We Come From the Land of Ice & Snow

Guess what?  It's that time again!  I'm VERY excited for this week's feature.  My amazing friend Vala agreed to show us around her part of the world, and it's definitely on my top 10 list of places I must see.  Hell, I would move there in a heartbeat if I could.  (seriously!)

Yes!!  I think it would be amazing to travel to Iceland and experience it.  From what I've seen in documentaries and photos, it's stunning.

 

1.  Tell us about yourself!

Hi! My full name is Valgerður Sif Hauksdóttir (good luck on pronouncing that in 2 seconds!). I've always been called Vala, and when my boyfriend and I just started going out and he realized my name was Valgerður he didn't believe me at first, as everyone know me as Vala.  I’m about 283 months old, or in other words, 23 years old.  I’m a Leo which makes me very passionate, rather fearless, strong & creative.  

Handmade items from work.

For the last 2 and 1/2 years I’ve been working with mentally handicapped people at a rehabilitation center. Our main goal is to make them feel comfortable and use their talents in creative way. We use wood, wool, paper, glass, clay & leather to make crafts.  My main hobbies are knitting, photography & nature, I find it a great combination.  I live in an average small flat with my boyfriend Þórir and our 5 year old son Patrik. We are a very wholesome family, very happy but many people might find us a bit strange... I think abnormal is the word I’m looking for ;)  Our average small apartment is located in North Iceland, in the town Akureyri to be more exact.

2.  Can you tell us a bit about your town?

Melting ice.

Hmm my town.. like I wrote earlier it’s called Akureyri, here I was both born & raised. Even though it has only 15000 inhabitants it’s the 2nd biggest town in Iceland after the greater capital area, which all together holds about 200 000 inhabitants. We received town status in 1862.  What I like about Akureyri are the short distances, it takes you 5-7 minutes to drive straight through the town, and everything is within walking range. Our town-buses are free of charge and reliable so if you don’t feel like walking you can just take the bus home!  In Akureyri we have many museums, e.g Akureyri museum, the art museum, the industry museum & the aviation museum.  Downtown we have the “alley of art” where we have many art galleries.  I recommend the “Leafbread House” too.  


Christmas House.

Just 10 minutes away is the Christmas Garden (which is open all year round) and it is extremely popular among Icelanders & tourists.  Græni hatturinn (e. the green hat) is a bar that has live music on weekends, with Icelandic bands, not some crappy stuff but only the great stuff. It’s a very popular place for those who like good music, I think the age variation is between 20-50.


So it really depends on what you wanna do here....
If you had 1 day to spend in Akureyri and want to experience it, I recommend you have a good time by looking into few museums, walk the 2 oldest streets Aðalstræti & Hafnarstræti, go to a coffeehouse & watch locals, maybe take a drive with the FREE town bus to see more than just center.  In the evening you could eat at restaurant, e.g; Rub23, Strikið, Bautinn, 1862 Nordic bistro and then end the night at Græni Hatturinn.  During winter I recommend that you visit Mt. Kaldbakur. You drive to Grenivík, a village 30 min. away, there you take are taken up the mountain on a snow cat. The mountain is 1170 m high and once you’re up, you can decide whether you ski, sled, snowboard or take the snowcat back down. The view is fantastic and I cannot describe the fun of going down!!  (Check out my video below.)

3. What is life in Iceland like?

I like living in Iceland, well it’s not like I can compare it with anything but yes I like it here.  I love the summers, although a bit of a sun wouldn’t hurt!! The typical Icelandic summer is 10-15°C and cloudy. If the sun comes, it’s gone a second later.  The winters are rather mild, the temperature is around -5 to 0°c.  In summertime the ring road is very popular, it takes you along the coastline of Iceland and you can see all the main attractions. We have driven the ring road 2 times and in both times taken about 8 days. We get many tourists so the downtown is always very alive in this season, but the winters are the absolute opposite.  Icelanders may seem a bit unfriendly at first but in general we are very nice people. We know English pretty good too so don’t feel afraid to ask for directions or whatever.
 

Akureyri

4.  I'm curious about where Icelandic heritage can be traced back to.  Can you tell us about that?

At sea with my dad, helping the mechanic.

Of course originally we come from Norwegians, Danes and Swedes but Iceland has always been rather isolated so there has not been much of a mixed race. It seems to be changing and we have more immigrants coming here, mostly from Poland and Asia. Majority resides in the capital so honestly I just have no idea about mixed cultures and such.......

Akureyri is an old Danish town and was influenced by Danish culture for decades. 
Merchants from Denmark came here in the 17th century and built up the town. Because of that we have many traditions that originate from Denmark. Ash Wednesday (details are below) is one of them, and that day was not known in Reykjavík until later on.  Bun Day (details are below) started as a tradition after influences from Danish pastry chefs that resided here around 1900.  On Christmas my mom makes a really good almond rice pudding (ris ala mande) that is served with a homemade caramel sauce, we only get it on Christmas and it is to die for. The recipe has been in my family for decades and is originally from the time when so many Danes lived here.  Danish slang was also very popular in the 18th and 19th century.

5.  What are some major holidays and traditions you celebrate in Iceland? 

In 1944 we became a republic, and we celebrate it annually on the June 17th. We have parades and eat way too much expensive candyfloss that day.

I must admit I’m not very good in explaining our traditional holidays so here is a short copy/paste from www.iceland.is

Þorrablót

Þorrablót (in February) - A month-long festivity, taking places in homes and restaurants. Traditional Viking foods are consumed.

Bolludagur or "Bun Day" – The day two days before Lent is known as Bolludagur or "Bun Day". Homes, restaurants and particular bakeries, overflow with delicately made cream puffs or "buns".

Sprengidagur or " Bursting Day" - On Shrove Tuesday (the day before Lent) every Icelandic home and most restaurants flood with the aroma of salted meat and peas. The name Sprengidagur refers to the idea that the individual feasts on this hearty dish to the point of bursting.

As a nun on Ash Wednesday

Öskudagur or Ash Wednesday - Ash Wednesday is celebrated in Iceland with a unique custom that is very entertaining for children. Ashes are collected into small bags known as "Öskupokar" or Ash Bags. As a prank, these bags are secretly pinned onto people's clothing. The day is also marked with children singing and parading around the streets and shops, begging for treats.

Verslunarmannahelgi or Labour Day Weekend - During the first weekend in August, Icelanders by the thousands take to their cars and head out of town to camp in the wilderness or join in one of the many organized events that are held throughout the country. These range from family-style gatherings to outdoor rock festivals. 
Akureyri is very popular destination over this weekend.

Sjómannadagur or Seamen's Day (June) - This holiday is marked by festivities such as parades, rowing and swimming races, tugs of war, and sometimes sea rescue competitions.

My very favorite holiday (after the Ash Wednesday) used to be the Seaman’s Day.  My dad used to be a seaman and this day was so much fun when I was growing up. Sadly this day is not celebrated as much these days and is not fun anymore :(


6.  What got you into pen palling, and what does pen palling mean to you? 

My family!

Well... what got me into pen palling...? It’s a rather dull story but here it goes. I decided to sign up on Interpals a year ago when I was drowning in my own boredom. I had no specific intentions, just wanted to meet some people around the world. I only wanted to find e-mail buddies, as I never saw myself writing a REAL letter, and I also had no idea how popular it still is...
I soon realized that writing e-mails is not something I like, sitting in front of the screen and write a whole essay is so boring (and man I have been writing this neck of the woods thing for weeks now!) I kept postponing the replies and soon gave up. At that point I decided to look for some snail mail pals and since then I’ve written many many letters and I love it.
  Snail mailing means a lot to me, I think of my penpals as my real friends, not just random person I write letters to occasionally. I’ve met some incredible girls and we have shared everything from laughing matters to real life. In between there’s a lot of great nonsense ;)  
Going downtown to the coffeehouse with a stationary and write a letter over a cup of coffee or tea is one of the highlights of my week.

I want to thank Vala so much for participating in this little series!  If you get the chance, check out her blog!

If you're at all interested in participating in "My Neck of the Woods", please e-mail me!  eeegadserin (at) gmail (dot) com.

Ciao bellas!

~E