The Blue Lagoon
The Aurora Borealis
Icelandic Horses (cute, aren´t they?)
So this is my first blog entry. Well, i´ve been wanting to start blogging for quite some time, so I decided that no time is better than the present! I´m not sure how interesting this blog will be, considering I haven´t got all that much going on in my life now, but hey, it´s something that I can maybe look back on later, years down the line and find it interesting.
I like to record chapters in my life, whether it be through video, writing, or taking photographs. I think it´s a great way to capture memories or certain points in your life. Then later on down the road you can see how you´ve grown and changed as a person.
So here I am, a Black American female living in Iceland. Seem like a strange place to pick to live? Yea, believe me, I NEVER could have imagined that at 26 years old I would be living in Iceland of all places. I hardly even knew where Iceland was just a few years ago. But here I am! I´m here living with B, and I do like my life now!
So what´s life in Iceland like?
The Downside:
Well, in the winter it can be quite dark (hardly any sun at all, and if it does come out, it´s almost a reason for celebration!) It can also be quite rainy (the rain in Iceland comes down sideways, which basically means that even if you carry a good umbrella, you´re going to get wet. That is unless you plan on wearing a good coat with a nice hood over your head. Oh, and did I mention the wind? I can´t think of a windier place on earth (yea, ok, so it´s not like i´ve been around the world or anything. But seriously, could it get any more windier here?)
The Upside:
The snow. Oh, I just love snow! I´m a Southern California girl, so I was not used to snow or seeing snow before I came to Iceland. But I do absolutely love it when it snows here. The lava rocks in our backyard are covered in snow, and it just looks so beautiful and peaceful outside.
Aurora Borealis. Just google Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis and you´ll see what i´m talking about. It´s stunning. It is definitely amazing to see in person, and seeing the sky light up with all of these gorgeous colors is beyond amazing. And then sometimes, when the lights are really strong, you can see the colors moving..it´s almost as if they´re dancing along thes ky or something. That may sound really strange, but I really don´t know any other way of putting it. As far as I know, Iceland and Alaska are the only places that have the Northern Lights.
The Summer- Okay, in the summer we get summer 24/7. Yay! It may seem weird, but I love it. It´s cool to be able to take a walk after midnight, and have the sun still shining. When I visited Iceland for the first time in the summer, I remember thinking how strange it was to have the sun stay up and never go down. I wondered how I would sleep, but when I saw that B´s room was heavily curtained, and noticed that he had his windows all boarded up, and then I knew I would sleep just fine. Yea, it´s a bit weird preparing for bed when the sun is still shining, and it did a funny little number on my body the first week I was there, but eventually I got used to it, and began to love it.
The Horses- Yea, so you´re probably thinking well okay, what´s so special about horses? Well Icelandic horses are small. They are pony-sized, due to the fact that the breed was developed from ponies whom were brought to Iceland by Viking settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries.
There are a few horses near the house that I like to go and feed bread sometimes. i just love being around them. They´re beautiful and gentle and lovely to look at. And the gait they do is called tölt, which is something I hear only Icleandic horses do.
Hmmm.. well there are definitely more things I enjoy here. I won´t go into detail, as they are just simple little things that I find that I like. Here´s a short list:
The Blue Lagoon- Geothermal seawater, known for its positive effects on the skin. There are minerals, silica and algae in the water. Clean, fresh air surrounds you as you soak in the warm blue water, and there are saunas and a restaurant as well as a small cafe inside of the building. A visit to Iceland isn´t complete without stopping off for a soak in the Blue Lagoon
Free healthcare and free college.
Flatkokur- A healthy flat bread made from rye flour. They look like flat burned bread, but taste soo good!
Skyr- It looks like a very thick yogurt, but is really technically a soft cheese. It´s pretty yummy, though, especially when you add fruit to it. It´s also super healthy for you.
Chilibuff and Broccolibuff- Basically they are veggie patties made from brown rice, beans, and a mixture of spices and some other stuff. I practically live on these things. They´re great. Very filling and they taste good too.
Malt- Malty beverage. Pretty self-explanatory, really. Just a malty tasting soda, and its quite yummy.
Appelsinusosu-An orange sauce with fennel and some other spices. I´m not sure just exactly what is in it, but it´goes really well with the veggie patties I love to eat.
Well, there other things I do lie about this place, but these are some of the things which I can currently think of.
