Icelandic Times - Land og saga

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The Essential Servant-The Icelandic Horse breed has survived a Thousand Yearsof Harsh Winters and Volcanic EruptionsThe Icelandic Horse is considered to rank among the finest breeds in theworld. It is highly sought after by international horse breeders for itsfine physique and two extra gaits. The Icelandic people hold these noblecreatures in high regard, as horseback riding is among the most popularsports and hobbies in the country.The Icelandic horse is a bit smallerthan most horses, in fact it is almost apony (but don‘t ever call it a pony toa native). They are especially strongdue to a natural selection of sorts, asthey are the survivors of hundredsof years of extreme winters andvolcanic eruptions. But perhapsdue to a lack of natural predatorsin Iceland they are especially docileand easy-tempered, which makesthem optimal for riding for those lessexperienced.Their colors and patterns are veryvariable and the Icelandic vocabularyhas over a hundred names for them,some of which are more obvious thanothers. For example if an Icelanderdescribes a horse as grey, you mightthink it is white and if he describes itas brown you might think it is black.While most horse breeds only havethree or four gaits, i.e. ways of walkingor running, the Icelandic breed hastwo unique additional gaits: tölt andskeið. The former is shared by allIcelandic horses and is considered a34The Icelandic horse is known for its mild temper. Photos: Ingóvery comfortable gait for riding; thelatter is rarer and usually reserved forhighly trained horses and riders.Founders of IcelandThe original settlers of Icelandbrought with them horses fromtheir home countries, which latermixed with breeds from the Englishislands. After early failed attempts atcrossbreeding a law was passed in982 which forbade the importation ofhorses to Iceland. The Icelandic breedis thus over one thousand years old.The horse was an extremelyimportant part of the daily life in theViking times and an important factorin making these harsh landscapeshabitable, which is why the horseis sometimes called the „essentialservant.“ Travelling long distances“Horses were highlyrevered by theNordic settlers andplayed a grand rolein Norse mythologyand were evenworshipped asdeities. The mostfamous horse ofall was Sleipnir,the eight leggedsteed of Óðinn,who reportedlyset down one ofhis hooves onetime in Northern-Iceland, creating themagnificent Ásbyrgicanyon.would have been impossible withoutthe horse, which made them essentialfor trade, commerce, politics,education and human interaction.All heavy manual labor was usuallycarried out by a horse, whether itwas carrying fish from the shore,carrying hay from the field or woodfor building.Horses were highly revered by theNordic settlers and played a grandrole in Norse mythology and wereeven worshipped as deities. Themost famous horse of all was Sleipnir,the eight legged steed of Óðinn,who reportedly set down one ofhis hooves one time in Northern-Iceland, creating the magnificentÁsbyrgi canyon.Horses were considered an indicatorof its owners wealth; the better thesteed – the richer the owner was.Some lords would even have theirmost prized steed buried with them.In order to decide who‘s breed wasthe best, horse fights were held,in which stallions would be pittedagainst each other.
Inside the Volcano-Volcano Tours Offer you the Chance to Stand inside a Volcanoand Descend below the Surface into Ancient Lava CavesMuch has been said and writtenabout Iceland’s many uniquegeographical phenomena, butthere is nothing that beats theexperience of actually walkinginside a volcanic crater ordescending into mysteriouscaves under the surface of theearth.Tourist company VolcanoTours offers a variety of uniqueexcursions which explore themultitude of craters, caves,lava fields, hot springs andgeothermal areas found on theReykjanes peninsula.Jaw Dropping ExperienceThe staff of Volcano Tours haveyears of experience of cave exploringand touring the volcanic craters andcan thus give you the full details ofReykjanes’ unique landscape. ErlingEinarsson, owner of Volcano Tours,estimates that he has exploredover 200 caves on the Reykjanespeninsula, yet when he enters anew cave his jaw still drops to thefloor in awe. „It is truly a rewardingexperience to stand face to face tothe awesome powers of the earth.I often see it in the faces of thegroups I bring to the caves, peoplesometimes stand still in amazementand even forget to take photographs.That‘s when I know the trip has beena success,“ says Erling.Reykjanes‘ geographical history isas rich as it is long. Reykjanes is infact a part of the mid Atlantic ridge,which lies along the bottom of theAtlantic Ocean and is the longestmountain range in the world.Volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanespeninsula have been frequentthroughout the ages, the last majoreruption occuring in the 13thcentury. This high level of volcanicactivity has created a wide arrayof unique geological phenomena,many of which Volcanic Toursprovide a chance to explore up closeand personal.When some of the volcanoesbecame inactive hunders ofyears ago they suddenly emptiedthemselves and are now hollowedout. This gives us the chance toexplore them from the inside, whichErling says is an experience whichwill not be easily forgotten. „It is anamazing experience to stand insidea volcano and see how the lavaonce oozed down the crater wallslike melted chocolate when the lavastopped spurting up from beneaththe surface,“ says Erling.Volcano Tours offer many varietiesof excursions which frequentlyinclude around 20-25 stops atvarious geological and historicallocations, depending on thecustomers field of interest. Toursinclude an experienced guideand protective clothes as well as afull cave exploring kit, includinghelmets, headlamps, overalls andmittens. Tours can include hikingVolcano Tours offers you a chance to step inside volcanoes.and/or short walks, all dependingon the wishes of the customer. Allof Volcano Tours’ excursions areon 4x4 jeeps, with six passengers ineach vehicle.A magical world underneath the surface.Dance of the SpiritsDuring the wintertime Volcano Toursalso gives you the unique opportunityto catch the northern lights in all theirglory. The Aurora Borealis Tour istailor made so that you can experiencethis marvelous phenomenon in all itsglory. Volcanic Tours will help findthe perfect spots for you to view andphotograph the “dance of the spirits”in the comfort of a luxurious jeep andwarm overalls.For further information and bookingvisit www.volcanotours.is35
Page 2 and 3: A Greetingfrom thePresident of Icel
Page 4 and 5: The NationalMuseum of Iceland:Take
Page 6 and 7: A Photographer’s paradise-The Rey
Page 8 and 9: The Northern Lights can often be se
Page 10 and 11: Relaxing Stay on the Arctic Circle-
Page 12 and 13: “For those who wantto remember Ic
Page 14 and 15: Houses such as this one have been c
Page 16 and 17: The Kingdom of Vatnajökull-Home to
Page 18 and 19: Bus Tours with aPersonal Touch-Time
Page 20 and 21: its most magnificent creations. Tha
Page 22 and 23: Driving on top of a glacier is an e
Page 24: BORN AGAINA Unique Novelty in High
Page 27 and 28: Among the highlights of this season
Page 29 and 30: Enjoy Icelandwith the best* local t
Page 31 and 32: Imagine standingon top of thesame r
Page 33: The Golden Circle Super Jeep Tour o
Page 37 and 38: More Iceland For Less MoneyExplore
Page 39 and 40: The Icelandic FilmSchool is current
Page 41 and 42: Photos: IngóIceland in figuresThe
Page 43 and 44: Curious heritageIceland’s musical
Page 45 and 46: Around 82% of Iceland‘s energycon
Page 47 and 48: The Vikingsare ComingIceland’s ri

Icelandic Times - Land og saga

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