SEYDISFJORDUR

Sailing through the eleven mile-long  Seydisfjord, a narrow waterway surrounded by mountains, we arrived in Seydisfjordur, “the most picturesque town in Iceland.”Our 18-year-old guide met us for a walking tour of this quaint town that boasts 700 residents.

First we noticed seals  frolicking in a small lake at the entrance of the town, and then we passed brightly colored chalet-style wooden houses that had been built in 1848 by foreign merchants who had been attracted by the “Silver of the Sea” herring industry. The colorful houses were shipped from Norway in build-it-yourself kits—way before the modern IKEA stores were even imagined.

Seydisfjordur has attracted many artists from around the world, and there is a large artist colony that has settled there. We were told that since the town didn’t have enough money for street repair, the street bricks are painted in vibrant colors. The famous Blue Church not only has religious services, but also serves as a theatre and meeting hall. There is also a Center for the Visual Arts.

During WWII Seydisfjordur served as a base for British and American forces, but the only act of war was when three German warplanes tried to attack the El Grillo oil tanker. They missed their target, but one of the bombs exploded close enough to sink the ship which is still down there somewhere. El Grillo is now the name of a local lager beer.

Back to the ship for dinner and then a show featuring two Icelandic entertainers—a  talented male guitarist and a woman singer. Not only did they sing, but they also regaled us with stories. It was then that we experienced the droll Icelandic humor. The first story told was a true story about volcanic heat. “ In places, the heat in the earth can be hot enough to bake bread. All a person has to do is put a pan of dough into a small crevice and the bread will be baked.  Royals from England were going to visit Iceland and wanted to see this baked bread being taken out of the hot earth.  The man in charge said to his assistant, ‘We don’t have time to do this. Just go to the store, buy a loaf of bread. We can stick it into the crevice and they won’t know the difference. Just remember to remove the cellophane.’ The Royals came, and the bread was ceremoniously removed from the earth.  It was sliced.’”

Icelandic people have a tradition of prose and poetry, but they also tell gruesome ghost and goblin tales to their children. “Don’t complain about the fog, because ghost children will run between your legs and drive you crazy.” Of course in the U.S. you don’t need fog to have a bunch of unruly kids drive you nuts.

The songs were explained in English, but sung in Icelandic. It was lots of fun except no one in the audience knew if the song descriptions really matched what we heard. At the end of the show, the guitar player brought out a small can of fermented shark—a delicacy that I think someone extremely drunk would taste, because when he opened the can, the entire showroom stank worse than a high school gymnasium. Only one man, who developed a green complexion was able to say, “I tasted it.”

On to AKUREYRI  where I was supposed to…Oh, Well!

Esther Blumenfeld

HEIMAEY ISLAND

I awakened and opened the two sets of drapes as we sailed though the beautiful fiords. I viewed the mountains with their waterfalls and caves. It was another glorious cool day with no rain in sight. When we docked, we boarded a coach and drove into the Herjolfsdalur Valley with a beautiful view of the outer islands of the archipelago.

Our tour guide told us of the Vikings who had landed with slaves from Ireland, who came to a bloody end when they escaped to Heimaey Island. The first settlers then arrived in 900ad. We were then taken to a site of the largest colony of Atlantic Puffins who come to breed and feed. We saw them from a distance flying very fast and very wobbly, and then they kind-of nose dived into the ground at the side of a mountain when landing. Not too smart, but fun to watch. We were told that the baby Pufflings sometimes get confused when they see the lights of the town of Heimaey Iceland, and end up in people’s yards instead of the ocean. So, at night entire neighborhoods go out to collect the Pufflings and take the hundreds of little birds to the ocean.

Before going to the town of Heimaey  we saw Surtsey Island in the distance.  It is a newly formed volcanic island that rose out of the sea with an eruption from 1963-1967. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is one of the newest volcanic islands on the planet. No one is allowed to go there because it is a natural laboratory, free from human interference, and gives scientists the opportunity to study the process of how plant and animal life colonize virgin land.

The town of Heimaey was considered volcanically dormant until January 23,1973 when the most famous volcanic eruption in modern times took place. A vast fissure burst open, and Eldfell Volcano emerged  from the sea swallowing much of the town. It turned the rest into a “modern day Pompeii.” 5000 inhabitants were evacuated by fishing boats.

Our guide told us that one woman begged the captain of a fishing boat to return, because she had forgotten something extremely valuable. She did have three children with her, but he thought it might be a fourth child so he turned around. She saved her new dress because “I might be invited to a party.”

The town folk, with the help of the fishermen saved the harbor by spraying the lava with sea water causing it to solidify and divert. The town of Heimaey now has 4500 residents, and is a popular tourist attraction, and they probably like to party.

Next we sail to Seydisfjordur

Esther Blumenfeld

ARRIVING IN REYKJAVIK

After a very, very long sleepless night flight, we landed in Reykjavik, Iceland, the world’s most northern Capital. Our limousine driver was waiting for us. Our luggage arrived intact, and we were driven to the beautiful Borg Hotel situated in the heart of the City. By now it was 8:00am, and our rooms would not be ready until 2:00pm, so, we opted for the hotel breakfast buffet, but first Barbara was astute enough to make a dinner reservation. After dawdling over breakfast, it was now 10:00 am, so we plopped down in the hotel lobby where Josh and Barbara, holding hands, promptly fell asleep on a sofa, and I dozed in a chair. Since the three of us really didn’t complement the decor, an available room miraculously opened up at 11:00am. Entering the room, the three of us collapsed on the king-sized bed and fell asleep.  One of us snored!  

As promised, the other room became available at 2:00pm. After cleaning ourselves up, Adrenaline kicked in, and we began our exploration of the nearby streets and shops of Reykjavik. Everything was in walking distance of our hotel.  It was a beautiful, cool, sunny day, and  we discovered that in Iceland daylight is a nighttime summer activity. At 6:00 pm we ate at the Fish Company Restaurant, recommended as the best restaurant in Reykjavik. Great  recommendation. Fantastic meal!

We returned to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.  At 4:30am I was awakened as my bed shook from side to side. I felt like a milkshake. Yes, it was an earthquake. In the morning the desk clerk told us that since the last volcanic eruption, that there had been around 5000 earthquakes. This one was 5.5 on the Richter scale, and Iceland was due another volcanic eruption. Two days later, a volcano did erupt near the airport, but I never saw it—except on the news.

The population of Iceland as of January 1, 2022 is 376,248 and 60% of the population live in Reykjavik, and they welcome about 2-million tourists every year— most of whom arrive by cruise ship from all over the world. The Icelandic Flag caught my attention, and I discovered that the blue is for the mountains, the red is for fire, and white represents snow. The flag reminded me of the historical link with Norway from where the Viking settlers arrived in 874ad.  The difficult Icelandic language is derived from Old Norse—such as “Talar!bu ensku? Luckily, Iceland is an extremely literate society, and “Yes, everyone speaks English”—better than some Americans.

The next morning a van picked us up and drove us to our ship, THE WINDSTAR PRIDE, a small ship that holds approximately 250-300 passengers. Our cabins were ready for us. Unpacking is always easier than packing.  I hung my clothes in the walk-in closet, and then noticed that there was a drape next to my king-sized bed. Then I noticed there was another drape in the living room area by the balcony?  Two drape areas?  It took that to blacken the rooms unless you enjoy sunlight at midnight.  We sailed away at 5pm.—on to our first shore excursion.

More to follow—Heimaey Island

Esther Blumenfeld

PROLOGUE

A good friend gave me a Bon Voyage card that read, “Live Life With No Excuses. Travel With No Regret.” Indeed!  Also, if you can get an answer to “Hvar-ersnyrtingin?” you’ve got it made in Iceland. However, before I fill you in about my adventures in that unique and beautiful European country (Yes, Iceland is in Europe— 800km to Scotland and 950km to Norway) I first want to regale you with what trip preparations look like in these Covid days.

Two weeks before my trip, I was exposed to Covid by a friendly, unmasked neighbor who was diagnosed after greeting me. Five days later, I tested Negative, and vowed to eat in my apartment and avoid well-meaning friends. Then, the next day I was notified that our streets were to be resurfaced, and we would have to move our cars out of the carports if we didn’t want our tires imbedded in cement. Of course, the date for all of this activity was flexible, so I had to give my car key to someone. It was beyond me how the folks in charge could schedule a resurfacing in the Monsoon rainy season, but before I tried to reason this out, another problem arose.

My hair-cutting lady called to let me know that she was stuck in Utah because she had missed her plane on the way back to Tucson from Cancun. The date of my departure was imminent. However the haircut date had to be changed. I hoped she would return in time because my hair was starting to look more like Ringo’s than Paul’s.

Packing was difficult because I knew the weather would be cool. Crossing the Arctic Circle was a tip-off. The operational words involved “layer your clothes.” This was no small feat going from 105 degree heat to the 50 degree summer weather of Iceland. Consequently, I stuffed as much as I could into an oversized purse made from parachute material. I was prepared for any occasion—and a small carry-on bag—fearing the loss of my suitcase.

OK! Ready Set Go! But wait! First I was taking two flights to Washington, DC to spend a day with my son, Josh and daughter-in-law Barbara before the three of us would fly to Reykjavik.
Now it was time to start worrying!

What if I get stuck in the elevator on my way down from my apartment to the lobby?
Will my limo driver get me to the airport on time. Is a 4:30 am pick-up early enough?
Will my plane be cancelled?
Will my Dallas connection connect?
Will my suitcase arrive to Washington, DC with me?
Will the three of us pass the ship’s required Covid Test at the Dulles Airport?
Will the driver be at the Iceland Airport in the morning to take us to the Borg Hotel?

By now, I had nothing left to worry about except ‘Hvar-ersnyrtingin. Luckily, almost everyone in Iceland speaks English, so finding a toilet would be easy.

More to follow…Arriving in Reykjavik.

Esther Blumenfeld

YOUR TRASH--MY TREASURE

After OH, LORD I SOUND JUST LIKE MAMA was published, my book received rave reviews, and eventually sold close to a quarter- of- a- million copies.  One day, I received a copy of OH LORD, I SOUND JUST LIKE MAMA in the mail. It was accompanied by a scathing letter, “I am sending you this book. I will not read it, because you are taking the name of the Lord in vain.”

I was censored! Of course I never responded. After all, someone had paid for the book and did not ask for a refund, but I assumed that she considered herself a very religious person. Had I written to her, I might have spoiled her day by pointing out the the Bible contains some “dangerous content”:  Sex (David and Bathsheba), Abuse (Slavery), Undocumented Refugees (Mary and Joseph fleeing to protect baby Jesus) and bibles of all religions depict some form of violence along with the good stuff.

Censoring books is an age old phenomena because the pen really can be “mightier than the sword.” However, the recent Fascist pleasure of burning books in the U.S. takes censorship to a whole other level. The American Library Association condemns censorship and tries diligently to ensure free access to information. Every year the Office For Intellectual Freedom compiles a list of the “Top Ten” most challenged books to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. Surveys indicate that 82-97% of documented censorship requests to remove materials are unreported.

Among the ten most challenged books from 2001-2021 are books that many of you have probably read—OH, MY! and many of them have been written by Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize
winning authors, or other award winning authors.  Here are just a few samples:

TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD, (Harper Lee) “negative effects on students’ perception of the Black experience.” OF MICE AND MEN (John Steinbeck) “negative effect on students.” THE HANDMAIDS TALE, (Margaret Atwood) “profanity, vulgarity, sexual overtones.” HARRY POTTER SERIES, (J.K. Rowling) “referring to magic and witchcraft contains actual curses and spells.” CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS SERIES, (written and illustrated Dav Pilkey) “encouraging disruptive behavior,” THE KITE RUNNER (Khaled Hosseni) “leads to terrorism and promotes Islam.” SEX IS A FUNNY WORD (Cory Silverberg) “addresses sex education and leads children to ask questions about sex.” THE HUNGER GAMES (Suzanne Collins) “dangerous viewpoint.”
BELOVED (Toni Morrison) “sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence.” MY MOM HAS A BABY! A KID’S MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE TO PREGNANCY (Dori Hillestad Butler) “nudity, sex education.” I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS (Maya Angelou) “offensive language, sexually explicit.” THE CATCHER IN THE RYE (J.D. Salinger) “offensive language.”

I could go on and on in this BRAVE NEW WORLD of television, computers and smart phones. Who needs books when you can have television programs such as:
THE BACHELOR (plenty of sex and nudity), NCIS the team tracks a serial killer (violence), MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT (probably lots of bad language at second sight), FOOTBALL (violence), LOVE,LIGHTS AND CHANUKAH ((religion), MYSTERIES OF THE UNKNOWN-A SEWER GLOB THREATENS A CITY (dirty, icky and occult) and then there is FOX NEWS ( political magic and witchcraft and offensive language).

So, when we open the box of censorship one person’s perceived trash is another person’s treasure.For instance there is a commercial on TV with women sitting on toilets “Women Pooping on TV.”  I’m not sure what they are selling, but I’m not buying!  So should this ad be wiped clean? Or, should you just change the channel? I guess that sitting on a throne and ordering the murder of your enemies in a TV series just might be worse than a few women doing what comes natural—even in public.  So it goes…

Esther Blumenfel