ICELAND AUTUMN IN MOUNTAINS

Last year I realized that I had almost lived half my time on Earth abroad and not in my natural country Iceland. But I have never seen me anything other than an Icelander, travelling all over my native grounds in tradition from my parents and family. I remember great trips with grannies in their new 1967 robust camper car and my grandfather shouting out in one of the hills in North Iceland “60 km speed! I have never driven so fast before!”

Passing one of the grand glacial rivers in South Iceland, Markarfljót.

But I have enjoyed great friendships and adventures in the mountains and on the glaciers in Iceland – and of course in the town centre of Reykjavik – and it is great to be a bit more back in the country linking to my past and tradition – even though illness is the reason for this turn around. I will come over that again. This past weekend I participated in one of our autumn traditions, going mountaineering in super-jeeps, sleeping in isolated cabins and passing impassable terraine. This time one of the excuses was the 60th birthday of one of my long time close friends Valdi Rakari. I have to post some images here for those interested – they are self centered and probably private but at the same time they show the quality of friendship and experience with nature. This is one of the few operations where only guys participate but most of the time we have mixed gender travel and entertainment. Like next weekend we will have the JÖRFÍ annual ball in town, celebrating the glacier exploration work from the past year. Hope friends enjoy and understand the quality of friendship and nature beyond business or politics.