My LINKcat AccountWell here I am. Back from Iceland and still in one piece - mostly. I did have one encounter with a slick layer of ice at 9 o'clock in the morning (so it was still dark) at the Althingvellir - the meadow where the Althingi, the precursor of parliamentary government, began in 930. The meadow is in the valley between the two tectonic plates (the North American and the Eurasian) that meet in Iceland and was the place where free men assembled annually to decide on the laws that governed them and to settle legal disputes. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site as well. Anyway, as I was doing the Icelandic shuffle across the parking lot to the valley viewing area my right foot hit an immovable object. A large stone (possibly lava) was sticking out of the ice just enough to trip me. I stumbled forward. My traveling companions, who were watching from a safe distance behind me, said my left leg went over my head in what looked like some kind of figure skating move - possibly an axel. I landed on both feet. I didn't fall and was standing upright almost before I knew what had happened. I did however, feel a muscle pop in my hamstring and had to hobble over to the viewing area to look at the Althingvellir in the murky pre-dawn. It was a powerful experience to be in the place where the idea of government by the governed was practiced over a thousand years ago. The torn muscle didn't detract from the experience at all. In fact, it has been a reminder (with every step I take) that what we remember most from our vacations and travels through life are the things that don't go smoothly. Those missteps provide the grist and fodder for the stories we tell. I have a few more stories from Iceland to tell, so tune in next week. In the meantime some other story tellers, have written some books which you'll find waiting for you at your library. Enjoy!
