Archive by Author
No dogs, TV, beer or Spaniards allowed. Posted by hulda on May 28, 2015
Icelanders of the Westfjords area are no longer allowed to kill Basque people on sight. The law was revoked just last month and very, very quietly too – you’d almost think someone didn’t want anyone to notice anything. In any case it’s now a fact, Basque people are no longer outlawed by default! It may sound like…
Eurovision – Iceland loves it! Posted by hulda on May 21, 2015
It’s that time of the year again. People are slowly migrating towards the magic box in the living room, beers are cooling and grills are almost hot enough for the first course. There may be flags of each person’s favourite country, if the viewers are young there may well be a drinking game as well…
Five culture shocks of Iceland. Posted by hulda on May 14, 2015
A culture shock will always catch you by surprise no matter how well you thought you had prepared yourself. Here are some that have given people big jumps before. 1. No ice hockey The ice hockey world championship games are in full swing and the whole world is watching, holding its breath. The whole world? No! One…
From hand-leg to leg-throat. Posted by hulda on May 7, 2015
Broadening your vocabulary is best started with themes, and I’m going to suggest body parts as a good first option! This is especially because you’ll find some dangers therein and some fairly interesting words as well, words that really make you wonder why and how do they even exist. Did the Icelanders of old just…
Elliðarárdalur, Reykjavík’s Central Park Posted by hulda on Apr 30, 2015
A secret oasis of Reykjavík, Elliðarárdalur, can be found only a short bus drive away from downtown. Well, when I say secret it actually means something more like “this is a place the locals certainly know of but visitors barely ever visit and that’s a shame”. It’s a popular place for walking, jogging, biking, horse…
Happy First of Summer! Posted by hulda on Apr 23, 2015
Summer is finally here! I mean it did snow a few times today and the night before was freezing, but that’s just good luck according to old beliefs, it’s said that if winter and summer freeze together the summer will be good. Sumardagurinn fyrsti, The First of Summer, divides the year into its warmer half just like…
Cod Wars. Posted by hulda on Apr 16, 2015
Did you hear about that time when Iceland, a country with no military, beat the British Royal Navy three times in a row with 7 small coast guard vessels? If you ever visit Iceland you probably will hear of it – the Cod Wars, as they’re called, are a source of national pride. Like the name…