Episodes

Iceland, the land of fire and ice, is full of fascinating and sometimes strange facts. In this podcast episode, I’m sharing 15 surprising facts about this country that you probably have never heard about. I know that I was surprised by many of them when I first heard them, and I hope that you enjoy learning something new about the country. 15 Strange Facts About Iceland Most of Iceland is uninhabited Beer was illegal in the country for 74 years During the month of Þorri, many Icelanders come...

Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir is the author of Ástiðir and Dagatal, two books about short stories in Icelandic. In this interview we talk about how short stories in various levels of Icelandic help learners of the language to learn faster and easier. Karítas is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Creative Writing in the U.K. and was a teacher of Icelandic. She has learned Japanese, so she has an idea about the trials and tribulations that language learning students go through. In fact, her idea for pub...

The south coast of Iceland is, hands down, one of the most popular areas of the country for visitors. However, there are a group of islands off the mainland of the country that most people that go to the south coast never visit. The Westman Islands is a 45–50-minute ferry ride away and it’s a fantastic place to explore. The nature, history, landscape, and stories about the locals almost make it feel like you are not even in Iceland anymore. KuKu Campers Provided My Transportation & Accommodatio...

From personal experience, I know that having the right clothing and other essentials, regardless of the season here, is crucial when it comes to staying warm, dry, and comfortable. While I am sharing 11 summer essentials to pack for Iceland in this episode, you can find all of the essentials and some non-essentials that might be worth packing, if you have the space, in my free download called the Ultimate Packing Checklist for Iceland. The way I have structured this episode is that I will shar...

June marks my 6th year of living in Iceland and it has certainly been a whirlwind of a year. Every year I try to reflect on what has happened and share what might be relevant or interesting for my audience. Interestingly, six seems to be a significant number in my life. For instance, my birthday is 160686, my phone number has a lot of sixes in it and even my new apartment block has the number 6. It‘s possible that these have nothing to do with each other but it is still fun to point that out w...

Moving to Iceland is already quite a tedious process for most people but coming with pets is an extra layer of paperwork and other potential difficulties. Sharyn Chesna was born and raised in the US but she also has German citizenship (you’ll learn the fascinating story behind her finding that out when you listen to episode). When she decided to move to Iceland it was a no-brainer that her two dogs and cat would come too. Sharyn was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen and she did...

In partnership with the Icelandic Bathing Culture Exhibit hosted at Hönnurnarsafn, the Icelandic Museum for Design and Applied Arts, I’m sharing how Iceland’s beloved bathing culture evolved. Sund, which is the name of the Icelandic Bathing Exhibit, shares fascinating facts. One of my favorites is that a failed gold rush in Iceland is what led to geothermal energy being pumped to communal swimming pools and people’s homes in the early 1900s. What to Expect at The Icelandic Bathing Culture Exhi...

Easter in Iceland is a time that many Icelanders look forward to because they get a long holiday, and they get to indulge in even more chocolate, sugary drinks, and delicious food. Here is what you should know before visiting during this holiday. Religion in Iceland For most people around the world that celebrate Easter, this holiday is very religious. While more than 260,000 Icelanders are registered as Lutheran, most of them are not religious nor is Easter in Iceland centered around religiou...

Kyana Sue Powers is an American content creator that lives in Iceland. She’s inspired many people to visit Iceland and has even inspired some to move. Due to strict Icelandic laws regarding specialty work visas, Kyana is potentially facing deportation. In this interview, Kyana shares how to she ended up in Iceland and the situation she is currently in. Questions I Asked Kyana During the Interview: What inspired you to move to Iceland? What has the process been like for you to live here? What ...

Contrary to what most people believe, Iceland has a lot of options for people who identify as vegan or plant-based eaters. I remember being astonished at the options in the grocery stores during my first visit back in 2013. Funny enough, that was the first time I’d heard about Veganuary (vegan January). Icelanders who normally eat meat were excited to take on the challenge of only eating vegan food for the whole month of January. This meant that grocery stores in the country had ordered vegan fr...

April Anderson is the Director, editor, and cinematographer of the documentary “Fire & Iceland”, a beautiful collection of the eruption and insight from locals about the impact of the eruption and living on an island with so much volcanic activity. April and her husband are the creators of www.artasair.com, which showcases various artists and aspect of culture. I recommend checking out their site to see other documentaries and work they have done over the years. See the “Fire and Iceland” Docu...

Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove is an award-winning photographer and author of the book “New Earth: A Photographic Journey of the Geldingadalur Eruption.” He is a Belgian nature photographer, who specializes in photographing wildlife and landscapes with great passion. He has been living in Reykjavik, Iceland since 2016 and uses it as his base to explore and capture the raw beauty of the land of fire and ice and the Arctic region in its entirety. Why did Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove Move to Iceland? In Jeroe...

March 19th, 2022 marks the one year anniversary of the start of the Geldingadalir eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The eruption lasted six months and, according to scientists, is the longest eruption of this century in Iceland! To commemorate this momentous occasion, I am hosting “Eruption Week” on the All Things Iceland YouTube channel and here on the podcast. The Eruption Week Schedule https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gujgzJRf0U Throughout this week, I will feature interviews that I did...

Gerog Leite is Afro-Brazilian and came to Iceland way back when he was 16 years old. I witnessed first-hand his gregarious nature during my first visit to Kaldi Bar, a place he owns and manages, many years ago. It’s funny how I wondered about his story as I watched him from afar chatting with people at the bar. Little did I know that one day I would have the pleasure of interviewing him for the All Things Iceland podcast. Georg’s Transition From Brazil to Iceland During the conversation, Georg...

Even though the Health Minister had hinted at removing all restrictions, I honestly didn‘t think it would happen now because of the continued high rate of infections in the country. In the last couple of weeks, the number of new COVID cases has broken records. We have seen numbers way higher than when the pandemic started. Yet, Icelandic Parliament, along with the Chief Epidemiologist, have decided to lift all restrictions. Reactions to Lifting of COVID Restrictions in Iceland In this episode,...

Tryggvi Rúnar jr is named after his grandfather, who is one of the wrongly accused and convicted individuals in Iceland’s most infamous criminal investigation. In 1974, two men, on separate occasions, went missing and their bodies were never found. The police scrambled to figure out what happened to Guðmundur Einarsson and Geirfinnur Einarsson (not related). I watched the Netflix series Out of Thin Air, which gives more background about what Tryggvi talks about during this interview. Coercion &...

As I approach my sixth year of living in Iceland, it is fascinating to take a trip down memory lane and talk about what has happened leading up to me living here. Because some people have asked how my family felt about me moving to Iceland, I decided to let them tell you. During this episode, I conducted a virtual interview with my sister and mother. They both get a chance to share with you what their feelings from the beginning of me meeting Gunnar up until now. Some of the things they shared ...

Today is the last day of the All Things Iceland 15-day Christmas series. To hear about the Icelandic Yule Lads that have arrived during this time period, and an overview of this series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13 and Day 14. This episode dives into what happens to the Icelandic Yule Lads after Christmas. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the last part of the poem by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic poem about...

Tonight Kertasníkir, the 13th and final Yule Lad, comes to town – the favorite among Icelanders. To hear about the other Yule Lads that have already arrived and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12 and Day 13. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Kertasníkir by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic version of the poem about Kertasníkir Þrettándi var Kertasníkir, -þá var ...

Tonight Ketkrókur, the 12th Yule Lad, comes to town. To hear about the other Yule Lads that have already arrived and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11 and Day 12. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Ketkrókur by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic version of the poem about Ketkrókur Ketkrókur, sá tólfti, kunni á ýmsu lag.- Hann þrammaði í sveitina á Þorláksmessudag. Han...

Tonight Gáttaþefur, the 11th Yule Lad, comes to town. To hear about the other Yule Lads that have already arrived and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10 and Day 11. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Gáttaþefur by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic version of the poem about Gáttaþefur Ellefti var Gáttaþefur -aldrei fékk sá kvef, og hafði þó svo hlálegt og heljarstórt nef. Hann...

Tonight Gluggagægir, the 10th Yule Lad comes to town. To hear about the other Yule Lads that have already arrived and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, and Day 10. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Gluggagægir by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic version of the poem about Gluggagægir Tíundi var Gluggagægir, grályndur mann, sem laumaðist á skjáinn og leit inn um hann. Ef eitthvað v...

Tonight Bjúgnakrækir, the 9th Yule Lad comes to town This is a 15-day Icelandic Christmas series. To hear about the other Yule Lads that have already arrived and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, and Day 9. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Bjúgnakrækir by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic version of the poem about Bjúgnakrækir Níundi var Bjúgnakrækir, brögðóttur og snar. Hann hentist upp ...

Tonight Skyrjarmur,, the 8th Yule Lad comes to town This is a 15-day Icelandic Christmas series. To hear about the other Yule Lads that have already arrived and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7 and Day 8. Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Skyrjarmur by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Icelandic version of the poem about Skyrjarmur Skyrjarmur, sá áttundi, var skelfilegt naut. Hann hlemminn o’n af sánum me...