Iceland - - Page 4

29 Jul

Smells like urine, tastes like heaven

hardfiskur My favourite Icelandic snack is ‘harðfiskur’. It is wind-dried fish, usually cod, haddock or seawolf. It’s been beaten until it has softened somewhat, and it’s absolutely delicious served with butter.

‘Harðfiskur’ is a very healthy snack, very rich in protein. Each bite has to be chewed thoroughly and it may take some time to get used to. Don’t let the smell scare you away from trying it. ‘Harðfiskur’ smells of ammoniac so that’s quite horrible as you can imagine.

In the past, ‘harðfiskur’ was eaten instead of bread in homes that couldn’t afford flour for baking on special occasions. Nowadays however, ‘harðfiskur’ is unfortunately very expensive and regarded as a luxury product in Iceland.

24 Jul

Gorgeous Iceland!

Recently I’ve watched a lot of those popular short films showing the Icelandic landscape and nature. This one is the first of them to make me a tad homesick. It blew my mind, quite frankly.

The filmmakers are from Germany, studying Audiovisual Media at the Stuttgart Media University. They say their desire was ‘to capture that stunning landscape and wildlife and take viewers on a journey through this magical island.’

They most certainly have managed to do that.

20 Jul

Clockworking

Nordic affect These days I’m spellbound by a piece of music called Clockworking. I find myself playing it over and over again. Its rhythmical repetitions leave me in a calm, almost hypnotised state, but at the same time the music seems to tickle the brain until my imagination runs riot. It’s captivating. I like to listen to music that affects me like this when I’m writing and it has made me think of how one form of art can help create something completely different.

Clockworking is the title track of a new album from Nordic Affect, an incredibly talented quartet of women, comprised of Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir on violin, Guðrún Hrund Harðardóttir on viola, Hanna Loftsdóttir on cello and Guðrún Óskarsdóttir on harpsichord. The track was composed for violin, viola, cello and electronics by María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, who is perhaps best known for her work with amiina.

Since its foundation in 2005, Nordic Affect has combined new compositions with the music of the 17th and 18th century. This comes as a natural reaction to the vibrant musical life of Iceland, where music from ancient manuscripts is being rediscovered at the same time as new compositional computer software is being developed.

The new album is released July 31st and it features the music of five Icelandic female composers – Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, Hildur Guðnadóttir, María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, Hafdís Bjarnadóttir, and Þuríður Jónsdóttir. The album was recorded by Georg Magnússon at The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, with mastering and post-production by Valgeir Sigurðsson. Clockworking will be released on the Sono Luminus label which is entering an exciting new phase with the appointment of CEO Collin J Rae.

Nordic Affect’s website (it is down at the moment, but will be up tomorrow)

Nordic Affect’s Facebook

15 Jul

Drink the tap water

Photo: Hörður Jónasson More guests are visiting Iceland than ever before. When you walk around central Reykjavík during the summertime you hardly hear an Icelandic word. Each time I visit my homeland ten new hotels have been built and there are far too many ‘puffin shops’ downtown already. That’s what the locals call the tourist shops due to the popularity of the puffin as a souvenir.

Lonely Planet has published an article with 14 dos and don’ts when visiting Iceland. It’s pretty good and most of it is useful. You definitely should drink the tap water, wash properly with soap before taking a dip, stick to appropriate roads and take the weather seriously.

Generalisations about the nation always make me smile. Don’t take it seriously although there may be a grain of truth in it.

‘Icelanders are a generally hardy and open-minded group with a dry but vibrant sense of humour. They tend to speak impeccable English, and are game for a chat, or to tell you about their favourite places to go. Respecting local etiquette and laws (along with not whingeing about the weather, or how hard it is to get to the natural wonders) will go a long way in endearing you to them, and open opportunities for local connections.’

13 Jul

Curious Björk in 1988

This little gem of a video shows that Björk has always been curious about science and how things work. It becomes clear that her technological project Biophilia is based on an open mind and long lasting explorations.

One of my favourite TV programmes is a documentary when two of the most iconic thinkers of our time meet and have inspiring discussions about nature and science. Here’s the trailer for When Björk met Attenborough.

And here’s a fan made video with excerpts from the documentary.

You can watch When Björk met Attenborough on iTunes for example.

11 Jul

Life in a Fishbowl

When the sun is shining bright, on one of the most beautiful Saturdays of the summer, going to a Film Festival is perhaps not what most people choose to do. Let alone to watch a pretty bleak Nordic film. A few film enthusiasts did so anyway to watch Baldvin Zophoniasson’s second feature, Life in a Fishbowl at the East End Film Festival.

The film follows three very different characters offering a cross section of society after the financial crash in Iceland 2008. A kind-hearted single mother takes on a demeaning career to stay afloat and protect her child; a dishevelled drifter drinks in order to forget his past; and an ambitious businessman wrestles with his conscience in the face of corporate fraud.

I talked to some audience members after the screening and they all liked the film. A few talked about how gripping it was and one said she wanted to marry Móri. Most of the people were eager to run out and bask in the sunshine but I managed to get an interview with Tim Evans, who was kind enough to sit down with me and share his thoughts on the film.

08 Jul

Iceland seen from above

THRIFT

I’ve learned a trick I play a lot,

though lesser men may cavil:

never to stir from near this spot

yet nonetheless to travel.

Jónas Hallgrímsson / Dick Ringler

When Jónas Hallgrímsson wrote this poetry in 1845 he probably didn’t imagine that 170 years later, a London based Icelandic woman would think about his poem while admiring her homeland with the help of drone footage. It’s never been easier to sit at home and travel the world at the same time. Whereever you are, I hope you enjoy those amazing images of Iceland!

Jónas Hallgrímsson

Jónas Hallgrímsson poetry

02 Jul

Strange days

11415470_10205826143266849_1252669487698795569_o The internet didn’t melt away yesterday, nor did I. However, roads melted as the mercury clocked 36.7C, the highest in July since records began in the mid 1870s. The hotspot was Heathrow. Very fitting.

This has been a sad and strange week over here. In the sweltering heat yesterday the first bodies of the victims killed by a gunman in Friday’s beach attack in Tunisia were flown back to the UK. Most of the victims were from here; it hasn’t been confirmed yet but it’s likely that 30 of 38 victims were British.

It has been agonising to listen to the survivors speak about their ordeal. It brings back memories of the 2011 Norway attacks when Anders Breivik killed 77 people. Like then, people under attack in Tunisia tried to play dead as the gunman passed and many of them were calling home from hideaways to say goodbyes to their loved ones. At the same time it’s moving to hear how people would selflessly put them self in danger while helping the injured and some even died protecting those they loved.

All of this is affecting the nation even more due to the fact that next week marks the 10 year anniversary of the 7/7 terrorist attack. The stories from those who survived back then blend in with the stories from last Friday.

Meanwhile, news from Iceland about earthquakes and a possible volcano eruption near Reykjavik are scaring the living daylights out of me. For some reason news like that affect me more when I’m over here than when I lived in Iceland.

I guess all we can do is try to enjoy each day, each moment. One never knows.

01 Jul

Amazing Reykjavik in 1926

On the hottest day of the year so far it feels as if the internet might just melt away any minute 🙂

Before that happens I’d like to share with you an amazing video. A footage of Reykjavik back in The Roaring Twenties. The travel film was shot in July 1926 by an American, Burton Holmes. You can read more about this remarkable man here. With 24 hours of daylight this time a year, a cruise is reaching shore at midnight. A lot of curious Icelanders have gathered downtown to watch the tourists. The population of Reykjavik was only around 21,000 back then and the capital had only three police officers. Enjoy!

30 Jun

Eton Mess with an Icelandic twist

11539196_10205856922076300_1370616124779925279_o I had guests over for dinner the other day and decided to make a dessert dedicated to both islands, Great Britain and Iceland. The outcome was Eton Mess with an Icelandic twist, using skyr. If you want to know more about skyr I wrote about it in an earlier blog post.

Ingredients

450 gr/15.8 oz skyr

100ml/3.4 oz double cream

dash of Ribena blackcurrant juice

3 x 7.5cm/3in meringue nests, crushed

300 gr/11 oz blueberries

almond flakes

coconut flakes

Preparation method

Roast the almond and coconut flakes in a dry pan, until golden. Set aside to cool.

Whip the cream lightly and fold in the skyr and blackcurrant juice.

Add the crushed merengue and blueberries.

Divide into four glasses or bowls.

Decorate with almond flakes, coconut flakes and blueberries.

Bon appetit!