Golden Falls et al

Yesterday was the first time I really noticed the lack of daylight. Maybe it was because the sky was overcast, maybe it's because we moved in a more leisurely fashion than I realized at the time, but it seems to me we had more stuff to do and see than the hours of daylight allowed.

Our first stop after a nice lunch in Skalholt was Gullfoss (Gold Falls). I hate to add an image of this place, and in a sense, I even didn't want to take pictures of it. The expansive beauty of the whole region simply doesn't fit into the capturable area of any lense, regardless of the angle. It's one of those places where it's best simply to be, just to take it in and let that suffice. Quite stunning. When Gunnar was telling us about Gullfoss before we got there, I kept wondering how it compared to Niagara. Apples and oranges. Here at Gullfoss there was none of the crass commercialism one will find at Niagara: no Ripley's Believe it or Not exhibition, no Starbucks, no cheesy falls-themed hotels or hokey shops where you can get your picture taken in a fake barrel pretending to go over some phony falls. Instead, there was an elegant simplicity. Oh, sure, there's a souvenir shop nearby, but it is distant enough from the actual falls that you don't even see it or remember it's there. Wonderful place. I hope it manages to remain clear of commercial interests that ruin the beauty of Niagara, or even of the Cliffs of Moher in western Ireland. We don't need a "virtual falls experience" when the real thing is right at hand, thankyouverymuch.

Our next stop was Geysir - the great granddaddy of all geysers to the extent that all geysers by virtue of their very nature evoke the name of this one. This was another place that digital images simply cannot capture sufficiently. A bit more commercialized: there's an extensive gift shop and "museum" across the street and a place where you can get a cheeseburger and a soda or a hot cup of coffee (however minimalist it may be). Back at seminary, we often talk about the sacraments and the preaching of the Word as an event, focusing on what happens in the very moment - the thing that is not precisely repeatable. Watching the geysers go off reminded me of that. Again, you can take a picture, you can videotape it, you can talk about the event, but the "magic" belonged to the moment in which it happened, even though it continues to unfold as you think about it, remember it, let it sink in. Very cool place.

By the time we left Geysir, it was getting dark. We stopped briefly at Selfoss (Seal Falls, which contains neither seals nor falls) to pick up some traditional Icelandic foods, including the infamous and much-dreaded putrified shark, not to mention a package (ahem) of ram's testicles. All of this was for the dinner table at Gunnar and Thora's. Wonderful meal as usual. I was not crazy about the shark, but it wasn't nearly as horrible as I had been led to believe. The ram's testicles were...Nah, I won't say it. Not bad, not great. I also wasn't fond of the whale blubber soaked in whey, but everything else was excellent. We were too tired to go on much longer after dinner, so I went back to Hreggi and Svava's where I found myself moved into the basement flat. Very comfortable, and the best night's sleep I've had since being in Iceland, I think.

Looking forward now to what today has in store.

God of Creation, you reveal yourself in the beauty of the natural world. Thank you for the opportunities to wonder at the things you have made, both the everyday things and the unusual bits that grab our attention and really make us stand in awe. Give us the wisdom to steward these things wisely and to appreciate them for what they are, as they are. In your holy name we pray. Amen.