All Things Iceland

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...

I know that Black History Month is a US tradition, I still want to dedicate the month of February to telling the stories of Black and mixed race people in the country. If you are curious about some awesome Icelandic Black history, I suggest watching my video about Hans Jonatan, Iceland’s first black citizen and listening to the podcast episode I did with the Icelandic author of the book about Hans...

It was such a pleasant surprise to have Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, the Minister of Justice in Iceland, as my guest this week. She leads quite a busy life as a Parliamentarian and Minister, and it was great she was able to find time to chat. During the interview, Áslaug Arna shares the positives and negatives of being in this position of power at such a young age and as a woman. Some of the oth...

Gógó Starr is an Icelandic drag queen that is well known in the country. Gógó made history by being the first ever drag queen fjallkonan, or woman of the mountains, which is a symbol of the Icelandic nation and a very important part of the celebrations of Iceland’s independence. The celebration of the independence of the nation happens every June 17th. Aldís Amah , who I interviewed a while back o...

Claudia Ashanie Wilson is a human rights lawyer and activist who moved from her home country Jamaica to Iceland in 2001. When Claudia came to Iceland she didn’t speak Icelandic nor had she previous been to law school. Through a lot of hard work, she became fluent in Icelandic. She received her Masters Degree in 2014 in international law from the Reykjavík University. Claudia passed the Icelandic b...

To kick off the new year, I’m sharing my interview with Andri Snær Magnason , an award-winning author,  environmental activist and director. He has been fighting to protect Iceland’s beautiful nature. Andri Snær was on the show early on and it is great to have him back because so much has happened in his life since we last spoke. I recommend checking out part 1 and part 2 of those...

The Icelandic Christmas season is so much fun. Well, it’s normally a lot of fun but we are doing the best to enjoy it even though COVID is keeping many of us from our loved ones. While I have done an episode about Icelandic Christmas way back in the day of the podcast, I wanted to share with you the full breakdown of this time from the point of view of an Icelander. My lovely friend Íris Stefanía...

Because I’m very much in the holiday spirit, I’m dedicating the next two episodes, this one included, to Christmas related content in Iceland. Today, I have a special guest that has been on the show before , and that is Ólafur S.K. Þórvaldz, also known as Óli the brewmaster at Ægir Brugghús . Icelandic Christmas beer has quickly become an important part of the holiday season for brewers in I...

I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Birta Abiba Þórhallsdóttir , who was crowned Miss Universe Iceland in 2019. Normally, I don’t follow beauty pageants, regardless of if it is in the US or Iceland, but Birta’s story really stuck out to me. I read an article about her experience with racism in Iceland. She’s an Icelander that has mixed heritage. She was born and raised in the town t...

Back in December of 2018, Bára Halldórsdóttir outed herself as the whistleblower of the Klaustur Bar Scandal. During this podcast episode, I sit down with Bára to talk about how the scandal unfolded and how it has affected her life. This scandal involved politicians saying horrible things while drinking together in Klaustur bar. Bára happened to be in that same bar and recorded a lot of what these...