You never know where the internet will take you!
Howllo fellow basset hound and Nupsstadur farm lovers: This morning I was looking for an image to use on my home page and I googled, tiny church. Chaps always likes to bless his residents, no matter what the religion on Sunday. He knows that some celebrate on different days but he picks Sunday to bless everyone. I love that about him. Anyway, back to our Icelandic travel log!
This is the image that came up.
And here is the one I picked for Chaps this morning.
This tiny church is on Nupstadur Farm in Iceland. Nupstadur is the easternmost farm of the Fljot County, just to the west of the largest alluvial / outwash plain of the country, Skeidararsandur, where the glacier burst took place in November 1997 as a result of the sub glacial eruption in October the same year. In earlier times, the farmers of Nupstadur were obliged to guide travellers across this precarious gravel desert and unbridged glacial rivers.
A part of the chapel at Nupsstadur dates partly back to the 17th century and is now in the care of the National Museum. The remnants of the old turf houses are also well worth the short detour from the main road. The precipice behind the farm with its bizarre rock formations is also a welcome sight.
Just east of the farm is a 600 m high and precipitous mountain, Lomagnupur.
(this is the best part)……….
According to the ancient mythology, it is occupied by one of the four main protective spirits of the country, the giant with the iron stick, who is on the Icelandic coins along with the remaining three other figures in the country’s coat of arms.
The distance from the capital is about 370 km.
All the buildings have turf roofs, including a tiny wooden church dating back to 1200. It was abandoned in 1968 after the death of the owner who was the postman and a guide for crossing the treacherous local river. Bridges only came to the south coast in 1974.
I am totally and utterly fascinated with Iceland. As a matter of fact, my next book is about Icelandic freckle fairies. Here is an image that I am working on for the start of the book.
Here Chaps is laying by a babbling brook wondering what happened to his friends, the Icelandic Freckle Fairies……..
It is still very much a work in progress and after finding images like the ones I did this morning, I have a lot to think about.
More Icelandic thoughts later…..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma
Comments(8)
This was very interesting Cat. Thanks for sharing . A new book is sooooo exciting. You are our favorite author!!!
Hugs,
Kip, Gus, Bonnie and Charlie Bear
have you ever been to the dog chapel up in vermont? its by stephen huneck? what an incredible place…the stained glass is all of dogs…such a peaceful place…everything is open and your dogs are expected to off leash and running around like fools..there are ponds, and trails and agility equipment…its on top of a mountain and the place is seriously one of the most quiet and peace filled places i have ever been.
huneck is a great guy…i’ve met him a few times…very niceand he’s signed a abasset drawing for me the last time i was up there and we got interviewed by the washington post as well…i love that place..been going for years. i’ve got some pix if anyone is interested.
This one made me smile as we’re a part-Icelandic household here. The only downside to Iceland is the rain that comes at you sideways most of the year. Although my father-in-law assures me that global warming has helped improve the climate there.
One or two bassets in ReykjavÃk but not many.
Wow, Jon –
That is so cool about your family being part Icelandic. I bet you did like that blog posting. What I found about the comment is that there are approximately one or two bassets in Reykjavik.
In my next book, the bassets in Iceland are very long haired and can talk every language. They round up the freckle fairies to ride on freckle ponies across the ocean to find a special pup named Emma!
LOL
Have a great day and thanks for that comment!
Cat
Lois – I have never been to the Huneck Dog chapel but I link to his website on my blog roll. I just love his work and I would love to see pictures. This will be a place I visit in the future and I cannot wait.
Looking forward to your pictures. Can I do a blog posting with them?
Have a great Monday, Cat, Chaps and Emma
sure..i’ll send them today.
Love the little Iceland Church picture. Also, love the glimpse of Chaps in the new book.
Didn’t Iceland just go bankrupt and overthrow their government or something? Haven’t been paying close attention.
(PS – Hannah loves today’s message from Chaps, riding in Cinderella’s carriage and going to pick up pumpkin muffins! She laughed and laughed!).
Kerry – they lost massive amounts of their money due to investing on Wall Street. They were scammed just like the rest of us. There is a pretty good article in Vanity Fair, of course it is long, hey, it’s Vanity Fair.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/04/iceland200904
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