Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

The Origins of the Remote Viking Democracy


Towards Democracy
The Oxará River flows between the Icelandic prime minister's current holiday home and the hillside on which the Althingi, considered the first parliament in the world, was installed.
Guardians of Thingvellir
The permanent residents of the Oxará River and Thingvallavatn Lake to whom the Thingvellir landscape remains most of the time.
Solfar: The Sun Voyager
Sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, a boat ode to the sun installed in Sæbraut, on the outskirts of Reykjavik.
Current “viking” settlement
Reykjavik townhouse seen from the air with the cathedral of the Icelandic capital highlighted.
Eriksson, the settler
Reykjavik's homage to one of its pioneer settlers, the Viking Leif Eriksson.
Icelandic sunset
Sun sets in the last hours of a June day and adds color to Thingvellir's scenery.
Lake arms
Geological faults create rock slits in which Lake Thingvallavatn stretches.
flag below
Official removes the Icelandic flag from a pole in front of Reykjavik Cathedral.
Almanaja
Marco C. Pereira and Sara Wong on one of the characteristic geological faults of PN Thingvellir and that prove the slow separation of the North American plate from the Eurasian plate.
Monument to the unknown bureaucrat
Statue of Magnús Tomásson in the center of Reykjavik.
Thingvallabaer
The Prime Minister's Summer Residence of Iceland.
Thingvallabaer
The Prime Minister's Summer Residence of Iceland.
Thingvallakirja
The Lutheran church which, with the adjoining cemetery, completes the set of structures created by the man of PN Thingvellir.
Cleft Almannagj
The tectonic fissure in which political meetings and community religious proceedings were carried out.
The foundations of popular government that come to mind are the Hellenic ones. But what is believed to have been the world's first parliament was inaugurated in the middle of the XNUMXth century, in Iceland's icy interior.

In the wake of the 2008-2012 financial crisis, the world and especially its more left-wing politically sensitive tenants have once again praised the Fire and Ice Island.

This time, the reason was not the rough, mountainous, frigid and volcanic sceneries.

Such popular apology was due to the way the Icelandic government handled the failure of its Glitnir, Kaupthing and Landsbanki banks which, among other commercial mischief, offered deposits with interest rates above 8% that attracted not only Icelandic but Dutch customers, British and other nationalities.

Its assets totaled eleven times the nation's GDP. But these same banks also made the country's external debt increase up to seven times the Iceland's GDP 2007. They caused their own disruption and the failure of the national financial system.

When the same happened with several other North American, European and global financial institutions, until then with structures that were thought to be unshakable (Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase and Lehman Brothers) in the USA and European countries, governments deprived top managers of responsibility.

Thingvelir, Origins of Iceland Democracy, Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat

Statue of Magnús Tomásson in the center of Reykjavik.

They favored rescue operations based on taxpayer taxation. In Iceland, by contrast, pressure from the people and their relative intimacy with the government forced them to let the banks fail and to give back what they could to Icelandic depositors.

The Icelandic parliament has also decreed a criminal investigation. The finance minister and several presidents, bank directors and managers, businessmen and lawyers were sentenced to prison terms. The prime minister in power during this crisis admitted his responsibility and resigned.

Shortly thereafter, the Icelandic people elected a new government that, even with its blemishes, wasted no time in pulling the nation out of the quagmire it had plunged into.

In Search of the World's First Parliament, the Althing

The real genesis of democracy centers on Ancient Greece but, even if more recent, the tradition of conscience and popular intervention for justice in destinations Iceland is millenary and equally pioneering.

It officially began in AD 930, with the inaugural session of what is considered the world's first parliament, the Althing.

After circling the island departing and returning to the capital Reykjavik, we detoured from the Ring Road onto the Golden Circle route and headed for Thingvellir National Park.

After almost an hour of driving, we found ourselves in the depths of a wide valley flanked by mountain ranges of moderate altitudes for what we had already seen, yet with the summits covered with snow.

The flat expanse we were following was dotted with lakes and ponds interconnected by geological faults filled by canals or streams.

Thingvelir, Origins Democracy Iceland, Oxará

The Oxará River flows between the Icelandic prime minister's current holiday home and the hillside on which Althing, considered the first parliament in the world, was installed.

A considerable cloud cover flew over us at great speed and, at intervals, let the sun's rays from the almost setting sun caress the scenery browned by the cold.

By the time we left the car to walk, we no longer saw a soul. Erma as it was, that also strange landscape fascinated us on the double.

How has long fascinated Icelanders.

The Viking History in the Genesis of the Founding of Althing

The Book of the Colonization of the Nordic Peoples narrates that the village of Iceland was inaugurated at the end of the ninth century and that, since then, several inhabitants of Viking and Celtic origin have settled on the island, often refugees from disagreements or persecutions dictated by the royalty or by the more powerful clans of the territories in which they lived.

Eriksson

Reykjavik's homage to one of its pioneer settlers, the Viking Leif Eriksson.

After seeing the conditions that the new domain offered, many did not want to go back. Instead, they created district assemblies.

As the population increased and the descendants of the pioneer chief of colonization of the island, Ingólfur Arnarson conquered supremacy over other families, rival chiefs demanded the establishment of an assembly that would limit their power.

Between 927 and 930, a man named Grímur Geitskör (Goat-bearded Grímur) was tasked with touring Iceland and choosing the most suitable place for a draft parliament.

It didn't take long to see the chosen place. It was selected by him due to its privileged position on the shores of the island's largest lake, Thingvallavatn, at the base of a prominent rock fault and with an unobstructed view.

Thingvelir, Origins of Iceland Democracy, Thingvallavatn

Geological faults create rock slits in which Lake Thingvallavatn stretches.

Also contributing to the choice was the desirability that the previous owner, Thorsteinn Ingólfsson, was convicted of murder and that Bláskógar, his land, was declared public.

This was a mature communal and judicial decision considering that we were in the first third of the dark ages and still taking into account the eccentricity of the geographic coordinates – read almost arctic and mid-Atlantic – in which the episode took place.

The Mystical Desolation of Thingvellir National Park

We still don't see any sign of people. On the other hand, ducks abound. His indifference, pride and even aggressiveness make us feel like the invaders we are.

A pair of birds that slumber on the gorse-lined ground do not move their feet from the narrow, walled path because we are supposed to move forward.

When we try to get around them, we are pecked in such a way that the hypothesis comes to mind that they are winged Viking reincarnations.

Thingvelir, Origins Democracy Iceland, duck

The permanent residents of the Oxará River and Thingvallavatn Lake to whom the Thingvellir landscape remains most of the time.

The animals force us to climb the small wall, detour along the edge of the Canyon de Silfra and cross the bridge over the Oxará river.

Thingvallabaer and Thingvallakirja, the Buildings Now Standing Out from Thingvelir

We then came upon a complex of white wooden buildings with steep roofs and realized that it was the Thingvallabaer – the official summer residence of the Icelandic Prime Minister.

Thingvelir, Origins Democracy Iceland, Thingvallabaer

The Prime Minister's Summer Residence of Iceland.

And Thingvallakirja, a church that replaced the original from the XNUMXth century.

Both were erected in 1930 to commemorate the inaugural millennium of Althing, as a complement to the constitution of Iceland's first national park, PN Thingvellir, which we continued to unveil.

We examine the buildings and the small cemetery in which two contemporary poets of Icelandic independence are buried.

Thingvelir, Origins Democracy Iceland, Thingvallakirja

The Lutheran church which, with the adjoining cemetery, completes the set of structures created by the man of PN Thingvellir.

Also from that angle, we were confronted with the high wall of solidified lava that anticipated the horizon to the northwest.

We are on our way to your heights.

The Slope Foot That Housed the Viking Parliament Althing

With that ascent, we finally converged on the Lögberg (Rock of Law), the exact place where Althing met annually. It was there, between two deep cracks, that the lögsögumadur recited the laws to the assembly.

After the Christianization of Iceland, this site moved to the foot of other cliffs that revealed an acoustic more favorable to spread the speeches through the crowd coming from the four corners of the island.

Some of the chiefs arrived after seventeen days of travel, the maximum foreseen for those coming from its eastern end, in which successive mountains and icelandic glaciers they proved far more complicated to transpose.

We have no difficulty finding this other place at the foot, marked by a flagpole.

Thingvelir, Origins of Iceland Democracy, Thingvallavatn

Sun sets in the last hours of a June day and adds color to Thingvellir's scenery.

It is hard to imagine where the Nedrivellir (the Low Fields) would be located, the flat area housed on a lower level, facing the cliffs.

There it is believed that the Lögrétta – a juridical council made up of 48 voting members, 96 councilors and two bishops – debated until reaching crucial decisions for the future of the growing community.

In the vicinity, we still find several budders, stone and peat shelters where the participants in the assemblies camped, others that served as food and drink stands, much like what happens nowadays during music festivals.

In those times, as today, one of the most traded products was beer. Food and veils, among others, were also sold and bought.

Almannagjá, the Fissure in the Border between the North American and European Plates

We place a foot on each side of one of the narrowed extensions of the Almannagjá fissure, in a symbolic but precarious balance over a depth of black lava.

Thingvelir, Origins of Democracy Iceland, Almannagja

Marco C. Pereira and Sara Wong on one of the characteristic geological faults of PN Thingvellir and that prove the slow separation of the North American plate from the Eurasian plate.

Even so, we laugh at the curiosity of the participating Viking and Celtic settlers encamping, legislating and consolidating the future Icelandic nationality, while North America and Europe were separated even if only a few millimeters a year.

This tectonic back-turn has long left its mark on the Thingvellir plain.

Not only the Almannagjá rift, but also other smaller geological expressions such as the Brennugjá (the Burning Abyss).

Thingvellir, Origins of Democracy Iceland, Almannagj

The tectonic fissure in which political meetings and community religious proceedings were carried out.

During the XNUMXth century, nine men accused of witchcraft were burned there and Drekkingarhylur, where the waterfall of Öxararfoss, used to drown women accused of infanticide, adultery or other crimes, precipitates.

These days, the Icelandic authorities are a little more forgiving.

However, out of respect for the antiquity and historical pragmatism of its democracy, contrary to what happens all over the place, there are few authors of crimes that escape the will of the people and the law.

That's how it was seen with the actual prison sentences of the several responsible for the frauds that aggravated the Icelandic financial crisis of 2008-11.

All decided on the successor to the original Althing, now housed in a gray stone building in the capital Reykjavik.

Thingvelir, Origins Democracy Iceland, Reykjavik

Reykjavik townhouse seen from the air with the cathedral of the Icelandic capital highlighted.

Jökursarlón Lagoon, Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland

The Faltering of Europe's King Glacier

Only in Greenland and Antarctica are glaciers comparable to Vatnajökull, the supreme glacier of the old continent. And yet, even this colossus that gives more meaning to the term ice land is surrendering to the relentless siege of global warming.
Husavik a Myvatn, Iceland

Endless Snow on the Island of Fire

When, in mid-May, Iceland already enjoys some sun warmth but the cold and snow persist, the inhabitants give in to an intriguing summer anxiety.
Kirkjubour, Streymoy, Faroe Islands

Where the Faroese Christianity Washed Ashore

A mere year into the first millennium, a Viking missionary named Sigmundur Brestisson brought the Christian faith to the Faroe Islands. Kirkjubour became the shelter and episcopal seat of the new religion.
Iceland

The Geothermal Coziness of the Ice Island

Most visitors value Iceland's volcanic scenery for its beauty. Icelanders also draw from them heat and energy crucial to the life they lead to the Arctic gates.
Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

Thor's Faroese Port

It has been the main settlement in the Faroe Islands since at least 850 AD, the year in which Viking settlers established a parliament there. Tórshavn remains one of the smallest capitals in Europe and the divine shelter of about a third of the Faroese population.
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
Tongatapu, Tonga

The Last Polynesian Monarchy

From New Zealand to Easter Island and Hawaii, no other monarchy has resisted the arrival of European discoverers and modernity. For Tonga, for several decades, the challenge was to resist the monarchy.
Kalsoy, Faroe Islands

A Lighthouse at the End of the Faroese World

Kalsoy is one of the most isolated islands in the Faroe archipelago. Also known as “the flute” due to its long shape and the many tunnels that serve it, a mere 75 inhabitants inhabit it. Much less than the outsiders who visit it every year, attracted by the boreal wonder of its Kallur lighthouse.
Mykines, Faroe Islands

In the Faeroes FarWest

Mykines establishes the western threshold of the Faroe archipelago. It housed 179 people but the harshness of the retreat got the better of it. Today, only nine souls survive there. When we visit it, we find the island given over to its thousand sheep and the restless colonies of puffins.
Iceland

The Island of Fire, Ice and Waterfalls

Europe's supreme cascade rushes into Iceland. But it's not the only one. On this boreal island, with constant rain or snow and in the midst of battle between volcanoes and glaciers, endless torrents crash.
Jok​ülsárlón Lagoon, Iceland

The Chant and the Ice

Created by water from the Arctic Ocean and the melting of Europe's largest glacier, Jokülsárlón forms a frigid and imposing domain. Icelanders revere her and pay her surprising tributes.
Harare, Zimbabwewe

The Last Rales of Surreal Mugabué

In 2015, Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe said the 91-year-old president would rule until the age of 100 in a special wheelchair. Shortly thereafter, it began to insinuate itself into his succession. But in recent days, the generals have finally precipitated the removal of Robert Mugabe, who has replaced him with former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Serengeti, Great Savannah Migration, Tanzania, wildebeest on river
Safari
Serengeti NP, Tanzania

The Great Migration of the Endless Savanna

In these prairies that the Masai people say syringet (run forever), millions of wildebeests and other herbivores chase the rains. For predators, their arrival and that of the monsoon are the same salvation.
Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Yaks
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit 11th: yak karkha a Thorong Phedi, Nepal

Arrival to the Foot of the Canyon

In just over 6km, we climbed from 4018m to 4450m, at the base of Thorong La canyon. Along the way, we questioned if what we felt were the first problems of Altitude Evil. It was never more than a false alarm.
Sculptural Garden, Edward James, Xilitla, Huasteca Potosina, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Cobra dos Pecados
Architecture & Design
Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Edward James' Mexican Delirium

In the rainforest of Xilitla, the restless mind of poet Edward James has twinned an eccentric home garden. Today, Xilitla is lauded as an Eden of the Surreal.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Adventure
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Parade and Pomp
Ceremonies and Festivities
Saint Petersburg, Russia

When the Russian Navy Stations in Saint Petersburg

Russia dedicates the last Sunday of July to its naval forces. On that day, a crowd visits large boats moored on the Neva River as alcohol-drenched sailors seize the city.
Glamor vs Faith
Cities
Goa, India

The Last Gasp of the Goan Portugality

The prominent city of Goa already justified the title of “rome of the east” when, in the middle of the XNUMXth century, epidemics of malaria and cholera led to its abandonment. The New Goa (Pangim) for which it was exchanged became the administrative seat of Portuguese India but was annexed by the Indian Union of post-independence. In both, time and neglect are ailments that now make the Portuguese colonial legacy wither.
Meal
Margilan, Uzbekistan

An Uzbekistan's Breadwinner

In one of the many bakeries in Margilan, worn out by the intense heat of the tandyr oven, the baker Maruf'Jon works half-baked like the distinctive traditional breads sold throughout Uzbekistan
Treasures, Las Vegas, Nevada, City of Sin and Forgiveness
Culture
Las Vegas, USA

Where sin is always forgiven

Projected from the Mojave Desert like a neon mirage, the North American capital of gaming and entertainment is experienced as a gamble in the dark. Lush and addictive, Vegas neither learns nor regrets.
Bungee jumping, Queenstown, New Zealand
Sport
Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, the Queen of Extreme Sports

In the century. XVIII, the Kiwi government proclaimed a mining village on the South Island "fit for a queen".Today's extreme scenery and activities reinforce the majestic status of ever-challenging Queenstown.
Gyantse, Kumbum temple
Traveling
Lhasa a Gyantse, Tibet

Gyantse, through the Heights of Tibet

The final target is the Tibetan Everest Base Camp. On this first route, starting from Lhasa, we pass by the sacred lake of Yamdrok (4.441m) and the glacier of the Karo gorge (5.020m). In Gyantse, we surrender to the Tibetan-Buddhist splendor of the old citadel.
Christmas scene, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Ethnic
Shillong, India

A Christmas Selfiestan at an India Christian Stronghold

December arrives. With a largely Christian population, the state of Meghalaya synchronizes its Nativity with that of the West and clashes with the overcrowded Hindu and Muslim subcontinent. Shillong, the capital, shines with faith, happiness, jingle bells and bright lighting. To dazzle Indian holidaymakers from other parts and creeds.
Portfolio, Got2Globe, Best Images, Photography, Images, Cleopatra, Dioscorides, Delos, Greece
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

The Earthly and the Celestial

Passage, Tanna, Vanuatu to the West, Meet the Natives
History
Tanna, Vanuatu

From where Vanuatu Conquered the Western World

The TV show “Meet the Native” took Tanna's tribal representatives to visit Britain and the USA Visiting their island, we realized why nothing excited them more than returning home.
Windward Side, Saba, Dutch Caribbean, Netherlands
Islands
Saba, The Netherlands

The Mysterious Dutch Queen of Saba

With a mere 13km2, Saba goes unnoticed even by the most traveled. Little by little, above and below its countless slopes, we unveil this luxuriant Little Antille, tropical border, mountainous and volcanic roof of the shallowest european nation.
Passengers on the frozen surface of the Gulf of Bothnia, at the base of the "Sampo" icebreaker, Finland
Winter White
Kemi, Finland

It's No "Love Boat". Breaks the Ice since 1961

Built to maintain waterways through the most extreme arctic winter, the icebreaker Sampo” fulfilled its mission between Finland and Sweden for 30 years. In 1988, he reformed and dedicated himself to shorter trips that allow passengers to float in a newly opened channel in the Gulf of Bothnia, in clothes that, more than special, seem spacey.
Visitors to Ernest Hemingway's Home, Key West, Florida, United States
Literature
Key West, United States

Hemingway's Caribbean Playground

Effusive as ever, Ernest Hemingway called Key West "the best place I've ever been...". In the tropical depths of the contiguous US, he found evasion and crazy, drunken fun. And the inspiration to write with intensity to match.
Hammock in Palmeiras, Praia de Uricao-Mar des caraibas, Venezuela
Nature
Henri Pittier NP, Venezuela

PN Henri Pittier: between the Caribbean Sea and the Cordillera da Costa

In 1917, botanist Henri Pittier became fond of the jungle of Venezuela's sea mountains. Visitors to the national park that this Swiss created there are, today, more than they ever wanted
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Mount Denali, McKinley, Sacred Ceiling Alaska, North America, Summit, Altitude Evil, Mountain Evil, Prevent, Treat
Natural Parks
Mount Denali, Alaska

The Sacred Ceiling of North America

The Athabascan Indians called him Denali, or the Great, and they revered his haughtiness. This stunning mountain has aroused the greed of climbers and a long succession of record-breaking climbs.
St. Paul's Cathedral, Vigan, Asia Hispanica, Philippines
UNESCO World Heritage
Vigan, Philippines

Vigan: the Most Hispanic of Asias

The Spanish settlers left but their mansions are intact and the Kalesas circulate. When Oliver Stone was looking for Mexican sets for "Born on the 4th of July" he found them in this ciudad fernandina
Ooty, Tamil Nadu, Bollywood Scenery, Heartthrob's Eye
Characters
Ooty, India

In Bollywood's Nearly Ideal Setting

The conflict with Pakistan and the threat of terrorism made filming in Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh a drama. In Ooty, we see how this former British colonial station took the lead.
Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde, Landing
Beaches
Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde

Santa Maria and the Atlantic Blessing of Sal

Santa Maria was founded in the first half of the XNUMXth century, as a salt export warehouse. Today, thanks to the providence of Santa Maria, Sal Ilha is worth much more than the raw material.
Pilgrims at the top, Mount Sinai, Egypt
Religion
Mount Sinai, Egypt

Strength in the Legs, Faith in God

Moses received the Ten Commandments on the summit of Mount Sinai and revealed them to the people of Israel. Today, hundreds of pilgrims climb, every night, the 4000 steps of that painful but mystical ascent.
End of the World Train, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
On Rails
Ushuaia, Argentina

Last Station: End of the World

Until 1947, the Tren del Fin del Mundo made countless trips for the inmates of the Ushuaia prison to cut firewood. Today, passengers are different, but no other train goes further south.
aggie gray, Samoa, South Pacific, Marlon Brando Fale
Society
Apia, Western Samoa

The Host of the South Pacific

She sold burguês to GI's in World War II and opened a hotel that hosted Marlon Brando and Gary Cooper. Aggie Gray passed away in 2. Her legacy lives on in the South Pacific.
Ditching, Alaska Fashion Life, Talkeetna
Daily life
Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna's Alaska-Style Life

Once a mere mining outpost, Talkeetna rejuvenated in 1950 to serve Mt. McKinley climbers. The town is by far the most alternative and most captivating town between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
hippopotami, chobe national park, botswana
Wildlife
Chobe NP, Botswana

Chobe: A River on the Border of Life with Death

Chobe marks the divide between Botswana and three of its neighboring countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But its capricious bed has a far more crucial function than this political delimitation.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.
PT EN ES FR DE IT