Reykjavik, tourism, and turf houses!

So it has been a few weeks since I last posted, so hopefully this will catch me up!  The last two weeks have been fairly busy but also very exciting! 

Two weeks ago we got to go to Reykjavik which was so awesome!  It was great having a day in a city since we have been living in the countryside the whole semester.  We started the day early and went to Landsvirkjun, the main energy company here in Iceland, and had a chance to discuss how energy is produced in Iceland and their future plans for an undersea cable.  We through a lot of questions at them about our views on the situation, and it was really neat to get to do that so easily and directly.  We then went to The Sea Baron Restaurant for lunch where we were served lobster soup (although I went for the veggie option instead).  While there we heard from a man who works in the fisheries industry of Iceland and learned a little bit about the regulations and boundaries of the Icelandic fisheries.  After lunch we visited the ruins of an ancient Viking longhouse which they suspect was from the first settlers in the Reykjavik area.  The museum was beautiful and really high tech.  After visiting the exhibit we finally had the chance to explore Reykjavik!  We had four hours in the afternoon to walk around and shop.  The first place I went was to a wool factory to get my handmade Icelandic sweater!  I also visited the famous cathedral in Reykjavik.  It was very beautiful and definitely stood out among the rest of the city.  Next time we go and visit I plan to go to the famous hotdog stand in town- I will keep you updated. At the end of the day we ate at a fancy restaurant downtown and got to hear from a geologist about the geology of Iceland.  We have heard a little on the subject before talking to him, but it was neat to hear about the volcanic activity and the glacial activity.  That weekend we had a lot of homework due, hence why it has taken me so long to post this.

Early last week we traveled to the southern tip of Iceland and visited an Eyafjallajökull  museum and learned about the eruption in 2010 and the impact on some local farms.  It was very cool to see the impact on the land, and to learn how to properly pronounce the name! We also had the chance to visit some very beautiful waterfalls (Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss) as well as visit an Icelandic beach.  It was a great day spent being a true tourist.

At the end of last week we went to a turf house museum.  The couple, Kristin and Hannes, invited us into their home, fed us well, and let us sleep in a traditional Icelandic turf house.  Hannes took us around the property and shared some of its history with us.   He lived in the turf house that we stayed in as a child which made the experience extra special.  All of the buildings were falling apart when he bought the property, and since then he has rebuilt most of them, and is working on some others.  Both the inside and outside was absolutely beautiful!  It was very cozy and homey, and made us feel that we were really taking part in Icelandic tradition.  We had a fabulous chickpea and vegetable lasagna dinner and afterwards Hannes gave us a presentation on Icelandic architecture.  It was a great presentation in which he really stressed the importance of preserving culture.  After the presentation we made our way back to the turf house for the night.  The next day we helped in construction of both a stable and a turf wall.  We dug the foundation of the stable out back of the turf house.  When Hannes was young there was a stable in the same place, but it has since then been torn down.  However, we were able to find the original foundation through digging.  This was very cool, because he showed us the system of measuring and the process of removing the top layer of turf to be used later in the walls.  He also individually took groups of us aside to learn about the construction of the walls.  Some people had the chance to go out into a marsh and drag up sod.  Because it was too wet, I had the opportunity to dig dirt and shovel it in behind the rocks in the wall to be packed in for support.  While collecting the turf sounded more exciting I was glad not to be up to my knees in water that day.  For lunch Kristin served us beet soup, seaweed, and the famous moss soup for dessert.  It was a warm milk broth with “mountain moss” (a lichen that grows up in the high mountains in Iceland) in it.  It was very delicious, and has a healing property to it.  In the old days the early settlers would eat it to avoid getting sick during the winter months.  At the end of the day we made a huge impact for the couple, and their joy for us was so touching.  They were wonderful!

Also in the past week we have had the chance to meet and work with Bob Kelly who is here to film us to promote the CELL program.  He is from Ireland and has done some shows such as “No Place Like Home” with which he has traveled to many different places.  After traveling and filming in Solheimar for a day a few years ago he decided that he had to return and is now filming the CELL group and the volunteers/interns to put videos on Solheimar’s website to promote the community.  It has been really great getting to meet and work with him so far.  He is such a nice guy and so open to our questions as well as him asking us questions.  I am excited to learn more from him!

This week we are traveling to West Iceland to visit some places that we have been learning about through our reading of Egil’s Saga, a traditional Icelandic tale.  It should be a very beautiful and exciting trip and I will be sure to keep everyone posted!

Sjáumst!