Sliding Through

22/10/2024

In mid-September, Ásdís and I started our motorcycle trip in Munich, Germany, and rode all the way to Istanbul, Turkey, passing through five European countries: Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria. After spending a few days exploring Istanbul's amazing culture and history, we continued on to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, where Ásdís flew to Spain. I rode on to Tbilisi, Georgia, where I found a secure place for the motorcycle before flying back to Iceland. I covered 4,327 km in 35 days, averaging 124 km per day. Next spring, I plan to return to Tbilisi and ride along the Silk Road to continue the journey. The final destination is still unknown.

Here’s a short video (1:43 min) from the amazing city of Istanbul.

05/07/2024

Pleasant Interactions
I have long been interested in traveling along the so-called Silk Road, which stretches through several countries in Asia, particularly in China. To explore the possibility of traveling through China, I sent a brief letter to the Chinese Embassy, along with a short description of my travels. Subsequently, Ásdís and I received an invitation from the ambassador to join him for tea at the embassy.

After the tea and conversation, my confidence in undertaking this journey increased significantly. The ambassador, He Rulong, showed an incredible interest in us and my travel plans. When I told him about the Hringfarinn Charity Foundation and presented him with the Hringfarinn book (Sliding Through in English), it turned out that he was already well aware of our project. This young and well-informed man is indeed a worthy representative of his nation.

13/03/2024

https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2024/03/12/the_president_swam_to_honor_the_achievement_of_gudl/

President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson swam the so-called Guðlaugssund swim in Laugardalslaug swimming pool this morning.

06/01/2024

Sliding Through (Hringfarinn) is funding an educational project in Kenya with 10 million Icelandic Krónur, which is being implemented by scientists from the University of Iceland.

Háskóli Íslands býður upp á fjölbreytt nám á grunn og framhaldsstigi. Lögð er áhersla á fræðilega nálgun og rannsóknatengt nám með góð tengsl við atvinnulíf og nýsköpun

06/11/2023

We rode from the northernmost tip of Japan's Honshu Island down to Kyoto. There, we boarded a high-speed train that took us to Hiroshima and back. From Kyoto, we headed to the west coast and continued on to Tokyo, where our journey concluded. Honshu Island is roughly half the size of Iceland and is home to about 103 million Japanese people. Another 25 million people live on Japan's other islands (Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku).

04/11/2023

Our journey across Japan began with us cycling to the port city of Oarai. There, we took a ferry to the island of Hokkaido, and the voyage lasted for about 20 hours. Hokkaido is approximately 80% the size of Iceland. The incredibly beautiful nature showcased its finest during those eight days as we cycled around the island.

03/11/2023

After having done business with Japan for about 20 years, I am now truly getting to know this unique nation. I say unique because I don't recall encountering a nation on my travels with such distinct national characteristics. I believe the primary reason lies in the traditions that are instilled from a young age, which fosters respect for nature, others, and oneself. Adapting to Japanese culture was not without its challenges, and there was also a significant cultural shock when we returned to Europe after a 39-day journey in which we had ridden 4,600 km. I am certain that the world would be a better place if we adopted some aspects of Japanese culture.

01/09/2023

Production of new documentary episodes has begun - the toughest motorcycle journey that Hringfarinn (Sliding Through) has undertaken so far!

30/07/2023

When I set off from home on my motorcycle, it didn't occur to me that I would ride all the way to North Cape (Nordkapp) the northernmost point of Norway. In total, I covered over 12,000 km (approximately 7,500 miles) round trip, but I accomplished this in three stages.

23/05/2023

A new "SLIDING THROUGH (Hringfarinn)" series, "AROUND ICELAND ON A MOTORBIKE," will be aired on Sunday, the 28th of May on RUV, the National TV of Iceland.

11/05/2023

A new era for Sliding Through has begun.

We've opened a YouTube channel, where we plan to post all episodes of Sliding Through. These episodes will be segmented into 6-10 minute parts, making it easier to watch for those who prefer shorter content. A new episode will be added each week for the next 72 weeks.

To mark this occasion, we've prepared a trailer that introduces Kristján and our new YouTube channel. The trailer, along with currently available episodes, can be viewed on our youtube channel .

We're excited about the potential of this new platform to expand the reach of Sliding Through. Our goal is to generate increased revenue, which will be entirely donated to charity.

The Sliding Through Team

26/04/2023

It was fun to receive this information from the marketing department of the National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) today:

The Globe-Trotter (Hringfarinn) was the fourth most popular Icelandic show in 2022.

It is our pleasure to announce that a new series about the travels of The Globe-Trotter (Hringfarinn) will begin on Whit Sunday, May 28th.

19/04/2023

Great honor. The president of Sniglar, an association of motorcyclists in Iceland, has asked me to lead their group ride on the upcoming 1st of May. Last year, over 900 motorcycles attended. The main goal of the association is to increase the safety of motorcyclists in the country.

26/12/2022

My most difficult motorcycle trip ended just before Christmas - a journey through Patagonia in South America. The roads, still in bad repair from the snowy winter, were more difficult than I had anticipated. I am grateful that Ásdís and I got through this journey safe and sound. What remains and grows every day is the memory of the magnificent landscape and the kindness and love of the many people we met along the way. Chile is one of the most spectacular countries in the world, where you can see all the diversity in nature - from deserts to glaciers and everything in between. The temperature ranged from 6 to 36 degrees Celsius (43 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit). We rode 5,866 km (3645 miles) in 37 days. Now I have ridden a motorcycle from Ushuaia, the world’s most southernmost city, to New York in the United States (14,406 + 5,866 = 20,272 km or 12,600 miles).

12/12/2022

It was surreal for us to ride the motorcycle through Patagonia and then, all of a sudden, when we had no expectations, to be whisked away to a sensational world - a world completely foreign to us. A Chilean helicopter owner and pilot, Stefan Breit, invited us for a 4-hour ride.
The uniqueness of the landscape and the kindness that we experienced will stay with us forever. I have tried to explain to people the emotions that went through me when we landed on the little island sitting in a small mountain lake, which is shown in the video, but I am lacking words. When Stefan landed earlier on the island with his mother, she started crying. I understand that completely.

09/12/2022

Traveling through some parts of Patagonia in South America, really tested me as a motorcyclist. The roads were difficult and I have never ridden in such winds as we experienced on the tundras in Argentina. Here is a short summary of our journey through the remote areas, but in the most difficult moments, I had no desire to turn on the camera.

14/11/2022

"Hringfarinn" (Kristján Gíslason) and his wife are traveling through Patagonia. From Ushuaia, which is the southernmost city on the South American continent, we have been exploring Patagonia, both in Chile and Argentina. The destination is Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Patagonia is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Much like Iceland, but the mountains here seem to be on some kind of steroids. The footage is all taken in Torres del Paine National Park, except for the videos of the puma animals that we saw on our way into the National Park.

29/10/2022

Mr. Ben McMurray, the principal of Ottawa Hills High School, invited me to come and give a talk about my travels, but I had graduated from the high school 48 years ago. It was a big moment for me and I was quite surprised to see a special photo wall dedicated to me. It meant a lot to me to have my American family present during my speech, as well as some of my old high school friends. Thanks Ben McMurray for inviting me. Another adventure added to my memory bank.