iceland

The Confusion between Scandinavia and Nordic

It’s long been a mystery for me and most of the world the difference between the Nordic and Scandinavian. As I learned, Scandinavian is an anglophone term that includes Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Occasionally, in loose English definitions, it includes Finland and Iceland.

The Nordic countries is composed of an official group called the Nordic Council. The Nordic Council includes the three Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway and Denmark), Iceland, Finland, and three autonomous regions (Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands.

Below is a table of the Nordic region nations:

Flag	Country	Governance	Capital	Population
Official Scandinavian countries
	Denmark	Kingdom	Copenhagen	5,519,287
	Norway	Independence 1905	Oslo	4,836,183
	Sweden	Kingdom	Stockholm	9,336,487
The additional Nordic nations
	Finland	Independence 1917	Helsinki	5,349,829
	Iceland	Independence 1944*	Reykjavík	319,756
Nordic autonomous regions
	Faroe Islands	Self-governance 1948	Tórshavn	49,006
	Greenland	Self-governance 1979	Nuuk	57,600
	Åland Islands	Autonomous province 1920*	Mariehamn	27,456

Together, the Nordic region is 25 million people with some member states in the European Union, NATO, Eurozone, and Schengan.

To make the definitions more complicated, in terms of geography, the Scandinavian Peninsula includes mainland Sweden and mainland Norway, and also a part of Finland. The Jutland Peninsula includes mainland Denmark and a small part of Germany. But Denmark proper has not had any territory on the Scandinavian Peninsula since 1658. Alas, Scandinavia is still Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Forget Germany.

So you can call a Swede a Scandinavian or Nordic person but a Finn is a Nordic person not Scandinavian. Stick to Nordic region for anything relating to those cold, Norse god loving, vodka infused nations of the north. Well, minus Russia.

Iceland: Visiting the Island Up North

My two year anniversary visit to Iceland is coming up so there’s going to be a few articles about my stay and plenty of reminiscing. What can I say, I love Iceland. =)

If you are off the loop and looking for something fun to read, take a look at these old posts about Iceland. Actually, they are the FIRST posts in this blog. Pretty awesome stuff. Wait wait. I lie, there is one first post, nothing special to you but always important to this blog.

Tjoruhusid: Isafjordur’s Fish Restaurant

The Viking Alcohol: Icelandic Brennivin

Visiting Isafjordur, West Fjords

The First days living in Isafjordur

Say hello in Icelandic

Hope you guys enjoy!

Old Norse Mythology, Myths, and Gods

I am a sucker for random facts; just love them! I rarely remember them but hey, I am silly. As part of my random factoid collection, Norse history is pretty awesome. These Vikings came up with insane gods and goddesses and earthly events that make up the backbone of Scandinavian history. When I was learning Icelandic and Icelandic history, there was little online information about this fascinating pagan religion. So why not put together a short guide to Nordic gods and the sagas? Swedes learned Scandinavian history back in grade school but most don’t have a clue about the origination of the Runes and the Gods anymore. Here’s the refresher for your summer soaked brains.

You may be wondering why on earth you should care for Nordic history. As we all know, our Swedish vikings friends inherit their personalities and culture and heritage from somewhere. One somewhere is the world of the gods and goddesses. It is here that women were written into the books as possessing deep powers and respect in society. We must not forgot though, these societies were still very much patriarchal and male oriented.

When your little Swedish boyfriend is quietly sitting by the table drinking coffee without uttering a word, think about where that cultural habit came from.

The Eddur (Eddas)
Most of Norse mythology is based on the Icelandic Eddas, specifically the Prose and Poetic Eddur. Edda is Icelandic for saga and these stories are often to as The Sagas. Snorri Sturluson wrote The Prose Edda in the early 1200s while the Poetic Edda is part of the Codex Regius. The writing time is heavily debated; ranging from 1000s-1180s and has no true authorship. Snorri referred to the Poetic Eddas but it was not until the 1700s did researchers find the Poetic Saga.
Prose Edda is part of the very popular folklore history of Scandinavia. Snorri’s Edda is comprised of three parts: Gylfaginning (The delusion of King Gylfi), Skáldskaparmál (Language of Poetry), and Háttatal (List of verses). It is here that we hear the stories of Odin, Loki, Thor, Freyr and the creation and destruction of Earth. Hopefully you can a little taste, a short summary of the Eddas here.

The Main Norse Gods and Goddesses of Snorra Edda
Gangleri – King Gylfi’s alias while traveling
Odin
Loki
Thor (Þorr) - The god of thunder and is known in Germanic mythology as well. He is the son of Odin and Jord (mother Earth) and has a wife, Sif.

Baldur - The son of Odin and Frigg. He marries Nanna and they have a son Forsete. He builds one of the most beautiful ships called Hringhorni. However, Baldr often dreams of his own death so his mother Frigg asked all the world’s objects to swear on a vow to never hurt him. Everything agreed except mistletoe. When Loki heard of the news he had an arrow made of mistletoe. While the gods were playing a game of throwing objects at Baldur and him standing infallible, Loki gave the arrow to Höðr, Balder’s blind god brother. With a tip of the arrow, Höðr killed his own brother.

In retaliation, Odin and the giantess Rindr gave birth to the giant Vali and killed Hodr. Baldur was burned upon a pyre on his ship. Nanna also throws herself on the pyre and burns with him. Hyrrokin, a giantess, drove Hringhorni out to the vast sea on her wolf. After Baldur’s death, Hel agreed to release Baldr from the underworld only if all of the world, dead and alive, would weep for him. All did, except Þökk, another giant. As it turns out, Loki was Thokk and for this trick he was punished for eternity.

Freyr – The son of Njord and sister to Freyja. He marries the beautiful giantess Gerg. He dies at the beginning of Ragnarök as he gave his sword, his only weapon to his servant Skrinir.

Freyja – One of the beautiful Norse goddess, Freyja is the daughter of Njord and sister of Freyr. She is the goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death.

Njord- the second mythlogical King of Sweden as told in Heimskringla.

Tyr – Son of Odin and is known as Leavings of the Wolf. He lost his right arm to Fenrir. Tyr lends his names to Tuesday (Tisdag in Swedish) and to the runic letter T.
Æsir – one of the two types of gods, the other being the Vanir. The Aesir comprised of the
major gods and goddesses of Nordic mythology.
Vanir – Part of the two groups of gods (Aesir and Vanir). The Vanir are mainly fertility gods who lived in Vanaheim.

Places, things and Events of the Prose Edda
Svithjod - ~~Old~~The Icelandic name for Sweden (thanks to LaughingPuffin for fixing that).

Ragnarök – the series of events where the world is destroyed. It is the end of the world and all the gods.

Asgård – The capital city of the Aesir gods

Vallhalla -The great hall in Asgard; Gangleri appears here to hear the stories of the gods but is ultimately tricked when all the gods and the hall vanishes.

Mjölnir – Thor’s hammer

Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr – The goats that drive Thor’s chariot. Thor can eat the goats, as long as the bones are not damaged, and uses Mjölnir to bring the goats back to life again.

Yggdrasil – The Tree that lays out the Nordic gods’ worlds
1) Asgård – The world of the Æsir; land of the Gods.
2) Vanaheim – The world of the Vanir.
3) Midgardh – The world of men.
4) Jotunheim – The world of the Giants.
5) Svartalfaheim – The world of the Dwarves.
6) Alfheim or Lysalfheim – The world of the Light-Elves.
7) Muspellheim – The world of fire; located in the south and home to the Fire-Giants.
8 ) Niflheim – World of ice and terrible cold; located in the far north and home of the Frost-Giants.
9) Helheim or Niflhel – The world of the dead.

Resources:
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What we do in Iceland during the winter

So I asked my Icelandic friend (we’ll call him Gardar Holm) what they do during the eternally dark winter. Now we know what the Icelanders and the Swedes do in the winter. ;)

“I‘ll have to quote you a British tabloid who in the last century described Iceland this way: „In the summer there‘s fishing and sex, but in the wintertime there‘s no fishing“. While that’s partially just a good way to sell newspapers, we do have the highest birthrate of the Nordics and one of the highest in Europe. And more people born are born in September than any other month of the year :-) But that’s hardly the only thing we do during the winter. There’s actually a complex answer to this.

First of all it will depend on your age. Iceland is today a highly advanced society – I mean we just got ranked number one by the UN Human Development Index. But the cold and dark winters mean that we spend a lot of time online – 75% of the population have broadband access at home. It used to mean that we read a lot, but now I think a lot of that time is spent online. Since we spend a lot of time indoors, it shouldn’t be surprising that we have the world record in electricity usage, all of it produced by the clean renewable energy resources that we enjoy up here. And everyone has a mobile. So we are really well connected. Which means that you shouldn’t be surprised that online gaming is a factor here – just witness – EVE Online – http://www.eve-online.com/ an Icelandic online game.

But if you had asked me that question during the middle of last century or even just a century ago the answer would have been completely different. Iceland used to be one of the poorest places in Europe. Go back to 1907 and you’d have found something quite different from what it’s like today. This was an isolated and poor place. This was also a homogeneous place. I described it at one point as a large white suburb. That’s changed now and I’m happy that it has. But like the rest of the Nordics we’ve had this amazing emphasis on education.

What you may not know is that we have the highest use of anti-depressants in Europe (possibly in the world) and it may just be that natural selection took care of those that couldn’t stand the cold and dark winters. The winters also go a long way to explain why there’s a thriving nightlife in Reykjavik. My friends in the UK tell me that among UK clubbers we’re famous for being just a bit more crazy than the rest. The thing is that the winters here aren’t all that bad. It’s just that they are really dark and spring arrives late. Which means that you’ll experience far colder temperatures in Stockholm than in Reykjavik.

I think there’s a permanent colony of Icelanders in Florida and the Canary Islands during the winter time and actually it feels as if the winters were easier to endure, when you didn’t have anything else to compare with. It may be a false memory. Maybe it was just that I didn’t notice the effects.

But I tell foreigners that come here that it takes 2 years to figure out if you want to stay in Iceland. You just need to live through a couple of winters here before you realize if this place is really for you. :-) “

What I learned in 40 hours in Stockholm, Sweden

I went to Sweden for the first time on September 1st and stayed for a mere 40 hours (why so short? that’s another story). I feel love in though: the people, the country, the city, the progressive ideals, and the T-banan (a functioning metro system) made me feel “home.” Well, everything except feminism gone insane part.

But I did make some interesting observations while in Stockholm:

Clocks are everywhere
They are punctual…hence the clocks
Men push baby strollers on the streets
Women have umbrellas for the rain, men don’t
It is fashionable to tuck pants/jeans into boots (for women). I would presume with the downpours it makes sense to keep the bottom of the pants dry and therefore tuck them in.
Everyone on the T-bana is on the cell phone. And they like to speak loudly (compared to the French at least)
It is fashionable to wear tight leggings and short/half jackets
No one jaywalks unless they are a tourist
Both women and men love scarves
Couples do not make out in public. For that matter, I didn’t see many hold hands.
When the rain comes down hard, somehow magically, everyone disappears
They use radiator heating and it works!
There are no bathtubs…what a bummer for wanting a warm, romantic bubble bath
Tabacs are present at every street corner (as in France). Grocery stores? Impossible to find
The gutters on buildings function properly, for the most part
The weather does change every five minutes (as in Iceland). “It’s not the weather that is bad, it is the clothes you are wearing”
The metro is spotless
Trains arrive every couple minutes. And yes, the Swedes will freak out if it is late by one minute
In the winter, they “build things” instead of…
People may look reserved but are very friendly. A stranger saw me struggling to open a water bottle, he came up, opened it, and thanked me.
The Swedes thank you for anything they do
Not all Swedes have blond hair
For that matter, not all Swedes have blue eyes
Every other Swede is an engineer of some sort. Worst case, a programmer.
And yes, the men are beautiful, but so are the women. Damn that competition.

Last Days in Isafjordur

To think by this time next week I will be in the US living the mundane life is depressing. I cannot fathom leaving Iceland and returning to the US.

But first, my adventures of the last 24 hours.

I spent Thursday night at Langi Mangi for the Pop Quiz contest. Langi Mangi is the local internet cafe/bar, basically one of the only happening places in the city. So there I was, the tourist, the only Indian (or Asian/other person), hanging out with the locals, drinking beer and answering ridiculous questions about the Nordic countries. Unfortunately RF and I got there late and only heard the last two questions (of which we corrected answered and understood one). RF eventually left and I stayed with the locals and discussed politics, facebook, puppets, and possibly other ridiculous things. Of course, these people were so tall I was sitting in the land of the giants. And not just tall, but gorgeous; the Icelanders are beautiful people.

On Friday the class went to the local fish restaurant (same place as the one on Tuesday) and we ate and drank and ate some more. Of course, it helped that our administration was smashed as well by the end and was laughing so hard I thought he would fall into the ocean. I also visited my friend (along with LO) at the tourist office and we partook of Brennivin. Truly a wonderful time to be completely smashed and walking around town.

In the end, I passed out on the children’s bean bag. There is proof somewhere on Facebook of that…

Tjoruhusid: Isafjordur’s Amazing Fish Restaurant

We finally visited the local Icelandic fish restaurant, Tjöruhúsið. Local meaning, a log cabin, a tiny kitchen, and the husband cooking fish on a moving stove. There were three choices: fish soup, catfish, and a type of cod. We choose all of them and then waited.

We waited and waited; as the air filled with fish, the time passed slower and slower. Eventually, we received some fresh bread and a stick of butter (literally a square block) to hold us down from clamoring like cats. 30 minutes later and a massive porcelain bowl appeared at the table. It was fish soup. The soup was creamy but not too think and held morsels of white fish that melts in the mouth.

Another 30 minutes later, our professor plops down at the table and we partake of more beer while waiting for the main plats. They show up… in large ironclad pans. One pan is filled with cod cooked in a creamy, bechemal type sauce. Adorned with grapes, salad greens (the only time I will be able to forage in Iceland), sliced tomatoes, and lemons, the dish is fit for the aristocracy. Or maybe, just the local fisher families of the WestFjords.

Viking Poison Strikes: Icelandic Brennivin

It started with innocuous questions about the cuisine. Two minutes later, the rather good looking Icelander came back from the kitchen with a small frozen jar filled with white chunks. He then searches the closet and pulls an empty bottle of schnapps, then finds a unopened one stashed in a brown paper bag. What do these employees do to warrant a few bottles of liquor in the closet?

Doesn’t matter…the fun was about to start.

Three small shot glasses were laid out and filled with the schnapps. My friend, the Icelander, and I took the toothpicks and each picked the smallest white block of meat from the jar.

And then we ate. The putrid, slimy, chewy piece fought hard to no be dissolved in my mouth. I turned it to pulp after vigorous chewing and chased it with the schnapps. Nauseated, dizzy, and wholly disgusted, it was over in a couple minutes yet the aftertaste super glued itself to my teeth, gums, tongue, and even my lips.

That was Brennivín, Icelandic schnapps – known as svarti dauði (“black death”)…and hakarl- putrified shark meat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenniv%C3%ADn

Isafjordur: A buccolic city in the West Fjords

Isafjordur, Iceland…a tiny tiny town.

4000 people, one post office, two gas stations, two bakeries. Yet, amazing to live in the fjords. Tall, unwavering, impressive mountains carved in zig-zags. Located near the Arctic circle (66.1N instead of 66.5N), it is good enough to be the Arctic.

If you are visiting Iceland or thinking about visiting Iceland, then check out the Iceland: A Trip Around the Ring Road Guide. Already going to Isafjordur? This is your guide then. =)

History of Isafjordur
Written in Icelandic as Ísafjörður, with some very cool nordic characters not seen in the Latin language system.
Ísafjörður is the largest town in the Westfjards (Vestfirðir) region. It was formed in the 9th century and became a major port city by the 16th century.

In 1786, the King of Denmark (Iceland was a Danish colony) granted Isafjordur municipal status. He also abolished the Danish trade monopoly.

From the mid 1800s to late 1900s, Isafjordur exploded in population and became the center of the fishing industry. It was the city’s golden era of prosperity. Iceland’s largest saltfish exporter, Ásgeirsverslun, hailed from the city. Motorized boats for fishing and freights enabled the town to expand into shrimp. Post World War II, the invention of quick-freezing created another golden era for Isafjordur. Hundreds of packing plants sprouted up in the city and every local was connected to the industry.

But Isafjordur’s fishing success would not last forever. A worldwide economic recession in the 1980s paralyzed the industry. But the Icelandic strength and will power would not allow the industry to perish, and it became leaner, smaller, and still competitive. The fishing industry changed its focus to a fleet of small boats rather than the big trawlers of the 1970s and early 1980s. High-tech industries and research, based on the knowledge and tradition of the fisheries developed, creating more opportunity for the town’s citizens.

And of course, the town is on the map with numerous tourist opportunities. Isafjordur also hosts a small university that has its strengths in the Icelandic Summer Course program and graduate studies programs. As I’m here studying there, I’ll give a review of the program soon.

Food
Let’s face it, there are not many options in the city but there are still great spots.

Langi Mangi
Café, bar/pub in central Ísafjörður. Lunch menu, soup of the day, sandwiches, burgers, pitas. Wireless connection, live music. Licensed.
Open Mon-Wed: 11:00-23:00, Thur: 11:00-01:00, Fri: 11:00-03:00, Sat: 12:00-03:00, Sun: 13:00-23:00.
Web site: http://www.langimangi.is/ – e-mail: langimangi@langimangi.is
Address: Adalstraeti 22, Isafjordur. Tel: (+354) 456 3022.

Tjoruhusid
Located next to the Isafjordur Maritime Museum at the waterfront. The restaurant is owned by a quirky couple but they server amazing Icelandic fish dishes. The building is also one of the oldest in the city. Specialize in fresh catches of fish and fish soups.
Open daily during the summer 11:00 – 22:00.
Address: Nedstikaupstadur, Isafjordur. Tel: (+354) 456 4419.

Thai Koon
A Thai-restaurant next to the grocery store in the little mini-mall. Great price for a lot of food.
Hours: Mon-Sat: 11:30-21:00, Sun: 17:00-21:00
Address: Hafnarstraeti 9-13, Isafjordur. Tel: (+354) 456 0123

Fernando’s
Restaurant in central Isafjordur Ísafjörður with American and Italian menu. Lunch buffet at 11:30-13:30
Open: Sun-Wed: 11:30-22:00, Thur-Sat: 11:30-00:00
Web site: http://www.fernandos.is
Address: Austurvegur 1, Isafjordur. Tel: (+354) 456 5001.

Bakarinn
Has tasty cakes, pastries, pizzas, and soups.
Hours: weekdays 07:30-18:00. Closed Saturdays. Sundays 09:00-17:30.
Address: Hafnarstraeti 14, Isafjordur. Tel: (+354) 456 4770, (+354) 456 4771, fax: (+354) 456 5065

Gamla bakarid
One of Iceland’s most famous bakeries with tons of breads and pastries. You can even find bagels there.
Hours: weekdays 07:00-18:00, Saturdays 07:00-16:00.
Tel: (+354) 456 3226, Fax: (+354) 456 5026
Address: Adalstraeti 24, Isafjordur

Hamraborg
A very “American fast food” kind of place. Pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, etc. Some groceries (ie. milk and bread) and DVD rentals are available. Oh, they also have plenty of candy (godis).
Hours: Everyday 09:00-23:30
Tel: (+354) 456 3166
Address: Hafnarstraeti 7, Isafjordur

Kaffi Edinborg
Brand new café and restaurant in the Edinborg culture house, where the Tourist Information centre is also located. Light meals all day every day, brunch on weekends.
Open: weekdays 11:00-01:00, weekends 11:00-03:00.
e-mail: kaffiedinborg@simnet.is.
Address: Adalstraeti 7, Isafjordur. Tel: (+354) 456 4400.

N1
Petrol station, fast food, groceries.
Open: work days: 07.30-23.30, weekends: 08.30-23.30.
Address: Hafnarstraeti 21, Isafjordur. Tel.: (+354) 456 3574

Isafjordur Hotels and Hostels

Sightseeing in Isafjordur

First Days in Isafjordur

What I find ironic is that to enter Iceland via Keflavik airport, one must go through security. To travel domestically, via the Reykjavik airport, the security screens are not present. No checks, no nothing. Brings us back to the good old days. :)

The sun completely sets (or I will say the sky goes black) at 00h50 and rises 04h30. Great no?! For all the strangeness, I do love this country.

Monday, 20th August.

First day of class. Went very well and I will definitely learn a lot or hopefully enough of the language to travel and converse with people.

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Lost in Stockholm

Finding, keeping, and living with the Swede

The Confusion between Scandinavia and Nordic

Iceland: Visiting the Island Up North

Old Norse Mythology, Myths, and Gods

What we do in Iceland during the winter

What I learned in 40 hours in Stockholm, Sweden

Last Days in Isafjordur

Tjoruhusid: Isafjordur’s Amazing Fish Restaurant

Viking Poison Strikes: Icelandic Brennivin

Isafjordur: A buccolic city in the West Fjords

First Days in Isafjordur

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