According to Wikipedia, about 50% of the inhabitants of Iceland believe in the existence of elves and trolls. For us sober Dutch this is an incredible fact, but I must say: after having been in Iceland twice, I understand where this faith comes from. Many believe that the lumps of lava found throughout the country are petrified trolls. A troll is a night creature, which petrified in the daylight. The many lava chunks often distinguish forms that resemble human. Add to that how hard life can be on Iceland, and you start believing in trolls.

Trolls are not nice creatures: they bully and steal. In Iceland they do not know Santa Claus, but they know the tradition of Gryla, the troll who had 13 children, who all come around Christmas. And where the children used to be frightened by being taken to Spain: in Iceland they told the children that Gryla was coming to get them, she would cook in one of the geysers or hotspots, and eat up. To reinforce their words, the parents pointed children to the steam coming from the ground: you see, that's where Gryla is busy...

Fortunately, there are also sweet creatures: the elves. Elves are shy, so you never see them. But when we stayed near Hella in Loa's Nest there was a small cottage in the garden. I asked what that was for, and I got the answer: that's for the fairies... (and that was a joke).

Then I met Unnur and Ingi, owners of the guesthouse about elves and trolls. They told me the story of Gryla. I enjoyed the stories, and left home a few days later with a booklet about Gryla and her children: -).

Unnur told us that she knows where the elves live, namely in Gjáin, an area about an hour's drive from Loa's nest. To reach Gjáin you need a 4x4 car, the road is bumpy and unpaved. Gjáin can be found in a dry and dry area, we did not meet many people, only some sheep (see header photo). Suddenly there was a parking lot, and a sign: Gjáin. I got out of the car with the feeling: what could be so beautiful here...

It was blowing very fast when we visited Gjáin, as you can hear in the video. I walked up to the sign, and I saw that there was some kind of valley in this arid landscape. My mouth fell open with astonishment!

So this is the country where the fairies live! So green, and so hidden. I descended into the valley as quickly as I could and looked my eyes out again. Here, in this place I came up with the title for my blog series: fifty shades of green... I would like to let the pictures and videos speak for themselves...

- Oh, my...

- Oh, my...

- Oh, my...

- Oh, my...

- Oh, my...

- Oh, my...

- Oh, my...

- Oh, my...

As always, the pictures do not show how beautiful it was, down there in Gjáin. The wind that was blowing so fast... you didn't notice it. All that was there was was all those beautiful shades of green, the beautiful flowers, the crystal clear water that I saw people drinking right from the waterfall.

What a quiet, what a beautiful area, because it is not big, but I would like to stay there for days! If I were a fairy, I would know: this is where I would live...

If you are near Hella, which is within the famous Golden Circle, then I advise you to visit this area. And are you looking for a great stay? Then I wholeheartedly recommend Loa's nest to consider. This guesthouse is new and run by Unnur, Ingi and their family. Unnur and Ingi serve the best waffles in Iceland for breakfast, accompanied by a friendly conversation and the necessary tips and advice. I'm sure I'll be back here next year (I just booked a ticket), and if I can, I'll visit Gjáin. More things we have done from Loa's nest can be read in a next blog!

#gj áin #gjain #ijsland #iceland #elfjes #elves #elf #vijftigtintengroen #50tintengroen #50shadesofgreen