Iceland - Land of Fire and Ice

Frankfurt - Tehran

2007-04-29T14:34:00.000+02:00

Our gate to Persia was Frankfurt Airport. Even though the airplane of IranAir already is Iranian ground we were not forced to wear a headscarf.
According to the last census in 1992 Teheran had 7 mio. inhabitants - the real number today must lie somewhere between 14 and 15 mio.
Orientation within the city is not easy in the absence of distinctive landmarks. The distances are huge, public transportantion even with knowledge of farsi not very useful and major historical sightseeings are missing.
On the way to and from the airport one passes the Freedom tower: It is 45m high and was build 1971 under Mohammend Reza Shah on the occasion of the 2500 year festival of the Persian monarchy.

We only stayed one night at Tehran. Later we got informed that all the phone lines out of the hotels are tracked.

Trip to Iran

2007-04-29T13:51:00.000+02:00

Due to organizational and other problems my trip to Iran was shortened by a week but therefore I got to stop by Switzerland for 2 days. The flight from Keflavík to Frankfurt was amazing! Because of the great weather over Europe I enjoyed a panorama view over Holland and Germany.
On Tuesday I went on a shopping trip to Lucerne with my mother. Again I had to realize how beautiful my home country is!

View on the lake and the mountain panorama!

Hot river...

2007-04-07T00:46:00.000+02:00

The highlight definitely was our last adventure. I've promised Silvia and Jules to take them to swimm in a naturally hot river. Due to bad time management we arrived with the car at around 5pm (it gets dark at 7pm)... so in very cold weather we started the hike that I remembered to be 20min. Actually it took us 50min... So we dragged ourselves up the hills through a lot of snow and mud. Our shoes got dirty, wet... our feet wet and frozen. We walked... walked... it started to get dark... finally I could see the river. What struck me was the fact that there was no steam coming out of it... we got closer, dead tired and i realized it wasn't hot... barely warm... I couldn't believe it! I dragged my friends out here through all the mud and the bloody river wasn't even hot. To get it better I slipped and fell head over into the mud... But to have an adventure, Silv and me decided to get a bath in the coldish river anyway. We took our clothes off and dived in... just for the sake of it :o) getting dressed in the freezing temperatures was deadly and the way back in near darkness in all the mud was also not funny.... we did not lose our humour though :o)

Crazy wind

2007-04-07T00:43:00.000+02:00

The weather was crazy. We nearly got blown off on the beach in Vík.... not even the waterfalls fell down straight - but they were blown away before they could touch the ground...

Jökulsárlón

2007-04-07T00:33:00.000+02:00

Another attraction definitely is the glacier lagoon. At the time when we arrived there with the car the sun was shining. I am not joking now but 5 min. later - before we could put on our jackets and get out of the car it started to hail like crazy!
It took at least 30min untill we could leave the car. So we had times of frustration and times of fun while waiting in the car :o)

Höfn

2007-04-07T00:28:00.000+02:00

The second night we stayed at the youth hostel in Höfn. I need to quote the Lonely Planet on this:
"The name of this town, which means 'harbour', is pronounced like an unexpected hiccup; if you're not prone to hiccups, just say 'hup' while inhaling." - wonderful description :o)
Again we were the only tourists staying at the hostel so we checked in at 7pm. The friendly owner left us a key and went home again. We cooked and talked... At 11pm I wanted to get something out of our room. I went upstairs to discover that we have looked ourselves out of the room, leaving the key inside. So we had to call the owner again - who had to come back and open us... this all in wind and rain... he didn't seem that nice this time... I wonder why...

Impressions from all weather conditions

2007-04-07T00:24:00.000+02:00

Skaftafell

2007-04-07T00:18:00.000+02:00

The second day we spend hiking up the Skaftafell National Park. The hike took 5 hours and was not as easy as thought. The snow was rather deep...
Julia of course had perfect equipment - Adidas shoes :o) luckily she did not break a leg.

The view on the glacier was rewarding. On the way back we lost the path and got back into adventure by jumping over frozen rivers etc...

Hvoll

2007-04-07T00:11:00.000+02:00

Our first night we spent at the YouthHostel Hvoll. It is located in the middle of a very strange landscape - lava field with a lot of moss over it :o)

We were the only ones in the huge hostel so we enjoyed our privacy :o) and the cute ducks are still there! yey!

We had a great night - Silv was very creative - a bottle opener can also be transformed into a bird :o) I haven't laughed that much in a while...

Waterfalls

2007-04-07T00:04:00.000+02:00

We of course hit some of the famous waterfalls... such as Seljalandfoss.
I love the benches they put close to every waterfall. As if it would ever get warm enough to have a seat and enjoy the sight ;o)

And Skógafoss with a beautiful rainbow!

South coast

2007-04-06T23:55:00.000+02:00

While having the two girls here I took off some days from work and took them for a 3 day trip along the south coast. Again we rented a Toyota Yaris and got a phantastic Toyota Corolla even with seat heating :o) So we packed our stuff, put on good music and went off for a great road trip!

One of our stops was Vík í Mýrdal with its beautiful beach and the rock formations!
The weather was extremely Icelandic - it changed every 5min.

Julia in Iceland

2007-04-06T23:40:00.000+02:00

There is nothing greater than having your best friend coming for a visit! Jules managed and came for 2 weeks to Iceland!!!! We had soooo much fun discovering Iceland's beauties.....
talking for hours and hours....

going through all types of adventures and fun! It was so terrific to have her here! Some people are just irreplacable and what makes it so special - it was as if we were never apart :o)

Hereford

2007-04-04T02:50:00.000+02:00

During the time my visitors were here they had to spend quite a few evenings entertaining themselves, as I still am a workaholic and spend basically every night at the restaurant. Here a photo in our wonderful purple uniform...
And one with my good friend and coworker Gunni at our bar :o)

Birthday party

2007-04-04T02:42:00.000+02:00

To have birthday and not have a party is not possible in Reykjavik, sooooo... I had to organise one in our purple house, and it was GREAT!
Most of my guests were of course people from Hereford :o)
Here are Hanna and Helga - both have stopped working at Hereford though...
Here we have Dammý - one of my best friends here! She also quit Hereford :o( but we still see a lot of each other! There is no-one better for a good chat or party!
And not to forget Anna, my flatmate, here with Hanna in Hressó! What a great evening!

The classical Golden Circle Tour

2007-03-08T16:25:00.000+01:00

Geological activity

2007-03-08T16:19:00.000+01:00

Silv and me getting a great view on the exploding Strokkur.
We spent hours trying to get shots of all different stages of Geysir :o)

Another site that I've never seen before. The slag crater Kerid is the northernmost one of the crater row called Tjarnarholar. It is elliptic in shape, 270 m long, 170 m wide, and 55 m deep. The pond in it is 7-10 m deep, depending on the ground water level of the area.

Impressions from Gullfoss

2007-03-08T16:14:00.000+01:00

Einar Jónsson

2007-03-08T15:48:00.000+01:00

Einar Jónsson was Iceland´s first sculptor. He attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen from 1896 to 1899.
Jónsson drew inspiration from the Icelandic folklore heritage for "Outlaws" and other works from the first decade of the century, but also used mythological and religious motifs. After residing in Rome from 1902 to 1903, Jónsson completely rejected naturalistic depiction and publicly criticized the classical art tradition, which he felt had weighed artists down.
Einar Jónsson was a groundbreaking figure in Icelandic sculpture and his influence on the visual arts in Iceland has been considerable, though indirect.

Birthday and visitor!

2007-03-08T15:33:00.000+01:00

Silvia, a good friend from Kanti came to visit me in Iceland!!! She arrived on March 1st. Her arrival was fun as she was waiting outside Hotel Reykjavik and so was I. BUT there are two hotel Reykjaviks here :o) one in the western part and one in the eastern :o) but we found each other!
On my birthday we had a great breakfast with pancakes and Canadian maple sirup!

Then we went on a hike to Grotta - a light house in Vesturbær.

Memories...

2007-02-27T00:33:00.000+01:00

I just got some photos for which I'd been waiting for months. This was where we all met - the first Erasmus party at Caitlin's house.
There we met Philipp, our German comedian.

And we also got to know the clubs downtown - here outside Kaffibarinn :o)

Nightmare...

2007-02-05T23:42:00.000+01:00

The last day had come and after the good-bye I entred the train towards Schönefeld Airport. As I sat in the train I realized that the airport was further away than expected. The slower the train went, the longer the way seemed the more nervous I grew about missing my flight. While constantly observing the watch I started up organizing what to do if I was gonna miss the flight. The seemingly endless trip eventually came to an end and I sprinted off towards the terminal builiding. I arrived there 20min. prior the take-off time. Not to my surprise the screen indicated that check-in for Reykjavik was closed. I used my ellbows and boxed my way through the first security check. At the first check counter I adressed completely out of breath the clerk. It must have sounded something like: "Reykjavik.... need to check-in.... urgently need to get that flight... don't care whether my luggage will follow in a months time... NEED to catch that flight..." The clerk looked at me: "The check-in is closed". By now I forgot all my "car-crash", "technical-train-troubles"-excuses that I made up on my way.I begged and pleaded while the clock was ticking away. Finally the clerk was merciful and checked me in while I ran to the gate and happily boarded the aircraft. The plane was full - and with my luck I had 3 screeming kids in the row in front of me: no calm nap, no calm way of reading a book.In the middle of the flight the tubulences reached its height and while clinging onto my seat I thought ironically that if we would crash I will die happily thinking of how determined I was to get on that flight. 4 hours later, with 1 hour delay we landed in horrible weather at Keflavík airport. Midnight but I caught a bus downtown. On the way I rang Gunni, my boss and friend, just to hear that my workplace was sold and the whole team including me was fired...

Impressions II

2007-02-04T13:21:00.000+01:00

The Russian Mafia is everywhere.
The German Constitution carved into glas walls.

Impressions

2007-02-04T13:15:00.000+01:00

Sony Centre: Other eyecatchers are the Sony Center, a complex designed by Helmut Jahn which includes an Imax theater and an office tower. Its neighbor, the brown-brick Kohlhof building has an observation deck at a height of 93m.

Inside the Jewish Museum.

Neue Wache: After the victory over Napoleon, the street was furnished with large, new buildings – including the neo-classical Neue Wache, which served as the guardhouse for the royal guards and is now the National Memorial to the Victims of War and Tyranny.

Modern Architecture

2007-02-04T13:04:00.000+01:00

Potsdamer Platz: In the 1990s, the Potsdamer Platz became what was known as the largest construction area in Europe. The square, together with several adjacent blocks were redeveloped under the supervision of the architectsWilmer and Sattler.

Jewish Museum: The new building is full of artistic expression: the architect Daniel Libeskind named it “Between the Lines” on account of two linear shapes which form its structure. The “Line of Connectedness” expressed in the window design symbolizes the cultural exchange between Jews and non-Jews and the ways in which they influenced each other.

And a building in the Regierungsviertel.

Baustelle Berlin

2007-02-04T13:00:00.000+01:00

The city is on the move and changing: Nowhere else can you see so many construction sites as in Berlin. A panorama photo without a crane in it is impossible.

Classical Berlin

2007-02-04T12:47:00.000+01:00

The traditional must see sights of Berlin:
Reichstag: The seat of the German Parliament, is one of Berlin's most historical landmarks. Before the unification, it was right next to the wall.

Brandenburger Tor: Right on the border between East and West Berlin at the Pariser Platz, the Brandenburger Gate was the symbol of the city's divide.

Berliner Mauer: The Berlin Wall, which separated the city in an eastern and western part, was the symbol of the Cold War.

A typical day

2007-02-04T12:40:00.000+01:00

Step 1: The most important thing while travelling is breakfast. The coffee place next to our hostel was perfect. Every morning we went there to have a "Laugenstange" and a "Latte Machiato" or a "Ingwertee"...

Step 2: Culture. Kathrin deeply sunk into rich German history at the Jewish museum.

Step 3: After so much culture a coffee break is a must!

Old neighbours reunited

2007-02-04T12:24:00.000+01:00

Kathrin, Mirjam and me have known each other since we were 4. We went together to kindergarten, primary school and high school. Not only did we live next to each other, we've spend most of our time together - short: best friends :o)
I admit to miss them really much here in Iceland so we decided to meet up in Berlin and spend some time there. It was phantastic - we've had the greatest time!
We were discovering the culture of Berlin: such as its amazing architecture...
And the not so serious culture... "Der Berliner Baer"

Impressions from the past few weeks

2007-02-03T13:42:00.000+01:00

The three Dutch girls who invaded Iceland after Christmas. They were all staying at Koosje's place: f.l.t.r. Gabi: Koosje's sister who is currently working for the European parliament; Nienke: a friend from Groningen; and my good friend Rolinka from Groningen! They loved their stay here so much!
Koosje's farewell dinner took place at our new house on Framnesvegur. (f.l.t.r.) Loraine from Canada, Anna from Sweden, Elena from Italy, Lisa from Germany Antoine from France, Anna and Björn from Germany.
Our Toyota Corolla somewhere between Reykjavik and Akureyri... in a small snowstorm!

Miriam Duerr

2007-02-03T13:39:00.000+01:00

Another person who has left Reykjavik behind. My only countrymate from Switzerland. Miriam cames from Basle, but she studies history (specializes in International Relations) in Berne. Miriam was always in a great mood and always up for a lot of fun. Now she is back to start her final MA thesis. Good luck!

Koosje Spitz

2007-02-03T13:06:00.000+01:00

Koosje is a friend of my Dutch friend Rolinka. They both live in Groningen in the north of Holland. Although I've visited a few times I never met Koosje - never mind as we both met in Reykjavik. Unfortunately she only stayed a semester so she is back in Holland again. We had a great time together in Rvk: going out, dinner at Hereford, Christmas lunch in Reykholt, trips to the north etc. Koosje studies Medieval history and was mostly to be found in the library. Her parents both live in Damascus, Syria, as her father is the 1. secretary in the Dutch embassy. I really miss Koosje..... she was a great person and I can't wait to meet her again in Syria or Holland...

Iceland and the Universe

2007-01-18T13:52:00.000+01:00

This is just too good to be true:
Yesterday all three inhabitants of Framnesvegur 36 found the way together (a very rare occasion) into our kitchen to discuss a major problem: our internet seemed not to be working properly. Saga and me came to the same very odd conclusion. We could both only access Icelandic homepages. As we talked through it we thought that impossible - are there really national borders to the virtual world of internet?
Today I decided to pay a visit to the IT-service centre of the university that actually provides our house with a FREE internet connection (yes! it's great to be a student in Iceland!). After searching the campus for an hour I eventually found the office in some engineering building. I try to recapture the conversation:
Me: "Hi! Sorry, we seem to have trouble with our internet connection at home."
Assistant: "At home?"
Me: "Yes! This must sound ridiculous, but we seem to only be able to access Icelandic homepages."
Assistant (with a broad smile): "This is not ridiculous at all! We are having some trouble with cables to Europe."
Me (very astonished): "Wow! So this isn't a joke?! I thought there are no borders in the virual world."
Assistant: "Yeah, there is a big one between Iceland and the Universe."

She went on to tell me how I could reconfigure my connection at home and warned me that the connection might be rather slow untill the problem will be fixed.
A seemingly surreal story from a small island in the north Atlantic :o)

Akureyri - Ósar

2007-01-14T14:26:00.000+01:00

Koosje and me still didn't want to give in and decided to visit Hrísey - an island in Eyjafjörður. Unfortunately we had a too good chat during breakfast and all we saw after hurrying to Árskógssandur was the ferry leaving the harbour. So we left slightly disappointed the area of Akureyri to drive to Skagafjörður and visit the famous site of Hólar.
On the way to Hólar we picked up two tourists from London who crashed their car on the extremely slippery road. Lucky them - we passed their way only 10min. after their crash in an area with no cell phone reception. We dropped them off at Varmahlíð and drove on to Hólar.
The northern bishopric of Hólar was the ecumenical and educational capital of northern Iceland between 1106 and the Reformation. Later we picked up the way to Ósar!

Mývatn

2007-01-12T16:32:00.000+01:00

As Koosje has never been to the north we decided to have a look at the Mývatn area.
Mývatn is an experience in wintertime. NO TOURIST!!!! Just landscape and you! Beautiful! Koosje coming from Holland was amazed a) by the snow and b) by the mountains.
At that day the temperature dropped to -16 degrees!
Námaskarð - the hot spots with the steam give a great impression in winter time!

Reykjavík - Akureyri

2007-01-12T16:03:00.000+01:00

The trip started very promissing! Instead of the booked Toyota Yaris we got a Toyota Corolla for the same price! We felt like queens!
Although icey the blue sky promissed nice road conditions!
As dawn set in our problem set in: our headlights were not working. At the petrol station in Varmahlíð the very grumpy mechanic didn't speak a work of English... he assured us everything was ok so we left again. 20min. later a snowstorm set in! Not very comfortable to drive through the darkness in a snowstorm with no lights... We somehow made it safely into Akureyri were we stopped again at a petrol station. This time the still unpolite mechanics at least spoke English. It took them an hour to fix 2 lights and they nearly took apart the whole motor. I kept praying they wouldn't break anything as it was not our car...

Travelling in Winter in Iceland

2007-01-12T15:35:00.000+01:00

As my Dutch friend Koosje is leaving Iceland on Sunday 14th we decided to spend the last week of her stay travelling together. After our fantastic stay at the Vestmannaeyjar we decided that Greenland would be an experience. After checking the flight fares which would be over 1000Fr. we decided to drop this plan. Our next plan were the Faroe Islands. The flights were expensive but still payable. This time our problem was that there are only flights once a week! We did not have that much time to spare and frankly - there is not that much to see on the Faroe Islands. Our next hope was the ferry - this again only goes from Seyðisfjörður. Meaning: Bus from Reykjavík to Akureyri, from Akureyri to Egilsstaðir and from Eglisstaðir to Seyðisfjörður. I do not have to emphasis here that the winter schedule of the Icelandic buses is not the best off season. Even if, the ferry only goes once a week. The Faroe Islands seem to be the most isolated islands in Europe! With heavy hearts we droped our Faroe Island plan. What other islands were there to visit? Grímsey! A tiny little island in the north of Iceland - the only island that touches the arctic circle! Sounded like an adventure! Again we checked the ferry schedules and decided that apparently the Norse gods did not want us to travel... The ferry to Grímsey only goes on two days - not enough for us....
Ok! Our last plan. To rent a car and go to the beautiful Westfjords... Again we checked the internet to find out that most of the road up there are impassable! We started to be desperate.... Ok... final plan. Rent a car and go off to Akureyri. It sounded boring but it turned out to be quite adventurous :o)

Impressions from the islands

2007-01-12T15:25:00.000+01:00

Particularities of the islands

2007-01-12T15:11:00.000+01:00

Puffins (Lundinn) are considered a good feed! The eggs of sea birds are gathered from the thousands of cliff-side nests with the help of practised rock-climbing and abseiling skills. Puffin hunting is of major importance in Vestmannaeyjar, but an unwritten rule requires that only young or non-breeding puffins are to be taken. In August, after the adult puffins have stopped feeding them, the juveniles, driven by hunger, leave their rocky nests in seach of food. In Heimaey, thousands of the clumsy birds descend toward the lights of the town and land. On such evenings, the children of Heimaey hurry around with boxes gathering the unfortunate birds. They take them home and pamper them overnight to set them free the next morning.
Surtsey, 18km from Heimaey, was named for the Norse god Surtur, the one appointed to set fire to the earth the day the gods fall. Thanks to film, the world witnessed Surtsey's birth in 1963. Belching and spewing its way out of the sea, it sent a column of ash nearly 10'000m into the atmosphere. Eruptions continued and, by 1967, Surtsey had reached a height of 150m and an area of 3 sq km. Scientists currently studying colonisation of volcanic islands have placed the island off-limits to visitors. It's the far away island on the photo.

Þrettándag

2007-01-12T14:48:00.000+01:00

The 13th day of Christmas, traditionally a festive day in Vestmannaeyjar. A torch-lit parade of fascinating creatures: The ancient Icelandic ogress Grýla and her less than lovely husband and sons, as well as elfs, fairies, demons and trolls join the locals at a huge bonfire and splendid fireworks.
This is a very nice tradition on Heimaey. At 18h the 13 Yulelads come down from the mountain with torches followed by trolls and elves. There is a parade to the main square where a huge fire is lit and all the children are dancing around and everyone from the village is found there. Fireworks and music - a nice tradition!

Travel compagnions

2007-01-12T14:26:00.000+01:00

Koosje slightly seasick on the rather rough sea way to Heimaey. The ferry takes 2h45.

We were able to use the fancy flat of Þórkatla's uncle :o)
Our candles - we had soooo much fun!
Kristrún, Þórkatla's 11 year old sister came with us. Her English is AMAZING!!!

Vestmannaeyjar I

2007-01-12T14:01:00.000+01:00

The Westman Islands were named after the Irish slaves who unwittingly bacame their first inhabitants. Most of these islands were formed by submarine volanoes between 10'000 and 5'000 years ago, making them one of the world´s youngest archipelagos. In 1963, the world witnessed the birth of its newest island, Surtsey, which continued erupting until 1967.
Most of the 16 islands are rocky and steepsided affairs. Only Heimaey, the "Home Island", supports a permanent human population. Other islands only have temporary huts of puffin hunters and egg collectors.
In 1973 Helgafell exploded, and over the next five months, spewed out over 30 million tonnes of lava and tephra to create a new mountain, Eldfell. The island grew by 15%. Overnight, Heimaey's 5000 inhabitants were evacuated to the mainland.
In September 1998, Keiko the killer whale (who starred as Free Willy) arrived in a US Air Force C17 cargo aircraft and was confined to a northern part of the harbour while progressively being trained for a release which was never successfully realized. He used to hide in this cave.

Persia in Reykjavík

2007-01-08T02:44:00.000+01:00

Back in Reykjavík we were invited by Máni and Elham to have a Persian dinner. Máni has moved to Iceland 20 years ago and Elham, his niece came 6 years ago. Now she is a food science student at the Háskóla Islands. She is also the president of ÍSA (International Student Association).
We had a delicious dinner with great company. Not only did we meet another Icelandic friend from Elham but also Halla who is a journalist for Morgunblaðið and her boyfriend. A very nice and interesting evening with interesting people! A nice way for my mother to spend her last evening!

Icelandic hospitality

2007-01-08T02:37:00.000+01:00

My days at Ósar always count as the most happy ones. Dedda and Knútur gave my mother and me the warmest welcome. Dedda made my favourite dish - fiskubollur (fish balls).
Knútur and me traditionally playing chess - and I traditionally lost all three games in a row. I have no chance against his genius mind!

Ósar

2007-01-08T02:31:00.000+01:00

Very importantly I had to show my mother my favourite place on earth which is doubtlessly Ósar. I took her down to the beach to see the stone troll Hvítserkur. Seals, curious as always, were following us along the beach.
My true companion Krummi as always by my side!
My mother - trained from the Swiss alps - now climbing Icelandic hills :o)

Snæfellnes

2007-01-08T02:05:00.000+01:00

To show my mother the beauties of Icelandic nature we went on a trip to the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is an area characterised by rugged mountains rising between a broad coastal plain on the south coast and a narrower one in the north.
In the field by the former fishing village Arnarstapi is a rough stone representation of demigod Barður Snæfellsás who, according to local legend, makes his home in Snæfellsjökull and serves as its appointed protector.
Due to beautiful but cold weather we had very slippery roads. In Ólafsvík our car made an unwanted 180 degree turn :oS

New year's eve

2007-01-05T15:31:00.000+01:00

During the day we enjoyed calmness and did not really do much except having some good coffee. In the evening my mother and me had a terrific dinner with salmon, plokkfiskur (an Icelandic dish) and a bottle of good red wine. The famous fire works were rather disappointing. As they started already at 10pm and continued to go on untill 2 am nobody realized when exactly the "new year" started. But that is all a matter of opinions - I personally prefer a quiet night with friends or family!

Mamma mín í Reykjavík

2007-01-05T14:49:00.000+01:00

Finally on December 28th my world travelling mother has managed to find her way to the small island called Iceland. She arrived in storm and wind at Keflavík airport, where I happily picked her up! The first evening I took my mother to Hereford where she met most of my friends: Gunni and Þórkatla were working, Hjalti and Margrét had dinner at the table next to us. The first three days we spend in the capital, doing some shopping at Kringlan, going to the swimming pool at Laugadalur, doing the Golden Circle tour. Due to the heavy fog we did not really see anything at Þingvellir, due to the freezing cold at Geysir we did not spend too much time there either and due to the heavy rain at Gullfoss we did not manage to see the waterfall in all its beauty. BUT this is Iceland and the weather is unpredictable! Back in Reykjavík the weather was amazingly beautiful so we stayed in the city enjoying nice cafes, such as one of my favourites called Svarta kaffið. We also did some sightseeing - such as the Höfði house, which is used for ofiicial receptions and city social functions. It was catapulted to dubious fame as the official meeting-place of the superpowers in the non-eventful 1986 Reagan-Gorbatschev summit. The building is also reputedly haunted by ghosts of the Icelandic past.

28th December

2006-12-31T17:04:00.000+01:00

As my mother was arriving today in Keflavik I had to leave my Icelandic family again in the morning. Here some impressions from my trip back to Reykjavík.

27th December

2006-12-31T16:45:00.000+01:00

After a big breakfast and a conversation with Dedda where I could practise my still rather poor Icelandic I took Krummi, the black labrador and set of for a hike in the mountains. On the way up at 11am I just managed to see the sunrise in the east.
It was not too cold and there was a complete quietness up in the mountains. No wild animal was to be seen - only Krummi and me. The view from the top of Ósarfjall was rewardinga as always. The farm lay quietly in the bay. On the way down at around 15h30 the sun was ready to set again. Knútur has just bought 4 new foals so he drove them over from the farm he bought them. As they were born in the wild they are not used to humans and we had quite a struggle to get them out of the trailer and get them into the boxes. After a good dinner Knútur, Siggi, Fannar, Isak and me played card games until late in the night. Very peaceful hours and a great atmosphere among the nicest people! They are like a second family to me.

26th December

2006-12-31T16:38:00.000+01:00

Today I got up early to set of to the north! I was invited to Koosje and some exchange students who were spending Christmas at a cottage between Borgarnes and Reykholt. The landscape in winter is incredible! We had Icelandic Jólaöl and Pylsur before I continued up north to Ósar, my farm where I've seen Knútur and Dedda again! It was wonderful to be back. Guðmann, Knútur's brother and his 2 sons Fannar and Isak were there too and Siggi, who used to work on the farm.

25th December

2006-12-31T16:24:00.000+01:00

Today I was invited to have dinner with Þórkatla who has come back from Amsterdam for the holidays. We had a huge dinner with the Icelandic traditional meal and black bird meat - very tasty! Kiddi, Þórkatla's boyfriend and Halli, Vala's boyfriend were also invited so we made up a bigh group. In addition Héðinn, Þórkatla's brother, who lives in New York and his German wife were there too. After dinner we played "Actionary" - in Icelandic, German and English. I can't remember when I last laughed so much!

24th December

2006-12-29T00:29:00.000+01:00

I do admit that around the middle of December I started to regret my decision to stay over Christmas in Iceland - far away from my family. It was not the fear to stay alone over the holidays but more that it would have been nice to spend these special days around people I love. Soon tough I couldn't save myself from all the invitations of my Icelandic friends. There were twice as many invitations as holidays so unfortunately I had to turn some down. The 24th I've spent at Hanna's family. Hanna works with me at Hereford and she invited me to her mother's house to spend Christmas eve with her mother, sister and 2 brothers.
I easily found my way to her house in Hafnarfjörður. Although I was a complete stranger to the family they all welcomed me overwhealmingly warmly. The amazing thing here in Iceland is that Christmas starts at exactly 6pm. So just like on New Year's eve we had the TV turned on and waited for the clock to announce the beginning of Christmas. At 6pm all the Church bells started to ring and the lax (salmon) was brought on the table. Traditionally we all drank "Malt og Appelsín" with the food. After the fish the main course were sweet potatoes and hangikjöt (smoked lamb) - quite delicious! The desert was a creamy substance called "fromage". It has nothing to do with the "cheese". Untill now nobody was able to explain to me the ethymology of this word. After the food the presents were opened and I've spent a great time discussing Icelandic political matters with Hanna's mother. A great evening!

Icelandic Yulemen

2006-12-20T11:36:00.000+01:00

Thirteen days before Christmas the Yulemen begin to arrive at farms and in towns. These 13 brothers are strange creatures, part troll and part prankster in human form. Actually, they are much meeker today than they were in former times, when according to Icelandic lore, they could be quite dangerous. Their father and mother, Grýla and Leppalúði, were terrible trolls who caught and ate disobedient children. Even the family cat was a monster. On Christmas Day it searched out any child that didn't get a new piece of clothing for Christmas and ate, if not the child, at least his ration of Christmas food. The Yulemen played pranks on people and stole from them. Each had his special Christmas preference--food, or candles for example - and a distinctive way of getting his hands on it which was reflected in his name. Today's prosperity has softened the lads a bit and now they are good-natured boys who come bearing gifts. They used to dress in warm woolen clothes in tones of black white gray and brown. These days they sometimes put on red suits, which they claim are their best clothes. The night before the first Yuleman arrives (December 12th) there are suddenly little shoes on the windowsills of the bedrooms of all Icelandic children. The reason for the shoes is that the children know that if they have behaved well, they can expect the Yuleman to sneak a little treat into the shoe while they are asleep. If they have not behaved well, however, they may find only a potato or nothing at all in the shoe when they wake up. Sometimes the children leave a little something in the shoe for the Yuleman to find - a sausage for "Sausage Snatcher" or maybe a candle for "Candle Beggar".
Nobody knows exactly how the Icelandic Yulemen came into being. They seem to have always been a part of Icelandic tradition. Stories of these trolls and their brood were so horrible that in 1746 the Danes, who governed Iceland at the time, issued a law to put a stop to the frightening of children with them. Nevertheless, the stories lived on with the people as they have probably done since the time of the Settlement.

The Yulemen come from the mountains in this order:

1. Stiff Legs, (Stekkjarstaur): He loves to suck milk from the sheep, but his stiff legs make that very difficult.

2. Gully Gawk, (Giljagaur): Has a taste for the froth on the milk and keeps close to the cows.

3. Shorty (Stúfur): Small and nimble and smacks his lips over the leftovers in the cooking pans, especially if they are burnt.

4. Ladle Licker, (Þvörusleikir): So thin he resembles the ladles which he licks the food from.

5. Pot Scraper (Pottaskefill): Snatches the unwashed pots from the kitchen and scrapes the insides with his fingers and tongue and leaves them quite clean.

6. Bowl Licker (Askasleikir): Very cunningly finds bowls that have been left unattended and finishes all food from them.

7. Door Slammer (Hurðaskellir): Gets his kicks from slamming doors, using every chance to disturb peoples sleep.

8. Curd Glutton (Skyrgámur): The dairy product is his favorite and if stored in closed containers he simply breaks through the lid with his fist.

9. Sausage Snatcher (Bjúgnakrækir): Very nimble when it comes to climbing up into the rafters where the sausages are hung to smoke.

10. Window Peeper (Gluggagægir): Flattens his nose against every window to glimpse something to steal.

11. Sniffer (Gáttaþefur): Has a very big nose and sniffes out his favorite food, fried bread, wherever it is being made.

12. Meat Hook (Ketkrókur): Has a long pole with a hook on the end to put down the chimneys and into the meat hung on the rafters.

13. Candle Beggar (Kertasníkir): Loves tallowcandles and can't make up his mind whether to eat them or watch their lovely light.

Christmas in Iceland

2006-12-17T18:04:00.000+01:00

The Icelanders are very big on Christmas. Because of the island's global position, days are very short here at the winter solstice. Perhaps that explains the enthusiasm with which Icelanders decorate and light up their houses during the holidays. All sorts of Christmas lights appear in windows, along with a festive horde of snowmen, Santas and other holiday figures who occupy windows, roofs, balconies, and lawns starting on the first Sunday of Advent in the beginning of December. Advent lights (electric candlesticks with seven lights) shine from one or more windows in virtually every home in Iceland. The crowning glory, the Christmas tree, is only decorated on St. Thorlakur's Day (December 23rd). Traditionally, the lights are lit for the first time on the decorated tree when Christmas is "chimed in" by every church bell in the land at six o'clock on Christmas Eve.
The first two weeks of December are the busiest time. Most families bake special, spiced cookies, not unlike gingersnaps, and every home also has up to ten other varieties of cookie to offer guests. Also part of the festivities is the making of "laufabraud" (leaf bread), a very old Icelandic tradition. These are flat cakes made of flour and water and fried in oil or mutton-fat. The cakes are decorated by cutting a special pattern or "leaves" in them. In earlier times Iceland did not produce grain of any kind and flour was an imported luxury. Therefore, the laufabraud was rolled out paper thin to get as many cakes as possible from the dough. Each cake was carefully decorated as a small work of art. This tradition is still very much a part of Icelandic Christmas custom and often serves as an opportunity for the extended family to gather during the Christmas season.
Most Icelanders eat pork/ham or ptarmigan on Christmas Eve. Pork/ham is relatively new to Iceland, having been imported from Denmark. The ptarmigan, on the other hand, is a strictly Icelandic dish. Originally, only the poorest families, those who didn't have a lamb to slaughter, ate ptarmigan at Christmas. It was a wild bird and easy to hunt. On Christmas Day, "hangikjöt" (Icelandic smoked lamb) is the traditional dinner. Dessert is an ordinary rice-pudding which changes its name for the occasion and is called "almond pudding". An almond is put into the pudding before it is served and whoever is lucky enough to get the portion with the almond gets a prize.

Jeepsafari on Langjökull

2006-12-16T15:08:00.000+01:00

Along with a group of exchange students we all met in complete darkness at 8h30 outside the university campus for our jeep safari to an Icelandic glacier. We mounted our 4 Landrovers and 1 Jeep and left smoky town behind.
Finally the light was enough to observe our powerful engines. Each jeep was equipped with the newest navigation system, GPS, satellite, you name it... Really impressive technique! They had the exact topography of the glacier with the information of dangerous places etc.
At the lake of Þingvellir we saw the faint light of dawn.
At around 10h30 the sun was slowly rising giving sight to a magical winter landscape where no life seems possible. It very hard to imagine how people were able to survive the long winters in the last centuries when no goretex protection was guaranteed.

Jeepsafari on Langjökull II

2006-12-16T15:00:00.000+01:00

Two of the bigger highland tracks are leading alongside the Langjökull glacier: Kaldidalur Highland road and Kjölur Highland road. Kaldidalur is between Langjökull and the glacier Ok in the west, whereas Kjölur lies between Langjökull and Hofsjökull in the east. We took the Kaldidalur road.
To be able to drive on the glacier, the tyres of the jeeps have to be flattened, so the jeep can "float" on the snow!
And with flat tyres, nothing could stop us of racing up the glacier in these powerful machines of modern technology!

Jeepsafari on Langjökull III

2006-12-16T14:55:00.000+01:00

On the top of the glacier we had a short break. The temperature: -15°C (without the chill factor of the wind!) Langjökull is, after the Vatnajökull, the second-largest of the glaciers of Iceland (1.021 km2). It is situated in the west of the Icelandic Interior or Highlands of Iceland. Its highest peak reaches 1360 metres.
The view from the top of the glacier was absolutely rewarding! It felt as if being part of some alien sort of landscape - hostile but fascinating and beautiful!
Under the glacier we had a short stop to pump up our tyres again. We were surprised by a light snowstorm. If you left the hidden place behind the jeep the wind chilled your body warmth away in seconds!

Reykjavik by night

2006-12-14T18:22:00.000+01:00

Due to my exam period I haven't had the time to write anything about Reykjavík. Soon I will add photos from my glacier jeep tour.
Untill then enjoy some photos from the darkness here in the capitol of Iceland. Whether you like the Christmas decoration is up to you - I must admit that I'm rather disappointed. I expected much more from the otherwise so artistic city.
The famous Christmas tree at Austurvellir.
The Biochemistry building on the campus. A very interesting architecture.
Outside a beautiful villa close to Tjörnin.

Jeepsafari on Langjökull IV

2006-12-11T12:12:00.000+01:00

Driving through wild nature we also had to cross certain rivers. To make the adventure perfect some of the jeeps got stuck in the ice and they had to pull each other out - entirely to the excitement of us "tourists"!
Our last stop, shortly before dark was Hraunfossar, a series of beautiful "magic waterfalls" where a substantial river mysteriously emerges from beneath a lava flow. Because of the freezing temperatures the atmosphere was fairy-tale-like :o)
Further up the path was another waterfall called Barnafoss (Children's Waterfall) where the constricted Hvítá roars through a narrow gorge. The name derived from a legend that two children fell into the river from a natural bridge. To prevent similar accidents in the future, the main span was destroyed, but amid the rapids a second natural bridge is visible.

Nýr Geisladiskur frá Vox Feminae

2006-12-04T14:17:00.000+01:00

The new CD of my choir Vox Feminae has been released!

The Whaling Issue

2006-11-26T19:27:00.000+01:00

Historical whaling records demonstrate that Iceland has an infamous history of over-exploitation of whales. Between 1883 and 1939, Iceland killed 2,294 blue whales, 1,541 fin whales, 213 humpbacks, 98 sperm whales, 10 sei whales and 13,502 more unspecified whales (mostly blue and fin whales).
In 1946, Iceland became a founding member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the body established to regulate whaling and conserve whales, created by the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). However, the IWC’s regulation of whaling for its first four decades was a litany of mismanagement and competitive over-exploitation. From 1948, Iceland caught a further 17,078 whales.
Finally, in 1982, following years of over exploitation and poor regulation of whale stocks by many countries including Iceland, the IWC agreed an indefinite moratorium on commercial whaling. Iceland opposed the ban but unlike Norway and Japan, did not lodge an Objection to the decision. Iceland stopped commercial whaling just before the ban came into effect in 1986.
However, Iceland, like Japan, saw the potential offered by a clause in the ICRW that permits whales to be killed for scientific research. In 1986, Iceland began to engage in so-called "scientific whaling" in order to avoid the moratorium on commercial whaling. By 1989 it had killed 292 fin whales and 70 sei whales for so-called ‘research’. Despite claims that it was conducting important science on these animals, more than 15 years later, most of the data collected from them has still not been published. However, a significant proportion of meat from the whales caught was exported to Japan for profit, illustrating the clear commercial motivation of this operation.
In 2002, after two failed attempts to rejoin the IWC with a reservation against the moratorium on commercial whaling, Iceland was finally, but controversially, readmitted at a special IWC meeting in October 2002. In its reservation, Iceland stated that it would not commence commercial whaling before 2006. However, it did not rule out restarting scientific whaling.
In October 2006, the Icelandic government issued licenses for a commercial whale hunt in addition to the continuing scientific program. Over the twelve-month period ending in August 2007, Icelandic whalers have been authorized by the Icelandic government to hunt and sell 30 minke whales and 9 fin whales. Iceland broke the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling on 21 October 2006 after Icelandic whalers killed a Fin Whale. Iceland has claimed an exemption to the moratorium through the reservation made in 2002.
25 nations delivered a formal diplomatic protest to the Icelandic government on 1 November concerning resumed commercial whaling. The protest was led by the UK and signed by nations including the US, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Finland and Sweden.

Egill Ólafsson

2006-11-16T00:09:00.000+01:00

This sunday, we (Vox feminae) are having a concert at the Catholic Church in Reykjavík at 16h. It´s a charity concert and we will accompany Egill Ólafsson - a great Icelandic singer and a character with a lot of charisma.

Egill Ólafsson is an icelandic freelance artist of a versatility rarely met with.

He is well known to the international audience as an actor, singer and composer.

He studied at The Reykjavík Conservatory singing and composition and has taken master classes with Per Raben, Jukka Linkola, Pierre Dörge, Jo Estill, Oren Brown, Thorsten Föllinger to mention a few.

As an actor he has apeared in almost 30 feature films mostly in leading roles as well as in several TV - films.
He has also been as a principal in many theatre plays and musicals. Just recently he did Fred Graham in Kiss Me Kate, at the City Theatre in Reykjavik. He has done Sky Masterson in Guys And Dolls, Jean Valjean in Les Miserable (he joined the 10th anniversary concert of Les Mis at the Royal Albert Hall 1996) Peron in Evita and Escamillo in Carmen Negra for The Icelandic Opera.

His songwriters output contains four musicals, music for eight films, six plays, two ballets, three albums of solo pieces and two albums of arrangements of Icelandic folk music. He has also worked with Icelands most popular bands through the years, Studmenn and The Icelandic Hobgoblins (Thursaflokkurinn) both as a songwriter and singer.

The year 2000 Egill worked with Björn Thoroddsen and his trio. The same year Reykjavik (capital of Iceland) was one of Europes Cultural Cities and Egill and Björn's Trio travelled to Canada, USA, Russia, Finland, Spain and Norway because of this, representing Icelandic music.

Elves in Modern Iceland

2006-11-14T15:09:00.000+01:00

REYKJAVIK - The trouble started last month when the bulldozers kept breaking down during work on a new road. The mysterious accidents in front of one particular stone brought work to a standstill at the construction site at Ljarskógar, about three hours drive north of Reykjavik. The contractors solved the problem in an unorthodox way but one which is fairly common on Iceland. They accepted an offer from a medium to find out if the land was populated by elves and, if so, were they causing the disruptions.

"Our basic approach is not to deny this phenomenon," Birgir Gudmundsson, an engineer with the Iceland Road Authority. "We tread carefully. There are people who can negotiate with the elves, and we make use of that."

About 10 percent of Icelanders believe in supernatural beings and another 10 percent deny them, but the remaining 80 percent on this windswept North Atlantic outpost either have no opinion or refuse to rule out their existence, a survey shows.

The medium, a woman named Regina, said the elves told her they no longer lived in the stone but nearby. However, they wanted workers to remove it in a dignified manner and not just try to blow it up.

The supernatural never seems far away in Iceland, a wild moonscape of volcanoes, geysers and lava rocks looking like trolls petrified by the first rays of sunshine on a frosty morning. This is the land where Vikings, tired of serving Scandinavian kings, settled more than a thousand years ago.

Erla said elves were not always at fault when roadworkers ran into unexpected problems. "You cannot blame it all on the elves," she said. "Don't believe everything you hear. People are good at bungling things themselves."

Being clairvoyant can apparently be an eerie experience. "When I walk down the street I can't tell who is alive and who is dead of the people I meet," Erla said. "I must touch them to find out if they are alive. I can meet myself on the highway 20 years ago. I can easily look back a thousand years." -> this nevertheless sound a bit too esoteric to me :o)

Elves were first briefly mentioned in Iceland's mediaeval Saga literature -- filled with pithy, epic tales of the days when a man never left his home without his sword. The Icelandic language, old Norse, has helped the survival of folklore because it has been preserved virtually unscathed by the passing of time. Icelanders still read the old Sagas in their original version without trouble.

Iceland's President Vigdis Finnbogadottir once said her people loved telling stories although few really believed in folklore. "But to lose it would be to lose a jewel," she said. Arni Bjoernsson, head of the Ethnological department of the National Museum of Iceland, said popular belief in elves, gnomes, dwarfs, trolls and other beings often reflected the simple farmer's dream of a better world alongside his own.

"The "huldufolk," or the hidden people, live a better life than human beings," said Arni, whose interviews with fellow Icelanders have produced a book listing 500 supernatural beings. "Their houses are nice and clean. They often possess gold and other valuables. This is the wishful thinking of the poor."

But Arni said Icelanders, whose first city was founded less than 200 years ago, were less ashamed than other people in Europe to admit to superstitious beliefs. "Icelanders are sceptical people, but they are also humble and they do not want to rule anything out," he said. "I am a scientist. I am sorry to disappoint you but I have never seen an elf or a troll. But who am I to exclude their existence?" -> but this quote really has character!

At Ljarskogar, however, all seemingly came clear after road authorities followed Regina's advice and removed the stone with due dignity. "As far as I know, everything has been peaceful since then," said Birgir.

Religion II

2006-11-14T14:43:00.000+01:00

Christianity
In Iceland, the sagas provide a great deal of information about the early religious state. Before the official conversion by government decree, there was quite a few Christians living in the country, most of them immigrants from mainland Britain and Orkney.
In the late 10th century, Denmark peacefully became Christian, but Norway's conversion was quite another story. In 994, during the siege of London, the ruthless Viking prince Olaf Tryggvason, who aspired to the throne of Norway, accepted the new religion. Upon his return home, he usurped power and mercilessly threatened and tortured his subjects into wholesale conversion. He then turned to his next conversion project, Iceland, where several people who resisted were declared criminals and sentenced to execution. However, some Icelandic Christians successfully pleaded for another chance for their pagan countryfolk.
Traditionally, the date of the decree that officially converted Iceland to Christianity has been given as 1000, but research has determined that it probably occurred in 999 and was a political decision. In the Icelandic Alþhing (parliament) the Christians and pagans had been polarising into two radically opposite factions, threatening to divide the country politically if not geographically. In the session of 999, Þorgeir the Law-speaker appealed for moderation on both sides in the interest of national unity.
Today, as in mainland Schandinavia, Iceland officially belongs to the Protestant Lutheran Church.

Religion I

2006-11-13T13:36:00.000+01:00

Norse Religion
Most people are familiar with the pantheon of Norse deities. Although there are many gods and godlike beings, the Norse trinity consisted of Þór, to most Icelanders the kong of the gods; Óðinn, the god of war and poetry; and Freyr, the god of fertility and sensuous pleasure.
Óðinn was the patron god of the Viking hordes and the skáld (court poet). He was traditionally depicted as a brooding and intimidating presence, the one who doled out both victory in battle and literary talent.
On the Scandinavian mainland, Óðinn was the highest-ranking deity, but in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroes - which were less concerned with war and raiding - Þór took precedence.
This rowdy and rather slow-minded god of the common people controlled thunder, wind, storm, and natural disaster, and fended off malevolent outsiders. He was depicted as a burly, red-haired, red-bearded dolt who rumbled through the heavens in a goat-drawn chariot.
Freyr and his twin sister Freyja, the children of the sea god Njörður, served as the god and goddess of fertility and sexuality. Freyr was the one who brought springtime with its romantic implications to both the human and animal world and was in charge of the perpetuation of all species.

Icelandic parking customs

2006-11-10T14:22:00.001+01:00

If Italy holds the world record in being the nation with the worst car driver - the statistics definitely forgot to have a look at this tiny little island in the middle of the north Atlantic. Icelanders are much worse! BELIVE ME! Underneath I'm leaving some photos of the Icelandic parking customs. Nobody takes notice of parking meters or parking lots. You drive into town, park the car (if possible half in the street or on the pavement). I've never seen more damaged cars anywhere else. You hardly find a car in Reykjavík that doesn't have any dented fender or scatches all over. Amazingly if you observe the people: they just park the car outside the building they want to go in - for example a restaurant and they don't even think one minute that the pavement in front of this building is now being blocked by their car! Unbelievable! Another phenomenon is the custom to stop and chat if you meet a friend. Lately I was walking down Njarðargata, a fairly busy road, when a car suddenly started blowing the horn at me and stopped so abruptly that the car behind nearly crashed into it. Inside I found Hjalti and Gunni who started chatting with me for about 10 min. blocking the whole traffic. I felt clearly uncomfortable, being the cause for this blockage and tried to "get rid" of my two friends as I was going to see them later that day at work. But the two continued to chat happily about different stories while the other cars waited. Crazy world!

Vox Feminae

2006-11-10T14:01:00.000+01:00

Not having any access to classical music in my everyday life here in Reykjavík I started to feel rather uneasy about it and all I wanted was a piano to be able to play. At work I heard a split part of a conversation of Helga M. about a concert of her choir. I approached her with the question whether she knew a good choir that I could join. She send me off to talk to Hjalti who's mother is a vocal teacher and singer. Hjalti gave me Margrét's phonenumber and a few days later I stood for the first time within the walls of Domus Vox - Margrét's music school. After a short audition I was accepted to join Vox feminae - Margrét's best choir as she proudly emphasised. I had not really an idea what I was going into. By now I have attended all the rehearsals - the choir is really on a very high standard. We sing pieces of Vivaldi, Brahms, Icelandic traditional songs and as preparation for the Christmas concert in Hallgrimskirkja Chrismas carols. The women in the choir have taken me in very warmly. It is hard work - there are many extra rehearsals and a very full program as Margrét is a well-known person in Iceland and Vox feminae the best women's choir in Reykjavík at the moment. Appart from the Chrismas concert we have auditions for the new CD and DVD, we are invited to Holland for an international choir festival, etc. Again I was very lucky to be able to join this choir!

Anna's Stables

2006-11-05T13:16:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I accompanied Anna to her workplace. As Anna is a very good horse person and she has internationally worked with many good Icelandic horse trainers it was not hard for her to get a job with Atli Guðmundsson. Atli has a beautiful stable at Hafnarfjörður and is working with 10 horses at the moment. As he is abroad every weekend, training Icelandic horses all around the world and giving courses Anna is taking care and training the horses here.
Atli has already won the Landsmóti (the most important even for Icelandic horses) a few times and his stables are full of trophies and prices - quite impressive to see!
It was also interesting to help Anna work with the young horses as the method of riding and training the Icelandic horse so differs from what I know from the mainland. Atli has a beautiful bunch of well-bred examples standing in his stables! WOW!

105 -> 101

2006-11-03T22:01:00.000+01:00

Finally - I've managed to move from 105 Reykjavik to 101 Reykjavik... well not yet but soon! As most of you know I have not been too happy with my room at this guesthouse. It's not really fun to be paying so much rent and to share 2 showers and 1 kitchen with 18 other people! Soooo, I started organizing... I had all my spies out to look for rooms for me: Gunni, Hjalti, Guffi, Dammy etc. they were all having their ears open for a room for me... But frankly it is not easy to find something cheap downtown.
BUT miracles do happen: As Sascha and Benni are moving home in december, Anna and me put all our charm together and convinced the landlord to rent the house to us (ok - I admit, we didn't need our charm ;o))
So I'm moving out of Þverholt 20 on november 30th.

NOTA BENE: Þverholt 20, 105 Reykjavík only valid til Nov. 30th!!!

From Dec. 1st - 18th I will be largely homeless. Anna is nice enough to be moving to Saschas place so most of that time I will be living next to Hallgrimskirkja at Njarðargata 37. But as Anna's friend from Sweden comes for a visit for a few days I will also crash on Gunni's sofa for a few nights - so that will be a bit of a Gypsy experience for me. What don't you do to save a month rent.
Whatever it takes, everything is worth waiting for the new home at Framnesvegur 36, 101 Reykjavik.
It is this purple house close to the seaside and in the western part of Reykjavík (untill now I was living in the eastern part). This house is now the home to Sascha and Benni. It belongs to a family living in Isafjörður that rents it out to student :o)
It has a small garden with grill, a nice kitchen that I won't have to share with 18 people but only with Anna. There are two bedrooms, a big bathroom AND a livingroom with TV and 90 channels :o) and a eating/reading room! What could be better? It's like paradise! I shouldn't forget that to this house also comes the fact that Anna has bought a Subaru (4-wheel-drive!) - what more can I possibly need? :o)

horse riding

2006-11-03T21:11:00.000+01:00

Day: Friday afternoon
Time: 13:20
Participants: 7 (4 Germans, 2 Swiss, 1 Swedish)
Action: 3.5h of horse riding

After a quick lunch we all gathered outside Benni's and Sascha's house waiting for our ride from the Laxnes Horse Farm that is situated in Mosfellbærsdalur only 20min. out of Reykjavik. The guy on the phone told us that he will pick us up at 13h20. So at 13h20 we were all standing outside in the rain, most of us rather nervous as they never sat on a horse before. After 45min of waiting Anna and me decided to call up the farm as even for Icelandic conditions 45min. of waiting is not that normal. The reply on the phone: "Oh shit, I absolutely forgot all about you! - I'll pick you up in 20min." So the 7 of us got back inside and enjoyed a cup of hot coffee. The nervousness disappeared and 30min. later we were sitting in the silver minibus heading north of the capital.
Winter has come over Iceland and the colours outside the city were beautiful. The grass has turned to a yellowish-brown, the clouds were hanging in the snowy mountains and the sun was peaking from behind.
We arrived at the farm and started to get ready. Warm overalls were put on and Anna and me helped to fetch the horses and put the saddles on. After a short introduction we were all in the saddles and ready to set off into the Icelandic wilderness. The weather was still stable and our group of eight horses trottet along some path. For most of the people this was their first experience with horses =) Miriam couldn't stop giggling, Benni couldn't get his horse to move forward.... A lot of fun! At one point Benni's horse just turned around and started running back to the stable - Anna was quickly at hand and got the nasty animal back to our group. After some time everyone felt more at ease and we risked a small trott. Slowly but surely the weather started to change. The sky turned black and the clouds seemed to touch the ground. We were just canterring when a shower of hail caught us. It was so strong that we had to stop our horses, turn our back to it and wait for the 10min. untill it was over. The water was starting to get through our warm and thick overalls. Nothing we could change, so we continued our ride with adventures.
Rivers had to be crossed, fields passed... and this all frozen and wet all through!
Our 3 hour trip was shortened to 1.5h and we happily arrived back at the farm house. There we enjoyed a beer at the "cowboy bar". Back in the warmth everyone had a piece of delicious Icelandic cinnamon cake. All in all a great day!!!

Sebastian's Birthday

2006-10-31T14:02:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Sebastian turned 27! So we both went out for dinner to Hereford. We enjoyed cocktails made by Stefan and then a wonderful 3 course menu and we were spoilt by Dámmy and Hjalti. Sebastian even got a candle on his birthday chocolate cake :o) A really great evening!

Books

2006-10-28T14:24:00.002+02:00

Books are an unbelievably expensive good in Iceland. The taxes on them are incredible! Being a student of literature this of course doesn't make my life any easy. After having spent a fortune on some of the books necessary for my courses I decided to start using the slower way of ordering them cheaply with Amazon and having them send over. Now I've ordered 7 second-hand books, none that was worth more than 5 USD and this is what happened:
- 2 of them were delivered without any problems to my house downtown Reykjavik
- 3 of them I had to pick up at the post office in my area and I had to pay 20 USD of taxes on them!!! -> but they were not delivered to my house
- now the last 2 of them were held at the storage of the national post in 110 Reykjavik (SUBURB!!! in the middle of nowhere!!!). So yesterday, after having waited a month, I asked Anna if she could drive me there to finally pick up my two books. Upon arrival they asked me to sign a paper so they could open the packages. 10min. waiting. They came back saying that they did not know the values of the book, whether I still had the bill.... my jaw dropped. The next 15min. I've spend searching my mailbox to find some receipt of my orderings. Luckily I found them, printed them out and handed over. 15min. of waiting. The 2 packages were handed over, another 20 USD of tax paid and I left after 45min to walk home for another 90min. as I didn't want Anna to wait for me for such a long time.

NOW: why 3 different procedures for 7 items that have the same value??? Nobody from the post office has been able to answer my question. What I learned from it? Don't order books from Amazon, it comes cheaper to buy them dearly in the shop and you save so much time!!!

Sundlaugnar í Reykjavík

2006-10-27T18:08:00.000+02:00

Just like every tiny little village in Switzerland has a bank and each tiny little village in the Czech Republic has a pub with beer, every tiny little village in Iceland has a swimming pool: Swimming in Iceland is a national institution and that's where I also adapted to my new home - I'm swimming 3 times a week in a great swimming pool called Laugadalur: enjoying the olypia-sized pool, the hot pots and of course the atmosphere to swim outside in freezing temperatures.

"Swimming is a part of the icelandic lifestyle, wheather young or old, to visit the swimming pools in Iceland at least once a week to have a swim, to relax in the hot pools or to meet friends and have a chat. Icelanders have discovered the healthfull effect, the spring water has on people recovering from accidents or dealing with artitis and similar diseases. All of the Icelands swimming facilities have several hot pots, each kept at a different temperature, from 37°C & 42°C.

A unique aspect of Reykjavík's swimming pools when compared with Europe is that most are outdoors. Many undoubtedly shiver at the mere thought of bathing outside surrounded by frost and snow, but research has shown that there are various benefits associated with this. It is healthier for heart and asthma patients to be outside in hot water breathing fresh air than to breathe the warm, humid air of indoor swimming facilities. It also appears that the combination of warm water and cold air has a very positive effect on the human body.

It should be pointed out that no one gets cold in the pools as they are kept at an average temperature of 29°C. Swimming at Reykjavík's pools is indeed a unique experience that increases well being and improves overall health. When you travel around Iceland you will discover that every village or town has it's own pool to the delight of the traveler." (www.exploreiceland.is)

Hjalti

2006-10-26T02:36:00.000+02:00

This is Hjalti - the manager of Hereford and a good friend! The first time I saw him I was stuck - this face represents a typical Reykjavikan male: blond hair, glases, style of clothes...
Hjalti is the son of Sverrir who owns Hereford and some many hotels in Reykjavík and Akureyri, a very nice man who has lived for many years in Vienna. Hjalti's mother is Margarét, a famous singer and my vocal teacher now. Hjalti has studied in London, is a well-known DJ and of course an artist. He is a lot of fun to go out with! Hjalti is a great boss - he cares so much for his employees. Saturday nights are often very busy at Hereford as the restaurant enjoys a very good reputation throughout Reykjavik. Having many reservations leaves Hjalti in a rather nervous state - then he is just grateful for having such a good team. A typical characteristic is also his cellphone that is never found elsewhere than glued to his ear :o) I can't wait to have another good night out with him!

Gunnar Gunnarsson

2006-10-26T02:18:00.000+02:00

Another terrific person and definitely unique in this world is Gunni. Gunni is the head waiter at Hereford Steikhús and therefore my boss.
The first evening I met Gunni was on my first night at Hereford where he hired me straight away and gave me a warm hug. This basically says everything about his warm heart and kind character. Since Þórkatla has left for Amsterdam, Gunni took over her shifts and we are therefore working together very often. Gunni is also the manager of "Shadow Parade" - an Icelandic rock band.
Gunni is the perfect person to have a good glas of red wine, listen to good music and talk to for hours and hours and hours. One can rely a 100% on him and he is really a true friend!

Sebastian Rinas

2006-10-26T02:10:00.000+02:00

A grand reason why I love my life in Reykjavík so much is definitely the amount of great people that I met and with whom I am spending my time. One such personality is Sebastian.
Because I know that he also reads this blog I really have to be careful about what I write ;o)
Sebastian is also an Erasmus exchange student. He originates from Berlin, studies philosophy and political sciences. We always have a lot of fun together: talking about different political attitudes, discovering Reykjavíks culture life, having tea at 2am, cooking Icelandic moss soup with too much sugar; dicussing Icelandic literature and mentality. Basically Seb is a great person to hang around with! I'm so glad I've met him!

Winter comes

2006-10-20T19:56:00.000+02:00

The past 3 days it was freezing. Temperature droped from 5°C to 0°. First snow has fallen on Mt Esja. But the days are beautifully clear with sun shining. The thing I've realised quite recently is that there is never any fog - it is so beautiful, probably my first fall without any fog!

Súrmjólk

2006-10-18T17:52:00.000+02:00

"Súrmjólk, soured milk, is eaten at breakfast and with brown sugar."

I love Súrmjólk. No breakfast without it! You can get it either natural taste and then with brown sugar it's delicious. Or you can have it with all different tastes. My favourite is Bláberja - blue berry!

Icelandic Skyr - Food of the Vikings

2006-10-18T17:43:00.000+02:00

Skyr is a unique non-fat dairy specialty and a traditional national dish. Made from fresh Icelandic cow´s milk, it has been a staple of the Icelandic diet since the Vikings first brought it with them when they settled the country more than 1,100 years ago.
Through the centuries, Skyr was traditionally made on virtually every family farm, either from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep’s and cow’s milk. And while new flavors and recipes are finding their way to Skyr devotees around the world, the dish hasn’t lost touch with its pure, all natural beginnings.
The Viking settlers are believed to have brought the knowledge of Skyr-making with them from Norway, and developed it further after settlement. Since that time, however, the know-ledge of Skyr-making has been lost in Scandinavia, but remains an active part of the national identity of Iceland.
Skyr has a deliciously soft and creamy consistency, and looks rather like thick yogurt. In fact, the taste is somewhat reminiscent of yogurt. But Skyr is not a yogurt, it’s actually a type of fresh cheese. Because it’s made from fresh Icelandic skim milk, it contains no fat, but the nutritional value is very high, allowing Skyr to be eaten with cream and sugar without guilt. It’s also an excellent source of protein and calcium. Skyr is now available in many delicious varieties, either in its distinctive natural taste or mixed with fruits and other natural flavorings.

Icelandic soup

2006-10-18T17:32:00.000+02:00

Fjallagrasamjólk - Iceland Moss Soup
A very healthy, nourishing soup.

Iceland moss (Cetraria islandica) is very versatile. In spite of the name, it isn't a moss at all, but a lichen. It's used in cosmetics (especially creams and ointments), medicines and nutritional supplements (it is an excellent remedy for coughs and digestive problems), and as food. In olden times it was also used for colouring wool. In modern times, it is also used as a flavouring for a special schnapps.

Iceland moss also grows in other northern countries, but as it is very sensitive to pollution, it is not much harvested. It tastes very bitter when used in teas and infusions, but cooking it in milk, like in this recipe, removes most of the bitterness.

This soup is very nourishing and tasty. It is up to you if you choose to actually eat the moss or just use it as a flavouring (it gets pretty slimy when you cook it).

Airwaves 2006

2006-10-17T19:24:00.000+02:00

Iceland Airwaves takes place this week in Reykjavik. It is a major event on the Icelandic music scene, where both Icelandic bands along with foreign ones ocupy every club of Reykjavík for a week. Iceland Airwaves is an annual music event that started out in 1999 as a talent show for foreign record company executives, since then Airwaves has grown and blossomed and is now an integral part of the cultural life in Reykjavík. The fruits of the festival's labour have been ripening and today many Icelandic artists such as Quarashi, Minus, Sigur Ros, Apparat Organ Quartet, Trabant, Leaves and more have made their way to the International music scene.

Music is a very important part of the Icelandic culture. There are many clubs that feature live concerts all around the clock. Famous names are:

Sigur Rós: Sigur Rós are an Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical and minimalist elements. The name is Icelandic for "victory rose".

Thanks to my boss and very good friend Gunni I was introduced to the Indie-music scene. Gunnar is the manager of two bands: Indigo and Shadow Parade. They both write and play great songs. I also met Lay Low, Pétur Ben and other musicians thanks to Gunni.

Indigo: Ingolfur Tor Arnason has worked under the artist name Indigo. He has recorded two cds and had a song on a colaboration CD of up-and-coming artists. His debut CD Escapism was released 2001 in a colaboration with 12 tonar. Shortly after the recording, Inglfur started working with Vala Gestsdottir (Viola, Singer) making Indigo a duet. Since than they have been busy playing around town and made some live appearances on TV and Radio. Through Icelandair and Reykjavk City, Indigo went to N.Y. 2004. They have now finished their third L.P. that will be released this year. Their music could be described as Alt. country.

Shadow Parade: Shadow Parade are a musical explosion in waiting. A blend of midnight melodies, bittersweet melancholy and sweeping romanticism. They are a reverse evolution, from the PC to a full blown six piece band. Shadow Parade moved from Akureyri to Reykjavík in pursuit of their music dream. With the relocation came a musical re-think.
The duo decided the classic material they where producing would benefit from a boarder sound palate and the warmth of traditional instruments.
As a rhythm section they have a telepathic groove that only siblings can produce. With the advent of such rhythmic dynamism the hard drive was switched off and the songs began to blossom.

The music of all these bands is available on: www.myspace.com

Dinner invitation

2006-10-17T15:25:00.002+02:00

The first day I started to work at Hereford, þórkatla was there and introduced me to everyone and everything! She gave me an extremely warm welcome there and we always have so much fun working together! Unfortunately she is leaving to Amsterdam to join her boyfriend there and study. I will really miss her! We've spent quite some time together lately in the streets and restaurants :o) of Reykjavik. The photo shows þórkatla (very Icelandic name: þór, nordic god and katla, volcano in Iceland) and her younger sister Vala.
Yesterday Gunni organized a staff party for þórkatla, a fare-well party as she has been an important longtime staffmember at Hereford. Before we went into Kaffi Vín I was invited to her home to meet her family and to have a good dinner. Her mother wanted to do Puffins for me (a speciality from the Vestmannaeyjar). As the last season was so bad the bird could not be found so we had wonderful Lasagne instead. I met her younger sister Vala, Vala's boyfriend Halli .
Inge, a friend of þórkatla is studying art. þórkatlas mother was extremely nice. I already got further invitations to traditional Icelandic food. Icelanders are so hospitable. It was a great evening!

Gjúfrasteinn - The House of Halldór Laxness

2006-10-13T14:54:00.001+02:00

Gljúfrasteinn was the home and workplace of Halldór Laxness (winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955) and his family for more than half a century. It has now been opened to the public as a museum, unchanged from when Laxness lived there.
Halldór Laxness (1902-1998) stands head and shoulders above the other Icelandic writers of the 20th century. He was prolific during his long career, writing 13 major novels, five plays and a dramatisation of one of his novels, not to mention his collections of short stories, essays and memoirs. His books have been translated into 43 languages and published in more than 500 editions. His career was unique, the diversity of his works almost without parallel, and with every book he can be said to have approached his readers from a new and unexpected direction.
Laxness’s ideals and beliefs changed with time, as reflected to a certain extent in his works. He began his writing career as a Catholic, then turned to socialism, but later lost interest in all dogma – except perhaps Taoism. He never attempted to disown the earlier views which he subsequently repudiated, regarding them instead as an instructive part of his psychological development.
Yet from the earliest period to the latest it is possible to detect the same basic themes in his books. He looked at things differently from other people, his writings were often barbed, and yet he always managed to see the comic aspects of his characters and their actions. His sympathy was invariably with the underdog.

Homepage:
www.gljufrasteinn.is
His best book and my favourite novel!

Ferðalag i miðvikjudögum

2006-10-13T14:42:00.000+02:00

This wednesday Sebastian rented a car from his Icelandic contact person and we went to Mosfellbær to visit the Laxness museum.
Autumn has come over Iceland and it was great to get out of the city for a while and be out in the elements. The wind was strong, the colours in the plains breathtaking. We nearly crashed the car, but that's another story. For good photos, sacrifices have to be made :o)
On the way back to Reykjavik we took a longer road around Mt Esja and along Hvalfjördur. This fjord is especially deep and therefore attractive for whales - "fjord of the wales".

(Funny) Facts about Iceland

2006-10-13T05:26:00.000+02:00

90% of Icelanders feel happy at work

Icelanders live longer than any other European nation

About 8000 Icelanders take happy pills on a daily basis -> Iceland is the happiest nation in the world

93% belong to the National Church
10% go to Church on a regular basis

73% of the population consumes alcohol
one out of every ten male goes to rehab

Iceland comes in second on a list of nations that are most advanced in using information technology

1 cell phone for every Icelander – 5 sheep for every cell phone

Iceland holds the Nordic record in terms of sexual frequency

Icelanders have a frequency record in terms of marriages and divorces

Icelanders usually work 5-10 years longer than people in other Nordic countries

Iceland holds the world record in:

credit card use
cocoa puffs consumption
electricity use
SOS children’s sponsors
internet usage
rules in poetry
cinema admissions per capita
susbscriptions to disney books

Dinner at Hereford

2006-10-13T04:12:00.000+02:00

Tonight I invited my two girls to a dinner at Hereford. The food was terrific and the service awesome! Gunni spoilt us with good white wine for the Sushi, then a very good Riocha for our steaks and good Cognac with our desert. We so loved the food!
I was accompanied by Anna, whom you must already know from my blog and Koosje from Holland, namely Groningen and a friend of Rolinka :o) Later Sascha, Philipp and Sebastian joined us for the concerts.
That evening we went to a concert of Gunnis bands at a really great rock club called "Gaukur á Stöng". Iceland's oldest pub is now in it's early twenties. During the day it's a pool pub and on weekday evenings there are live rock concerts by a mix of mainstream and underground bands.

Can you take seriously a country called "Iceland"?

2006-10-12T19:10:00.000+02:00

How do you like Iceland is a documentary about Iceland and its culture. It has interviewed 37 foreigners from 9 nations that have all lived in Iceland for a while. It's the greatest movie ever and I will give you some samples and statements of it. They really express the true Iceland!

"What is to be expected other than shamefulness of people who live in boundless freedom, without the restrictions of consciousness or external discipline; of people who dwell for the most part in deserts or out at sea, with nobody keeping an eye on them." – quote by the Mayor of Hamburg in 1743 -

Impressions from Reykjavik:
"People seem to be living in sheds, it’s the shed capital of the world"
"I think there is only one beautiful building"
"In Iceland, there is some terrible architecture. Terrible! You have to cope with the cold, you have to cope with the rain, you have to cope with the long dark days and nights. And then the architects dont help the situation. So shoot all the Icelandic architects, I'd say.”
"It didn't feel as alien as I thought it would. It almost felt more western than London in a strange sort of way."

Religion:
"Travel through some real wilderness and in the middle of nowhere there’d be a church."
"I have yet to find a religious Icelander."
"I think this is a country that still quietly practises pagan rituals."

Icelandic mentality:
"They don't feel like being at the edge of the world, they belive it to be the centre of the world."
"There is a craziness that all Icelanders have."
"You often read of Icelanders that they are special. Different. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. But even if it's the bad way it's a way that we embrace because it's an Icelander. They are not aweful, terrible or strange; they are just special."
"Every person is a personality. That is very characteristic for Icelanders. They are terribly individuals, in all respect I mean."
"You really have to feel ordinary if you come to Iceland because every one there is involved in something creative: arts, music, design."
"They wont be told!"
"I dont find Icelandic people polite. No "please" or "thank you"."

Icelandic driving:
"The worst trait is the poor level of driving. It's almost like italy."
"You come from a population where everybody rode into town on a horse, they hitched it to the rail and went shopping. So now you are doing the exactly same thing with the cars. Nobody takes any notice of parking meters or nobody parks in the car park you just park on the side of the road. But the hilarious thing is definitely if you get two cars coming in opposite directions and they know each other.... then they stop and chat! Imagine that in the middle of London – people would go mad!"

Icelandic language:
"It sounds like people are attacking each other."
"I hate listening to icelandic radio, it gives me a headache."
"It sounds like a language that would have been spoken in lord of the rings."

Icelandic drinking:
"Getting out of the bar at 5am on a Saturday morning, it's not a pretty sight and I don't know how many Icelanders actually experienced it. But it is - it is shocking! It really is shocking!"
"All over the country people drink from Friday till Sunday. The students don't call it fösturdagur (friday) they call it floskudagur (bottle day)."
"Nobody is dancing or talking with the girls. And when finally the men start talking to the girls they are too drunk. It is very, very strange. I'm sure it's very good for foreigners because all those beautiful women are there and nobody is talking to them so it's an open field for them."

Alcohol prices:
"We met 8 or 9 people when we got there and went straight into a bar. And I bought the first round. Nobody else bought a round... it cost me something like 80 pounds. I thought something must be wrong! But it wasn't. So i waited for somebody else to offer a beer, but nobody did and then i went... ahhh!"
"Normally you drink to wake up in some ways but here you think that sometimes people drink to go to sleep."

Travelling around:
"I made the mistake of hitch hiking around Iceland because you don't get many cars. And then I got picked up by a fisherman and he said: "You're gonna have to drive because I'm drunk and I hadn't seen anyone for a good few hours and then I'm in a jeep with a drunk fisherman. It was kinda odd but very entertaining."

Icelandic men:
"Icelandic men are extremely gentle, extremely polite, extremely civilised which is not something you would associate with vikings."
"They all think that they are stong and menly but they are actually very conscious the way they dress I'm sure they spend lots of time in front of a mirror."

Icelandic style:
"Everyone knows each other – you always meet people you know, so you have to keep your image 24h a day."
"Icelandic people they are the biggest spenders I've ever seen on fashion."

My favourite quote:
"Iceland is alright. A bit cold, maybe. But we’re really optimistic about Global Warming."

UGLA

2006-10-05T18:01:00.000+02:00

Different cultures - different customs - different universities. Comparing the University of Fribourg with the University of Iceland reveals many interesting aspects. The first keyword would probably be: technology. While looking for university news in Fribourg one still has to physically go to the building and check the departments notice board (if you are lucky the news will show up on the internet approximately 4 weeks later - stressing the IF). Many of our professors in Fribourg hardly know where the push on button is on a computer and they also have trouble operating the projector or beamer. Nota bene that most of the lecture halls don't even provide technical devises as beamers. Basically Fribourg has not followed the technical revolution of the past 50 years - and I doubt it is only a finance matter.
Let's move to the 21st century and the University of Iceland. Each tiny little seminar room possesses the newest technical equipment. Professors only show up with fully prepared powerpoint presentations for each lecture. These presentations can be downloaded a day in advance from the internet so each student actually already has the slides during the lecture. Another detail. While I am still a old hard core student who turns up with a pen and notebook - the majority of Icelandic students use their newest laptops.
Another terrific thing is the university network called ugla (meaning owl). It is an account on the net which each student has. It contains all information about one's courses and all the information of the courses is posted there. All announcements, materials, discussions (which are really being used!) can be found there. One can buy printing quotas there with one's creditcard - imagine that in Fribourg!!!

Typical newspaper story from Iceland

2006-10-05T17:48:00.000+02:00

"A 67-year old German woman, Doris Kolberg, walked 60km in 14 hours to seek help. The car she and her husband were driving malfunctioned in the Icelandic outback two nights ago. The couple was driving near Herdubreidarlindir, north Iceland, when their car became stuck in a river. Water entered the engine so that the car stalled and they sere unable to call for help, as there is no mobile phone service in the area. Consequently Kolberg decided to set off on foot, walking for 14 hours until she reached the Ring Road at 6am. There she managed to flag down a vehicle driven by a farmer in the area. In an interview Kolberg was remarkably upbeat and claimed she was not at all tired from the walk, only a little stiff. "

Westfjord trip

2006-10-03T17:52:00.000+02:00

On last monday night I got a phone call from Anna saying: "Hey, we are off to the Westfjords tomorrow for 5 days! You have to join us!" I was gutted - I couldn't cancel my shifts on such a short notice so this team had to leave on the greatest roadtrip without me! You can't believed how sad and disappointed I was! Soooo Stef, Anna, Sascha and Stef's brother Christopher (visiting from Germany) started off to the Westfjords.

Its getting autumn here and the berry bushes are turning into the most beautiful colours.
Christoph is enjoying Iceland - this photo could be the main ad for 66north!
The sea at the Westfjords.
My favourite waterfall Dynjandi foss.

If you want to see what a real road trip in Iceland looks like and what Icelandic rotten shark looks like - watch Sascha's video about their trip:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4neF38kxoY

Once new, now familiar faces

2006-10-03T17:30:00.000+02:00

Life in Reykjavik is very familiar. If one goes out for a coffee or on a weekend night - definitely you bump into familiar faces!
Let me introduce you to some of them.
There we have Stefan and Sascha - two friends from Köln, Germany. And my Anna in the middle of course. Stef and Sascha have bought a white VW minibus, drove it up to Denmark, put it on the ferry, a week later got out in Seyðisfjorður and drove along the south coast to Reykjavik. They're both staying a semester. In december they are catching the ferry back home - IF the weather allows them to drive back to Seyðisfjorður in their van :o)
Sebastian, Elena and Anna all live in the same cute house at Njarðarsgata downtown. I basically live with them. Basically means... I cook there, eat there, chat there... it's where you find me at 8am or 9pm or 2am if I'm not at uni or work. Sebastian is from Berlin, he's a good friend of mine and we spend a lot of time discovering Reykjavik's culture places or hanging around coffee places or bars and having philosophical discussions about the world. Elena comes from Barcelona and is just great! Anna, her and me go to the Icelandic language course together. Today when the teacher AGAIN taught us some grammatical rule and straight afterward she had to explain that in fact this rule only applies sometimes and that there basically are no rules in the Icelandic language. Her polite way of telling us is: "We have a special way of saying this..." Elena just looked at me with a very serious face: "This is no funny!" - yeah! We all can't really get the grip of this crazy language :o)
Another typical Saturday night out in Reykjavik. Elena, Anna and Carlos from Madrid!

From the poor house to a welfare state

2006-10-01T12:57:00.000+02:00

For a long time Iceland belonged to the poorest countries in Europe. Only in the 20th century this changed completely - it switched from an underdeveloped agricultural country to a modern welfare society. Even though only a very small part of the country could be used for agricultural purposes, 100 years ago 50% of the population lived on farms on the coast lines. Nowadays this number droped to under 10%, where most farmers do sheep farming. (By the way: the blue in the flag symbolises the water, the white the ice and glaciers and the red the fire and magma)

After the WW II the prior political aim was to boost the economy and ameliorate the living standarts of the population. The largest investments flowed into the fishing industry and the fish processing companies. Soon the country owned one of the biggest and most modern fishing fleets in the world. Nevertheless the number of people working in this sector dropped gradually but at times 90% of the exports were covered from this part of the economy. The main fishes being caught are cod, herring, redfish, haddock and halibut. With the incomes of the fishing industry Iceland finances the major part of its import of raw materials, food, fuel and engines.

Since the mid 90's Iceland's economy is stable. Today its per-capita income is one of the highest in the world. The problem is that Iceland, except for fish, energy and few agricultural goods, has to costly import most goods. Tourism is meanwhile the second largest income sector. The standart of living is comparable to the other scandinavian countries and is one of the highest in the world. A factor that shouldn't be underestimated for the high quality of living is surely the intact nature.

Aurora Borealis

2006-10-01T12:45:00.000+02:00

Yesterday at 2am after our shift Þórkatla, Gummi, Dammý and me left Hereford over the balcony. Suddenly Dammý stopped me and said: "Look - northern lights!" I lifted my head and there is was - right over our heads. Green and blue colours rolling over the sky, just like snakes. It changed from green to white, yellow and red. I could not believe my luck. Even my local co-workers where struck by the beauty of it. We stood there for at least half an hour to watch this natural phenomenon.
But how do these wonderful lights come into being? The visible aurora borealis, or northern lights, are caused by streams of charged particles from the sun, the solar wind, which are directed by the Earth's magnetic field towards the polar regions. Because the field curves downward in a halo surrounding the magnetic poles, the charged particles are drawn earthward.

Ancestry

2006-09-30T12:17:00.000+02:00

The Icelanders are the direct descendents of the vikings, who have settled this island in the north Atlantic from Norway. But also a shot of Celtic blood from Great Britain and Ireland flows through the veins of the todays population. The Icelandic society is homogeneous - the restrictive immigration policy makes it hard for immigrants to settle. It often seems that every Icelander is related to the other. It is therefore not surprising that many Icelanders are devoted to ancestry research. One of my Icelandic friends can track his genealogy back 33 generations - back to an illegitimate son of a Norwegian king.

Reykjavik goes dark

2006-09-30T12:07:00.000+02:00

Unfortunately cloud cover blocked the stars yesterday evening as Reykjavik´s streetlights were turned off in order to enable city residents to have a better view of the sky. In other respects the darkening of Reykjavik went well. The lights were shut off at 10pm sharp in connection with the opening of the Reykjavik International Film Festival, and were turned back on half an hour later. Reykjavik residents flocked into the streets to take part in the experience. The idea was to show the biggest screen: the sky.

A young island

2006-09-28T21:59:00.000+02:00

Iceland is geologically seen a very young island that has emerged out of the sea 20 million years ago thanks to a hot spot. The mid-atlantic range passes right through the island leaving a 50km wide strap that is geologically very active with volcanoes, hot springs and high temperature areas. Iceland is situated on the edges of two tectonic plates, namely the Eurasian and the American, which are constantly drifting apart. Iceland grows therefore around 2 cm per year! The cleft can be seen throughout Iceland - a very typical picture for Japanese tourists to stand with one foot in Europe, with the other in America.

The Icelandic Horse

2006-09-28T20:22:00.000+02:00

The Icelandic horse, which has been prominent in the development of Iceland, is smal but a sturdy animal perfectly suited to the rough Icelandic terrain. The first horese were introduced by the early settlers and, since no other horses have been importet recently, the breeding stock remains pure for over 1000 years. To keep this unique race pure already the Althing has released a law that prohibited any import of other horses. This law still exists and even a horse that has been raised in Iceland and then transfered abroad will never be allowed back again. From the first years of Settlement to the early part of this century, these horses were the primary form of transporation in the country.
Horsefights were organised as a source of entertainment as the meat was consumed as a staple and used in pagan rituals. As a result, horsemeat was later banned by the Christian church. Although the horse's utilitarian value has diminished in recent years, it continues to play a role in the autumn sheep round-up and is still used recreationally.
If I ever manage to save up enough money I would love to buy a young Icelandic horse and train it. I've already found the perfect example for it. He's around 2 years old and stands on a farm in Snaefellsnes. This is when we met :o)

The nation with the glassy genes

2006-09-28T16:00:00.000+02:00

The genotype of the human being has been decoded. Now scientists are looking for agents with which genetically conditioned diseases can be cured. Therefore special biological banks are needed in which genetical information and datas of health are linked. Iceland is the first country to have set up one.
Although the human genotype has been decoded, we do not yet fully understand the biological structure of the human being. Indeed we possess less genes than expected but the interactions are more complicated. Now the really tough part begins: namely to distinguish the genetical differences between the individual humans to estimate the risk factor which lead to diseases. But the acutal goal is still a big step further, namely to find new agents against diseases that have not been cureable untill now - here many pharmaceutical companies scent the big business (Novartis and Roche are investing heavily into this!) For this complex mission a biological bank is needed with preferably a complete system of health data from the majority of the population and also as many blood samples. Iceland was the first country to establish this!

A long path
Also in this business, rapidness is needed, but the Icelandic collection of blood samples only coveres a few thousand pieces. The exact number is a corporate secret of DeCode Genetics (www.decode.is), but they are still far away from the possibility to look at the genotypes of all Icelanders.

A had full of vikings
The fact that Iceland was the first country to establish a biological bank is quite simple: The Icelandic people are a young nation. Only about 1000 years ago the first vikings came from Norway to settle the island in the north Atlantic. It was only a hand full of people that landed at that time and as there was practically no further immigration, the 300'000 inhabitants that live on the island now principally have to be all related to each other. For scientists this would be the ideal population to look for congenital diseases. This was Kari Stefánsson's theory, professor of medicine, when he founded his company deCode genetics in Reykjavik. Also the Swiss pharmacologist Hoffmann - La Roche was so enthusiastic about this idea that in 1997 he invested a large amount of money for a collaboration.

Thrilled genealogists
Meanwhile there have been surprising results, because the Icelandic population is not as homogeneous as expected. On their way to Iceland the vikings apparently stopped first in Scottland and Ireland to rob some women, which are responsible for the Celtic line in the blood. The Icelanders have always been keen scientists about their ancestors. This interest has been part of Iceland over centuries. Already the first settlers started to document in the Landnámabók all the family relations from the beginning on.

Privacy in danger
For over 100 years Icelandic doctors have collected disease records, which together with the genealogy have shown the interaction of environmental impact with predisposition at the emergence of diseases. Sine qua non was a law from 1998 that allows the collection of all the health data of the living and dead Icelanders in a central databank. The concession for setup and use went for the period of 12 years to deCode genetics.

Icelandic Art

2006-09-27T18:46:00.000+02:00

Wednesdays, having off university, I always spend the day at one of the various art museums in Reykjavik. Iceland has a great many number of artists. One of my favourites is called Georg Gudni Hauksson. He was born in 1961, lives in Reykjavik and has studied in Iceland and Holland. Especially his newer works are great! His homepage: www.georggudni.com

Réttir - sheep round up

2006-09-26T17:55:00.000+02:00

The annual Icelandic sheep and horse round up, known as réttir, is by now finished in all parts of Iceland.
Réttir is one of the highlights of the Icelandic autumn season, drawing visitors from all over the world to witness the round up of sheep and horses that have grazed wild for the summer. The round up is still conducted on horseback and the animals are herded into a corral where the sorting takes place. This traditional event is a highly festive occasion, with dances and other communal festivities an integral part of the celebrations.