All Things Iceland

Tonight Giljagaur, the 2nd Yule Lad, comes to town. This is a 15-day Icelandic Christmas series. To hear about the first Yule Lad and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1 and Day 2 . Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Giljagaur by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic version...

The kick off to this series was yesterday , so check out that if you want a primer on who the Yules Lads are and a bit about their family. One thing to keep in mind is that the Yule Lads travel in the evening/early morning, so they can get into town before children wake up. Tonight, the first Yule Lad, Stekkjastaur, is making his way to town. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem...

While I have talked about the Icelandic Yule Lads on the podcast in the past, I decided to change it up a bit this year by kicking off a 15-day Icelandic Christmas series. This series will include me reading a poem in Icelandic and English about the Yule Lads. This poem was originally written in Icelandic by Jóhannes úr Kötlum and is called “Jólasveinarnir” in Icelandic. The poem was translatedCop...

Because Christmas is right around the corner, I decided to dedicate this episode to giving you ideas for Iceland-themed gifts you can get for yourself or a loved one this year. Below are all of the places I recommend getting a gift that was either made or designed in Iceland. Iceland Themed Gift Ideas Talked About in the Podcast 1.) The Handknitting Association of Iceland is where I get my Iceland...

Visiting Iceland for the first time is such an amazing adventure, but it also comes with some surprising experiences. In this podcast episode, I point out 12 things that shock first timer visitors to the country. While this will help to manage your expectations, it doesn’t mean that you won’t have some type of reaction to one or more of these things when you encounter them. Shop at the...

While there are certainly more than five trailblazing women in Iceland’s history, I thought it would be helpful to start off with these women first because they have made a significant impact on Iceland and the progression of the society for everyone. You might have heard of some of the  women I’m featuring but there are others that you have probably never learned about.  Before I jump into speaki...

Ragna Kjartansdóttir (Cell7) and Hildur Kristín Stefánsdóttir are the dynamic duo that makes up the band Red Riot in Iceland. During this interview, they share the ups and downs of being an artist (solo and in a band) in Iceland. In particular, they provide insight as females in the Icelandic music industry and some of the challenges they have faced just due to their gender. Use my special link be...

So many people around the world have fallen in love with Icelandic music because of the amazing artists from this tiny country in the North Atlantic ocean. Like many industries, the Icelandic music scene has had to pivot during tough times in order for artists to continue working/creating and for the industry itself to keep alive. To get a better insight into how the Icelandic music scene has adap...

Icelandic ghost stories have been told over the centuries and there is one in particular that I am sharing in this episode. “Deacon of Dark River” or Djákninn á Myrká is a spooky story that involves love, Christmas and the undead. Over the last couple of years, Halloween has become more popular in Iceland, even though there is another holiday (Öskudagur), where kids dress up and sing for candy. Ho...

Immigrant life in Iceland has surprisingly been a smooth transition for me. I think part of that has to do with the fact that there are certain things in the country that have made living here easy. Of course it is important to mention that what I point out in this episode are based on my own experience and will vary from person to person. In this podcast episode, I go over 5 specific things that...

2021 has been such an interesting year for me and I was just as shocked as anyone that I was able to interview the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. I talk about how the opportunity to interview Guðni during the podcast episode because it is quite unusual. The President was very kind to answer all of my questions, including the questions that the members of the All Things Iceland Patreo...

During this sit down with Sæþór Randalsson about the recent election in Iceland and his involvement with socialism in Iceland was quite insightful. More than a year ago, I interviewed Sæþór about his move from the United States many years ago and you check it out here . The beginning of this episode focuses on Sæþór sharing about how the Icelandic Parliament is set up. After all the ballots from t...

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon was established in the 1990s, but it’s a much different experience now than its humble beginnings. Over the decades the Blue Lagoon went from being a bathing facility whose water run off from a nearby power plant soothed the skin of patients with psoriasis to being one of the most well known spas in the world. When travelers to Iceland are planning their trips, I often get as...

Najmo Fiyasko’s story of growing up in Somalia and her escape from being a child bride there caught my attention when I saw her on the cover of a newspaper in Iceland. I was shocked to learn that she had been through so much at such a young age. I still have the newspaper that featured her because I just knew that one day I would interview her. The funny thing is that one fateful day she friended...

Reykjavík and the rest of Iceland has gained a reputation for having many rainy days. While I’m an advocate for going out and dressing well no matter the weather, sometimes it is better to stay inside. Well, if you have to be indoors why not make it fun? The five interactive places I talk about in this episode are so much fun that they will make you forget all about the weather. An Experience Like...

While it might seem a little morbid to talk about how Iceland can kill you, the intention of this podcast episode and blog post is to spread awareness. Icelandic nature is absolutely gorgeous but there are plenty of dangerous situations that can be life threatening. In this episode, I’m sharing seven ways that can lead to death here. I include some examples of people who have unfortunately perishe...

Whether it‘s your first or fifth time visit Iceland, I think you will find my what I share about the Reykjanes Peninsula in this podcast episode to be quite exciting. This peninsula is a UNESCO Global GeoPark. Free Itinerary for the Reykjanes Peninsula Free Itinerary for the Reykjanes Peninsula Grab my free itinerary for the Reykjanes Peninsula. It gives you all the names and links of places and a...

It’s so hard to believe that I am celebrating 5 years of living and traveling in Iceland this month. June is special to me because a lot of major events in my life have happened during this month. Some I have control over, such as moving to Iceland in 2016, getting married, and  starting the podcast three years ago, so I’m celebrating those anniversaries too. One thing that I don’t think I had any...

This episode is all about the Icelandic geothermal bathing culture in Iceland. Many of you might be aware that Icelanders love to soak in a hot tub no matter the weather. However, you might not be aware of some of the history, modern day culture and etiquette involved with this tradition. Before I jumped into it, I’m excited to announce that this episode is sponsored by the new Sky Lagoon geotherm...

I’ve been learning Icelandic for quite some time but I’ve not felt very confident when it comes to speaking. To boost my confidence, my Icelandic husband and I agreed to spend the month of March in 2021 speaking in Icelandic. We tried this experiment for the first time last July but it was quite difficult. Even though we had an idea of how it could go, we each had reservations about it because it...

Chris Burkard is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker and adventurer that loves Iceland. He has shared epic photographs and films that showcases Icelandic landscape and natural phenomenon. Some of his films about Iceland includes “ Under an Arctic Sky ” and “ A Line in Sand “. Chris Burkard’s love for this country is contagious and he has experienced this place in...

The fissure eruption in Iceland that so many people have been anticipating happened last night on the Reykjanes Peninsula near Fagradalsfjall and is called Geldingadalsgos. In this video I specifically go over all the updates about the eruption so far. This includes when the eruption started, what authorities are saying about the ash expected, gas emission, lava flow, safety for those in the surro...

Ari Trausti Guðmundsson is a well-known Icelandic geologist, broadcaster, author, journalist, documentarian, lecturer, mountaineer and member of Icelandic Parliament. I had the pleasure of interviewing him for the podcast about the thousands of earthquakes and possible volcanic eruption. He answered as many questions of my subscribers and followers that he could and I’m so gratfeful for that...

Over the last week and a half, the south of Iceland has experienced tens of thousands of earthquakes and experts told us to brace for a possible volcanic eruption. All eyes are still on Reykjanes Peninsula, the place where all the action might go down. Mainstream media in other countries have picked up the story, which has resulted in people reaching out to me to know if I am safe and to hear what...

María Thelma Smáradóttir is a talented actor in Iceland. During this interview, she gives some insight on what it was like growing up in Iceland with Icelandic and Thai heritage. She was the first person of Asian descent to graduate from the Icelandic Academy of Arts in Drama. It was fascinating to hear how she had to navigate this mixed heritage and it has been like for her as a working actor in...