Here are some pictures from Lauren and Jake:
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| Sweet Potato casserole |
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| Turkey before oven |
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| Apple Pie |
December 16, 2011
Thanksgiving in Iceland
My American friends and I decided we wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving so we started planning what we were going to cook and who we were bringing. Vanessa, Lauren, Emily A, and I hosted and our guests were Akeem (Miami), Binni (Iceland), Jake (Vancouver), Mario (Portugal), Begga (Iceland), Cecilia (Sweden), Marija (Croatia) and Catherine (NC, now living in Iceland). Vanessa, Lauren, Emily A, Begga, and I all went shopping together a couple days before. We bought our turkey that cost about $80 and all the other ingredients we would need. Since the turkey was so much we split the costs among all our guests. I made stuffing and peanut butter bars. The peanut butter bars were delicious and were a hit, even among the European non peanut butter eaters. Vanessa made delicious apple pie and sweet potato casserole; Lauren was in charge of the turkey and gravy and made a pumpkin roll; Emily A made mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. We put tables together and ate in our common room and went around the table and said what we were thankful for. The food and company were really nice and it was a fun Thanksgiving. I was glad to still celebrate it and to show our other friends what it was all about!
Here are some pictures from Lauren and Jake:
Here are some pictures from Lauren and Jake:
Berlin pt 2
Sorry for taking so long to write this, but I am finally done with school and have more time now. So we left Prague at 7:30 and got to Berlin around 1. We got to the hotel before check in time so they let us keep our bags behind the front desk and we went downtown to one of the main shopping streets. We went to the Ritter Sport chocolate factory and read about how they made the chocolates and then of course bought some as well. Then we just walked around the shopping street and went into some stores. For dinner I had falafel and Akeem and Lauren had shawarma. The next day we planned to do a bike tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours, which our friend Begga had done when she went to Berlin. We met at the TV tower and split into two groups, I think there was probably 20 or so people in our group (which I felt was too big, not only did we have to avoid pedestrians but had to watch out for other people on our bike tour). Our tour guide was from California, I think almost all of the tour guides were non-Germans. We started at Museum Island and our guide told us how most of Berlin was destroyed in WWII so even if the buildings look old chances are they aren't. Our next stop was Bebelplatz which is in front of the main building and library of Germany's most prestigious university, Humbolt University. It is the site of Nazi book burning on May 10, 1933 and now there is a memorial of empty bookshelves.
Next on the tour was Gendarmenmarkt, the site of the Konzerthaus and the French and German Cathedrals. The French Cathedral was built first and the Germans were jealous so they basically built the same thing. Our guide told us that many of the statues were sunk in the rivers and lakes during Nazi Germany, they later removed the statues from the water and now you can see many algae stained statues on the buildings in Berlin.
Our next stop was Checkpoint Charlie, the famous border crossing between East Berlin and West Berlin for Allied forces and foreigners. Onward we went to the Berlin Wall and the former headquarters building of the Nazi Luftwaffe Ministry which is now the main building of Germany's Finance Ministry. Next we had a lunch stop and explored the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. We had delicious Doner Kebap, Berlin's "traditional German food." It's actually Turkish but because Berlin has so many Turkish immigrants this has become their famous cuisine. Other famous/ traditional food in Berlin is currywurst. There is an information center under the memorial but we didn't have time for that so we walked around the memorial. It consists of 2711 blocks of various heights that sit in undulating ground. I really liked this memorial and it was easy to get lost in, physically and mentally.
The next stop was the Branderburg Gate which is "arguably Germany's most famous monument, the Brandenburg Gate served as a backdrop for many of Berlin's most important events: Napoleon's march into Berlin, the division of Berlin during the Cold War, famous speeches (Reagan) and concerts (Hasselhof), and much more." The Kennedy Museum and the hotel that Michael Jackson dangled his baby out of are also in the square. Then we went to the Reichstag, Germany's famous parliament building. You can go inside for free but you have to register 2-3 days beforehand. Our last stop on the tour was back to Museum Island, home to five of Berlin's most famous museums, notably the Pergamon Museum and the Egyptian Museum. Although we didn't go inside any of the buildings.
After this tour we were pretty exhausted and Lauren wasn't feeling well. We took naps and then Akeem and I went out to dinner for currywurst and walked around the area by our hotel for a while.
The next day Lauren was still feeling sick so Akeem and I went off by ourselves for the day. We walked around for a while and walked through a Christmas market that wasn't open yet, but at least we got an idea of what it would be like. We went back to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and went to the information center. It is a really nice center and we spent a couple hours there. There is a room with a timeline, another with diary/journal entries, one room with different families stories, a room that details the places Jews were killed, and then a room with videos. It was sad, powerful, and very informative. We then went back to the Brandenburg Gate to get a closer look and then walked through the Tiergarten, which is about 3km long, to the Victory Column--"This massive symbol of victory by the Prussian army over the Danes, Austrians, and French was relocated along the massive East-West Axis in accordance to Hitler's infamous redesign of Berln." We then took the S-Bahn back home where Lauren was feeling better and eager to eat dinner. We went to a traditional German restaurant and for most of the time were the only ones there. I got bratwurst and sauerkraut. The next day we walked around for about an hour by the hotel until we had to leave to go to the airport.
Next on the tour was Gendarmenmarkt, the site of the Konzerthaus and the French and German Cathedrals. The French Cathedral was built first and the Germans were jealous so they basically built the same thing. Our guide told us that many of the statues were sunk in the rivers and lakes during Nazi Germany, they later removed the statues from the water and now you can see many algae stained statues on the buildings in Berlin.
Our next stop was Checkpoint Charlie, the famous border crossing between East Berlin and West Berlin for Allied forces and foreigners. Onward we went to the Berlin Wall and the former headquarters building of the Nazi Luftwaffe Ministry which is now the main building of Germany's Finance Ministry. Next we had a lunch stop and explored the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. We had delicious Doner Kebap, Berlin's "traditional German food." It's actually Turkish but because Berlin has so many Turkish immigrants this has become their famous cuisine. Other famous/ traditional food in Berlin is currywurst. There is an information center under the memorial but we didn't have time for that so we walked around the memorial. It consists of 2711 blocks of various heights that sit in undulating ground. I really liked this memorial and it was easy to get lost in, physically and mentally.
The next stop was the Branderburg Gate which is "arguably Germany's most famous monument, the Brandenburg Gate served as a backdrop for many of Berlin's most important events: Napoleon's march into Berlin, the division of Berlin during the Cold War, famous speeches (Reagan) and concerts (Hasselhof), and much more." The Kennedy Museum and the hotel that Michael Jackson dangled his baby out of are also in the square. Then we went to the Reichstag, Germany's famous parliament building. You can go inside for free but you have to register 2-3 days beforehand. Our last stop on the tour was back to Museum Island, home to five of Berlin's most famous museums, notably the Pergamon Museum and the Egyptian Museum. Although we didn't go inside any of the buildings.
After this tour we were pretty exhausted and Lauren wasn't feeling well. We took naps and then Akeem and I went out to dinner for currywurst and walked around the area by our hotel for a while.
The next day Lauren was still feeling sick so Akeem and I went off by ourselves for the day. We walked around for a while and walked through a Christmas market that wasn't open yet, but at least we got an idea of what it would be like. We went back to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and went to the information center. It is a really nice center and we spent a couple hours there. There is a room with a timeline, another with diary/journal entries, one room with different families stories, a room that details the places Jews were killed, and then a room with videos. It was sad, powerful, and very informative. We then went back to the Brandenburg Gate to get a closer look and then walked through the Tiergarten, which is about 3km long, to the Victory Column--"This massive symbol of victory by the Prussian army over the Danes, Austrians, and French was relocated along the massive East-West Axis in accordance to Hitler's infamous redesign of Berln." We then took the S-Bahn back home where Lauren was feeling better and eager to eat dinner. We went to a traditional German restaurant and for most of the time were the only ones there. I got bratwurst and sauerkraut. The next day we walked around for about an hour by the hotel until we had to leave to go to the airport.
November 24, 2011
Trip to Prague and Berlin! Pt 1
From Monday Nov 14 to Mon Nov 21 I was in Berlin & Prague on vacation with my two friends Akeem and Lauren. Iceland has this website, hopkaup.is, that is like a groupon.com and we got round trip tickets to Berlin for 40% off. So we couldn't resist and took a week off from school to go travel in Europe. We got to Berlin Monday afternoon and settled into our hostel (Circus hostel, we were in an 8 person room with 4 Brazilian guys and an Irish guy) then walked around the square we were in to get lunch at this placed called Adonis where we got delicious Shawarma for 3 euro. We walked around the streets for a while and went into a few stores, although they were too expensive. We rested at the hostel for a bit then went to the bar in the hostel and we talked with some other people staying there including our roommates. Lauren, Akeem, and I soon left to get dinner at a traditional German restaurant which was quite good. I had flammkuchen, sort of like a pizza, with goat cheese and pumpkin--mm some of my favorite things that I have not had in Iceland. We then went back to the hostel and went to bed and in the morning got breakfast at the hostel. We went to a mall in Alexanderplatz and did some shopping then got our luggage at the hostel and found the bus to Prague. The bus was about 5 hours and I slept for some of it, it wasn't too bad. We arrived in Prague at night and found our way to our hostel the Czech Inn, a little ways outside the city but right by a tram stop. We had a private room here so it was just the three of us. We went out to dinner for hamburgers at a café close by that the receptionist recommended. Food in Prague is really cheap, and really good.
Wednesday we explored Prague and walked a lot. We started at the Prague Castle where there was a beautiful church and you had great views of the city. We walked down the old steps and went to see the John Lennon wall and then crossed the Charles Bridge to get to the old square to see the old clock tower. We then walked around going into shops and exploring the streets of Prague. I loved Prague because it has such an old European feel to it, and it is not so hectic and busy. We got some street food for lunch from a cart on the street, and all had sausages. We were in the city for most of the day walking around and shopping and were exhausted so went back to the hostel to rest before dinner. For dinner we found a place just up the street from where we were staying called U Bulínů, and it was fabulous! I got a HUGE plate of food and a small beer for about $15. It came with 2 potato pancakes, 2 bacon dumplings, 2 bread dumplings, 1 potato dumpling, sausage, smoked pork, pork shoulder, and red cabbage. I couldn't finish it all but I made a good dent in it. So delicious, my favorite meal of the whole trip.
Thursday was our last full day in Prague and we took the train to the bone church (Sedlec Ossuary) in Kutná Hora, about an hour train ride. On the train we mostly saw fields/farms and some snow in the trees. The bone church is in a suburb of the city Kutná Hora and it was a very quite and eery place, especially with the grey sky and slight fog (and the fact that there is a church decorated with bones from 40,000 to 70,000 people). We had to pay to go into the church and were there for about a half hour. It is quite small but very interesting and creepy. If you want to learn more about the church, check out its wikipedia page! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary. Basically there were these heaps of bones that were unearthed during construction of the church and in 1870 a woodworker was commissioned by the Schwarzenberg family (you can see their family crest made out of bones) to put the heaps into order.
After the church we got a dessert at a little café down the street and then took the train back to Prague. We walked around the city some more and had more street food, this time Lauren and I had fried mozzarella cheese which was pretty good. We were on a quest to find some awesome shoes, but they were all too expensive. Then we headed back to the hostel for a bit and went out to dinner for more delicious Czech food at U Sadu. I had a chicken bramburger, which was chicken surrounded by potato pancakes (instead of bread) covered in a mushroom sauce. It was all really good. The next day (Friday) we woke up really early to catch our 730 bus back to Berlin.
Now I have to go cook for Thanksgiving and will write about Berlin later! Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday we explored Prague and walked a lot. We started at the Prague Castle where there was a beautiful church and you had great views of the city. We walked down the old steps and went to see the John Lennon wall and then crossed the Charles Bridge to get to the old square to see the old clock tower. We then walked around going into shops and exploring the streets of Prague. I loved Prague because it has such an old European feel to it, and it is not so hectic and busy. We got some street food for lunch from a cart on the street, and all had sausages. We were in the city for most of the day walking around and shopping and were exhausted so went back to the hostel to rest before dinner. For dinner we found a place just up the street from where we were staying called U Bulínů, and it was fabulous! I got a HUGE plate of food and a small beer for about $15. It came with 2 potato pancakes, 2 bacon dumplings, 2 bread dumplings, 1 potato dumpling, sausage, smoked pork, pork shoulder, and red cabbage. I couldn't finish it all but I made a good dent in it. So delicious, my favorite meal of the whole trip.
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| The chandelier contains every bone from the human body. |
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| Family crest |
Now I have to go cook for Thanksgiving and will write about Berlin later! Happy Thanksgiving!
November 12, 2011
Inspired by Iceland
So if you've seen my shutterfly website you've seen my pictures from the last two events I've done through Inspired by Iceland. It is a new tourism campaign here in Iceland, and it is absolutely awesome and would probably only work in Iceland. Basically people post videos inviting tourists to do activities with them. The president had pancakes at his house, the mayor invited people to have sushi, my friends did a jeep safari today, and so far I have walked an Icelandic Sheepdog named Mosi, I went mussel picking and saw sheep being sheared yesterday, and today I did yoga! All for free! It is starting to get attention and yesterday when we were picking mussels there were people filming us. They have been following some of the recent invitations and are interviewing people and filming the different invitations. Here is the website where you can check the invitations; my friends and I check it daily! http://invitations.inspiredbyiceland.com/invitation/list
So last Friday (the 5th) we (Emily A, Vanessa, and I) walked an Icelandic Sheepdog named Mosi with his owner and two other exchange students around the pond. His owner told us about the breed and we each took turns walking Mosi. The Icelandic Sheepdog was recently recognized by the AKC as its own breed. They are good family dogs, are small-medium sized, friendly, and energetic although they shed a lot. Mosi was really cute, doesn't really bark, and breeds so I think we should get a puppy...:) He even has his own facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sindra-Mosi/187041648224
Side note: last weekend on Saturday I went to see Mammút perform at Bíó Paradís, an independent movie theater, for about 40 minutes and then saw a documetary, An Independent Mind, brought on by Amnesty International. I went with my friend Akeem because he loves Mammút. We sat down in the movie theater lobby at a table eating popcorn and watching them perform a few feet in front of us. Then we saw the documentary which was really good. It was about the right to freedom of expression. It followed eight characters from around the world attempting to exercise their right to freely express themselves. Their stories included facing the threat of imprisonment for drawing a cartoon of the President (Algeria), being sent to a labour camp for telling a joke, being tortured for writing a poem (Syria), and being forced into exile for singing a song (Mali).
Back to Inspired by Iceland. Yesterday (11.11.11!!) a bunch of exchange students and I rented a van and drove 70km to a farm Bjarteyjarsandur. 8 of us went: Lauren, Emily, Begga, our friend Cecilia from Sweden, and Jake and his two friends Lukas (Czech Republic) and Elise (Vancouver). To get to the farm you had to drive around a fjord (the same one I had driven around to go up North) and it was so beautiful. We had great weather, it was sunny and warm out about 50 F. We were a little late so we met the farmers down at the beach. Three horses were hanging out there and two dogs and I was so happy. The dogs were border collies and were "wicked smaht". They would pick a rock out, bring it to you, and then you would throw it and the two dogs raced each other to get the rock. And every time they got the exact same rock you threw even though the whole beach was rocky. I think I threw more rocks to the dogs than I found mussels :) . Then we headed down to the waters edge and were told how to find the mussels, which size to look for, and how to clean them. Lauren found a HUGE mussel and we were told it was a different kind called a horse mussel (we had been getting blue mussels). Arnheiður (the women organizing this invitation) told Lauren that she would experiment with it. So after about 45 minutes our fingers were freezing and we headed back to the farm. We had free coffee and desserts while Arnheiður cooked the mussels. We all sat at a big table and talked. There were a few other people who also came, one was from Minnesota, one from South Africa, and one from NY (she was here for work as a journalist). There were two kinds of mussels, one batch was cooked in butter with onions, carrots, and herbs from the garden, and the other batch was cooked in beer. They were both good but the butter ones were definitely my favorite. Arnheiður kept bringing out bowls of mussels and we also had garlic/cheesy toast. It was a mussel feast! We must have had about 8 bowls of mussels, it was never ending. She cooked the horse mussel and Lauren ate some of it, although she was a little scared of it. After our feast Arnheiður told us her husband was going to the barn to shear sheep so we all went to see that. There were so many sheep in the barn and some were sheared, some with intense horns, and a lot of different colors. We watched three sheep being sheared and then looked at some of them for a while. Then we headed back to say goodbye to Arnheiður and to thank her. It was an awesome day and the farm was in one of the most beautiful spots I've been to. We got back to Reykjavik around 6 and Lauren, Begga, and I walked down Laugavegur (the main shopping street downtown) for a while going into some shops, and then we had dinner--soup in a bread bowl! It was yummy.
This morning (Saturday 12th) I woke up for another invitation that I was doing with Vanessa. We did vinyasa flow yoga at this studio from 10:30 to 11:45. It was kind of far away so we took the bus. Vanessa wanted to get there earlier than I so she left on another bus. It was the first time I took the bus by myself and went someplace I didn't know. It took me a couple minutes to find the yoga studio but I finally did and made it on time. I was pretty proud of myself for doing it on my own. The class was good and it was warm in there so we sweated a lot. The instructor would walk around and correct us so it was nice to actually get some feedback. I hadn't done yoga in awhile either so it was nice to do it again. Elise was also there and a couple other exchange students I recognized. Tonight is our friend Elizabeth's birthday party upstairs in the attic so I will probably stop by for a bit. Then tomorrow I will be packing and getting ready for Berlin and Prague!! We are leaving early Monday morning for a whole week! I am going with Lauren and Akeem and am really excited! I've never been to "mainland" Europe before.
So last Friday (the 5th) we (Emily A, Vanessa, and I) walked an Icelandic Sheepdog named Mosi with his owner and two other exchange students around the pond. His owner told us about the breed and we each took turns walking Mosi. The Icelandic Sheepdog was recently recognized by the AKC as its own breed. They are good family dogs, are small-medium sized, friendly, and energetic although they shed a lot. Mosi was really cute, doesn't really bark, and breeds so I think we should get a puppy...:) He even has his own facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sindra-Mosi/187041648224
Back to Inspired by Iceland. Yesterday (11.11.11!!) a bunch of exchange students and I rented a van and drove 70km to a farm Bjarteyjarsandur. 8 of us went: Lauren, Emily, Begga, our friend Cecilia from Sweden, and Jake and his two friends Lukas (Czech Republic) and Elise (Vancouver). To get to the farm you had to drive around a fjord (the same one I had driven around to go up North) and it was so beautiful. We had great weather, it was sunny and warm out about 50 F. We were a little late so we met the farmers down at the beach. Three horses were hanging out there and two dogs and I was so happy. The dogs were border collies and were "wicked smaht". They would pick a rock out, bring it to you, and then you would throw it and the two dogs raced each other to get the rock. And every time they got the exact same rock you threw even though the whole beach was rocky. I think I threw more rocks to the dogs than I found mussels :) . Then we headed down to the waters edge and were told how to find the mussels, which size to look for, and how to clean them. Lauren found a HUGE mussel and we were told it was a different kind called a horse mussel (we had been getting blue mussels). Arnheiður (the women organizing this invitation) told Lauren that she would experiment with it. So after about 45 minutes our fingers were freezing and we headed back to the farm. We had free coffee and desserts while Arnheiður cooked the mussels. We all sat at a big table and talked. There were a few other people who also came, one was from Minnesota, one from South Africa, and one from NY (she was here for work as a journalist). There were two kinds of mussels, one batch was cooked in butter with onions, carrots, and herbs from the garden, and the other batch was cooked in beer. They were both good but the butter ones were definitely my favorite. Arnheiður kept bringing out bowls of mussels and we also had garlic/cheesy toast. It was a mussel feast! We must have had about 8 bowls of mussels, it was never ending. She cooked the horse mussel and Lauren ate some of it, although she was a little scared of it. After our feast Arnheiður told us her husband was going to the barn to shear sheep so we all went to see that. There were so many sheep in the barn and some were sheared, some with intense horns, and a lot of different colors. We watched three sheep being sheared and then looked at some of them for a while. Then we headed back to say goodbye to Arnheiður and to thank her. It was an awesome day and the farm was in one of the most beautiful spots I've been to. We got back to Reykjavik around 6 and Lauren, Begga, and I walked down Laugavegur (the main shopping street downtown) for a while going into some shops, and then we had dinner--soup in a bread bowl! It was yummy.
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| This is the beach and the buildings in the distance is the farm. |
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| Food! |
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| Everyone that rode in our van. |
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| Sheep Barn! |
This morning (Saturday 12th) I woke up for another invitation that I was doing with Vanessa. We did vinyasa flow yoga at this studio from 10:30 to 11:45. It was kind of far away so we took the bus. Vanessa wanted to get there earlier than I so she left on another bus. It was the first time I took the bus by myself and went someplace I didn't know. It took me a couple minutes to find the yoga studio but I finally did and made it on time. I was pretty proud of myself for doing it on my own. The class was good and it was warm in there so we sweated a lot. The instructor would walk around and correct us so it was nice to actually get some feedback. I hadn't done yoga in awhile either so it was nice to do it again. Elise was also there and a couple other exchange students I recognized. Tonight is our friend Elizabeth's birthday party upstairs in the attic so I will probably stop by for a bit. Then tomorrow I will be packing and getting ready for Berlin and Prague!! We are leaving early Monday morning for a whole week! I am going with Lauren and Akeem and am really excited! I've never been to "mainland" Europe before.
October 31, 2011
Music From Iceland: Ólafur Arnalds & Arnór Dan
Music from Iceland: Ólöf Arnalds
I haven't really listened to Ólöf Arnalds but I saw this video and love this cover of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man. This was recorded at KEX hostel during Airwaves. Also the two girls performing (Ólöf & Klara Arnalds) are cousins to Ólafur Arnalds who I posted about earlier in my Airwaves post.
Oh and Happy Halloween!! Snow on the ground in Maine, crazy! Hope everyone's power is back by now!
October 27, 2011
Iceland Airwaves
Triple blog post today ya'll (this ya'll is Vanessa's influence haha). So Iceland Airwaves music festival was from October 12-17--five music filled days of awesomeness. There were off-venue shows for free during the day and then the on venue shows at night which you needed a bracelet for. Bands from all over the world were here in Iceland, as well as music lovers, and SO many hipsters. I met people from Australia, Germany, Belgium, and Canada who were here visiting Iceland for the week. It is always fun to meet other tourists and be able to say that I live here now and am studying here! I'm going to go through some of my emails so I don't have to retype everything :)
So airwaves started on Wednesday and I started it off going to KEX hostel with Begga and her Icelandic friends so we got picked up in a car. We went to see GusGus and For a Minor Reflection. KEXP seattle was broadcasting live there, they have some free podcasts on itunes and videos on youtube you should check out. The hostel is also really cool. It was super packed for GusGus so we couldn't see but they sounded great. The bands only play for about a half hour at this hostel. There was a break in between for a minor reflection and GusGus so we went across the street and got burgers. Then came back around 2:45, saw For a Minor Reflection, had amazing french press coffee, and watched Just Another Snake Cult. This last band wasn't so popular so the hostel really cleared out and we could sit down right by the stage. We left KEX around 5:30 and got dropped off at the dorm. My friend Vanessa loves this band Yacht from the US and they played off venue at 7 so Vanessa, Jake, and I went to see them under a tent outside. They have crazy energy and are pretty good, we were in the front for this concert and Vanessa was in heaven. Then around 9:30 I started my on venue shows, no one wanted to go with me so I went by myself to this venue NASA. The line at NASA was so long (about 20 minutes) so I actually got into NASA to see the last 30 seconds of this band I really like Mammut. The next band was ok (Sykur), I used it to make my way to the front of the stage for my next two favorite bands. Side note--saw the singer of Sykur the other day working at a second hand shop. So for Agent Fresco (4th time seeing them, and would see them 2 more times during Airwaves) and Of Monsters and Men (3rd time I think seeing them) I was literally in the front row leaning over the rail. It was awesome!After I headed home and went to sleep.
Thursday I went to the Nordic House on campus with Begga, her Icelandic friend Elsa, and her friend from Belgium Hanne and we saw Pétur Ben, Guðrid Hansdóttir (from Faroe Islands), and Agent Fresco doing an acoustic set. The Agent Fresco acoustic set was one of my favorite shows of the whole festival. Guðrið Handóttir was also really good, we were all happily surprised by her. Here is a video of her performing off venue (I didn´t see this show but she performed this song at Nordic House). Side note--saw her at a bar this past weekend and Begga told her we really liked her.
Then after Nordic House we went back to the dorm for a little bit and ate then we headed to KEX hostel again. We went to see Mugison who was great--I only knew one of his songs but really enjoyed his set. We then hung out in the hostel on these couches in the corner and listened to Lay Low perform. We then went upstairs and hung out in the hostel since Hanne was saying there and came back down for Of Monsters and Men. I spent most of the night at KEX with Begga, Elsa, Hanne, and this German guy we met who was staying there and we hung out in the kitchen. Then I met this Australian girl staying at KEX who wanted to see Yacht and I knew Vanessa and Jake were there so we left together. I found Vanessa and Jake in the front. There is a picture of us on Yachts homepage, http://teamyacht.com/.
Friday I saw Ólafur Arnalds with Emily at Nordic House, it was packed but I was able to see him. He is the cutest person ever and makes really beautiful music. You can get some of his music for free---living room songs and found songs (should come up on google).
Friday night was the big night, I went to the Art Museum (really cool venue) and met my friend Karyn and Jake there for For a Minor Reflection and Agent Fresco. They were both great, and again I was in the front row. Then I left to meet Vanessa at NASA for Tune yards but the line was so long and wrapped around the square downtown. We waited for like 20 minutes but moved 10 feet so then we met Akeem and Biggi at the English Pub, then went back to the art museum to see HAM but it was too intense (they are a heavy metal band) so we went to Glaumbar to see the end of Of Monsters and Men, then went to Bakkus to see Mammút, then I went to NASA at 2:30 to see Bloodgroup. It was a really fun night and I saw a lot of bands. I ended up getting a sub at 4am and walked back home haha. Then I slept through all the off venue shows on Saturday. Saturday night I went to Iðno and met Jake to see We are Promised Jetpacks then we went to see GusGus but the line was too long so we saw some metal band called Swords of Chaos. We didn´t stay for that whole show since I wasn´t really into it, and then we met up other friends and hung out for a bit then I went home with my friend Karyn. Sunday I went to see an Icelandic reggae band, Hjálmar, with Vanessa, Akeem, and Biggi. Mammút was playing afterwards but it was on venue and Biggi and Akeem didn´t have bracelets and they were going home in Biggi´s car so I decided to get hot dogs with them and get a ride home. Overall a very successful airwaves. I had tons of fun, saw awesome concerts, saw my favorite bands, and got to experience new ones.
So airwaves started on Wednesday and I started it off going to KEX hostel with Begga and her Icelandic friends so we got picked up in a car. We went to see GusGus and For a Minor Reflection. KEXP seattle was broadcasting live there, they have some free podcasts on itunes and videos on youtube you should check out. The hostel is also really cool. It was super packed for GusGus so we couldn't see but they sounded great. The bands only play for about a half hour at this hostel. There was a break in between for a minor reflection and GusGus so we went across the street and got burgers. Then came back around 2:45, saw For a Minor Reflection, had amazing french press coffee, and watched Just Another Snake Cult. This last band wasn't so popular so the hostel really cleared out and we could sit down right by the stage. We left KEX around 5:30 and got dropped off at the dorm. My friend Vanessa loves this band Yacht from the US and they played off venue at 7 so Vanessa, Jake, and I went to see them under a tent outside. They have crazy energy and are pretty good, we were in the front for this concert and Vanessa was in heaven. Then around 9:30 I started my on venue shows, no one wanted to go with me so I went by myself to this venue NASA. The line at NASA was so long (about 20 minutes) so I actually got into NASA to see the last 30 seconds of this band I really like Mammut. The next band was ok (Sykur), I used it to make my way to the front of the stage for my next two favorite bands. Side note--saw the singer of Sykur the other day working at a second hand shop. So for Agent Fresco (4th time seeing them, and would see them 2 more times during Airwaves) and Of Monsters and Men (3rd time I think seeing them) I was literally in the front row leaning over the rail. It was awesome!After I headed home and went to sleep.
Thursday I went to the Nordic House on campus with Begga, her Icelandic friend Elsa, and her friend from Belgium Hanne and we saw Pétur Ben, Guðrid Hansdóttir (from Faroe Islands), and Agent Fresco doing an acoustic set. The Agent Fresco acoustic set was one of my favorite shows of the whole festival. Guðrið Handóttir was also really good, we were all happily surprised by her. Here is a video of her performing off venue (I didn´t see this show but she performed this song at Nordic House). Side note--saw her at a bar this past weekend and Begga told her we really liked her.
Then after Nordic House we went back to the dorm for a little bit and ate then we headed to KEX hostel again. We went to see Mugison who was great--I only knew one of his songs but really enjoyed his set. We then hung out in the hostel on these couches in the corner and listened to Lay Low perform. We then went upstairs and hung out in the hostel since Hanne was saying there and came back down for Of Monsters and Men. I spent most of the night at KEX with Begga, Elsa, Hanne, and this German guy we met who was staying there and we hung out in the kitchen. Then I met this Australian girl staying at KEX who wanted to see Yacht and I knew Vanessa and Jake were there so we left together. I found Vanessa and Jake in the front. There is a picture of us on Yachts homepage, http://teamyacht.com/.
Friday I saw Ólafur Arnalds with Emily at Nordic House, it was packed but I was able to see him. He is the cutest person ever and makes really beautiful music. You can get some of his music for free---living room songs and found songs (should come up on google).
Then I went to Eymundsson, the super cool bookstore that I spent a lot of time in before I got internet, to see Útidúr and Sóley. Útidúr is one of my other favorite bands, they have 12 people in the band and play really fun music with a lot of different instruments. They played a few new songs which were great, so hopefully they will put out a new album or ep soon. I had heard a few songs by Sóley (she is doing solo work now but it is in my favorite band Seabear) but wasn´t super interested in her. However, she was awesome live and I am now getting more into her music. She was one of the best surprises for me at Airwaves. Here is a video of her performing at Harpa. When I saw her she was wearing the most Icelandic bun I had ever seen (girls in Iceland love wearing buns).
Friday night was the big night, I went to the Art Museum (really cool venue) and met my friend Karyn and Jake there for For a Minor Reflection and Agent Fresco. They were both great, and again I was in the front row. Then I left to meet Vanessa at NASA for Tune yards but the line was so long and wrapped around the square downtown. We waited for like 20 minutes but moved 10 feet so then we met Akeem and Biggi at the English Pub, then went back to the art museum to see HAM but it was too intense (they are a heavy metal band) so we went to Glaumbar to see the end of Of Monsters and Men, then went to Bakkus to see Mammút, then I went to NASA at 2:30 to see Bloodgroup. It was a really fun night and I saw a lot of bands. I ended up getting a sub at 4am and walked back home haha. Then I slept through all the off venue shows on Saturday. Saturday night I went to Iðno and met Jake to see We are Promised Jetpacks then we went to see GusGus but the line was too long so we saw some metal band called Swords of Chaos. We didn´t stay for that whole show since I wasn´t really into it, and then we met up other friends and hung out for a bit then I went home with my friend Karyn. Sunday I went to see an Icelandic reggae band, Hjálmar, with Vanessa, Akeem, and Biggi. Mammút was playing afterwards but it was on venue and Biggi and Akeem didn´t have bracelets and they were going home in Biggi´s car so I decided to get hot dogs with them and get a ride home. Overall a very successful airwaves. I had tons of fun, saw awesome concerts, saw my favorite bands, and got to experience new ones.
Road Trip up North Part 2
Ok here goes part 2. Monday we woke up to Emily's alarm saying "it's 7:00 time to wake up, it's 7:00 time to wake up" which we ignored and went back to sleep till about 8. Finally I got up and went downstairs (I was sleeping in the loft) and started making breakfast and sandwiches for later. It was not too cold out this morning but it was snowing and it looked so beautiful. It felt like Christmas time :). Eventually everyone got up and we ate, cleaned the cabin a bit, and took pictures outside. We headed out around 9am. Our next destination was Sauðárkrókur, the second largest town in northern Iceland with a population of 2635 (and on the way to our final destination Akureyri) except we decided it really wasn´t all that great. As Riitta said "it's ugly, let's not stop."We did however stop at a beach in the town which was nice. It was a black sand beach and it was snowing again at this point. We continued on our way till we spotted a few horses along the edge of their fence. We had been waiting till we saw horses along the road and only a few of them so we would be able to feed all of them bread and pet them. We spent a few minutes here and I was so happy, I would have stayed longer but my hands were freezing! 
We finally got to Akureyri and went to a café that Riitta knew. We all got coffees or cappuccinos and Riitta and Erin got really yummy looking spinach pies. We then headed to the see the church in Akureyri, Akureyrarkirkja, which is designed by the man who did the church in Reykjavik, Hallgrímskirkja. We couldn´t go inside since there was something going on, but we climbed the many stairs to the top and took pictures and got to see the town from a higher view.
Then we went to get ice cream at Brynja, supposedly the best ice cream in Iceland. I´ve only been to one other place (In Reykjavik), but Brynja was definitely the better ice cream.
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| Jake, Me, and Emily enjoying ice cream |
Next we decided to see Goðafoss, one of the most powerfull waterfalls in Europe. Riitta was so excited to go see it because she worked at it during the summer and had never seen it during the winter. She kept calling it "my waterfall." She however forgot to mention that you have to drive over a mountain to get there. For a little bit of the way it was white out conditions and it was a little scary, but we made it through fine. The waterfall was really cool to see, but sooo windy. We drove over to one side and took pictures and then Riitta said the other side is a better viewpoint so we drove over there but you had to walk to get to the waterfall. It was probably the windiest I have ever experienced so it was really cold but worth it. We basically walked really fast over there, took a few pictures, then ran back to the car. After this we headed back toward Reykjavik and did pretty much the same route we had already taken so we had much fewer photo stops.
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| Riitta and I in the cabin. |
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| Crater next to the Volcano we hiked. |
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| Goðafoss |
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| Tiny waterfall we saw at beginning of trip by fjord |
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| First stop of trip. |
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| On top of the volcano. |
Road Trip up North! Part 1
So this is a little overdue but I am finally going to write about my road trip up to norður Ísland (northern Iceland). We left on Sunday 10/9, the original plan was to leave on Saturday but the weather was so bad in the morning we decided to leave on Sunday instead. Because we left on Sunday our friend Jake from Vancouver could come with us, so it was my friend Emily who was awesome and drove the whole way, Jake, and these two other exchange students Riitta (Finland) and Erin (Australia). We put out a message on our exchange student facebook group to see if anyone wanted to join us and Riitta and Erin responded and I am glad they did because they are awesome and really nice! We rented a Hyundai Sante Fe and left Reykjavik around 10am. The cabin we stayed at was probably 3.5 hours away but we took our time enjoying the sights and having picture stops probably every 30 minutes. We ended up getting to the cabin I think around 5:30. We stopped at Borgarnes a town about an hour away, although I think we got there in 3 hours with all our stops. We did a little grocery shopping at Bónus and then ate lunch in a café overlooking gorgeous mountains and the shore. Along the way to the cabin we drove around a fjord (this was before Borgarnes), there is a tunnel under the water you can take that is 5km long (we did it on the way back) but we wanted to see the fjord and I am glad we did. It took a lot longer but it was beautiful. We also stopped along the side of the road at this place that had houses for elves/dwarfs. Apparently some farmer just built these little houses and put little figurines in them. Our friend Jake had seen it before and sure enough we were driving along and spotted the little guys so we turned around and stopped.
We also were driving and our friend Riitta (who has worked at a guesthouse by the waterfall Goðafoss for two summers) told us we could climb this hill coming up. We were driving up to it and it looked steep and rocky and we were all secretly thinking how are we going to climb that? But then there was a sign that side drive to the other side and on that side there was stairs and paths to climb up to the top. It was a short little hike and really awesome views. We were looking at it and Emily, who studies geology, realized it was a crater and when we looked out we could see a lava field. We figured out that we had just climbed a volcano! How cool is that!
Then we drove for a bit till Emily wanted to stop to look at cool rocks. There was a tiny waterfall with these blue colored rocks, we suspected they were blue from copper. Emily got out her rock hammer and was hammering away at some rocks to get them to open. We each grabbed a few rocks from this place.
We then kept driving till we saw our first snow and of course had to get out and take a group picture.
We drove some more till we got to Skagaströnd where our cabin was. We explored the tiny town of 530 for a little bit (not much to see), there is the only country bar in Iceland here but it was closed on Sundays. We then went to the cabin ate spaghetti and drank tea and hot cocoa while we played card games all night. It was cozy and real fun!
Thanks to Jake for all the group photos, and since I had some serious issues uploading this post I will write part 2 after I eat lunch!
We also were driving and our friend Riitta (who has worked at a guesthouse by the waterfall Goðafoss for two summers) told us we could climb this hill coming up. We were driving up to it and it looked steep and rocky and we were all secretly thinking how are we going to climb that? But then there was a sign that side drive to the other side and on that side there was stairs and paths to climb up to the top. It was a short little hike and really awesome views. We were looking at it and Emily, who studies geology, realized it was a crater and when we looked out we could see a lava field. We figured out that we had just climbed a volcano! How cool is that!
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| Look Mom, I'm on a volcano! L-R: Jake, Riitta, Erin, Me, and Emily |
Then we drove for a bit till Emily wanted to stop to look at cool rocks. There was a tiny waterfall with these blue colored rocks, we suspected they were blue from copper. Emily got out her rock hammer and was hammering away at some rocks to get them to open. We each grabbed a few rocks from this place.
We then kept driving till we saw our first snow and of course had to get out and take a group picture.
We drove some more till we got to Skagaströnd where our cabin was. We explored the tiny town of 530 for a little bit (not much to see), there is the only country bar in Iceland here but it was closed on Sundays. We then went to the cabin ate spaghetti and drank tea and hot cocoa while we played card games all night. It was cozy and real fun!
Thanks to Jake for all the group photos, and since I had some serious issues uploading this post I will write part 2 after I eat lunch!
October 18, 2011
Music From Airwaves: Of Monsters and Men
Here is a video of a band I saw, Of Monsters and Men. I saw this performance off venue at Kex Hostel on Thursday. Also saw them on venue at Nasa on Wednesday. I will blog later about my road trip up North and airwaves!
September 29, 2011
Icelandic Music: Útidúr
I'm stealing this idea from my friend Vanessa, but since part of the reason I wanted to come to Iceland was for its music scene I thought I should share some of my favorite videos. This is from one of my favorite bands Útidúr and the song is called Fisherman's Friend.
September 27, 2011
Religion in Iceland
I decided to blog about religion in Iceland because I have always been fascinated with the churches in Iceland, especially the traditional ones out in the country. Religion in Iceland was initially the Norse paganism until Christian conversion. During the Reformation, Iceland adopted Lutheranism in place of its earlier Roman Catholicism. Today nearly all Icelandic religious followers are Christian, and a vast majority are Lutheran--although church attendance remains low. 89.3% of the population are members of Christian congregations and of that 79.1% are Lutheran belonging to the Church of Iceland. Roman Catholicism is the largest non-Lutheran faith in Iceland, though only 2.5% of the population practice it. It is estimated that half of the nation's Catholics are foreign born with the main groups being Filipinos and Poles. This past Sunday I went to a Catholic mass with my friend Lauren. It was at a church in Reykjavik, about a 10 minute walk, called Landakotskirkja which is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland. They offer Catholic mass every Sunday in English. It was pretty easy to follow the mass, as there was a program in English and projection screens with the words and lyrics. I noticed at the mass about half or more of the people there were Filipino. They did most of the music; there were three men playing acoustic guitars and a group of men and women singing, which was really beautiful. It was a little different than what I am used to, but that made it interesting. Here is a picture of the church:
This church was built by Guðjon Samuelsson who also built the famous Hallgrimskirkja (in Reykjavik) and Akureyarkirkja (in Akureyri in northern Iceland). Both Hallgrimskirkja and Akureyarkirkja are Lutheran churches. Guðjon Samuelsson's churches are said to be inspired by the natural geology of Iceland, especially the basalt columns such as those at the waterfall Svartifoss.
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| Hallgrimskirkja |
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| Akureyarkirkja |
Then there are the smaller more traditional churches that you see in the countryside, which I personally like better; although, I haven't gone inside one yet. My favorite I've seen so far is the one in Vik. Fun fact from Wikipedia: If the volcano Katla erupts it could produce an enormous flash flood large enough to wipe out the town (Katla is beneath a glacier). The town's church, located high on a hill, is believed to be the only building that would survive; thus, the people of Vik practice periodic drills and are trained to rush to the church at the first sign of an eruption.
Update
Here's an update of what I did this past weekend. Thursday I walked downtown to the bookstore with Emily and our new friend Akeem (he just moved in on Monday). We then got a call from Lauren who was with Begga and they wanted to go out to eat. We decided to go to this place called Vegamot, which doubles as a "hip hop" club during the night. Begga and I split a massive plate of nachos, and the others got huge portions of really good food. :) Thursday night was the premiere of the new Sigur Ros documentary, Inni. I went with my friend Emily and Jordan, and before we went inside to watch the film we saw the lead singer, Jonsi, outside and got to take a picture with him! It was pretty exciting for us, although I don't think Jonsi liked all the attention. Here in Iceland celebrities are treated as equals and everyone respects their privacy. The movie was great, we sat on the floor of the venue and there were huge speakers so it sounded as if we were actually at a concert. At the end of the film the venue dropped confetti paper on us, just when they did it in the movie during the last song. Then after the movie we went home, had a snack, and hung out in the kitchen for a while.Friday I got pizza for the second time this week, because it was Domino's MegaWeek! All pizzas were 1390 ISK, which is pretty cheap here and considering they are normally around 2500 ISK. Begga's sister Auður came for the weekend which is always fun and she gets to borrow her mom's car. Friday night we relaxed in the kitchen, talking and sharing a bag of Doritos. Then Auður took Lauren and I to Hagkaup, it is open 24 hours and has food, clothing, electronics etc. This week they were having American Days! So I got some Arizona ice tea and we stocked up on chips, salsa, and candy for the night. We got back to the dorm ate some candy, made nachos, and then decided to watch Drop Dead Gorgeous till we were too tired to watch any more.
Saturday we got in the car (yeah!) and went to get some lunch, we ate at this place that sells food, ice cream, and is also a video rental store. Weird but it was good AND cheap. It costs 690 ISK for a soda, cheesburger, and fries. That is ridiculously cheap here. We then went to a health food store and second hand store where I got a big cozy sweater made in Iceland! Then we went to the flea market and I got a jacket for 500ISK (also really cheap..less than $5 USD). After this we went back to the dorm and I took a nap. We were having another party at our dorm, but this time it was for our dear friend Jordan who was getting deported :(. Before the party we celebrated MegaWeek again and got four pizzas for a bunch of us. Then some people started coming over and we moved up to the attic. This was a considerably smaller party than our other one, but it was nice to get to talk to people. We headed downtown for a bit and ended the night at our favorite hot dog stand, which as you now I frequent pretty often, but it is always with Jordan. Sunday we mostly just lounged around the dorm, I skyped my mom for two hours and then I went to church with my friend Lauren. Around 9pm we decided we should make Jordan a cake so Begga found us a recipe she knew. It was a chocolate cake with a chocolate/coffee icing. It was pretty delicious and nice way to spend our last night together. Here is the recipe:
Monday was Jordan's last day here. The reason he had to leave was because he is 17 and you can only get a student permit if you are 18, even though he is enrolled in the university and had been here a month. By staying he risked getting blacklisted to all of Europe and he didn't want to risk that. So he had to leave us around 2:30pm. Before he left he was interviewed because he is kind of famous here in Iceland. He taught himself Icelandic in three years back in Vancouver, and because of that was interviewed on Icelandic tv back in April. This time they interviewed him about getting deported and they filmed all of us saying goodbye to him, so we were on the channel 2 news! Here is the link to the page: http://www.visir.is/urvalsnamsmadur-rekinn-ur-landi-vegna-aldurs/article/2011110929246?fb_ref=top&fb_source=other_multiline. That's the story, which you can translate in google translate, there is also a video to the right of the picture. Best part of the translation: "Jordan said goodbye to his friends at the university today and flew home to Canada where he has to wait to be old enough. His friends were so bent with grief that they wept." That may have been an exaggeration by the reporters haha. Although we weren't so bent with grief that we wept, we were really bummed and will miss Jordan dearly. He is coming back for the next semester, but since I am only here for one semester I may not see him. But regardless we will stay in touch and we are already planning on skyping him real soon!
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| Screenshot from the news! |
September 21, 2011
Draumalandið
Today in my culture class I watched the movie Draumalandið, which in English means Dreamland (trailer above). It is an environmental documentary about Icelandic politicians and businesses who try to lure aluminum production to the country. Iceland is an ideal place for this industry because of the hydropower and geothermal energy opportunities. Iceland saves the companies 200 million because they are using much less energy. It specifically looks at ALCOA, a company I am familiar with from my studies at St. Lawrence. ALCOA now has two plants along the St. Lawrence river and has been there for over 50 years. They have continued to pollute the air, water, people, and animals for years. There is a Native American reservation bordering ALCOA and they have had to stop farming and fishing, which are a huge part of their culture, due to the pollution. The women are advised not to eat the fish because they carry PCBs which can cause detrimental health defects to the women and their children. Now ALCOA is coming to Iceland. This angers me because I've seen the plants (in NY) and learned what they can do to people and their culture.
After I saw the movie I left feeling enraged and saddened. I was enraged that Icelandic politicians are letting ALCOA come into their country, and greeting them like heroes. I was enraged that ALCOA emits as much CO2 as 200,000 cars and uses enough electricity to power a city of over 1 million people. I was mostly enraged at this one women, who I think works for the government, when she said that this one area (where they were going to flood for a damn) wasn't even that beautiful and it doesn't matter if it is under water. First of all, the area was beautiful (all of Iceland is) and by flooding it you are killing vegetation, insects, birds, and other flora and fauna. The film shows the area being flooded and a duck sitting on a nest being washed by the water. You see the eggs float away from the nest, and one that was just starting to hatch gets submerged into the water. It was heartbreaking to see. It was also heartbreaking to see the beautiful Icelandic nature and know that industry is being proposed into those places. Part of the reason I came here, and I think why most people do, is because of Iceland's unspoiled natural landscape. You feel as if you are in a country untouched by dirty business and pollution. If they continue to let these industries exploit the natural resources of Iceland, I think many will be outraged and tourism--a huge part of the economy--could suffer.
Update: Thursday the author of the book and the producer of the film talked to our class about his work and the movie. He had no background on the issues but wanted to write the book so that others could understand the reality that was going on. The dam that the movie focused on in Eastern Iceland has doubled the energy production in Iceland. However, the project has also killed 90% of the biomass in a nearby lake. They have already harnessed 5 times more energy than the nation needs, but they are still looking to build more smelters and dams. I think this is ridiculous as they don't need more energy and it's destroying the land, species living there, and farmers livelihood. Additionally, Iceland has the highest tourists per capita in the world. They come to Iceland for the nature not to see dams and smelters. Some positives though that have come from the film is that all the "silly politicians" that were in office during the filming of the movie, are all now out of office. People are also speaking out against ALCOA. The film showed this town Husavik in northern Iceland where they have proposed a smelter. I haven't been to this town, but it is on my list of things to see as Husavik is the "capital" of Iceland for whale watching. In the film they show the people cheering and celebrating for ALCOA. There is one family however who has farmed there for years and they would lose their farmland if the smelter was built there. The grandfather even said he would rather take his car and drive off the cliffs by their house than see ALCOA come in and lose his farm. Well the author went there and showed his film to them and did a Q&A afterwards. He said the mayor and some of his friends were acting like school bullies and giving him a hard time. However, then one man stood up and said thank you for the film, and that he hadn't spoken up before because he was afraid to stand up and voice his opinion--mostly due to the mayor and his "bullies." The author said a bunch of people, at a gas station, a coffee shop, etc kept telling him thank you. As of now there is no smelter in Husavik, but there are companies--including ALCOA--still trying to get the piece of land next to the farmers. I hope that it does not happen, for the sake of the farmers, the people, and the beautiful area that is Husavik.
After I saw the movie I left feeling enraged and saddened. I was enraged that Icelandic politicians are letting ALCOA come into their country, and greeting them like heroes. I was enraged that ALCOA emits as much CO2 as 200,000 cars and uses enough electricity to power a city of over 1 million people. I was mostly enraged at this one women, who I think works for the government, when she said that this one area (where they were going to flood for a damn) wasn't even that beautiful and it doesn't matter if it is under water. First of all, the area was beautiful (all of Iceland is) and by flooding it you are killing vegetation, insects, birds, and other flora and fauna. The film shows the area being flooded and a duck sitting on a nest being washed by the water. You see the eggs float away from the nest, and one that was just starting to hatch gets submerged into the water. It was heartbreaking to see. It was also heartbreaking to see the beautiful Icelandic nature and know that industry is being proposed into those places. Part of the reason I came here, and I think why most people do, is because of Iceland's unspoiled natural landscape. You feel as if you are in a country untouched by dirty business and pollution. If they continue to let these industries exploit the natural resources of Iceland, I think many will be outraged and tourism--a huge part of the economy--could suffer.
This video shows some of the beautiful scenery and the destruction taking place.
September 20, 2011
Week 3
Still having a blast! I can't believe I will have been in Iceland for 4 weeks this Thursday, crazy! I hope the next three months don't go by too fast. Anyway, last week for classes was ok. British Literature is going well, we read some poems by Wordsworth and Coleridge. My pronunciation and speech class was pretty boring on Wednesday (that is just the lecture), but Thursday's class (when we practice speaking) was fine even though my pronunciation isn't very good. Icelandic culture was super boring on Wednesday. We often have guest lecturers come in and talk to us about different topics, but this guest was so boring. Honestly the most boring teacher I have ever heard, good thing he doesn't teach the whole class! But Thursday for that class we got to go to the national museum for free! And since our class is so big I brought my friend Vanessa along since she enjoys museums. They didn't check attendance or do a head count so it was fine that I brought her. We got an hour tour of the museum and then got to walk around afterwards. The museum is divided into different time periods from the settlement up to the 21st century. My favorite things were probably the traditional clothing from I believe the 1800's. They also had skeletons in tact of pagans from the settlement of Iceland. There was one male skeleton but that one actually wasn't as in tact because of the soil of where it was buried, but the other two--a female and baby--were completely in tact. There was also a wooden door that was carved from 1200. I enjoyed it because it told a whole story in such a small space. It was also funny because it tells the story of Knight of the Lion (a story heard from the French) but Icelanders didn't know what lions looked like so it looks more like a weird horse. Here is a link to a picture I found online and a little more about the story: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonepi/2945191002/.
Another fun thing I did in the museum was play dress up with Vanessa. They have a room of traditional clothes that you can try on and a sword, helmet, and shield you can wield. We had fun acting like kids and putting on those clothes :)
Thursday night was the start to Oktoberfest and this night had the most bands performing. I got to see two bands I really like Of Monsters and Men and Agent Fresco. They were the closers for the show. I've seen Of Monsters and Men before--they played at my school during the first week--but I've always been in the back of the crowd so hopefully I will see them again during Iceland Airwaves in October. Check out their most popular song Little Talks on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dw8qdmT_aY. Agent Fresco was also great and they are playing a couple shows at the end of September so I will probably see them again. So Thursday was fun since I got to listen to Icelandic bands and I met a lot of people. Oktoberfest is also held on campus so it was a great short walk for us! Friday night we didn't feel like going to Oktoberfest since a few of my friends were doing the sheep roundup and golden circle at 8am the next morning. We mostly sat in the kitchen talking and watched some tv. We did go out to get subway because we were hungry and on the way we saw a cat along the side of the road and it was meowing and looked lost. So Begga called its owner and he said it had been missing for 2 days! So we waited with the cat till his owner came and the cat was so friendly, he kept rubbing up against us. That night Begga also made us all these traditional drinks that they tend to have at Christmas. It is a mix of a malt drink with appelsin (an orange like soda). Overall this was a low key fun night. Saturday I didn't do too much since most people were gone, but I got to skype my parents for the first time! So if any of you have skype you should add me! Saturday night when everyone got back our friend Begga took us to a pizza place by the water. It was Begga, Jordan, Lauren, Emily, and I and we split a large vegetable pizza and a small cheese/garlic pizza. It was really delicious and I would definitely go back. The inside of the restaurant was also really cute. Then on our way back everyone wanted ice cream so we stopped at the place we went to before. We got back to the dorm around 9 and Vanessa's Icelandic buddy--Catherine was there. Catherine is actually from North Carolina but met an Icelander while he was studying abroad in NC and now they are married and she has been in Iceland 2 years. She hung out with us for a while in the dorm then we all went to Oktoberfest for its last night. There was also a few bands playing on Saturday but I didn't recognize them. Saturday was also a lot of fun except our group got separated toward the end, but luckily I was with Catherine the whole time. Oktoberfest probably went till about 4am, and then a lot of the people went downtown as bars don't close till 6 or 7 am on weekends. I went downtown for a hot dog because they are so delicious--they are known as the best hot dogs in the world!
Sunday I woke up to howling winds and rain against my window, but my friends still wanted to go downtown. So we bundled up and headed to the flea market. I got smoked salmon with dill and a sauce that is like honey mustard with dill. We got free samples and liked it so much I think 3 of us bought it. I also got some carrots and then stopped at a vendor who sold candy. Begga told us that this women had been selling candy since she (Begga) was a little girl. Begga got two kinds and I tried one and liked it so much I bought one. It was this fluffy light middle--similar to marshmallow--covered in coconut coated chocolate. Yumm! Then we went to Bonus, the cheap grocery store in Reykjavik that most people shop at. Then we went home and luckily the whole walk it never poured on us, only a slight mist or just wind. For dinner I cooked pasta and tried some of my salmon, then my friend Lauren taught me a card game (Golf) and we played with a couple others. Monday, I did homework and relaxed till my friend got me to tell me Begga was making pancakes. They are more like crepes and so delicious. We had it the traditional way with rhubarb jelly and homemade wipped cream. I will definitely learn how to make these! Begga is hoping some Sunday we can cook a big meal of lamb for the whole floor, so hopefully we can start planning that. My friends and I are also looking to rent a car and do a weekend trip around Iceland soon. Well I have to go get ready for my one class of the day--British Literature. We will be talking about Lord Byron today. Bless Bless!
Another fun thing I did in the museum was play dress up with Vanessa. They have a room of traditional clothes that you can try on and a sword, helmet, and shield you can wield. We had fun acting like kids and putting on those clothes :)
Thursday night was the start to Oktoberfest and this night had the most bands performing. I got to see two bands I really like Of Monsters and Men and Agent Fresco. They were the closers for the show. I've seen Of Monsters and Men before--they played at my school during the first week--but I've always been in the back of the crowd so hopefully I will see them again during Iceland Airwaves in October. Check out their most popular song Little Talks on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dw8qdmT_aY. Agent Fresco was also great and they are playing a couple shows at the end of September so I will probably see them again. So Thursday was fun since I got to listen to Icelandic bands and I met a lot of people. Oktoberfest is also held on campus so it was a great short walk for us! Friday night we didn't feel like going to Oktoberfest since a few of my friends were doing the sheep roundup and golden circle at 8am the next morning. We mostly sat in the kitchen talking and watched some tv. We did go out to get subway because we were hungry and on the way we saw a cat along the side of the road and it was meowing and looked lost. So Begga called its owner and he said it had been missing for 2 days! So we waited with the cat till his owner came and the cat was so friendly, he kept rubbing up against us. That night Begga also made us all these traditional drinks that they tend to have at Christmas. It is a mix of a malt drink with appelsin (an orange like soda). Overall this was a low key fun night. Saturday I didn't do too much since most people were gone, but I got to skype my parents for the first time! So if any of you have skype you should add me! Saturday night when everyone got back our friend Begga took us to a pizza place by the water. It was Begga, Jordan, Lauren, Emily, and I and we split a large vegetable pizza and a small cheese/garlic pizza. It was really delicious and I would definitely go back. The inside of the restaurant was also really cute. Then on our way back everyone wanted ice cream so we stopped at the place we went to before. We got back to the dorm around 9 and Vanessa's Icelandic buddy--Catherine was there. Catherine is actually from North Carolina but met an Icelander while he was studying abroad in NC and now they are married and she has been in Iceland 2 years. She hung out with us for a while in the dorm then we all went to Oktoberfest for its last night. There was also a few bands playing on Saturday but I didn't recognize them. Saturday was also a lot of fun except our group got separated toward the end, but luckily I was with Catherine the whole time. Oktoberfest probably went till about 4am, and then a lot of the people went downtown as bars don't close till 6 or 7 am on weekends. I went downtown for a hot dog because they are so delicious--they are known as the best hot dogs in the world!
 |
| Bæjarins beztu pylsu. The famous hot dog stand. For 300 ISK you get one with everything: that includes ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade, raw onions, and fried onions. |
Sunday I woke up to howling winds and rain against my window, but my friends still wanted to go downtown. So we bundled up and headed to the flea market. I got smoked salmon with dill and a sauce that is like honey mustard with dill. We got free samples and liked it so much I think 3 of us bought it. I also got some carrots and then stopped at a vendor who sold candy. Begga told us that this women had been selling candy since she (Begga) was a little girl. Begga got two kinds and I tried one and liked it so much I bought one. It was this fluffy light middle--similar to marshmallow--covered in coconut coated chocolate. Yumm! Then we went to Bonus, the cheap grocery store in Reykjavik that most people shop at. Then we went home and luckily the whole walk it never poured on us, only a slight mist or just wind. For dinner I cooked pasta and tried some of my salmon, then my friend Lauren taught me a card game (Golf) and we played with a couple others. Monday, I did homework and relaxed till my friend got me to tell me Begga was making pancakes. They are more like crepes and so delicious. We had it the traditional way with rhubarb jelly and homemade wipped cream. I will definitely learn how to make these! Begga is hoping some Sunday we can cook a big meal of lamb for the whole floor, so hopefully we can start planning that. My friends and I are also looking to rent a car and do a weekend trip around Iceland soon. Well I have to go get ready for my one class of the day--British Literature. We will be talking about Lord Byron today. Bless Bless!
September 13, 2011
2nd Week
This past week I had all my of classes, got my kennitala (Icelandic ID number), registered for classes, opened a bank account, signed my housing contract, got my housing bill, and I got internet! I am officially a member of Icelandic society! The whole kennitala process was a pain and not very well communicated. When I first arrived the directorate told me it would take two weeks and that they would send it to me. Almost two weeks later my friend said she got her kennitala by going up to our schools service desk and asking them if they had it. I tried that and it also worked for me and I finally got my kennitala and got to register at the university. Luckily I listened to my friend because I still haven't gotten anything in the mail from the directorate! The university should have emailed us immediately once they got our kennitala because we need them in order to register for classes and have access to Ugla--a website where our teachers post assignments, readings, sound files, etc. At least I got mine on time and could register for classes before the deadline of Sep 10. All my friends were also having the same problem so I wasn't too worried during the whole ordeal. As soon as I got my kennitala I went with my friend to open a bank account, and I should be getting a stipend and debit card soon so that I can pay my housing and have a small food allowance. Friday I had to sign my housing contract which then granted me access to the internet in my room (finally!) which is where I am blogging right now :).
I also had all my classes last week. I have British literature on Tuesday, Icelandic culture and Pronunciation and Speech on Wed, and all three classes on Thursday. All classes are going well so far. I am enjoying reading the poetry in my Brit Lit class--a subject I have shied away from. I enjoy Icelandic culture so far--on Thursday we discussed the history of Iceland; history is a subject I have really missed learning since high school. We will also get to read a saga and three novels by Icelandic authors in that class, so I am excited for that. My Icelandic language class (Pronunciation and Speech) is going pretty well so far, but I imagine it will soon be getting difficult. I find the language a lot different than what I am used to--with different letters and sounds than I am used to making. Today (Tuesday) starts my second week of classes and I am excited to see what is in store.
On the fun side of things--I had a really good week. Most weeknights I spend in the kitchen talking with my floor mates. Last Thursday and Friday my friends and I cooked together and shared a meal. Friday night I helped cook pizza and it was delicious! Then our dorm hosted a party Friday night, and it was quite successful. We had a lot of people from our dorm come and other exchange students and Icelanders that we knew. We also got to see the Northern Lights for the first time, they were not super bright but it was amazing to be able to finally see them. Saturday my friends and I went to a restaurant called the Noodle Station and got Thai noodles that were delicious. At night we walked down to the water to see the northern lights, although I think we missed them at their peak. Sunday I signed up to go whale watching with my friends Lauren and Emily because we are a part of an exchange group ESN (Erasmus student network) and got a 50% discount on whale watching. It was a beautiful day and the views of the city and mountains were gorgeous. We unfortunately didn't get to see any whales (they see mostly minke whales out there) but we did see porpoises. Then we went to the flea market and there were actually some good deals there so I will probably venture back next week. Since Sunday was Sep 11, my friends and I wanted to do something "American" so we went out to dinner at this really good hamburger place by the harbor. I got a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake--delicious!! I had been craving a milkshake for soo long and it was awesome! Then we went back to the dorm and hung out in the kitchen. Yesterday, Monday, I did homework, school stuff, etc. As we were eating our dinners in the kitchen, a few of us wanted dessert so we decided we would go for ice cream later. Now you may not believe it, but Icelanders LOVE ice cream. They eat it all year round, and will stand outside in the freezing cold and snow to get some. So we were all excited to finally try the famous ice cream here. Our Icelandic friend Begga took us, and we left around 10:00 at night and the line for the shop was out the door! We weren't even downtown, we were in some residential area and the place was packed. I got a strawberry/chocolate twist in a waffle cone, and it was very good. Then as we were walking back to campus we saw the northern lights, like really saw them. They were amazing, even Begga said she had never seen them that bright. They formed a green band all the way across the sky and we could see it moving. It almost looked like a green river in the sky. It quickly changes shape and sometimes it would swirl around. We stood there for probably 15 minutes in awe and shouting--this is amazing!! But since it was getting late we headed back to campus, where I had some tea with my friend Vanessa and then went to bed. Overall a very successful week, and I hope I continue to see the northern lights! I plan on going out to the countryside sometime where I can really see them glow!
I also had all my classes last week. I have British literature on Tuesday, Icelandic culture and Pronunciation and Speech on Wed, and all three classes on Thursday. All classes are going well so far. I am enjoying reading the poetry in my Brit Lit class--a subject I have shied away from. I enjoy Icelandic culture so far--on Thursday we discussed the history of Iceland; history is a subject I have really missed learning since high school. We will also get to read a saga and three novels by Icelandic authors in that class, so I am excited for that. My Icelandic language class (Pronunciation and Speech) is going pretty well so far, but I imagine it will soon be getting difficult. I find the language a lot different than what I am used to--with different letters and sounds than I am used to making. Today (Tuesday) starts my second week of classes and I am excited to see what is in store.
On the fun side of things--I had a really good week. Most weeknights I spend in the kitchen talking with my floor mates. Last Thursday and Friday my friends and I cooked together and shared a meal. Friday night I helped cook pizza and it was delicious! Then our dorm hosted a party Friday night, and it was quite successful. We had a lot of people from our dorm come and other exchange students and Icelanders that we knew. We also got to see the Northern Lights for the first time, they were not super bright but it was amazing to be able to finally see them. Saturday my friends and I went to a restaurant called the Noodle Station and got Thai noodles that were delicious. At night we walked down to the water to see the northern lights, although I think we missed them at their peak. Sunday I signed up to go whale watching with my friends Lauren and Emily because we are a part of an exchange group ESN (Erasmus student network) and got a 50% discount on whale watching. It was a beautiful day and the views of the city and mountains were gorgeous. We unfortunately didn't get to see any whales (they see mostly minke whales out there) but we did see porpoises. Then we went to the flea market and there were actually some good deals there so I will probably venture back next week. Since Sunday was Sep 11, my friends and I wanted to do something "American" so we went out to dinner at this really good hamburger place by the harbor. I got a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake--delicious!! I had been craving a milkshake for soo long and it was awesome! Then we went back to the dorm and hung out in the kitchen. Yesterday, Monday, I did homework, school stuff, etc. As we were eating our dinners in the kitchen, a few of us wanted dessert so we decided we would go for ice cream later. Now you may not believe it, but Icelanders LOVE ice cream. They eat it all year round, and will stand outside in the freezing cold and snow to get some. So we were all excited to finally try the famous ice cream here. Our Icelandic friend Begga took us, and we left around 10:00 at night and the line for the shop was out the door! We weren't even downtown, we were in some residential area and the place was packed. I got a strawberry/chocolate twist in a waffle cone, and it was very good. Then as we were walking back to campus we saw the northern lights, like really saw them. They were amazing, even Begga said she had never seen them that bright. They formed a green band all the way across the sky and we could see it moving. It almost looked like a green river in the sky. It quickly changes shape and sometimes it would swirl around. We stood there for probably 15 minutes in awe and shouting--this is amazing!! But since it was getting late we headed back to campus, where I had some tea with my friend Vanessa and then went to bed. Overall a very successful week, and I hope I continue to see the northern lights! I plan on going out to the countryside sometime where I can really see them glow!
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