Episodes

To kick off my comeback to podcasting, I am sharing an awesome interview I did with Andie Fontaine, the News Editor of The Reykjavík Grapevine. Andie is originally from Baltimore. They have been living in Iceland since 1999 and has Icelandic citizenship. We dive into what it has been like for Andie to learn Icelandic, their views on immigration, coming out as transgender and many other fascinating topics. By the way, we did this interview at the office of the Reykjavík Grapevine, so there is so...

During this week’s episode, I give an overview of the rich history of Icelandic literature and culture. Before I jump in, I have two announcements. Two Important Announcements The first is that today, February 20th, 2019, is the last day for you to enter the All Things Iceland podcast giveaway. If you haven’t entered already, you can do so by clicking on the image that says the All Things Iceland podcast giveaway below. I will pick the winners at random tomorrow and contact them The second an...

Akureyri, also known as the capital of the north in Iceland, is the fourth largest municipality in Iceland. Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður and Kopavogur are larger. This town of about 18,500 people is small in comparison to Reykjavík, but it is bustling with life. Akureyri’s History This area that Akureyri is located was originally settled in the 9th century by a Norse Viking named Helgi magri (the slim) Eyvindarson. However, you don’t see the name Akureyri mentioned in any court records until 1562. ...

Christmas in Iceland is a lovely time. Everyone is merry and there are lots of fun events happening. I purposefully decided not to include Christmas activities that not holiday related on this list. You won’t hear me say, hunt for Northern Lights, go on a Glacier Walk, ride an Icelandic horse and so on during this episode. While those activities are awesome, they can be experienced when it is not Christmas in Iceland. Because the Christmas season in Iceland lasts for about a month, you will have...

This episode might be short but it gives you a good overview of Icelandic foods to try while in Iceland. Before I jump into this list, I have to inform you that I have been a plant based eater, usually referred to as vegan, for the last five years. However, I did taste all of these foods before I made the transition. The foods on this list are very much a part of the Icelandic food culture and it would be difficult to talk about Iceland without mentioning them. I just want all of my vegetarian ...

In the last episode, I went over Iceland’s noteworthy traditions, holidays and celebrations. I recommend checking it out, if you haven’t already. This week, I am expanding on the Christmas holiday celebrations that I spoke about in that episode. While most countries that celebrate Christmas only have one Santa that comes to town, Iceland somehow ended up with 13! During this episode, I will talk about where these 13 Santa Clauses or Yule Lads come from, when they come to town, what they do while...

During part 2 of my interview with Alda Sigmundsdóttir, an Icelandic author and journalist that has her thumb on the pulse of Icelandic society, Alda shares some eye opening information. Alda talks extensively about Iceland’s economic meltdown, scandals that people outside of the country might not be aware of, a place in Iceland that is close to her heart and her favorite Icelandic word or phrase. While the two parts of this interview can stand alone as individual episodes, I very much recommend...

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Alda Sigmundsdóttir, an Icelandic author and journalist that has her thumb on the pulse of Icelandic society. Even though Alda was born in Iceland, she grew up in Canada and lived in a few different countries. The insight that she shared with me about Iceland and its people was enlightening and sometimes surprising. We had such a great time chatting, that we ended up talking for an hour. In order to keep these episodes relatively short, I have...

I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Guðmundur A. Guðmundsson, who has a MSc and PhD degree in Ecology, and is a researcher at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. During the interview you will hear me say Mummi when I speak to Dr. Guðmundsson. It is a nickname commonly used in Iceland for men with the name Guðmundur. Some of the topics I discussed with Mummi during our interview for the All Things Iceland podcast include the fascinating birds that can be found in Iceland, the connecti...

As I mentioned in part one of the “6 Reasons Why Iceland is so Popular” episode, this amazing country has many reasons for why people are flocking to it. In this episode, I share my final three out of six reasons. Make sure you check out the first three reasons I shared in the last episode of the All Things Iceland podcast. 4. Iceland is a Convenient Place To Catch a Connecting Flight If you are traveling from North America to mainland Europe and vice versa, Iceland is in the middle of those pl...

Iceland is popular now but before 2010, hardly anyone came to see this spectacular place. It is fascinating now that you can’t find a “must-see” destination list without this amazing country being featured. While there are many reasons why this small, island nation located in the Atlantic ocean is so popular, I am sharing my top six. I split this list into two parts to keep the episodes relatively short. Also, the list is in no particular order because I believe that each of the reasons that I s...