Sliding Through

18/04/2025

It was a special moment at our home on April 9th when the Hringfarinn Charity Fund awarded five million ISK to the youth program of the Icelandic Chess Federation. We dedicated the grant to Helgi Árnason, a former school principal, who over the past 30 years has done invaluable work in developing the art of chess in Iceland, particularly with regard to children and teenagers. To mark the occasion, the Helgi Árnason Chess Fund was established, with Helgi serving as its chair.

Many joined us in the celebration, including the Mayor of Reykjavík, Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir. The Charity Fund has focused on preventive efforts against drug abuse among Icelandic youth, as well as supporting educational opportunities for children in Africa. We firmly believe that participation in sports and social activities of any kind plays a powerful preventive role, and we are confident that involvement in chess helps strengthen and empower young people.

In total, the fund has allocated 37 million ISK to charitable causes.

Photos: Baldur Kristjánsson

23/02/2025

To my surprise and delight, I received an invitation from the Indian ambassador to Iceland, R. Ravindra. He showed a sincere interest in me and my travels.

As a gesture of respect and gratitude, I gave him a copy of my book, Sliding Through, which features many photos from India.

In return, Ambassador R. Ravindra presented me with a beautiful book about India and warmly expressed that the embassy staff would love to arrange a special trip for me to India. That meant a great deal to me.

20/12/2024

The Hringfarinn Fund (Sliding Through Fund) supports Icelandair’s Special Children’s Travel Program.

We are delighted to announce that the Hringfarinn Fund (Sliding Through Fund) donated two million ISK yesterday to Icelandair’s Special Children Program, bringing the total support for this initiative to four million ISK.

In 2024, the Hringfarinn Fund (Sliding Through Fund) has donated a total of 12 million ISK to charitable causes: 10 million ISK to the Broskallar Charity (supporting the education of African children) and 2 million ISK to Icelandair’s Special Children Program.

The fund’s revenue comes from the sales of the Hringfarinn (Sliding Through) books and documentaries broadcast on RÚV, Iceland's national television network, with all production costs covered by Ásdís Rósa Baldursdóttir and Kristján Gíslason.

Left to right – Ásdís Rósa Baldursdóttir, Kristján Gíslason, and Dóra Elín Atladóttir, Director Icelandair Special Children's Travel Fund

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