All Things Iceland

Back in December of 2018, Bára Halldórsdóttir outed herself as the whistleblower of the Klaustur Bar Scandal. During this podcast episode, I sit down with Bára to talk about how the scandal unfolded and how it has affected her life. This scandal involved politicians saying horrible things while drinking together in Klaustur bar. Bára happened to be in that same bar and recorded a lot of what these Icelandic politicians were saying. Bára is a whistleblower, artist, and disability activist. Along with the Klaustur scandal, we talk about a range of fascinating topics.

During the interview, Bára shares why it was important for her to record this conversation and share it with the country. Because she has a chronic illness, the stress brought on by the scandal has deeply impacted her health. The whole conversation was fascinating and eye-opening for me. I think scandals like this one provide insight into the country that is not often seen or heard unless you live here and engage with people about the topic. Also, I’m glad that Bára was interested in sharing her experience as a whistle blower and disabled person in Iceland because those identities are seemingly at odds.

Take us back to that day in  November 2018. What was going through your mind when you heard these MPs in Klaustur bar making such awful comments?

In Friday, December 4th, I’m hosting a free virtual book launch for “The Viking Immigrants: Icelandic North Americans” by LK Bertram. The book examines the multi-sensory side of Icelanders that migrated to North America between 1870 and 1914. I’ve been reading the book and even though it is historical text, LK writes it in a way that is entertaining.  The book examines the past through rare photographs, interviews, artefacts, and early recipes. By revealing the hidden histories behind everyday traditions, The Viking Immigrants maps the transformation of Icelandic North American culture over a century and a half.

The guest of honor at the book launch is the First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid. You will be able to hear her speak with LK Bertram and will be able to submit questions for them. The other added bonus is that attendees to the book launch on December 4th at 12:00 PM EST will be entered to win a copy of the book and a vínarterta. There will be several copies given away, so there is a good chance of winning one. Here is the link to register.

Looking for a great gift for yourself or a loved one this holiday season? The All Things Iceland box has a a variety of goodies that will give you a delicious taste of Iceland. Buy one here. Use the code “allthingsiceland” for free shipping. The code is valid until December 15th, 2020.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

This might be a short episode but it is very special because I have two big announcements! As you can tell from the title of the episode, one of the announcements is that I’m giving away a handmade Icelandic sweater. The other is that Gunnar, my husband, and I have partnered up with the Reykjavík Grapevine to create an All Things Iceland box full of Icelandic goodies. The Grapevine is hosting the box on their site. 

I have made a video on my YouTube channel explaining all the awesomeness in the box and how you can get free shipping from Iceland to anywhere in the world. Which if you don’t know, shipping from Iceland can be quite expensive. By using my special code, you save a lot. Gunnar and I both chose different things to put in the box. In the video we talk about why we each choose these specific things.  Altogether there are nine things in the box, which I think gives it some great variety. I know that many of you wished you could have come to Iceland this year, so we wanted to bring a bit of Iceland to you this holiday season.

I felt like it was important to announce this now just so you have enough time to get the box for the holiday season. Just note that there are limited edition items in the box that are specific to winter and the upcoming holidays. Also, if you win the sweater, you can choose to get one for yourself or a loved one, which is another awesome gift.

Buy the All Things Iceland box.

The video also has the details about how you can enter to win the handmade Icelandic sweater. The added bonus is that I am also giving away a signed copy of “The Little Book of The Icelanders” by Alda Sigmundsdóttir. I was fortunate to interview her early on when I started this podcast. Her book gives you a great insight into Icelandic habits. 

So, one person will win a sweater and one person will win a signed copy of the book.

Of course, if you follow All  Things Iceland on YouTube, it will definitely be there.

Lastly, the members of the All Things Iceland Patreon community got early access to the video and how to enter to win an Icelandic sweater. I shared it with them yesterday and I made the video public today. So, in addition to the content that is put on that platform, which is not posted anywhere else, every membership tier gets early access to giveaways, special discounts and promotions. If you have been considering becoming a member or are just hearing about this membership now, just know that there are many benefits to being part of that community.  Click here to join me on Patreon.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Gunnar Freyr, a talented Icelandic photographer and videographer, makes a living traveling around Iceland, and sometimes Greenland. On Instagram he is known as Icelandic_explorer and has over 360,000 followers. His images and videos capture the Icelandic landscape in such a mesmerizing way.

During the chat, Gunnar Freyr shares how he left a very stressful office job and made a career as a creator. In addition, he talks about places he recommends for first timers to the country, advice he had for people that also want to be content creators, and gives tips on how to capture the northern lights with your smartphone or camera. It was quite fun to chat with him and I hope you enjoy this interview.

If you are enjoying the All Things Iceland podcast, please leave a review on whatever platform you are listening to it on, if you haven’t already. I love sharing my passion for Iceland and your review can help another person to find the show and learn more about this awesome country. 

Some of you might be aware that one of my goals for the podcast is to travel around Iceland more to interview different people in each region. In July, I set up the All Things Iceland community on Patreon. Patreon is a membership platform that was founded in 2013. It allows for creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you in exchange for a monthly subscription.

Each month I am doing Ask Me Anything videos, Live Chats, and Folklore Friday each week. Sometimes I do updates about my life in Iceland. I do not share this content on any other channel. The support from my patrons on the All Things Iceland community on Patreon will help to evolve All Things Iceland. There are several membership tiers to choose from and each tier has a variety of benefits.

If you would like to join the community, go to patreon.com/allthingsiceland. I look forward to having you join.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Nichole Leigh Mosty is an American that moved to Iceland in 1999. During our chat, we talk about the challenges she faced when she first moved and her experience being the first woman of foreign origin to be the speaker in Icelandic Parliament. Nichole shares a lot of insights and definitely does not hold back about what she has experienced, especially when it comes to finding a job when she first arrived and learning the language. 

Nichole is very active in helping women of foreign origin. She is the chairperson and board member of W.O.M.E.N, which is an acronym form Women of Multicultural Ethnicity Network in Iceland. This association helps to support women if foreign origin, which is amazing. There will be a link to the organization in the show notes if you want to read more about it.

You came to Iceland back in 1999. Can you share a bit about where you are from and what brought you to Iceland?

I’d like to give a shout out to Danielle, Melton, Mark, Betty, Noa, Paul, Julia and Oliver. They are all members of the Ásgarður tier in the All Things Iceland patreon community. Members of that tier get a shout out in the podcast each month. They also take part in Live Chat groups with me each month, Ask Me Anything and other benefits. There are four tiers of membership. If you would like to help support the evolution of All Things Iceland and get access to awesome content only available on Patreon, you can join at patreon.com/allthingsiceland.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Elisa is originally from the Netherlands. After falling in love with Iceland during a vacation many years ago, she decided to quit her career in media in her home country and move to the land of fire and ice.

Elisa initially planned to stay for a few months. During that time she intended to travel around and work as a horse riding guide. Well, a few months turned into years and she hasn’t looked back. During her time here, she has become a photographer, specifically of the majestic Icelandic horse. She has been posting beautiful photos of the horses she works with on Instagram. Her account is @elisa_in_Iceland. Funny enough, that is how I came in contact with her.

Even more awesome is that we finally had the chance to meet this summer. We took Icelandic B2 together, which is an intermediate course for the language. In addition to Elisa taking awesome photos and learning the language, she is an avid knitter and is a member of an Icelandic church choir. 

During the interview, we talk about how much Iceland has changed her life, the differences between living in the Netherlands and Iceland, and so much more. We had such a blast chatting and I hope you enjoy this interview.

Some of you might be aware that one of my goals for the podcast is to travel around Iceland more to interview different people in each region. In July, I set up the All Things Iceland community on Patreon. Patreon is a membership platform that was founded in 2013. It allows for creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you in exchange for a monthly subscription.

Each month I am doing Ask Me Anything videos, Live Chats, and Folklore Friday each week. Sometimes I do updates about my life in Iceland. I do not share this content on any other channel. The support from my patrons on the All Things Iceland community on Patreon will help to evolve All Things Iceland. There are several membership tiers to choose from and each tier has a variety of benefits.

If you would like to join the community, go to patreon.com/allthingsiceland. I look forward to having you join.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Halla Ólafsdóttir, a young Icelander, shares with me why she feels that people in her generation are moving away from the Reykjavík area in favor of the countryside.

Halla has a BA degree in Icelandic language and creative writing at the University of Iceland. At the Free University of Berlin, she received an MA in Visual and Media Anthropology. Halla moved back to Iceland in 2014. Even though she was born and raised in Reykjavík, she chose to move to Ísafjörður in 2015.  While there, she’s been working for news and other programs of RÚV, the National broadcasting service, in the Westfjords.

It was fascinating for me to hear what she felt is driving a young Icelander, like herself, to more remote places of the country. It certainly was not what I was expecting to hear as a trend in Iceland. However, after this discussion and living in Ísafjörður for three weeks, I can see why a young Icelander would gravitate towards the countryside.

I hope you enjoy this interview.

It is with awe and gratitude that I share that tonight I was presented with an Equal Rights Award from the town of Mosfellsbær. This award is for the work I’ve been doing on the All Things Iceland podcast and YouTube channel to share the experiences of different foreign nationals and Icelanders in this country. It’s an honor for me to share those stories and to shine a light on the diversity in this country. I’m so grateful that the town I live in sees the value in that work. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this award and helping to lift up diverse voices in our community.

Some of you might be aware that one of my goals for the podcast is to travel around Iceland more to interview different people in each region. In July, I set up the All Things Iceland community on Patreon. Patreon is a membership platform that was founded in 2013. It allows for creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you in exchange for a monthly subscription.

I would like to give a shout out to Julia. She is one of the newest members of the Ásgarður tier in the All Things Iceland community on Patreon. Julia and the other members in the community are helping to support the evolution of All Things Iceland and I greatly appreciate it.

Each month I am doing Ask Me Anything videos, Live Chats, and Folklore Friday each week. Sometimes I do updates about my life in Iceland. I do not share this content on any other channel. The support from my patrons on the All Things Iceland community on Patreon will help to evolve All Things Iceland. There are several membership tiers to choose from and each tier has a variety of benefits.

If you would like to join the community, go to patreon.com/allthingsiceland. I look forward to having you join.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

This week, I share the fun chat I had with Mugison, a talented Icelandic artist that has been making waves on a local and global scale. We talked about the time he spent living in Africa as a child, musicians that inspire him, the impact of Icelandic nature on his music, his epic music festival Aldrei Fór Ég Suður (I never went South), and so much more. 

During my time in the Westfjords, I had the opportunity to interview some fascinating people in the area. My main reason for going to Ísafjörður was to take an intense three week Icelandic course at the University Center of the Westfjords. I’m planning to share a full review of that experience on the All Things Iceland Patreon, so keep a look out for that.

Of course, I couldn’t go to the Westfjords and not get some interviews for the podcast. I was fortunate that Mugison lives in Súðavík and was open to chatting with me. It was such a blast to chat with him, and I felt like I was talking to one of my friends. I hope you enjoy this interview and the others from that area that I will be sharing in the near future.  

Some of you might be aware that one of my goals for the podcast is to travel around Iceland more to interview different people in each region. In July, I set up the All Things Iceland community on Patreon. Patreon is a membership platform that was founded in 2013. It allows for creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you in exchange for a monthly subscription.

Each month I am doing Ask Me Anything videos, Live Chats, and Folklore Friday each week. Sometimes I do updates about my life in Iceland. I do not share this content on any other channel. The support from my patrons on the All Things Iceland community on Patreon will help to evolve All Things Iceland. There are several membership tiers to choose from and each tier has a variety of benefits.

I would like to give a special shout out to Betty, Noa, Paul, Danielle, Melton, and Mark. They are members of the Ásgarður tier, which is the Land of the Gods in Norse Mythology. Members of that tier get a special shout out on the podcast each month. There are also Live group chats with me and a special gift that was made in Iceland sent to them from me each year.

If you would like to join the community, go to patreon.com/allthingsiceland. I look forward to having you join.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Tyler Wacker embarked on an incredible cycling journey from California to Ísafjörður in the Westfjords.  For those of you who don’t follow me on Instagram, I am currently in Ísafjörður taking Icelandic courses. Coincidentally, Tyler is at the same school, even though he is studying something completely different than me.

After working in the transportation engineering industry for six years and feeling unfulfilled with his work, Tyler decided it was time to set off on a bicycle tour around the perimeter of the United States starting and ending in San Francisco, where he was currently living. 

The goals he had set for the journey were to assess where his life was and figure out how best to use his hands to address the climate crisis. Having mentally and physically prepared through a variety of endurance sports over the past few years, his new lifestyle came almost naturally until COVID forced him to pause his tour.

After sheltering in place for ten weeks, he set off on his bike again but had revised his plan after he learned he had been accepted into the University Centre of the Westfjords in Isafjordur. He would now bike from Texas to Minneapolis and then to Boston to catch a flight to Keflavik and bike six days through Iceland to his new home.  

During the interview, we dive into Tyler’s experience cycling in the U.S. and in Iceland, some of the challenges that he faced, the positive experience he had, and more.

You can find Tyler on Instagram at @tjwack.

If you’re not familiar with Patreon, it is a membership platform that allows creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you. To learn more and join the community, check it out here.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Satu Rämö was born and raised in Finland, but has been living in Iceland for almost 20 years. She shares a lot about her life in Iceland with Finnish people and she has a huge following in Finland. I think it is safe to say that she is the official Finn in Iceland, as well as a creative entrepreneur, author and social media nerd.

I met Satu through her husband Björgvin. He and I used to work at the same company. One day I was talking about the trials and tribulations of learning Icelandic and Björgvin said that his wife had gone through it and I should read her book, which is titled “My Journey to Iceland: 10 Crazy years and I am still here”. It was so interesting to learn about her life, the different cultural adjustments, how she met her husband and so much more.

During the interview we talked about a variety of topics. Of course one of the questions had to do with the differences she has noticed between Iceland and Finland. To connect with Satu on Instagram, her account is @satu_ramo.

You’re from Finland and I’m just curious about what brought you to Iceland?

Your book, which is titled, “My Journey to Iceland: 10 Crazy years and I am still here”, which was published in 2016, gives a good timeline of your journey here. One story that stuck out to me is when you met some Icelanders who were on vacation. It was during the economic boom in Iceland, so Icelanders were spending money like crazy. What was it like to be in the country before the economic meltdown?

What are some surprising cultural differences that you observed between Finnish and Icelandic people when you started living here?

Finnish, like Icelandic, is considered a difficult language to learn. What was it like learning Icelandic here?

Do you have any advice for people that are learning the language or who want to learn it?

You have a large following in Finland. What is the perception of Iceland in Finland?

And vice versa, what do Icelandic people think of Finnish people?

You and your family moved from downtown Reykjavík to Ísafjörður in the Westfjords last year. What inspired you to make that move and what is life like for you in a smaller town?

What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

If you’re not familiar with Patreon, it is a membership platform that allows creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you. To learn more and join the community, check it out here.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

During this week’s episode, I spoke with LK Bertram about the very large emigration of Icelanders to Canada in the 1800s. 

LK Bertram is the author of The Viking Immigrants: Icelandic North Americans, and is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Toronto. Born and raised in Winnipeg, she also has family roots in Öxnadalur and is the proud parent of twin 3-year olds. For some fab intel on Icelandic North American culture, history, and life, check out her instagram @thevikingimmigrants.

Because LK lives in Canada, we did a virtual interview. It was such a blast to chat with her. The insight she shared about the Icelandic settlement in North America was beyond fascinating. I look forward to reading her book to learn more.

If you’re not familiar with Patreon, it is a membership platform that allows creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you. To learn more and join the community, check it out here.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!