Last night I stayed at the Borg Hotel in downtown Reyjavik. As I was saying in the blog yesterday, cousin Ingibjorg was very nice. She told me a bit about her everyday life and the life of Icelanders. She works pretty hard, rides her bike to work each day, even in the winter and most days stops at an outdoor swimming pool to swim 1000 meters before heading off to work. Hot swimming pools are very popular here in Iceland and this one is hot. On the weekends, her and her husband quite often go fly fishing and camping. They catch salmon and trout in the lakes and rivers around Reyjavik and eat them during the week. Her sons are really into music and the one healthy son is in a band. She says other than that, the kids study and get together with friends.
The tour guide had also arranged for me to see an older lady - Asta. Ingibjorg decided to drive me over there as she had never heard of the lady and wondered how she was related. It turns out she is the widow of Gunmundir Mathiason, the grandson of Amma's 1/2 brother Kristjan. His mother was Ragnheiser. Asta had met Emily and Esther (and Jim and Eddie) at an Icelandic Festival in the 70's and she had a photo of them. The grandfather is apparently the same 1/2 brother who took in Amma's father and mother when they were both ill and the family broke up. Another leg of that family is where Sigrun and Thor (who visited us in Canada) fit in. They are the children of Gudrun Kristjansdottir who is another daughter of Kristjan, the 1/2 brother.
Asta was also very nice and fed Ingibjorg and I lunch of seafood salad on crackers, lobster soup and a green salad. She has a boatload of children, grandchildren and a few great grandchildren. Everyone except one family lives in Iceland and that one family lives in Germany.
The area where Amma lived was in Bardardal Valley, considered the Western fjords. She lived on a farm named Myri. It is much further north than Reyjavik. Apparently when her father was not ill, he raised sheep and cattle and bartered for fish. In the late 1800's when Amma was born, the weather was very severe.
I did not get much more information about Afi than I already had. One piece of information that the tour guide came up with that they thought explained why Afi's family moved to the U.S. was that his parents were renting a farm. They did not inherit one from their parents and so left the country to find a better life.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Iceland Day 8
Today I left the ship at 9 a.m. and was picked up by Gummi (nickname) of Gateway to Iceland Travel. They had put together a report for me of my ancestors and had arranged for me to meet 2 of my relatives. Initially Gummi just drove me around Reyjavik pointing out some of the notable sights. One such sight was a huge Lutheran church that apparently took over 40 years to build. I asked Gummi about the size of the congregation and he said that less than 10% of the people in Iceland attended church. Of those who did, most were Lutheran but some were Catholic. He also said that there were about 1900 people who practiced the pagan religion which was the religion in Iceland prior to them converting to Christianity back in 1000.
We first met Ingibjorg Hafstao. She is the grandaughter of Amma's sister Helga. She is 52 years old and works as a systems analyst in the Icelandic Bank. She is really, really nice and was constantly calling her mother who now lives in Northern Iceland, close to Husavik to find out more information about the relatives. She is married to a man who does art restoration. She has one daughter (age 29) who works as a nurse in Denmark and twin sons who are age 22. The sons are still living at home. One of the sons is attending university and the other one is taking a break. The son who is taking a break is in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy. He is really smart although is dyslexic but has trouble with his limbs as many cerebral palsy kids do. The twins were really premature and had a difficult birth.
Helga's story on her parents (who were also Amma's parents) are that they were desperately poor and lived on a farm in northern Iceland. Amma's father had been married before he married Amma's mother and had 3 children with that wife who eventually died. Amma's father went blind and Amma's mother got tuberculosis. Amma's mother died when Amma was only 2 years old and her father died a few years later. When things were looking really grim the parents gave their children to various relatives to look after. Amma was given to her mother's half brother and his wife. It was his third wife and the marriage did not last but Amma stayed with the wife. When Amma was 12, as we all know, she moved to Canada with the woman who was not related by blood but by marriage. I am running out of battery - will write more later.
We first met Ingibjorg Hafstao. She is the grandaughter of Amma's sister Helga. She is 52 years old and works as a systems analyst in the Icelandic Bank. She is really, really nice and was constantly calling her mother who now lives in Northern Iceland, close to Husavik to find out more information about the relatives. She is married to a man who does art restoration. She has one daughter (age 29) who works as a nurse in Denmark and twin sons who are age 22. The sons are still living at home. One of the sons is attending university and the other one is taking a break. The son who is taking a break is in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy. He is really smart although is dyslexic but has trouble with his limbs as many cerebral palsy kids do. The twins were really premature and had a difficult birth.
Helga's story on her parents (who were also Amma's parents) are that they were desperately poor and lived on a farm in northern Iceland. Amma's father had been married before he married Amma's mother and had 3 children with that wife who eventually died. Amma's father went blind and Amma's mother got tuberculosis. Amma's mother died when Amma was only 2 years old and her father died a few years later. When things were looking really grim the parents gave their children to various relatives to look after. Amma was given to her mother's half brother and his wife. It was his third wife and the marriage did not last but Amma stayed with the wife. When Amma was 12, as we all know, she moved to Canada with the woman who was not related by blood but by marriage. I am running out of battery - will write more later.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Iceland Days 6 and 7
It turned out that I did nothing else on Day 6 in Haemaey. I got back to the boat and found out the tour had been cancelled because of the weather. It was raining and pretty stormy. So I just relaxed on the boat and actually watched a film about the volcano in Haemaey. There was a huge one in 1973 that wiped out 1/2 the island. All of the residents were evacuated and many did not return. The ash and volcanic fires destroyed more homes and vehicles in the weeks following the eruption. It was a really horrible experience for many people but something that the Icelandic people have to always be aware of and accepting of as they get an average of one volcanic eruption every 3 years. The last year or so has been really remarkable as there have been a lot more than usual.
Today was Day 7 and we were docked just south of Reyjavik at the same dock we boarded. I signed up for the "Golden Circle" tour which is apparently the most popular tour out of Reyjavik. We left around 9 and got home at 4:30. We visited 2 fabulous waterfalls and a geyser area with one geyser that spouts about every 5 minutes. We also visited the site of Thingvellir which is where Iceland's first legislature met in 960 and I guess the world's oldest used to meet. It is a lovely place and is close to where the Eurasia and North American teutonic plates meet.
We also visited the Pearl which is this big attraction close to Reyjavik. You can go on top of it and view the whole of Reyjavik.
I finally heard from the tour agency and I guess I am going to be meeting some relatives tomorrow. They cannot take me to the site of my ancestors because I guess that is out of town. But they contacted Thruda (I did not give them her name) and she called a few people that I am meeting with. One is Asta whom I have never heard of but I guess lived in "America" (?) for some time. I will write more about this tomorrow. Tonight is the Captain's farewell dinner as this is our last night on the cruise. I am staying one more night in Reyjavik at a hotel.
Today was Day 7 and we were docked just south of Reyjavik at the same dock we boarded. I signed up for the "Golden Circle" tour which is apparently the most popular tour out of Reyjavik. We left around 9 and got home at 4:30. We visited 2 fabulous waterfalls and a geyser area with one geyser that spouts about every 5 minutes. We also visited the site of Thingvellir which is where Iceland's first legislature met in 960 and I guess the world's oldest used to meet. It is a lovely place and is close to where the Eurasia and North American teutonic plates meet.
We also visited the Pearl which is this big attraction close to Reyjavik. You can go on top of it and view the whole of Reyjavik.
I finally heard from the tour agency and I guess I am going to be meeting some relatives tomorrow. They cannot take me to the site of my ancestors because I guess that is out of town. But they contacted Thruda (I did not give them her name) and she called a few people that I am meeting with. One is Asta whom I have never heard of but I guess lived in "America" (?) for some time. I will write more about this tomorrow. Tonight is the Captain's farewell dinner as this is our last night on the cruise. I am staying one more night in Reyjavik at a hotel.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day 6 Iceland
Today is the middle of Day 6 and I will write more about today at a later time, but I thought I would take this opportunity to write because I am at a wi-fi cafe. The reception is great and it is free! It is so expensive and so erratic on the boat. Today we are docked at an island just south of Reyjavik and it is part of the Westman Islands. It is the only inhabited island in the group and it is called Heimay although I am not sure about the spelling. I have free time all day today and then am going on a boat tour of the islands at 5 p.m. today.
I noticed in my last post that the information about our tour guide did not make it. What I was going to say is that she is on city council in her town, is taking her masters in human geography over the internet and loves to camp and hike. She lived in Reyjavik for 6 years but thought it was too "big city" and intense (which is kind of funny as compared to most American and Canadian cities) and loves to live in the country. She said the biggest problem facing Iceland, especially the rural areas, is de-population, which I am not surprised about. It just must be a pretty challenging life for a young person to live year after year in one of the small fishing villages along the coast. I think you have to really be into outdoor activities and family and not worry too much about sunlight.
In the town I am in now, there are lots of young people around, because there is a festival on. Many have come from other parts of Iceland. It is cold and wet and rainy today and many of the young people are wearing big rubber boots and these brightly colored waterproof overalls, which I think are in fashion here. Two young guys are walking by as I speak, one in neon orange overalls and one in neon green overalls. I think the girls like them too as a saw a young girl buying a pair earlier. They are big and fit over all of your clothes except your shoulders. It is kind of funny. I have also noticed that a lot of people, young and old wear the traditional wool knit Icelandic sweaters with the same types of designs that have always been on them. It is kind of cool that they have stayed in style over so many decades.
I am trying to arrange a genealogical tour for my second last day in Iceland. I saw it advertised in some of the literature that was in the lobby of my first hotel. I got some information from Grandma on the names and birthdates of Amma, her parents and Afi's grandparents and wrote to the tour group from the ship. They said they did not know whether there was enough time to put everything together but they were going to try to do it. If they are able, they put together a chart with your family tree on it and take you to the places where your ancestors lived. If that doesn't work out, I am just going to go on a regular tour of Reyjavik. It is kind of hard because I cannot call them right now but just email them.
I noticed in my last post that the information about our tour guide did not make it. What I was going to say is that she is on city council in her town, is taking her masters in human geography over the internet and loves to camp and hike. She lived in Reyjavik for 6 years but thought it was too "big city" and intense (which is kind of funny as compared to most American and Canadian cities) and loves to live in the country. She said the biggest problem facing Iceland, especially the rural areas, is de-population, which I am not surprised about. It just must be a pretty challenging life for a young person to live year after year in one of the small fishing villages along the coast. I think you have to really be into outdoor activities and family and not worry too much about sunlight.
In the town I am in now, there are lots of young people around, because there is a festival on. Many have come from other parts of Iceland. It is cold and wet and rainy today and many of the young people are wearing big rubber boots and these brightly colored waterproof overalls, which I think are in fashion here. Two young guys are walking by as I speak, one in neon orange overalls and one in neon green overalls. I think the girls like them too as a saw a young girl buying a pair earlier. They are big and fit over all of your clothes except your shoulders. It is kind of funny. I have also noticed that a lot of people, young and old wear the traditional wool knit Icelandic sweaters with the same types of designs that have always been on them. It is kind of cool that they have stayed in style over so many decades.
I am trying to arrange a genealogical tour for my second last day in Iceland. I saw it advertised in some of the literature that was in the lobby of my first hotel. I got some information from Grandma on the names and birthdates of Amma, her parents and Afi's grandparents and wrote to the tour group from the ship. They said they did not know whether there was enough time to put everything together but they were going to try to do it. If they are able, they put together a chart with your family tree on it and take you to the places where your ancestors lived. If that doesn't work out, I am just going to go on a regular tour of Reyjavik. It is kind of hard because I cannot call them right now but just email them.
Iceland Day 5
Day 5 consisted of visiting a little island off the coast of Iceland - Vigur Island. It was very cold and windy and unfortunately because it had been such a nice day the day before in Akureyi, I didn't dress very warm and I was pretty cold. Vigur Island is adjacent to Isafjordur Iceland and is inhabited by 3 generations of the same family. It has apparently been inhabited by the same family for over a hundred years. Tours are conducted there all summer and there is a little reception area where members of the family serve tea, coffee and sweets. I was diappointed there wasn't any vennetarta (sp?). I asked one of the ladies if she ever made that and she said she has made it but not for a long time. I have a feeling it is not that popular in Iceland anymore.
The island basically consists of a few houses, a windmill which is no longer in use, the smallest post office in Iceland which services the surrounding area, hundreds of puffins, arctic terns and eider ducks. The farmer that lives there makes his living by collecting eider from the eider ducks that live there. He cleans it and sells it for a really good price. There was an eider comforter for sale in the post office for $1500.
The guide was a young girl who lives in Isafjordir. I asked her what she did besides touring and she is on the ci
After the tour, I had dinner with a bunch of the other non- Tauck English speaking people. The sea was very rocky and it was entertaining watching the huge waves splashing against the windows of the restaurant which was on the second level of the ship.
I forgot to mention that on the evening of Day 4 there were whale sightings outside the ship. The captain slowed to a stop so that we could enjoy them. They were apparently humpback whales. I only saw them a few times rising slightly in the water and then at one point saw a tail.
My impressions of Iceland are that it is a beautiful country but pretty cold and isolated.
The island basically consists of a few houses, a windmill which is no longer in use, the smallest post office in Iceland which services the surrounding area, hundreds of puffins, arctic terns and eider ducks. The farmer that lives there makes his living by collecting eider from the eider ducks that live there. He cleans it and sells it for a really good price. There was an eider comforter for sale in the post office for $1500.
The guide was a young girl who lives in Isafjordir. I asked her what she did besides touring and she is on the ci
After the tour, I had dinner with a bunch of the other non- Tauck English speaking people. The sea was very rocky and it was entertaining watching the huge waves splashing against the windows of the restaurant which was on the second level of the ship.
I forgot to mention that on the evening of Day 4 there were whale sightings outside the ship. The captain slowed to a stop so that we could enjoy them. They were apparently humpback whales. I only saw them a few times rising slightly in the water and then at one point saw a tail.
My impressions of Iceland are that it is a beautiful country but pretty cold and isolated.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Days 3 and 4
It appears the internet closed down halfway through my last post. What I was going to say is that the ship travelled all night and ended up at Grimsey Island which is a little island at the Arctic Circle. There was no tour that day so we simply took zodiacs to the island and looked around. The biggest attraction there were puffins and I got lots of great photos. There was also a gift shop and a grocery store. Another interesting thing was the golf course. It apparently is above the Arctic Circle and many people liked to golf there and say they golfed above the Arctic Circle.
The next day the ship docked in Akureyi. It was the first day the sun had come out and was a lovely day. We had a whole day tour in the Akureyi area. We saw a lovely waterfall called the Godafoss falls "Waterfall of the Gods", then continued on to Lake Myvatn. It is a large lake and is quite the tourist area - lots of summer homes, camp grounds and some hot springs. We also went to Dimmuborgir which was an area of large black lava formations, which some people called the Black Towers and others the Black Trolls. Each tour guide talks a lot about trolls and fairies, apparently still a big part of Icelandic tradition. Finally that day we went to an area full of mud pots, steam vents, suphur deposits and boiling springs - all very cool!!
The tour guide talked about the sheep in Iceland. We see them all over the place and apparently the farmers who own them let them roam the countryside and eat the grass all over during the summer and then round them up in the fall to take care of them. Their ears are marked when they are first purchased and that is how the farmers figure out where to return them. It is amazing to me that the farmers all trust one another to let the sheep roam and not have farmers take each others sheep. Apparently most farmers own a few hundred sheep and make part of their living selling the meat.
The next day the ship docked in Akureyi. It was the first day the sun had come out and was a lovely day. We had a whole day tour in the Akureyi area. We saw a lovely waterfall called the Godafoss falls "Waterfall of the Gods", then continued on to Lake Myvatn. It is a large lake and is quite the tourist area - lots of summer homes, camp grounds and some hot springs. We also went to Dimmuborgir which was an area of large black lava formations, which some people called the Black Towers and others the Black Trolls. Each tour guide talks a lot about trolls and fairies, apparently still a big part of Icelandic tradition. Finally that day we went to an area full of mud pots, steam vents, suphur deposits and boiling springs - all very cool!!
The tour guide talked about the sheep in Iceland. We see them all over the place and apparently the farmers who own them let them roam the countryside and eat the grass all over during the summer and then round them up in the fall to take care of them. Their ears are marked when they are first purchased and that is how the farmers figure out where to return them. It is amazing to me that the farmers all trust one another to let the sheep roam and not have farmers take each others sheep. Apparently most farmers own a few hundred sheep and make part of their living selling the meat.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Iceland Days 2 and 3
The first evening on the ship there was just the usual welcome meeting and life boat drill. I learned that I am one of about 10 people who is not either on the Tauck tour or on another French speaking tour. The boat is from France and most of the staff are French. I really don't mind - it is as though I am visiting 2 countries - France on the boat and Iceland off the boat. The first night I had a few sleepless hours - mostly because of jet lag I think but also partly because I was getting used to the rocking ship.
The first full day on the ship was Monday and I had signed up for a shore excursion. We docked at Grundarfjordur, Iceland which is one of the many dozens of small fishing villages along the coast of Iceland. Each one seems to have a population of between 800 and 1000 people and are incredibly isolated from the rest of the country and the rest of the world. My tour was of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula which was the area to the east of Grundarfjordur. Because I am English and not with Tauck I was able to ride in this small bus (everyone else was in giant buses) and had a very pleasant and informative tour. We saw waterfalls, an abundance of bird-life, lava foundations, the only yellow sand beach in Iceland and a glacier (from a distance). It was all very beautiful. We also learned a little about Icelandic culture from the guide. One interesting thing is that the last name of a person is not as important as the first name and the telephone books in Iceland and
At night, the captain threw a little cocktail party and then a formal dinner. We learned that the captain of the ship is actually part owner of the company, which was interesting.
All night the ship travelled
The first full day on the ship was Monday and I had signed up for a shore excursion. We docked at Grundarfjordur, Iceland which is one of the many dozens of small fishing villages along the coast of Iceland. Each one seems to have a population of between 800 and 1000 people and are incredibly isolated from the rest of the country and the rest of the world. My tour was of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula which was the area to the east of Grundarfjordur. Because I am English and not with Tauck I was able to ride in this small bus (everyone else was in giant buses) and had a very pleasant and informative tour. We saw waterfalls, an abundance of bird-life, lava foundations, the only yellow sand beach in Iceland and a glacier (from a distance). It was all very beautiful. We also learned a little about Icelandic culture from the guide. One interesting thing is that the last name of a person is not as important as the first name and the telephone books in Iceland and
At night, the captain threw a little cocktail party and then a formal dinner. We learned that the captain of the ship is actually part owner of the company, which was interesting.
All night the ship travelled
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