Roofs of sod have sheltered mainland Scandinavians through countless winters and summers. But those who migrated from Norway"s grass-roof log cabins to this Icelandic tundra in the 9th century found none of the rich timberland of their homeland—just wispy birch forests and grassy fields. To survive the cold, they took the old turf roof concept and built on it, encasing not only the roofs but the walls of their birch-framed homes in layers of living, insulating soil.
Tough turf
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC
-
Golden larches and Prusik Peak, the Enchantments, Washington
-
An uncommonly cool critter
-
Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
-
Flamenco dancers
-
Get amped for Glastonbury
-
A whale of a hug
-
Land ho in New Zealand 250 years ago
-
China s colorful terraced pools
-
Hey, you two in the front!
-
The frog prince?
-
World-class art comes to Arkansas
-
Saint Nicholas Day in Verbier, Switzerland
-
Oh, to sleep under the northern lights
-
Racing toward history
-
My my, it s Syttende Mai
-
A gorge-ous mill in the Causses
-
Celebrating Panama s independence
-
Festivus
-
On the wings of the Wright brothers
-
Get the bear facts
-
International Sloth Day
-
Meet our fuzzy Earth Day mascot
-
Norway s Kjeragbolten boulder
-
The Easter Bunny’s story
-
Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
-
Christmas Tree Point Road and Twin Peaks, San Francisco
-
Burrowing owls
-
Autumn in Alaska
-
Big Bend National Parks birthday