Hi, my name is Luis, a 26 years old Spanish guy working in Iceland as Camp leader for three months. I came here to have a break from my usual work in my country and look for new teamwork experiences and some learning about the culture of a new country as well. It turns out it was a great decision.
I just want to say I enjoyed it and felt happy each day, fascinated with the organizational work and the camp leaders’ responsibility and, of course, having fun with my beautiful fellow participants. Iceland gave me so much impact and nurtured me with different thoughts and perceptions, which eventually changed my lifestyle. All I could say is just apply to the right project and find out your knowledge during its course. Cheers, and thank you from India.
Hi, I’m Marina from Germany. I like to read and dive into characters’ lives and see our world from another point of view. That makes me want to travel around the world and see its most beautiful places and cultures. My trip to Iceland is my first one alone and I like that I am meeting people from different countries.
I am Justine Formosa, a young French girl who is taking a break from her studies to get closer to the essentials! I wish to learn differently about life, to learn about nature, and myself.
I like to play the piano, let my creativity invent new things, I like to have long open discussions, I like philosophy, mythology, and psychology (that’s what I plan to study)
I am a pretty shy girl but when you get to know me, I’m crazy ahah.
My name is Vianne. I am 18 years old, and I decided to take a gap year. Iceland became my first destination. It was the first combination of being far away but still being close to my home in France. I also wanted to experience what it is like to be a volunteer and have the chance to meet new people.
An inspiring art and documentary photographer, enjoying experimenting in a collage technique, embroidery, cyanotype. Stayed at Bru, in the middle of nowhere, enjoyed unity with nature and reflections with campmates about poverty, environment and other accurate global problems.
I’m Jennifer and I’m a 21-year-old student in communication from Belgium. I’m here in Iceland as a camp leader to discover a new country and to get to know people from different places. I also feel very concerned about the environment and what is happening around me. That’s why I wanted to bring my energy to a project that supports the environment.
Sofia
Vianne Tatsiana JenniferI am Marina from Greece. I came to Iceland to gain experience both as a leader, but also as an international citizen. And Iceland has given me both!
Hello, my name is Thomas Boer I am 20 years old. My country of origin is the Netherlands the great city of Rotterdam. I am very interested in climate and nature preservation. This year I’m doing a gap year, I am going around the world to see as much as possible. Later in life, I hope to change the world for the better from an environmental perspective.
Hæ, I’m Luzie, 18 years old and from Hamburg in Germany. In addition to me loving being active and outside I have always fascinated by Nordic countries and interested in the environment which is why I decided to be part of this project for three months right after my graduation. As soon as I landed here I fell in love with the island and especially these incredibly impressive and diverse landscapes. Being here and having all of those great and interesting people around me makes me feel more happy and freeminded. :))
Hi, I’m Malin from Germany. Trying to figure out more about myself and the environment, I started this journey to Iceland. I like traveling and meeting new people. I like reading and going on a walk to explore our beautiful nature. Iceland has a lot to offer and is worth a visit!
Thomas
Marina
Luzie
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at reactor number 4 in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the North of Ukraine on the border with Belarus. The territory of Ukraine and Belarus suffered significantly. It was the biggest and one-of-a-kind catastrophe of the 20th century, which was tried to keep secret from the public.
On the 1st of May 1986 in 5 days after the accident, the parade dedicated to Labor Day was held in all the cities of the USSR, thousands of people marched wearing sleeveless clothes and enjoying the good weather, while liquidators with their lives tried to minimize its consequences and evacuate people who did not want to leave their birth slots. People were given an only
couple of hours to gather and get away. Why? Where? For how long?
No one expected to leave their houses and neighbors forever, no one knew anything, and no one expected to meet the effects in many years and die. Radiation is something you do not feel or see.
As a result, 4 762 square kilometers had to be abandoned because of the heavy radiation, 600 000 liquidators were sent to fight contamination, 350 000 people were evacuated, 30 workers of the plant died in the explosion, and 2 days passed until the world knew about the explosion. 5 million people suffered, and no one knows how many people died. Right now, a special coffin is put in place to confine the remains. 30 kilometers alienation zone is established and fixed.
Starting in 2019 Belarus arranges excursions to the alienation zone reserve on its territory. Attendance is controlled heavily; all the visitations need to be pre-arranged and checked. It is not dangerous to visit it, 7 hours of stay are radioactively equal to 1 hour in the plane, but it gives you the opportunity to touch the past, to see it with your own bare eyes.
Within these 36 years, nature took the board into its own hands causing animals and plants to blossom and grow as never before without any mankind’s mark. Once it was full of human life: children went to school, people worked in the yard, and officials made preparation for Labor Day. One millisecond killed it all. Abandoned schools, houses, kindergartens, and hospitals make a hint that people led ordinary lives and strike the enormity. Most of the buildings are damaged and now are not suitable for usage, but you can still see things that belong to humans: toys, pictures, and diaries causing us to imagine people held their everyday routines. Now everything is obscurity. A never placed Statue - a symbol of alienation and a silent reminder-reproach for future generations. And it depends on us if we are good learners or not. Unfortunately, right now we do a bad job!
by Tatsiana
Gym at school
Notplaced Statue
Fridrik Thor Fridriksson began his film career in the early 1980s with a series of experimental films and documentaries. In 1987, he founded The Icelandic Film Corporation, which has grown to become Iceland’s most important production company, producing Fridrikssons films as well as working with other Icelandic directors and producers. Fridriksson gained international recognition and critical acclaim as a director with his second feature: Children of Nature (1991), which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Writing in collaboration with two of Iceland’s most renowned novelists and screenwriters, Einar Már Gudmundsson (Children of Nature, Angels of the Universe, Moviedays), and Einar Kárason (White Whales, Devils Island, Falcons) Fridriksson has won praise for the compelling visual style of his movies and his talent for creating breathtaking visuals. His movies feature a sarcastic sense of humor and a sincere sense of empathy for the characters.
“I prefer that people don’t try to understand my film, but rather to feel it.”
The small country of iceland is in fact an island from which many talents emerge, whether in sports, singing, writing or walking. All you have to do is discover them...
Björk Gudmundsdöttir is a singer-songwriter from Iceland. She was born on the 21 st of November 1965 in Reykjavik. Her music career started when she was eleven years old when a representative of the Fálkinn record label offered her a recording contract after hearing her sing on the radio. One of her instructors had sent her recording there. So she released her first album, which contained songs like “The Fool on the Hill“with contributions from her mother and stepfather. The international breakthrough came with the band The Sugarcubes with their first single in 1988 and when they split in 1993 Björk released her first solo album “Debut” in collaboration with producer Nellee Hooper. It reached worldwide success with nearly three million copies sold. More albums followed and in total, she has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. But Björk has also acting experience, due to the main role she played in the movie “Dancer in the Dark”, where she provided music as well. She received the best actress Award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for it.
Anni Thorisdotti is a professional CrossFit athlete from Reykjavik, where she trained in gymnastics for nearly a decade and developed added skills in ballet dancing and pole vaulting. Since taking up CrossFit, she routinely dominated the women’s European Regionals. She is a two-time CrossFit Games champion (2011, 2012) and the first woman who won the Title two times. She participated in the CrossFit Games ten times and was on the podium six times. In 2010 and 2014 she came second, and in 2017 and 2021 less than a year after giving birth, she came third. Anni Thorisdotti has been celebrated throughout her career for her positive attitude, including the time when her back was injured in 2013 and she was forced to sit out.
2. Björk Gudmundsdöttir
Of Monsters and Men, aka OMAM, is one of the most well-known Icelandic music bands. They jumped onto the worldwide music scene in the early 2011s, only two years after the band was formed in 2009. Since then, the group quickly became famous, winning Musiktilraunir, Iceland’s national Battle of the Bands competition. With their breakthrough hit Little Talks, from their first album My head is an animal they reached the multi-platinum album certificate. In 2015 they received some success with their song Crystals, which reached third place in the US most popular songs list. The band’s sound is characterized by using off-kilter instruments, such as the accordion and the trumpet, and nowadays they are a reference
in the folk-indie rock genre after they release four albums and two singles.
Emiliana Torrini, an Icelandic singer, became famous after the release of her first single Jungle Drum in 2009. The now 45-year-old singer from Kópavogur started singing at the age of 7 when she joined a choir as a soprano. At 15, Torrini started going to opera school where she laid the foundation for her career. After winning the song competition (Söngkeppni framhaldsskólanna) for junior college students at the age of 17, singing the song I Will Survive, Torrini became well known. With her third album in 2008 which included the single Jungle Drum, Emilíana achieved worldwide success. Her single became top #1 in Iceland, Austria, Belgium, and Germany. Already four years earlier she achieved an incredible dimension of popularity by providing the voice for Gollum’s song, the closing theme for the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Johanna Sigurðardóttir was born on the 4th of October 1942 (80 years old). Sigurðardóttir is the first female Prime minister of Iceland. Her term started in 2009 and ended in 2013. She was also the First openly Gay leader of a government. In 1978 Sigurðardóttir got elected as a member of the Althing (the Icelandic parliament) with the Social Democratic Party. In 1987 Sigurðardóttir was elected as minister of social affairs. Afterward, she founded the National Movement. In 1999
her party earned 4 seats. In 2007 she went back and became minister of social affairs once more. In January 2009, Sigurðardóttir became the leader of the coalition of Social Democrats. The coalition of Social Democrats and the Left-Greens joined together and participated in the elections. They won 34 seats (the Icelandic parliament has 63 seats). This made Johanna Sigurðardóttir the prime minister of Iceland. She integrated Iceland into Europe.
Tómas Lemarquis was born in Reykjavík and is the son of a French immigrant and an Icelandic mother. His most distinguishing physical feature, a complete lack of hair of any type, was caused by alopecia Universalis, which left him hairless by age of 14. This condition engendered him to play odd roles in movies. This was the case for one of his first leading roles in the 2003 movie Noi the Albino where he played an often-misunderstood outsider teenager in a small remote village in the Westfjords of Iceland. This movie received significant attention internationally and won multiple film awards. A decade later, he made memorable appearances in more popular films such as Blade Runner 2049 and Snowpiercer, where he played a trolley-pushing hitman. He also became the first Icelander to play a Marvel superhero by playing the character Caliban in the movie X-Men: Apocalypse. Finally, in 2018 he played the lead role in the movie Touch Me Not, the Winner of the Berlinale Film festival, which is one of the three largest film festivals in the world.
« First openly Gay leader of a government »Subject written by Thomas Subject written by Vianne
Reynir Pétur Ingvarsson is an Icelandic long-distance walker, the first person to finish walking on the Ring Road around the whole of Iceland. On May 25, 1985, 37-year-old Reynir started his 32-day-long journey with three main goals - to raise money for the Sólheimar Ecovillage, to get to know his own country and to be the first person to achieve such a thing. He walked a total of 1417 km, averaging around 50km per day. While passing through Reykjavik he was greeted by some 12-14 thousand people. When he finished his walk on the 25th of June 1985 in Selfoss, he was welcomed by several thousand people. In the end, Reynir managed to raise 5 million ISK for the Sólheimar Ecovillage, thanks
to which a new sports theater was built. Today, 74-year-old Reynir still lives in Solheimar and is an active member of the local community. Reynir helps in the GreenHouse and after work, you can see him biking around the village or creating music on his beloved harmonica. He is the heart of Solheimar and still inspires people with his personality and approach to life. Raising money and being the first person to finish the walk are big achievements in themselves, but what Reynir also managed to do is to change peoples’ views towards disabled people for good.
Anita Briem is an Icelandic actress. She is known for her role as Jane Seymour on The Tudors and her role as Hannah Asgeirsson in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Anita’s beginnings in acting started when she was 9 years old at the National Theatre of Iceland. At the age of 16, she relocated to England with her family. After that, she enrolled at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, and she graduated in 2004. She was a recipient of the John Barton award in Stage Fighting during her time at the Royal Academy of
« The first person to finish walking on the Ring Road around the whole of Iceland .»Subject written by Julia
Dramatic Art. She made her screen debut in 2004 on an episode of the TV series Doctor Who. She also played in Journey to the Centre of the Earth, The Storyteller (2010), Death by Night (2011), and Elevator (2011).
« Aníta has proven herself as a truly talented actress and is now one of the most recognized Icelandic artists in the business. »
Baltasar Kormákur is a successful Icelandic actor, producer, and director. He worked as a leading performer for seven years and in the meantime directed and produced many independent theater productions. In 2000, Baltasar Kormákur directed his first film “101 Reykjavik”, based on a book by Hallgrímur Helgason, which was very successful and earned him the Discovery Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Some of his other productions have also been very successful in Iceland and have won him many international awards. Blueeyes Productions was created by Baltasar in 1999 to focus only on feature film writing, producing, and directing. The company is now part of RVK Studios, with Kormákur as the company director and chairman of the board.
« The Icelandic series Trapped was created by Baltasar Kormákur. »
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is an Icelandic actor. He graduated from The Icelandic Drama School in 1998. He has participated in numerous productions with The National Theatre of Iceland and The City Theatre of Reykjavik. He is also one of the founders of Vesturport where he has acted in productions such as Romeo and Juliet, Together, Shopping Mall Shattered, and Titus Andronicus. Darri has appeared in numerous international tv series such as The Eagle for DR in Denmark, True Detective and Banshee for HBO in the US, and Trapped (2015-2021). He has also acted in a few films including Children, Parents, Beowulf & Grendel, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and A Walk Among The Tombstones. He has been nominated for several acting awards, specifically for The Icelandic Film Awards 6 times. He received the award for Rokland and The Deep. His trademark is his height!
Arnaldur Indriðason was born in January 1961, in Reykjavik. He is a renowned thriller novelist that has written over 20 books and has been awarded several international literary prizes. He started to write by himself full-time and released his first novel Synir duftsins (Sons of Earth) in 1997. Iceland has a great literature patrimony, but crime stories weren’t considered a noble form of art, compared to classical Icelandic literature. Another challenge was the lack of crime in the country which made writing about troubling police investigations and murders uncommon. As a result, Indriðason developed his writing style with the intention to convince Icelandic readers of the legitimacy of Icelandic thrillers. The New York Times describes his writing as capturing the melancholic sensitivity you would expect to find in Iceland. His famous character, detective Erlendur, has appeared in at least 14 books since 1997 and has become a famous figure in the contemporary thriller novel scene. Indriðason received the Glass Key Prize, given by the Crime Writers of Scandinavia in 2002 for Mýrin (Jar City, 2000) and in 2003 for Grafarþögn (Silence of the Grave, 2001). The latter was also awarded The British Crime Writer’s Association’s Golden Dagger in 2005. His books have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, in 26 countries and 24 languages.
If I’d talk to January-me, I would not be able to believe a single thing that has happened this year, especially if I’d told her we would be spending some of 2022’s last weeks in Iceland, traveling alone for the first time at 19 years of age and quite far away from my hometown in Mexico. Life surely has its way of working out and the beauty of it comes along with us allowing it to surprise us.
Comfort and I do get along well, but sometimes I get bored of it. That’s how this adventure started; I was browsing on the internet for scholarships that could get me to study abroad, and I found something completely different - a scholarship to be part of a volunteering program with more than 120 destiny options, and it turned out the due date was the next day. Of course, I rushed to get my documents, write my motivation letter and read everything about the program, I had just discovered. It was a sunny and very lovely day in February when I went to deliver all my information to Vive Mexico’s offices. I felt excited and I wasn’t sure of what to expect, I had done volunteering before but never outside of my country.
Time went by and, as I was in my last high school semester, university applications were a very common thing to talk about daily, particularly because I was applying for scholarships. I remember very vividly the day I got an email with the subject “Invitation to start the World Class Youth Program”. I thought to myself “what is this?” and as I read the email I realized it was about something I had applied to two months ago. “Is this real?”. I got home after a date (a cute one, I must say) and went head over heels about the news with my family. Then the whole process started.
Volunteers working during the sunrise
After planning for months, exchanging emails, and having an amazing amount of support from my family - big shout out to them because I would not be here without you, ¡los amo! - November 19th finally arrived; the day I left home to start the most incredible adventure I’ve ever lived. But something was missing… I left my passport at home. The panic started. I was 4 hours away from hopping on a plane and I had forgotten the most basic and important thing of my trip. Fortunately, my mother and sister got on their way to Mexico City’s airport as soon as I asked for their help and met me there just in time. I hugged them one last time before leaving and my adventure properly started.
Sunset in Hveragerdi
by Sofia
I took a flight to Amsterdam, where I was doing a 3-hour connection and I planned to walk around the airport, but the migration security team ruined it for me. Here’s a tip for anyone who plans to stay at someone’s home during your trip to Europe; get an invitation letter. Long story short, they ended up giving me two facial recognition tests. After two hours and a half, I was finally free and ready to go to the city of love. My next flight was from Paris to Reykjavik and I was already feeling very cold without leaving France. I arrived in Iceland at 3 pm. I remember getting out of the airport and feeling a delicious breeze of air; it felt clean and light. The cold was like nothing I had ever felt. I spent my first night at a hotel in the center of the capital, buying postcards and walking around the gift shops with a pitch-black sky at 7 pm.
As soon as I walked in the door, I felt an amazing vibe from everyone greeting me
another girl that was staying at The Farm (a place where people either stay the day before or the day after their work camp). Her name was Emily and I remember being so fascinated by the stories she was telling. She had been in Iceland for months, doing all sorts of things, including beach cleaning. After an hour or so, we got to our work camp in Hveragerdi. As soon as I walked in the door, I felt an amazing vibe from everyone greeting me. They already knew my name and were saying hello with a warm, welcoming smiles. I turned to the girl next to me and asked her where I should leave my bags. She was so kind, and after asking for her name she replied “Eva”. I’ll always remember her soft, calming way of existing.
I was alone in a foreign country for the first time, and I loved it. But the best was yet to come, and it did the next day at 8 am. A Worldwide Friends staff member picked me up from my hotel, then we went to get
Then a very energetic girl walked right past me and I took the opportunity to ask for the WIFI to let my family know that I was okay. She said, “The password is pasted by the
door, but do it later because we’re leaving now”. I had no idea where we were leaving, but I wrote the password down, texted my family faster than ever, and left the house. Five minutes later we were entering the greenhouse, where most people were sitting down and all settled in. This was work. “We’re making tea”, a ginger girl said to me. “Oh, are we preparing tea?” I replied. “No, we are doing tea,” she said as she showed me the tea leaves. That’s the way my first conversation with Pauline, the nicest German girl I’ve ever met, was like. We had no idea what we were about to live for the next few days. I was talking it all in when Jenn told me she was giving a concert for me, and she was going to show me a song of hers. I believed her. She had my whole attention. Then, “If I were a boy” by Beyonce started playing. She was one of a kind, like no one I’d ever met. I had been in this place for less than an hour and I was already laughing and having an amazing time with the rest of the volunteers.
Getting to know the people more and more
Days passed by, and one night Pauline told me she was going to braid my hair, so she pulled out a chair and placed it right in front of where Luis was sitting, a Spanish guy that played the guitar beautifully. There was not a moment where I kept quiet, I just wanted to speak to everyone and get to know them. And so, I asked Luis about his biggest dream in life. That’s how our friendship started, with a very long conversation about our goals and decisions throughout life.
One of my favorite first conversations with people was the one I had with Milan. I was standing in the kitchen, talking to Pauline when he entered the room. He stared
Hike to the Reykjadalur hot river« The people were so nice they had, indeed, made me feel like I had been home since I first got there. »
at me and went, in his very own words “It feels like you’ve been here since forever, every volunteer I’ve met was shy and you’re so happy, you’re so nice”. And that warmed up my heart. The people were so nice they had, indeed, made me feel like I had been home since I first got there. I was loving everything about my very first experience in an international volunteer program. Then we got to our first excursion: The Secret Lagoon. A mindblowing place that does not seem real because it has burning water in a freezing atmosphere. Before getting there, we stopped at the Geothermal Park and had so much fun watching how the geysers erupted. The day slipped through my fingers, and Pauline was leaving. This is where it hitted me. It was time to say goodbye. We became so close to
each other, we did absolutely everything together. I had found the first life long friendship in this camp in her. But we hugged and we swore to each other we were going to meet again, hopefully in a place as beautiful as this. The first goodbye of the trip. I realized there was a thing I didn’t like about volunteering; saying goodbye to people you won’t meet very often after living with them. I knew this was going to be something often here, and my next goodbye was only a few days away: Emily (the very first girl I met) and Dalai.
The first goodbyes
Later that evening, we were walking back home, living the moment and enjoying every moment together when we looked up to the sky and saw the Aurora. “This must be a dream” I thought to myself. I’ve had that thought several times during my time here, and the more I talk to people,
Monica doing tea in the greenhouse Pauline and Eva collecting dead leaves
the more I’ve realized I’m not the only one that feels that way. Iceland is a place that will get you out of your comfort zone in a precious way. I’ve seen sights I would have never thought I’d rest my eyes on. I’ve felt overwhelmed by how charming our surroundings can be, and I’ve felt grateful about every decision I’ve made throughout life that led me to these moments.
On Sunday, we went on a very long hike to the Hot River. It was a once in lifetime experience, very magical. But I slipped on our way back and my back hurt. As soon as I got up, Dalai offered me a cinnamon roll to make me feel better. As I’ve said, a very nice guy. I realized it was his last night at the camp, and we were both shocked about that fact. He saw what I was writing on my computer and that led to a very deep conversation about our lives. You truly never know what someone has gone through. I’m grateful he shared a part of his life history with me.
After the goodbyes, new arrivals
The sun rose on Monday and two new souls arrived at the camp: Aviv, a girl from Israel, and José, a Mexican guy. The three of us went to the Golden Circle Excursion as soon as they got here. We took amazing photos, met new people that were also touring, and got to know a lot about Icelandic culture. But then we got back, and it was time to say goodbye, once again.
Tuesday was a very chill day, so we stayed at home to rest. When I first got here, Milan told me everyone was always tired. I remember feeling surprised by that statement. A week later, I completely understood it. We loved staying up late, talking to each other, playing card games and listening to music. I’ll always remember that time we were playing Werewolf in the living room because Dalai wanted us to, with the lights off, Emily making drawings in our skins, Martina trying to figure out who was the wolf, Cristina and me being secret team mates, Vanessa being suspicious of absolutely everyone, Luis playing music on his guitar, and Jenn making us laugh by the way she told the storyline. I closed my eyes and we were already in the middle of the week. Wednesday, the day Luis was leaving. Now, I’m the next. Goodbyes never get easier, don’t they? They always leave me with a heartache.
I guess that’s the price you have to pay when you find love in more than one place.
Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world. One out of ten Icelanders will eventually publish a book in their lifetime. Once December comes around, it is Jólabókaflóð, a tradition where everyone receives at least one book for Christmas and immerses themselves in reading it after enjoying a good meal. Among the best-known authors is Halldór Kiljan Laxness, for example.
Following a referendum, the sale of alcohol was banned in 1915. The ban was gradually lifted for wine and other types of alcohol, as these, could be useful in treating certain symptoms. The beer had a more complicated comeback. It was strongly linked to Denmark (a country with which Iceland was at war until 1944). Finally, on 1 May 1989, beer was once again accepted on Icelandic territory, unofficially making 1 May Beer Day.
Iceland has long been considered the safest country in the world according to the Global Peace Index. The crime rate there is one of the lowest. This can be explained by the small population (approximately 350,000 inhabitants), as well as by the high degree of equality between the inhabitants. There is no real class system, which can also explain the low crime rate. Moreover, the country has no army, and Icelanders are rather proud of this peaceful tradition.
As said before, Iceland is not the most populated country in the world. The island has only around 350,000 inhabitants, 2/3 of which are concentrated in the capital: Reykjavik. On average, there are 4 inhabitants per square kilometer. Other major cities include Akureyri, known as the capital of the north, and Reykjanesbaer, which includes the towns near Keflavik.
Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice and rightly so. 11% of the island is covered by glaciers, the largest (Vatnajökull) of which is also the largest glacier in Europe. But besides ice, there are also volcanoes in Iceland. There are no less than 200 active volcanoes on the island. The volcanoes are generally found along the Atlantic ridge.
Among the animals that can be found in Iceland is the Arctic fox, which is the only native land mammal, so it was already here before the first humans appeared in Iceland. Another species that is part of the Icelandic identity is the Icelandic horse. These horses are well adapted to withstand Iceland’s climatic conditions and are the only breed of horse allowed on the island. Secondly, we can also find puffins. They are the most famous bird species in the country. They can be seen on the island from April to August and their arrival marks the beginning of summer.
Icelandic horse
Hike in Stödvarfjördur
By Jennifer
Although Iceland has found its place among the most ambitious countries regarding renewable energy use, it is still the country with the highest CO2 emissions per capita in Europe according to the Icelandic statistics website. One of the main reasons for this is transport.
The train does not exist in Iceland, although it is considered the most ecological transport method. Unfortunately, the introduction of trains on the island does not look promising. The relief of the island is characterized by highlands in the
center, often mountainous coasts cut by numerous fjords. Thus, the topography of the country makes it difficult to develop a railway network, making Iceland the only European country without a train.
In addition to the topography, the climatic conditions are not ideal either. Especially in winter, Iceland is subject to sudden weather changes. The Icelandic climate is sub-polar oceanic and can be characterized by very strong winds and relatively frequent storms.
Despite these two handicapping factors, they were not enough to abandon the idea of deploying the first railway line between Reykjavik and Keflavik airport. However, the last factor will stop the project: the economic aspect. Indeed, financing this project also seems to be a considerable brake on the development of this public transport.
Although there are no trains or other forms of transport such as metros or trams, buses are very much a feature of the island. In Reykjavik, it is the default means of transport. However, visiting the whole country by bus is probably not the most obvious thing to do. Although there are buses connecting Reykjavik with other major cities in Iceland such as Akureyri, Vík, etc., many small villages are still much less well served. In addition, there are frequent problems with weather conditions and therefore the risk of cancellation of some routes.
Iceland is an insular country, so the main way to get there is by plane. But once there, this method of transport is not forgotten. It is a very popular means of transport in Iceland. There are 98 airports and airfields in the country. Internal flights are regular and affordable, which makes it a great way to travel. But it is also extremely polluting. In 2016, air transport accounted for 33% of CO2 emissions, making it the country’s most polluting sector, according to Iceland Statistics.
As you can see, Iceland is not a fan of public transport. The car will therefore remain one of the most used means of transport because of its great flexibility and reliability as opposed to other means of transport which are often canceled at the last minute due to the weather. Although this transport is not the most ecological one either, little by little solutions to reduce the ecological footprint linked to transport are appearing. This is the case of the hydroelectric plant operated by Landsvirkjun and the geothermal installation of ON Power, which powers many things, including cars.
by Jennifer
Even though Iceland is known for being a cold country, if you have the chance to come and visit it, don’t forget your swimming suit. There are numerous swimming pools here, we can even say that those are part of the Icelandic culture. Here are some of the most famous ones.
By Mirthe
The Blue Lagoon is a very popular place to visit in Iceland. This is a geothermal spa in southwestern Iceland near the airport. The water is blue, because of the silica content. The silica causes white mud on the bottom of the lake. A lot of people like to bathe in this water, because of the healing properties.
This Lagoon is located in Reykjavik near the ocean. This lagoon will give you a unique experience with its grey, black tons than reminds the volcanic Icelandic landscapes. The turf house is also there to remind part of the Icelandic culture.
This is an explosion crater that contains a geothermal lake. The name ‘Víti’ means ‘hell’, because of the violent beginnings of the crater. The water is deep in the middle and the temperature can reach up to 30 degrees.
There is also a Secret Lagoon in Iceland, which is not so secret anymore. This pool opened long ago and wasn’t used for over 60 years. It is located never Reykjavik and is a nice place to go if you don’t want to be in the crowd of the blue lagoon.
This is also called the Blue Lagoon of the North. This water contains a lot of minerals and can help with skin problems. Next to the lagoon, there are also two steam baths. The Mývatn Nature Baths is a perfect place to relax.
This swimming pool is one of the oldest in Iceland. It was built in 1923 to teach people how to swim. This pool is located in between beautiful mountains and the temperature of the water switches between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.
Iceland is known for its many stunning landscapes but the island is also famous for its midnight sun and long, dark winters. This strong seasonal pattern comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages
by Sofia
I’ve been in Iceland for a week and something that has captured my attention is the fact that when the sunlight is up it feels like an everlasting golden hour. Ever since 8 am the rays of sunshine start to be visible, and as the hours pass by, the light starts coloring all around. The mood becomes lighter and happier when the sun finally rises. When I first got here, the sun started going down at 3 pm and everything went back to pitch black by 5 pm. This has changed throughout the days, and Sun hours are less every day. Living like this would be hard if I wasn’t surrounded by incredible company and knew I would soon get back home.
« Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real, and very serious thing in Iceland. This is a type of depression that varies depending on a seasonal pattern...»
I was talking to an Icelandic man when he told me that they use special lights, called sun lamps, that contain Vitamin C to prevent SAD, and it’s currently one of the most popular treatments along with the following:
- Psychotherapy: Most used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to learn how to cope with feelings that could influence your daily routines and feelings.
- Light therapy: It is a type of light-therapy lamp or box that imitates outdoor sunlight and seems to alter the brain chemicals associated with mood.
- Medication: Antidepressant treatment.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real, and very serious thing in Iceland. This is a type of depression that varies depending on a seasonal pattern, which is more common amongst women and young people. Your body’s internal clock may be triggered by the reduction in sunlight, which can make you feel blue. Wanting to sleep for more hours than you should, not having energy, and running out of social battery are a few of the symptoms, as well as changes in your appetite, hypersensitivity to rejection, and weight gain, according to the University of Iceland (2015).
For sure, having no sun throughout the day can be an impressive event, but so is not getting rid of it for days. Usually called “The Midnight Sun”, when the sun never sets. This starts from May to July when the Earth’s axis tilts towards the sun in the summer. Some of my friends were telling me how amazing it was to have a football match during the late hours with the sun shining as if it were noon. There are even tours that offer midnight kayaking or hiking. But this, of course, can lead to some consequences such as having a hard time sleeping and altering your usual resting schedule. Nevertheless, both phenomena are very unusual throughout the world and continue to amaze people with their existence.
After a long day of work, we are happy to get back to the warmth and finally rest. But these moments of time off are even more enjoyable when Luzie has made cinnamon rolls for everyone. Here is her recipe.
Ingredients (20):
Dough: - 550ml milk - 120g butter - 1000g / 1kg flour - 100g sugar - 1 cube fresh yeast / 15g dry yeast - A bit of salt - A few tsp of cinnamon (optional)
Filling:
- 250g soft butter - 150g sugar - 10tsp cinnamon
Recipe:
Melt the butter and heat the milk together in a pot. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Put the yeast on top and pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Now knead the mixture until a well-textured dough starts to form. Put a towel over the bowl, bring it to a warm place and let the dough rest for at least 45 minutes now.
In the meantime (while the dough is resting) you can start by making the filling). For that just mix the soft butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl until it becomes one entity.
Now roll out the dough into a rectangle (has to be thin) and spread the previously mixed mixture evenly all over the dough. Tightly roll the dough up, starting from the long side. Cut the roll into approximately 5cm sections and put the pieces into a baking pan. Put a towel over the pan, bring it to a warm place and let the dough rest for at least 20 minutes now.
In the meantime, you can preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Now you can place the baking pan with the cinnamon rolls into the oven and let them bake for at least 25 minutes. Depending on the oven it can take a bit longer. Put the out of the oven and let them cool down for a bit.
While they are still in the oven you can start to make the (optional) Frosting. Just combine the cream cheese, softened butter, and powdered sugar in a bowl and mix the with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth. Now place the frosting onto the rolls and serve while they are still a bit warm.
