UNA April 2015

April 2015

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UNA Official Newsletter of Worldwide friends Iceland

The Cute Icelandics The Icelandic Horse is a breed of horse that is only found in Iceland. It is a relatively small variant of horse, built sturdily with a thick mane of hair in order for them to survive the harsh weather of Iceland. We were interested in visiting a local paddock in the Outer Reykjavik area, so we travelled a short distance to meet some of the horses and the people who breed, train and race them.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by some of the horses in their outdoor paddocks. It was amazing how friendly and curious the horses were. Then again, the horse breed is renowned for its good nature and temperament; a byproduct of the fact that there are no predators of the horse on Iceland. Consequently, the horse breed has grown accustomed to feelings of comfort and security in their environment; which was great for us as they were happy for us to pet them and scratch their ears.

We met a horse trainer, Teitur Arnason, who was happy to answer some of our questions regarding the Icelandic breed. Here are some of the facts that we gathered: -The Icelandic breed shows two distinct types of gait, that is types of movement.

This is an important aspect for competitions.

- The horse is suitable for both riding and working; the horse is used still in many Icelandic farms.

-Unlike many other breeds, the Icelandic horse does not require complex food or medication to stay healthy; just good oldfashioned hay.

-Competitions are incredibly important, and popular within Iceland. These are both for racing, and for competitive dressage; in fact Teitur has had incredible personal success in training horses for competition.

Teitur took us to meet some of the riders of the horses. Here we met Sigurdur Vignir Matthiasson, a rider who has had great success similarly to Teitur. In fact, both had an incredible collection of awards and medals on display from successes they have experienced with the Icelandic horse. Upon talking with Sigurdir, along with some of the other riders, we discovered that equestrian pursuits are so popular and important in Iceland, that there is a University, Holar University, dedicated to training, breeding and riding.

We also learnt of the growing importance of exporting the breed abroad. This growing exposure is helping to promote the traits of the Icelandic to equestrian enthusiasts around the world. And judging from the pride in which the people involved speak of their horse breed, this is something they will be thrilled to be a part of.

Icelandic Writers

There are two famous writers in Iceland. Both of them were born in the 1960´s.

Arnaldur Indridason is a mystery writer. He had worked at a newspaper called „Morgunblaðið“ as a journalist and then he became a free journalist. In addition, he became a critic of movies and got a history degree at Iceland University.

After that, he wrote his first novel „Synir Duftsins“, which is a crime novel series with inspector Elendul Sveinsson.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir also writes crime novels. Besides writing novels she worked at a construction company after a constructure engineering graduation from her university. „My Soul to Take“ is the most representative of her novels.

Their novels are translated in foreign language Heading up to the northernmost part of the country, then you will find the fabulous area.

Here is called Raufarhofn. Since here was shaped in the ice age, all the ground is flat.

Furthermore, it is inside the arctic circle.

Thanks to these geographical features, here is the best place ever to see the northern lights in the country. There is no sense not trying this fantastic place, right?

The Beats of East Iceland is a country that became a live with sound. In Reykjavik, the wind beats with rhythm on flags of thread, in front of the concert hall to the continuous ballet of the birds flying over the city. The melody of geese migrating south and of snow, which brings calm on the city as the first snow flakes embrace the lights.

Also, above the deafening din of permanent noise, such as cascading waterfalls from the glaciers telling their journey. Blocks of ice whispering memories on the surface of the glacier lagoon, where once walruses came to sing.

In the silence results in the murmur of the water flowing between the stones, lapping it, tickling your ears and caressing the neck.

On black sand beaches, the crunch of footsteps turns to the sound of waves crashing on the rocks. And it is on that same black sand that creates the rattle wash of those same waves.

When in the East valley winds come, it's Io who announced that the rain will come soon by hammering the surface of the water sleeping in a fjord, and jingling boats bells which are moored to docks.

In the north, it's the cold that screams power and the hail hitting the road thumping; later, the sun will crack the ice over lakes.

In a valley, we stop, and a hill of tranquility erupts. On its slopes, many clouds of smoked trails scorch the earth. On back roads, it's music of migratory birds that herald the return of spring, when suddenly from the bottom of a ravine rises the roar of a torrent.

Listen, my friend, this country is sleeping.

Listen, he who knows has heard the voice of nature.

Secrets of ICELAND Once you come to Iceland, you will soon feel the intense power of the nature here.You could see large and magnificent waterfalls, wild towering mountains on the mother earth‌ Even though you could see lots of nature here easily, never stop exploring. Keep having the heart of adventurers. Stop picking up just touristic places and going back to the bus. If you go into the wild one step more, you will find the secrets places, where nobody has never been but you.Here is a man who loves nature dearly and respect it above all.He was so kind to teach us about some tips for exploring the nature in Iceland; exploring the secrets of Icelandic mother ground

Between the Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, you will easily find a lot of secrets waterfalls and pools. After you enjoy the touristic famous places, turn right or left or another direction, and keep walking another 30 or more minutes so that you could find your own secret place.

Don’t be afraid of exploring the nature :)!

Heading up to the northernmost part of the country, then you will find the fabulous area.

Here is called Raufarhofn. Since here was shaped in the ice age, all the ground is flat.

Furthermore, it is inside the arctic circle.

Thanks to these geographical features, here is the best place ever to see the northern lights in the country. There is no sense not trying this fantastic place, right?

Secrets of ICELAND

You could find many special places around Grindavik. It’s a south west part of Iceland, and it’s also close to the Keflavik airport. After the plain lands, most people go to the south or north directly, and totally forget about that places around there. However, there are many beautiful places where nobody knows nor goes. One of the best parts is Reykjanes bay. There you can find many secrets hot springs, geothermal areas, waterfalls, the biggest lava fall and so on

Snaefellsnes is one of the best places to discover in this country.

There are many places nobody has never been to. You could see wild animals in the sea, you could climb the naked mountains.

The wildness of this land will overwhelm you. It could even scare you sometimes, but you could feel the strength of this mother ground throughout your body.

English á Íslandi Icelandic, which is the official and first language of Iceland is mainly spoken only in Iceland. It means, in order to keep connection with other parts of the world, Icelanders have needed to learn a second language, namely English. Their English education starts from when they are six years old, and thanks to this education it’s been said that almost all of Icelanders can speak more than two languages.

This seems interesting for me who is Japanese and has been struggling to learn English for seven years.

In order to know how much English has been actually acquired and used by Icelanders, we went to the centre of Reykjavik in order to interview the people. We prepared questions mainly related to English education, but also to tourism that we thought was interestingly related to their English education.

So, we set off from City Hall in pursuit of some answers. Around Tjornin lake, it was striking just how many tourists were strolling around Reykjavik; so lots of English was overheard, but local Icelandic?

Not so much.We trekked onwards to the local tourist information office, where we secured an interview; unfortunately with a Spanish national living in Iceland. However, there was one particularly enlightening response worth highlighting.

Did you find any difficulties when learning English? "... We (the Spanish people) really don't speak English, so I didn't learn English until I went abroad.”

So, what is it about Iceland that makes it so easy to pick up English even for other language speakers?

We wandered down to the harbour. And there it became more and more apparent. English is everywhere.

From adverts of food/drink products, to the babbling of tourists, to the latest movie billboards. At the Saga Museum, a local woman put it very clearly to us.

Is it important to learn English for Icelanders?

"Yes it is... All of the tourists are coming, and most speak English... English is so important. We have all the music, all the TV episodes, movies and everything... So these little kids are picking up English like this."

Is it really just overexposure of English language that has yielded such incredible fluency in the Icelandic population?

Well for starters, we certainly had some inventive and fantastically fluent excuses from some of the people in order to avoid answering interview questions!

One gentleman recommended we try a local coffee shop for some responses, but the environment was so busy it was impractical. But, in amongst the cacophony of noise, there was clearly english being spoken in amongst the local Icelandic.

Our final gambit was the local "What's On" magazine office... With success! The man there was incredibly helpful.

Do you think that it is important for Icelanders to learn English?

"I think that... when you speak a language as small and with as few people as Icelandic, everyone kind of aware that we need to learn other languages."

There is a marked self-awareness in Iceland regarding the difficulty of the Icelandic language, take the almost un-pronouncable name of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull! The joke regarding how hard it is to pronounce is immortalised on t-shirts all-around the city!

I think the closing comment should go to the incredibly helpful man from the magazine: If there was one thing about Iceland you would like to say to the rest of the world, what would that be? "... Come to Iceland, it's awesome!"

ON the other SIDE OF THE mirror For travellers coming to Reykjavik, you cannot escape the images, the colours, and shapes conjured between streets and alleys. You could spend days in the city and still discover new perspectives on the same buildings. From the crispness of the reds and yellows in the bright sun, to the dusting of snow amongst the blues and greys. From the Harpa on the sea, to the mighty Hallsgrimskirkja, or even how the swans dance on the ice of the Tjornin lake. The city is full of life; come discover the secret paintings adorning regular walls, to the sculptures strewn along the streets; let Reykjavik take your imagination to its wildest and most creative, a true pulse of human expression.

Trip to Icelandic police station: what do we know about them in addition to Instagram account?

For travellers coming to Reykjavik, you cannot escape the images, the colours, and shapes conjured between streets and alleys. You could spend days in the city and still discover new perspectives on the same buildings.

From the crispness of the reds and yellows in the bright sun, to the At one time this North Atlantic country was struck by the powerful economic collapse in the world, but this fact has not turned the 300,000 Icelanders to the notorious criminals. The crime rate in this country consistently low, and this highly educated society has not so many social problems which, otherwise, could be cause of crime. But undoubtedly one of the main role in reaching of the security plays Icelandic police force Lรถgreglan.

In the official Instagram of Icelandic police you will not find shocking images of shootings, robberies and mass brawls. Bicycles, seals, corporate events and leisure - this is what filled Icelandic police account. But actually this organization carries out a lot of work in the country.

Press officer of the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police Gunnar Runar Sveinbjornsson told WF volunteers about life of Icelandic police. Reykjavik metropolitan police includes 300 policemen, 70 civil servants, 5 police stations in the Reykjavik area. The organization is divided into 15 districts, the largest being the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police, which is responsible for the Capital Region and its total population of around 208,000 people. There are also many divisions, like traffic, investigative. Crime rate is low, general feeling is very high about safety. The busiest time for the police is during the weekends in the city center surrounding clubs. Majority of assaults take place in Downtown, especially, during Saturday night.

Recently Reykjavik police department had some changes. New police chief is appointed, and this is woman. Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir has been named the new chief of police in Reykjavík. She is the first woman to serve as head of the Reykjavík Police Department, one of the main problem that she put on the top of the list is domestic violence. Now in Icelandic police we can see women on the top senior positions. Before it was not big amount of women among superintendants but this year it changed. Last year three women have come to senior management.

Every day work of Icelandic policeman includes four shifts on cars: in the morning, afternoon, evening, and at night. A lot of things that they do are connected with the traffic. Speeding, driving under the alcohol or drugs, or driving without license or insurance, illegal parking are the most prevailing problems.

And, of course, there are a lot of stories about Icelandic life, which are accumulated in mind of policeman. There we can find neighbors, who have called the police and complained of the noise in near flat. But when the police came and knocked the door, nobody was arrested. Because there were two newly married couple in the flat during their first night.  One of the policeman told the most frightened accident during his 25 years of working. You can think that may be it was really serious crime?... But you will be mistaken. He was called to flat where two wild cats came in through the window and they tried to take them out  And the most popular fact is that Icelandic police can be found on the Internet in many social networks, which helps them to expand the possibilities for communicating with the citizens. Pictures from the Icelandic police life cheer up the audience of all over the world.

Through the road

A street name in Iceland usually has two parts. The first part is selected in alphabetical order and describes something in nature in the neighborhood. The last part is nature-related as well. There is a town in the south-west of Reykjavík called Kópavogur, which has a Quarter called Salahverfi, meaning “neighborhood of the halls”. All the streets of the Quarter have the same ending, namely –salir, which means “hall”. There is a long list of other endings in Icelandic street names which all mean something: –gata (street), -stígur (trail), stræti (street), -torg (square) and –vegur (road), to name but a few.

This is the general rule, although some of the older neighborhoods do not follow the alphabetical order for streets.

In Iceland there are national roads and other roads. The main highway is the no.1 highway that goes as a circuit around Iceland and along the coast. This is called the ring road. There are four types of national roads: Primary Roads, Secondary Roads, Local Access and Highland.

Other roads are for example marked with an “F”, which means it is tough to drive on with your car, and not every car has the permission to drive there. They are not paved and may contain crossings of rivers without bridges.

Speed limits in Iceland are rare, so there are almost no signs of limit on the roads.

Iceland uses European sign symbols; however, as the design of signs changes from country to country, so it is in Iceland. Also transport font is used as letters and signs, as for example in Cyprus, Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

“Roundabouts” are very common in Icelandic traffic, mainly in the suburbs and used instead of traffic lights. To use them, it is first required to stop before entering the roundabout. Then you drive a reverse circle clockwise. If you miss the right exit, you can go on another loop.

One night out It's sometimes hard to believe that Reykjavik is a capital city, given its small size and fewer residents than many other cities around the world. But a capital it is nonetheless; so what's the best way to compare Reykjavik to other cities around the world?

What better way to answer this than though it's nightlife!

After all, Reykjavik has its infamously exciting djammid bar crawl on weekends, when the streets come alive with partygoers dancing through the early hours.

For me though, a fairer picture is painted through what's on offer on the supposedly quietest night of the week: Monday. So that's what we did.

I was amazed at how busy the various coffeeshop come bars were down Laugavegur, it seemed we would never find a place with enough space to sit! It was not till we reached Austurvollur square that we found "American Bar". You maybe thinking "that doesn't sound very icelandic", but under the green glow of the aurora in downtown Reykjavik, it seemed good enough for me!

And it was! Inside the decor was like a trendy European take on American culture with irreverent quotes and pictures, classic bar stools and comfy sofas, and strangely enough English football on the various tv's.

We settled in with our drinks, myself I had a pint of the Icelandic Gull beer to wash down the atmosphere. We were treated to live music in the form of a burly tattooed guitarist, playing delicate cover songs of everything from The Beatles, to the American rock band Pearl Jam. Everyone was happily soaking up the atmosphere; a great mix of happy excitement and comfortable relaxation. (And you should know how full the bar was with local Icelanders too! It was a great buzz!)

As the night drew in and we all slowly retreated back to our hostel, myself I couldn't help but think how much I would like to repeat the experience again. So here I am planning a night down at the rock bar "Dillons'" for later this week!

And if that doesn't endorse a night out in Reykjavik; well...I think you may need to sample the bars for yourself!

Icelandic Bands Although Iceland is comparatively a small country in which 350,000 people live, it’s been producing a lot of gifted musicians represented by Sigur rós, Björk, múm and so on. Their musics are always somewhere different from musics from other countries, and those differences have made their music so attractive for people around the world. It might be the Iceland’s unique natural features which have made such differences. In this article, let us invite you to the Iceland’s fantastic music world in which your heart will be grabbed and you won’t be able to find the way out.

Iceland’s answer to Radiohead, “Sigur rós” If you are to talk about Icelandic music, you just cannot dismiss Sigur rós. Even if the name itself is somewhat unfamiliar to you, you’ve heard of their music before. Coldplay sampled their song for ‘Princess of China’, and worked together with them for the film ‘Life of Pie’. Vocal Jónsi has worked for the film ‘We bought the zoo’. If you grab random Icelanders on the street, and ask them name the most famous band, they will say Sigur rós. I’ll guarantee you.The band was formed in 1994. They were instantly picked up by a local record label. However, it was their second album Ágætis byrjun which they gained worldwide popularity. Their distinctive aerial sound is the reason why they are their own kind. If you like Radiohead, and feel like you’re floating on the water when you’re listening to them, Sigur rós will break you into particles, and throw it to the universe.

Icelandic charm of “Samaris” Quick and stunning start of this group, I’m sure, will spread this music all over theworld. Icelandic music is not very famous wfrom orldwide but if you have heardsomething there: there are no doubts that it must be genial. Within months offorming in Reykjavik in 2011, Samaris had won both the Icelandic Músíktilraunirand Kraumur Award before the international release of their two Icelandic EPsfurther expanded horizons.This band is creating music in the popular trip-hop style using clarinet, drum-machine and vocal. Their songs sound like fairy tales and it’s not surprising, because the lyrics culled from nineteenth century Icelandic poems.

“We want people to experience something they haven’t experienced before” – theystated on their website. And it’s true - you will find exceptional feelings about their music.

Icelandic charm of “Samaris” Quick and stunning start of this group, I’m sure, will spread this music all over theworld. Icelandic music is not very famous worldwide but if you have heardsomething from there: there are no doubts that it must be genial. Within months offorming in Reykjavik in 2011, Samaris had won both the Icelandic Músíktilraunirand Kraumur Award before the international release of their two Icelandic EPsfurther expanded horizons.This band is creating music in the popular trip-hop style using clarinet, drum-machine and vocal. Their songs sound like fairy tales and it’s not surprising, because the lyrics culled from nineteenth century Icelandic poems. “We want people to experience something they haven’t experienced before” – theystated on their website. And it’s true - you will find exceptional feelings about their music.

Dreamy neo-folk of “Seabear” Seabear, Icelandic septet, as they said, is “interested in life, owls, summer, cats,winter, coffee, Iceland and weather”. Good choice of priorities very clearly characterizes the mood of their songs, purred by vocalist and overheard the rest of the band. Seven like-minded members of the band is enough to make music with all sorts of colored violins, sliders, piano and banjo, apart from traditional guitars and drums. All this variety of sounds is diluted by melodic whisper. Their songs evoke pictures of gathering near the fire in the forest. And we can concede that this is the reason of name of their album “We Built A Fire”, which became the second in the discography of the Icelandic band. The best way of listening to their music is during the journey or into the wild of Icelandic nature.

If this article made you interested in Icelandic music, we strongly recommend you to watch the movie “Screaming Masterpiece”, as well as listen to their albums. This movie focuses on several famous musicians from Iceland and how those geniuses have been produced in Iceland.

Are you a foodie?

Don’t pretend you aren’t. No one’s judging you here. The fact you are reading this article tells me something. We went on a little journey to experience Icelandic food. If you’re tight on a budget, yet want to experience the essence of Icelandic food, I suggest you to follow us.

Skyr When you are in Iceland, there is another thing you MUST try. Have you ever heard of the name Skyr?

The Icelandic traditional dairy products are loved

by Icelanders for more than a thousand years! It tastes like between yogurt and cream cheese, but it is full of much more nutrition. It contains high protein and is naturally fatfree.

The healthiest product ever, isn’t it?

The other attraction of this fantastic food might be its quantities of flavours. There are plain one, vanilla flavor, baked apple, banana, etc… You could find your favorite one, for sure. How enthusiastically I wish I could have these lovely products in my country. Don’t miss it when you come to Iceland!

Hot Dog I bet you’ve heard of Icelandic hot dogs before.

Even myself, who aren’t keen on eating meats, have heard of it. It was only natural for us to go Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur to eat the best Icelandic hot dog (ever). In Icelandic, Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur means best hot dogs in town. What a confidence, eh? Bill Clinton and members of Metallica went before, and so did us.

What was the taste like? For me, fish flakes were the most distinctive feature. With toasted garlic and onion, you get the warmth that is enough for you to go through the unwelcoming Icelandic coldness.

And the unique sauce! It showed us the originality of that hot dog. It was not like the ketchup which you normally get for hot dogs. We had never experienced such taste before, hence failed to identify what it was.

Seafood (Lobster Soup) Now, being in Iceland, I would say it’s a crime not to try seafoods. When you walk along the harbour, it is rather hard to miss the turquoisecoloured blocks. We went to Seabaron to try the famous lobster soup. The moment you step inside the shop, you will feel the whole country is summed up in one room. The painting of harbour and ships, fishnets, and Icelandic salts, herbal tea are screaming you’re in Iceland. Lobster soup was served with warm bread and Icelandic butter. If you are a dunker and used all your breads dunking in the soup, I advise you to take the butter with you for future use. The soup is hearty as ever and Icelandic enough to make you feel you’re about to go to the sea and fight against for the family you have to feed. If you are adventurous, don’t forget to try minke whale steak.

Icelandic Chocolate One is not simply built to survive this weather. We found we were often muttering to ourselves when we were walking outside. How did Icelanders manage to survive? The answer is simple途 highcalorie foods. G贸a is the second biggest confectionery provider in Iceland. We had our own affair with Hraun, which is one of the most famous chocolate from G贸a. It does remind you of basalts, but it tastes nothing like stone! Once you taste it, you have no choice but admit that it is one of the best chocolate that Iceland can offer you.

Also speaking of sweets, Iceland is a heaven on earth for licoricelovers.

You will find licorice covered with chocolate, chocolate with licorice jelly, chocolate covered with licorice powder, and numerous kinds of licorice itself.

It was in Iceland that I learnt Haribo produces more than 5 different packs of licorice.

life in Hveragerdi camp: growing together

If you are wondering how would it be to live in Iceland, and were keen on organic products, we can present you the best place to stay. In Hveragerdði, we visited the workcamp and talked to the Jónas, who is the supervisor of the camp, and volunteers from all over the world. Work hours and meal times are scheduled, so everyone’s guaranteed to have the same amount of time of work and rest. You don’t have to fight for any position! First, let’s hear from Jónas.

Hello, Jónas! Can you tell us where you spend your most time in the camp?

I normally work in the houses with volunteers. The Kitchen in the clinic (near the camp) is another place where I find myself, if it is not too often. To be honest, I go wherever I am needed.

You’ve got rather big green houses. Do you keep all the products for the camp?

No. 70 to 80% of them go to the market. However, we are not aiming to make profit. Every króna we gets from the market is spent for the greenhouses.

Rest of them are used for the kitchen and camp.

I heard that every greens that you look after here is all organic.

Yes, It is all organic.

How many species do you have here?

About 20 species. cucumbers are the hardest to grow.

Then why do you insist to have them?

Because we need cucumbers here. We do our best.

For your information, cherry tomatoes are the easiest to grow.

How long have you spent your time here?

I came to this camp in 2008. It’s been almost 7 years.

That’s quite a long time ago. Are you one of the founders of this camp?

No. The camp works related to the clinic, and the clinic has been used organic products from 1950s.

We’ve got a rather long history. It was only 7 years ago the camp started to receive volunteers.

Thank you for talking to us, Jónas. Have you got anything to talk about the last camp?

I’ve been working on organic products for 16 years.

This is where my passion lies. The camp we have in Hveragerdði is a vegetarian camp and all products you will get to consume is from the very greenhouse you will work for. I hope you all can join with us and get the satisfaction I’ve been indulged in!

Next, we have Roberto from Milan, Italy!

Hello, Roberto. Can you tell us how you find the camp?

It’s a good place to relax and do some physical work, which was what I was looking for, and help people almost everyday. This is rehabilitation camp and I needed some rehabilitation in my life! This is why I’m here. I’m in the right place!

Is “physical work” the reason why you chose to come to this camp?

Well. To be perfectly honest, I’m not the most creative person. There were few options that I could choose, and this camp was the most suitable for me.

I’m more like a..

“Down to earth” kind of person?

Yes. That’s the best description.

What would you say if someone asks what is the best part of this camp?

The work itself. You can see with your eyes that you’re growing something. You see the little sprout becomes the biggest stalk in the greenhouse.

From other volunteers, we heard about few other things they like about this camp. All of them are agreed that the magnificent landscape is one of the best thing about this camp. No one has complained about the food yet. It is served for the people in clinic, so it is bound to be good! As long as you endure a couple of hours of plucking the weeds, you just discovered the (potentially) best camp in Iceland!

Ăžetta reddast!

Which means everything will work out In the end

People!! Chill People!!

Lack of expectations.. We are happy with what we have

Beautiful mountains…

The weather

Swimming pools…

Mmm Let me think….May be the sun