Without the sunstone Vikings would not have settled Iceland, nor Greenland, Newfoundland. and Vinland. The rare optical properties of sunstone were the key to navigation in the north Atlantic. Sunstone, known also as Iceland spar, or by its mineral name, calcite, aided Viking navigators to locate the sun in fog and heavy overcast conditions sailing from Norway carrying precious supplies to settlements in Iceland...

Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist known for creating giant trolls around the world. Last year, I shared photos of the two trolls he built in my area. Rumor had it that he was going to build some more, so I actively followed the status. Earlier this year, it was reported that a troll would be built in the city I live in. Shrouded in mystery, they would not reveal the location, other than saying that it would be “near water.” Known as The Ocean State, this really didn’t narrow it down too much...

Part 1: The departure I hit the quiet streets of the airport town of Keflavík by 6:30 in the morning. This was the day. I’d been planning this trip for some months, hammering out details, figuring how to get the city bus and the excursion bus to line up with minimal waiting...