Iceland Saga VIII
Interior of 12th century farmhouse
We found the variety of structures in Iceland really interesting. Here is an interpretation of what the interior of a medieval Icelandic farmhouse may have looked like. The building is based on excavations done in the 1930’s at Þjoðveldisbær.
Archaeological Excavation of 10th Century structures
Here is an Archaeological crew working on some structures from 9th and 10th Century Reykjavik. Their results are displayed in the nearby Reykjavik City Museum, which has the actual preserved remains of another house down below street level, and wonderful explanations of life in those early settlement times.
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At The National Museum
The National Museum in Reykjavik had great displays about the history of Iceland from Settlement times to the present day… Constance found that the Wooden Settler toys in the Children’s Interpretive area were not very communicative! Fortunately the rest of the museum was very informative. We both liked the display of national costumes!
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Stave Church.
This Stave Church was built in Norway using an authentic medieval design and then taken apart to be shipped. It was gifted to the Island of Heimaey in the year 2000 to commemorate one thousand years of Christianity in Iceland.
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Elf Church.
We were told about an elf church in Þórsmörk! You can see the entrance across the valley at the base of the mountain ridge.
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Old sod-roofed house.
This little sod-roofed house is at Árbæjarsafn, a lovely little open-air museum with interesting exhibits and fun things to look at.
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Hitty-sized Houses.
There were even Hitty-sized, old-fashioned sod-roofed houses in this Churchyard in Strandarkirja…The Quimper Hittys were entranced, and are hoping something similar will appear in the back yard at home.
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Quimper Hittys 
Thanks again for such fascinating times in Iceland via the Quimpers. The rustic houses look inviting, but I assume life was not as quaint as daily work progressed and brought the rigors of that climate and environment, etc.
The National Museum was very descriptive of the hardships endured by Icelanders due to weather, disease, and the terrible Haze Famine in the 1700’s. This was caused by a volcanic eruption, and the resulting noxious fumes and haze killed a fifth to a quarter of the population of Iceland, had climatic implications all over the world, and may even have contributed to the French Revolution. See this link – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki
Thanks for the link….wow, what a dramatic chain of events from the volcanic eruption. The Earth is a very resilient place although there surely were casualties in the meantime. Thanks again.
I bet the Quimper Hittys do indeed want some little houses to appear in their garden just like those shown in the last photo, they certainly do look rather entranced by them. Another lovely post.
The Quimper Hittys are very partial to small houses. They live in a cupboard at the moment, but are expanding to a bookshelf. They would love to have a look around Queen Anne’s Doll’s house!
Did Constance and the other girls try their hand at digging? Tansy was very interested to try in Haida Gwaii earlier this year, so I can image these Hitty’s wanted to as well.
The girls are always ready to try their hand at anything involving mud and old stuff. They think they would be good at the delicate work needed to excavate fine little objects.
Another fascinating glimpse…..thank you and the girls so much.
You are welcome. The Quimper Hittys are delighted to share their adventures.
The historical information and fabulous photos are definitely worth the price of admission! The link to Laki was fascinating! I am drooling over all the photos!
That Laki fissure was a pretty dramatic event wasn’t it? We all learned so much, and would love to return to Iceland some day.
I’m almost scared of this series coming to an end, I’ve enjoyed it so VERY much! This post is fascinating beyond words. The picture of the church is breathtaking! I am quite convinced we really need to trek here ourselves!
Well Iceland was great, but the Hittys get up to all kinds of other interesting things! I am glad you have enjoyed the iceland posts…
I do agree, there is no lack of wonder to be found on your blog! 🙂
What a delightful trip. Thank you so much for sharing it with us in such a meaningful way. It looks like you all had a fabulous time!
It was amazing! We loved Iceland, and felt we barely scratched the surface.
I love the photos of your journey to Iceland! Enchanting!!!! and, oh so inspiring!
We loved Iceland! I am glad you liked our blogs about it!