Churches of Iceland

Since Christianization in the year 1000 AD, the church has been a center of community life in Iceland. The most photographed location in Iceland, arguably, is Hallgrímskirkja, a hallmark of the Reykjavik skyline and an architectural masterpiece which captures the natural beauty and splendor of the Icelandic landscape. However, in this post, I wish to […]

Iceland

It was dark when we arrived in Keflavik, at ten-thirty in the morning, after a red-eye that felt twice as long as what was actually traveled. But at least I was not connecting on to Europe, another five or six hours away. Those poor bastards. Dawn came as we pulled into a hotel outside Reykjavik’s […]

Shintō – Goshūin

Goshūin (御朱印), Japanese for red seal, literally refers to only the stamped impression of a particular shrine or temple’s formal seal. Historically, devout (and literate) worshippers that donated a handwritten copy of a Buddhist sutra (although Buddhist monks, much like in Medieval Europe, spent much time copying scripture, this task was also popular as a […]