Snow is snow is snow. One way of coping with it is to try to ignore it, but I think we should play with it more.
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More than eight percent of Icelandic boys take medicine for neurological and psychological ailments on a daily basis. This is revealed in a new report by Welfare Watch, an initiative of the Ministry of Welfare.
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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of Þorrablót, an Icelandic mid-winter feast. In the past there was no fresh food available at this time of year so people ate dried fish, smoked lamb, putrefied shark and soured blood and liver pudding along with other soured meat products—ram testicles included.
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Located just 40 minutes by car and six minutes from Keflavík International Airport, Sandgerdi (“Sandy Hedge”) is a growing town of 1,700 with a storied history and loads to see. Read this special promotion about the hidden secrets of one of Iceland's most charming seaside villages.
As the name indicates, the soil in Sandgerdi is sandy and not optimal for cultivation, so the main industry is fishing. Soil erosion was prevented by planting lyme grass and constructing a large protective wall by the seaside in the early 20th century.
At the nearby Hvalsnes, a former parish, Iceland’s most treasured psalm writer, Hallgrímur Pétursson, after whom Reykjavík’s Hallgrímskirkja Church was named, served as priest for the first time between 1644 and 1651.
The fiercest flood in Iceland’s history wiped out the nearby village of Básendi in 1799. An elderly woman drowned in the flood but the remaining inhabitants barely managed to save themselves by climbing a heath. Another tragedy took place in 1928 when the trawler Jón Forseti (“President Jón”), the first trawler specifically constructed for Iceland’s rough seas, sank off Stafnsnes.
As it would happen, Iceland’s first gunfight took place in 1551 in nearby Másbúdarhólmi, a few minutes from Sangerdi, when a group of Catholics were hoping to avenge Bishop Jón Arason, who was executed in 1550 for refusing to further the progress of Lutheranism in Iceland.
Not to worry, the fiery action has subsided considerably in the last 400 years and what remains today are the same beautiful views with some great galleries and museums to boot.
Accommodation and tourist services:
- Summer houses for rent at Thóroddsstadir (Tel: +354-423-7748, +354-8937523)
- Travel agency Hópferdir Saevars (Tel: +354-4217353)
- Car repair services (Strandgötu 4, Tel: +354-4212005; Sjávargötu 3, Tel +354-4237660)
Shops/restaurants:
- Vitinn restaurant (Hafnargötu 4, Tel: +354-4237755)
- Mamma Mía restaurant (Tjarnagötu 6, Tel: +354-4237377)
- Strax grocery store (Miðnestorgi 1, +354-4237410)
- Shell petrol station (Strandgötu 15, +354-4237650)
- Hafnarvídeó video store (Vitatorgi 9, +354-4237878)
Attractions/places of interest:
- Stone gallery Gallerí Grýti (Vitatorgi, Tel: +354-6606087)
- Handicraft workshop Ný Vídd (Strandgötu 18, Tel: +354-4237960)
- Candle-making workshop Jöklaljós (Strandgöty 18, Tel: +4237694)
Events/exhibitions:
- “The Attraction of the Poles” an exhibition dedicated to the French polar explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot at the Fraedasetur – the Nature Center – (Gardvegi 1, Tel: +354-4237551)
- “Life By the Open Sea” at the Nature Center, May 1 to August 31
- Sandgerdi Festival, August 25
For further information visit sandgerdi.is or call the Nature Center, Tel: +354-4237551.
Click here to download a detailed map of Iceland.
The current issue of the quarterly magazine Iceland Review includes for example an interview with world-renowned fashion designer Steinunn Sigurðardóttir as well as features on the successful biotech company ORF Genetics and the hot debate regarding the EU. If you subscribe now, you will receive a photo book by IR editor, photographer Páll Stefánsson of the eruptions in Eyjafjallajökull as a gift. Click here to subscribe to the magazine and here to buy a gift subscription.
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The second series of The Press continues to follow the life of journalist, mother and wife Lára and her investigation of Iceland’s underground world.
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Harvesting human-like protein from genetically modified barley, Icelandic company ORF Genetics is revolutionizing the world of green biotechnology. With Iceland’s First Lady Dorrit Moussaieff and Hollywood stars among its loyal fans, the company’s phenomenal skincare range has, quite literally, changed the face of the cosmetics industry.
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The international recognition that the architecture firm Snøhetta has received is quite unique in a Norwegian context.
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