After the week in Reykjavik we were sent to live with families, either our relatives or a family where our ancestors came from. I was sent up North to a town called Dalvik, about a 1/2 hour drive from Akureyri. Here I worked for 4 weeks at 4 different jobs. The first week I worked at a fish processing plant (ooooh what fun!...NOT! hahaha). Then I worked at a farm guesthouse. This was quite fun. While driving around Iceland you have to keep an eye out for sheep, horses and cows, because they like to wander on the roads. And also beware of the one-lane bridges and tunnels (thru the mountains). Then the group met up in Hofsos, a traditional Icelandic village, for the weekend. Here we took a boat to the island, Drangey, and hiked up to the top of it and watched the puffin hunters! (They are only allowed to hunt the male puffins....they actually EAT puffins! Ewwwww!) We also had a traditional Icelandic night, full of dancing, singing, fun and of course who can forget, eating fermented shark and washing it down with Brennivin (alcohol otherwise known as, Black Death!)..yummmy hahahaha |
Let's see some more pictures....once you have scrolled through this, go on to the next page for more great pictures. |
I was lucky that where I stayed, was were some of my ancestors came from. I got to see one of my family's farms. The farm, Audbrekka, is still in the family. I got to meet many of my relatives that live in this area that I didn't even know I had! For the 3rd week I worked at a farm. Just like when I grew up, I had to round up the cows for milking (although this time it was hiking halfway up the mountainside) and then help milk them. I also helped out with some of the haying as well. The family I stayed with took me on drive around the area almost every weekend. And on one of these excursions we went to Godafoss, waterfall of the Gods. It is where one of the chieftans (ministers) converted from the Norse Gods to Christianity and threw the little statues he had of the Norse Gods over this waterfall. They also took me to a museum, Laufas. We also stopped at Myvatn, and a few other places, but I will tell you about those places later. |
Still more to see....once you've scrolled through these pictures, go on to the next page. |
One of the girls I worked with at the guesthouse, and her friend, drove me out to the east coast to see my other family farm, Fjordur. We looked all around the fjord and had a tour of my family's farm by a man who lives there and told us all about it. It was wonderful to be there and see if with my own eyes, after beig told about it back home. We spent the night there, we just pitched our tent in one of the fields. The next morning we drove over to the next fjord to visit a relative of mine, she turned 95 last November. Once we got back home (Dalvik) I then started work at my 4th job, at a Kindergarten. This was a challenge because none of the kids spoke english, and I didn't know much Icelandic. (I found a 4-leaf clover there too!) Then 2 of my friends on the trip met up with me and we took the 3 hour ferry ride out to Grimsey. This is the only point of Iceland that crosses the Arctic Circle. We had fun wandering around, getting attacked by the birds, and oh yeah, eating lunch at the bird cemetary. hahahahaha I think we found the only place where the birds went to die!! hahahahaha |
Still more to come....keep looking. |
The first weekend in August is the long weekend in Iceland....it's Party Central up north in Akureyri. I went into town with 2 friends that were staying there. We took in some of the festivities. During this weekend, the city double or triples in population! They have some great bands playing (check out the music links I have). The last week we were in Iceland, the group met up once again up north in Akureyri. We then set off on an adventure tour. Our first stop was whalewatching. We actually saw a few dolphins and a few Minke whales, and lots of Puffins! Next up was Myvatn to see the pseudocraters, and a stop to see the lavarock formations at one of the national parks, and then Namafjall Hverir (the smelly sulfur mud pits). The next day we set off and saw Europe's largest waterfall, Dettifoss. It was amazing! Then as we made our way through the desert and over to the east coast we went riverrafting....and while we did that we went cliff jumping too! Next up was snowmobiling on Europe's largest glacier....Vatnajokull. That was so much fun! We then went to an island, where the first settler spent his first winter, and we had to watch out for these attack birds!! hahaha Run!!! (Watch out Johanna!!!) |
...Yes...there is still more...hehehe |
