Between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m. on the 23rd of January 1973 I woke up because of a strange thundering noise. When I looked out of the window I saw a volcanic eruption close to my home. It was a very dramatic and beautiful sight. At that time I was living on the island of Heimaey, in the Vestmannaeyjar (e. Westmans Islands) archipelago, about 10 km off the south coast of Iceland. Continue reading Volcanic eruption in Heimaey 1973
Category Archives: Iceland
Iceland underwater
While growing up in a small fishing village, I became curious in what was hidden beneath the surface of the ocean. When I became older I therefore decided to learn scuba diving at the National Life-saving Association of Iceland. I then joined its voluntary rescue team in Reykjavik and later became its diving group leader and instructor for the association, besides diving with other police officers. Members of the diving group took also part in other marine search and rescue operations than diving, and we were quite busy with about 30 call-outs per year. Continue reading Iceland underwater
Sænautasel in Iceland
In the video I interview Lilja Óladóttir, hostess at Sænautasel, about the farm and what service is provided for tourists.
Sænautasel was build in 1843, on a very remote area in the highland of Jökuldalsheiði in the North-East part of Iceland. The farm is covered with turf like other traditional Icelandic farms in the old days, which provides good isolation from heat loss. Farming was difficult in this isolated area. Winters were hard, so as much grass as possible had to be cut and stored each summer to try to keep the sheep alive until spring. In 1875 the farm was abandoned, because it was covered with tephra from the volcanic eruption of Askja. The farm was rebuilt in 1880, but abandoned again in 1943. At least two families at the farm went to America in the early 1900s. Continue reading Sænautasel in Iceland
Glacier ice cream in Iceland
While I was driving around Iceland in the summer of 2009, I stopped by at the farm Árbæ to taste their ice cream named: “Jöklaís”, which means “Glacier ice cream” in English. Because I liked it, I asked Sæmundar Jón Jónsson, the farmer there, if I could interview him and he agreed. The interview can be seen in the video and he also shows how he makes ice cream. Continue reading Glacier ice cream in Iceland
Cruise ships in Djúpivogur
Iceland
I first came to Djúpivogur about ten years ago and since then it has been one of my favorite village in Iceland, because it’s a quiet and interesting place. Few years ago, while having a dinner at Hótel Framtíð, I had a chat about traveling with Bryndís Reynisdóttir, who was a servant there. When I came back this summer, she had finished here BS in Business Administration and was now a marketing manager for tourism and culture in the village. She was very busy taking care of guests from a big cruise ship, but the day after I interviewed her about tourism there, as can be seen in the video. Continue reading Cruise ships in Djúpivogur