íslenskur, íslensk, íslenskt

Due to birthday stuff Wednesday, writing time was limited. We tried to take pictures. None came out. I look like some kind of demonspawn in photographs. I don't know how or why. I would swear to you that I am not scary in person, but freeze-frame me and I can scare innocent children. The birthday girl has glow-in-the-dark red eye in all of the pictures.

My sister, who shall remain blogless, informed me last night that my "thing" about Iceland was a little out of control. Indulge my fantasies of Iceland for now, please. I have really odd ideas about how I need to expatriate and right now, Iceland is my choice of where to go.

You can find out many interesting facts about the country on Wikipedia's page on Iceland.

You can get absolutely addicted to sound clips of spoken Icelandic phrases on the University of Iceland's Icelandic Online site. This is a great, free intro to the language. More historical background information on the language is found here on a travel/info site.

Iceland's Alþingi (in English, Althing) is the oldest national assembly or parliament in the world. Their website is HERE. You can see the Thingvalla or �ingvellir where the original sessions took place (breathtakingly beautiful) HERE.

Iceland Review is an English language web magazine on Iceland.

The Reykjavík Grapevine is also fun; a local city website that makes me want to visit. Info on galleries, performances, and news from the capital. All the latest on Bobby Fischer and his quest for Icelandic citizenship.

You can order a free DVD and brochure from the Icelandic Tourist Board on their site.

You can go read Nik's blog for almost daily updates on life in Iceland. Or you can go to Sonja's blog and ask her (nicely) to post in English once in a while. Sonja very kindly directly us (see comments) to a great Icelandic blog with beautiful pictures.

Álafoss's factoid page on Icelandic wool, with a brief synopsis of why this wool is so wonderful. Click around the site a bit for more information.

More from the wool manufacturer Ístex, on their site.

And to set the mood for all this browsing, you can listen to Björk, who also has a great website.

P.S. Since I made up a word in a language I barely speak for yesterday's blog title, and no one said anything, can I request that in the future, people let me know when I embarass myself in other languages? I worry about these things.

Comments

[Sonja]

http://www.icelandeyes.blogspot.com/

This blog is written by an Icelandic girl, who grew up in California, but moved back. So it is someone with an inherit understanding of the country and its people but can also stand back and look at it from a distance, plus a good pen and great photos :)

[Ana]

We lived in Iceland for 3 years, and you can see everything there is to see in weeks, if you like the moon, is like living there, no forest, no trees, just rocks, and rocks. The yarn is cheap and beautiful, but to rough. Their sock yarn is the best I had found, waterproof and extra warm. Iceland is expensive because of the kroner exchange rate. I nice place to visit once.

[Mary Beth]

I like it all, except Bjork.

[stephanie]

I did think that was a made up word. Very reassuring. Thought there was a whole missing block of my vocabulaire for a while there.

[Adelaide]

Back in the days when Icelandic Air was the cheapest way to get to Europe, I visited Reykjavik on a fairly regular basis. Not for any serious amount of time, mind you. Just passing through. The landscape is quite interesting for about 30 minutes. It might be a wonderful country. I'm sure there are thousands of people who love living there and who love their country. But I think you should not seriously consider leaving Brooklyn for the joys of Iceland. However, it is the home of the world's only penis museum. That might be an incentive for some people.

[Cindy]

hum...and after your post yesterday I was thinking I needed to explore the Icelandic knitting alittle more ...

[Jessica]

Don't fret about your obsession with Iceland - I have to confess a similar one with Newfoundland.I even went so far as to look into job postings and real estate there. People think I'm totally off my rocker. It's okay - we are allowed these oddities - it's what makes us who we are.

[Lauren]

Do they quilt much in Iceland? What is stopping you from moving there?

[Nancy]

My cousin is Icelandic and she has nothing but love for her country. Frankly they seem far more civilized than we Americans. They have even had a woman president already!

[Margene]

I'm 1/8 Icelandic. It would be so interesting to visit but I think they don't want us to live there, right?

[valerie]

Actually, Iceland is one of the places I want to visit in the next decade. So you can inform me as much as you like!

[rams]

Just wait a year or two -- the last I knew, Iceland had the highest adolescent alcoholism level in the world. Otherwise, though, a dandy place -- pass the time by reading John McPhee's piece on how they actually stopped a wall of lava from ruining the best harbor by spraying seawater on it ("pissing on the lave" the TV watchers called it.)

[claudia]

Red-eye is a lame-ass excuse for no pictures. Get thee some Photoshop and show us the goods.

;-)

[Your Sister*]

We need to talk...you are seriously scaring me.
P.S. Thanks for not posting any pictures from that night (you know which one!)...actually maybe it was in your best interest.
P.S.S. "Who shall remain blogless"? - I don't like the sound of that!

[Nina Nielsdottir]

As I also have lived in Iceland for 3 years, I can highly recommend going there. They do quilt a lot, and even though Iceland looks like the moon on some places (e.g. the half-and-hour-drive from the airport in Keflavík to Hafnarfjörður), it is also very beautiful and green/autumncoloured (depending on the time of year). And even though some may have been frightened by Þorrablót, I can comfort you and say that it isn't the most eaten food in Iceland. But one thing you absolutely MUST try when you get there is the soft ice. Iceland have soft ice like no other countries, it does not taste like any other. Also, they mix candy into it (I know it sounds strange, but it's soooo good!). Imagine the softest, best tasting ice cream with mashed fresh strawberries and choclate pieces in it. There's just nothing better! Anyway, I could keep talking about this (the icelandic choclate is also extremely delicious, I still miss that), I think this is enough..

Nina, now living in Denmark