Before the Viking Voyage

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I have been asked more times than I can count: How did I decide on this journey? Why am I following the Viking path across the north Atlantic? To be honest, I am not completely sure. As with so many of my travel plans, this trip evolved from an initial fascination with a given place (in this case, the remote Faroe Islands). Wanting to contextualize these islands, I began to think about their history and culture. With the Faroes, this of course led me to the Viking past of the Faroese people and their connections to Denmark and Norway on one side and Iceland on the other. I became fascinated with the idea of these Norsemen who set out on the stormy seas and settled the sometimes harsh landscapes of the north Atlantic islands. Naturally, I wanted to push even further, so I found myself reading about the settlements in Greenland. In the end, I decided to cobble together an adventure that would follow the westward trajectory of the medieval Viking settlers.

On July 2, 2007, I will fly to Copenhagen and begin the following itinerary:
1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Faroe Islands
4. Iceland
5. Greenland
6. Return to the US (late August)

I will do my best to post regular entries along the way, chronicling my experiences of this Viking themed journey.

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