Note: Sunday Morning Photograph is a new series of short articles here at The Gate, where Brian Cohen highlights at least one photograph which he has taken over the years to which you can relax and enjoy at your leisure on your Sunday morning.
While I was visiting Þingvellir National Park during my second of eleven days in Iceland, I spotted a Northern European Short Tailed sheep, who appeared to be smiling and content, with not a care in the world.
Sunday Morning Photograph August 1 2021: Sheep in Iceland
Perhaps this sheep is content to be part of the oldest pure breed of sheep, which has remained virtually unchanged in approximately 1,000 years of isolation in Iceland.
Perhaps this sheep is proud to have beaten the odds, as many of the lambs in Iceland do not live beyond five months due to being slaughtered, as Icelandic lamb is of a high enough quality to be considered gourmet and can be rather expensive…
…or perhaps this sheep is glad to have found a comfortable place to rest on an uncharacteristically warm day in Iceland.
Final Boarding Call
As many as 800,000 sheep can inhabit Iceland during the summer — so if you are driving a car in Iceland, watch out.
I was driving in western Iceland early one morning and saw sheep on the opposite side of the quiet road. My intuition warned me that one of them will dart into the road at the last minute into the path of my rental car just as I was approaching — and that is exactly what happened. I fortunately was quick enough to conduct a maneuver to avoid what could have otherwise been a very messy incident.
Also, keep in mind that a Northern European Short Tailed sheep can seem to be docile and friendly — but its mood can instantly change to becoming aggressive.
For links to other articles pertaining to Iceland which I have already written — as well as a rough summary of my eleven days in Iceland — please refer to the itinerary and master guide to Iceland, which is still a work in progress.
All photographs ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
