find something comforting about that. Nothing like a snowy blanket!

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