Archive for 'Icelandic culture'
Hiding in plain sight: Hvalfjörður. Posted by hulda on Jun 16, 2014
When you hear of Hvalfjörður from the locals it’s often spoken of as how to avoid it. This time you should not listen to the advice: there’s clear logic behind wanting to avoid going there but it’s definitely not because the place wasn’t worth a visit! No, what Icelanders usually think of when Hvalfjörður is…
Come all you sailors (and others as well)! Posted by hulda on Jun 6, 2014
It gives life, it takes life, the Icelandic attitude towards the sea is divided in two. On one hand the local artists will adore it in their works and declare it the height of all things mysterious and wonderful, on another are the people who put their lives at risk on it. The difference is…
The Iceaboo. Posted by hulda on May 31, 2014
Iceaboo: a person whose idea of Iceland is strongly coloured by vikings, fermented shark, Sigur Rós, Björk and a short visit they once did; may end up in danger of death by failing to use common sense, most likely wants to move to Iceland. Often wears Iceland’s flag in some form and/or a plastic helmet…
Nightless nights, dayless days. Posted by hulda on May 26, 2014
Like A hundred names for snow might show, Icelandic has quite a rich vocabulary when it comes to nature and the seasons. An obvious example besides snow is light and darkness and the change from one to other, because the time during which day and night are about the same length is very, extremely short. Due…
Summer house adventure! Posted by hulda on May 21, 2014
Big news! I have handed in my BA thesis! After four years of work and a very harsh thesis-writing spring this called for a celebration so gathering up a group of friends we did what Icelanders would do – we went to a summer house. When you travel in Iceland you’ll soon train your eye…
Hiding in plain sight 2: more than a church. Posted by hulda on May 12, 2014
Continuing my little series of things that may interest a traveler yet are free and within your reach even in the capital city: the area between Hallgrímskirkja and Tjörnin, the ornamental pond downtown. But why see this area in particular? The statue park of Einar Jónsson Continuing your sightseeing route, the museum that hosts art…
Summer’s here, run! Posted by hulda on Apr 30, 2014
My, we’ve had a wild time in the news section since last week! Summer began as stated in the Old Nordic calendar and the weather took a hint: we’ve had amazingly warm, sunny days for a whole week now and pretty much everyone and everything has caught a severe case of spring fever. In other words everything’s…