Gay rights and the coolest mayor ever

Meet Jón Gnarr, the mayor of Reykjavik.

You may have heard this name before: the mayor was on the spotlight recently because of his open letter (and open speech) to Vladimir Putin about how crazy it is to ban gay people from a Country and the Olympic Games.

Jón is an advocate of gay rights, one of the most prominent and vocal in Europe. 

After a priminent career in punk music in Iceland, he founded the Best Party as a joke in 2009. As it happens, though, the Best Party won the elections in Reykjavik and Jón became the mayor just as the kreppa (the big financial crisis) hit Iceland. 

What makes Jón a great mayor is the fact that he is one of the biggest promoters of the gay pride in Reaykjavik and, through his office, calls on not-so-widesighted politicians. 

Jón has been spotted wearing a Jedi costume and, during the 2011 gay pride, he appeared as a drag queen as you can see below:

Advocating LGBT rights in politics is pretty rare, yet Jón is more and more outspoken about it. His facebook profile is full of resources and articles about how hard it is for LGBT people to be recognized as people and citizens, and how hard it is to actually have rights. Gay marriage is legal in Iceland, but Jón reckons there's still a lot to do.

What Jón does may be seen as idealistic, but the people of Reaykjavik seem to follow really well. Just an example: recently, the famous anti-gay preacher Franklin Graham planned a conference in Reykjavik. The Church of Iceland released a statement saying that they were not associated with the initiative and strongly disagreed with Graham's views; moreover, an initiative came up on social networks that demanded Icelanders to buy the tickets to the event and not going, leaving the room empty. They did it. I bet mister Graham will not be seen around Iceland very soon.

As you can see, Iceland is not just about elves, crazy parties and the Midnight Sun. It is about respect and human rights. It is about being decent people and willing to make this world a better place. You can actually breathe this mind set in this Country.

Pretty fly for a wifi!

I'm not going to state the obvious by saying that we live in a technology based society. Except I just did. Like this statement, there is no way to advoid technology nowadays. It's fact. And by all means I'm happy about it. Technology stimulates me, and makes me think big. Things that were just barely imaginable when I was little do exist now (like the Nintendo Wii...who would have thought?). Technology adds a lot to our life: social network is useful as it is vain; tech equipment in hospitals are a huge accomplishment and communications as a whole benefit greatly from all kinds of technology.

Many people though refuse to see this. Unfortunately, people in governments often think that technology is something we must fear and that it must be regulated. That's why many Countries (including my own) try to limit internet connections (wifi) and on a greater level free speech, which is one of the greatest and most noble purposes of the internet.

As usual, Scandinavia and Iceland are way ahead. In Sweden, everyone owns a tablet and wifi is mostly free everywhere. In Finland it is a right to be able to connect to the internet. Online courses are normal routine in most universities and the things you can do through your connection are countless (such as: vote, read a book, ...).

Iceland makes no exception. When I was in Reykjavik, I had no problems connecting my smartphone to the internet wherever I was. I could send pictures in real time to my dad at the hospital; I could update my blog; I could send work emails and all that stuff. Thanks to some really clever apps, I could make my own schedule for Iceland Airwaves (telling me how many people there were in line outside a venue) or find the nearest happy hour bar. More importantly, I could download an app that connected to my gps and called Lögreglu (the icelandic police and rescue service) with a touch of my finger, should I be in danger.

Even in the middle of nowhere I was able to connect my smartphone and check emails.

Now, this is great.

You may want to be as one with nature and not think about your job or your problems at home, but more often than not you'll need the internet and in Iceland you'll have no problem managing such a need.

This is not a sociologic question, there is no debate about how much you should chat with your friends or how many pictures are considered as an acceptable daily amount on instagram. What I like about Iceland is that, whatever you want to do with your smartphone or computer, you're free to do it.

GUEST POST: Edward Hancox

Edward Hancox - Iceland, Defrosted

I'm Ed. I met Francesca when she read my book, Iceland, Defrosted and got in touch to say who much she enjoyed it. We certainly share a passion for Iceland, but it got me thinking about friendship, support and how I couldn't do this out with either of them.

I've long been bowled over by the sheer friendliness of Icelanders. It was recently revealed by World Economic Forum (WEF) that Iceland was found to be the friendliest nation in the world. I, for one, was not surprised. I've known it for years.

Icelanders, it seems, have friendliness as a national trait. Yes, the old stereotype of Icelanders being frosty and aloof can be true initially, but this can soon thaw to show a genuine friendliness, helpfulness and welcome that cannot be beaten across the world.

Add a hotpot, or a glass of beer, and that thaw can take place even more quickly.

Let me give you an example of this.

My book, Iceland, Defrosted, is based on the people, places and music of Iceland. It is self-published, which means I should have done all the work that a publisher would normally do myself. Except I didn't. Icelanders were there to help at every juncture. An Icelandic friend suggested the that I put pen to paper in the first place. That was six years ago. Since then, Icelanders have shown me the best of their country; from the obvious such as the Blue Lagoon to obscure underground hot pots, from vast glacial plains to the best places to spot the elusive Northern Lights. They have shown me the best, and worst Icelandic food. Icelanders passed me on to friends who might know about this, or a relative who knows that, but complete strangers also offered advice on the Icelandic language, and rhubarb jam making. Icelanders have invited me into their homes, their weddings and shown me the minutiae of their lives; seeing the duck a 9 year old girl was getting for her birthday on Grímsey for example.

Crowd-funding the book proved successful due to Icelandic support. Icelanders got me included in daily newspaper morgunblaðið. Icelandic musicians have provided a soundtrack to these adventures, and some of them (Sóley, Ólafur Arnalds, Laylow and others) have shared a coffee with me and tried to explain what makes Icelandic music so special.

But the hand of friendliness keeps reaches out, not just from Icelanders, but all over the world. Its been overwhelming. Iceland seems to bring out the very best in people. People like Francesca, previously complete strangers, are lending their support. A librarian from Switzerland, asking her library to stock my little book? It doesn't get any better than that. They write the loveliest emails, telling me how much my book has meant to them, how much they can relate to my experiences of Iceland and now I get blamed by people buying airline tickets to Iceland. It's been a wonderful experience, but I couldn't have done it alone. Like I say, Iceland seems to bring out the best in people.

For more details, please see: Icelanddefrosted.com

(Many thanks to Edward for writing this post and agreeing to a blog swap - Francesca)

I'm a librarian so I should talk about books every now and then, right?

I'll probably talk about the most famous Icelandic writers one day. For today, I want to talk to you about a really cute book by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, The Greenhouse (original title: Afleggjarinn ).

A patron returned this book earlier this summer, and she told me it was really good. Being by an icelandic author, I had to read it.

It took me 2 days. 

The story is about a young man who becomes a father without planning it. Being very young and confused, he decides to leave Iceland to go to a monastery in Europe to tend to a once famous garden. As it goes, though, he can not escape his life  and his little girl.

Being by an icelandic author, the book contains a surprising dose of humor. And I mean really funny humor. This is a thing I seldom - if not never - found in any icelandic book. As you probably know, Icelanders aren't famous for their sense of humor. 

Anyway.

This book is also very delicate; the plot flows from page to page, and it is as weightless as a feather. I smiled more than once, and almost cried because of the sweetness. Yes, if I had to describe this book with one word I'd choose sweet. 

It's nothing trascendental and maybe not a masterpiece, but it's calming and relaxing and it can make you smile and feel comfortable. 

That's what I like about books: the feeling of coziness they can give.

Fun fact: after seeing a picture of the author on wikipedia, I had the weird feeling that I already saw her somewhere. I later found out that she's the director of the art museum of the University of Iceland. As it happens, I have been there and there was a vernissage, and she was probably there. If only I brought my book with me! 

Being a (occasionally raw) vegan in Iceland

When I left Copenhagen for the first time to go to Iceland, I packed a lot of vegan snacks and food.

On tourist guides, you read the most awful things about Icelandic food. I don't know if those rumors are true, but I wish I didn't know about it.

Being a vegan, I was aghast. I thought I would seriously resort to eating wild berries and probably die of food poisoning (side note: this didn't stop me at all from being over excited when I boarded the plane).

Upon my arrival in Reykjavík, I was surprised overjoyed to find a raw vegan restaurant on Laugavegur. I couldn't ask for anything better, really. The food was amazing and the place is cozy and awesome. I suspect Jónsi from Sigur Rós has something to do with it, but I can't know for sure.

Here's a pic of my magnificent lunch:

My meal: raw sesame burger with bulgur and chutney, and banana cake. Yummieessss

Other than that, though, I was afraid not to find anything edible (well, for my herbivore habits) anywhere else, especially during tours in the wild.

I was wrong once more.

At Gullfoss I was treated with an amazing vegan tomato soup, while Bonus (the unmistakable supermarket with a pig as a logo) has a surprisingly wide range of vegan products. There's also a vegan/bio grocery store on Laugavegur and a vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurant next door to the shop.

I mean. What more could I ask for, really?

Classic touristy thing: the view from Hallgrímskirkja

One of the best things to do while in Reykjavík is to go to the top of the famous and beautiful Hallgrímskirkja. You can reach it using the stairs (bad idea) or an elevator. They will ask you to pay a small fee to go up; believe me, it's well worth it. 

The top of the church offers a 360° view of the capital. As you can see from my picture, the eye can wander to as far as the bay and the mountains. It is absolutely breath taking, and in a sunny and clear day you'll have the chance to take incredible pictures that will make your friends really jealous (warning: they may want to insult you after seeing your stunning shots!).

It's also very windy up there, which only adds to the freedom feeling. And to those who are horribly afraid of heights (like me) not to worry: the fences are tall and there are no holes through which you can fall down. 

It's a win/win situation. 

Whale watching is good for you!! (unless you had breakfast, then you should think about not going)

Whale watching is one of the most amazing things I've ever done (no matter that I really, seriously love whales - I think anyone would be emotionally involved in this experience).

I did it in the summer of 2012.

Here is my blog entry of that day:

In other news: today we went whale watching It’s been the most amazing experience of my life! I literally cried of joy - well, before throwing up at least. Anyway, we were extremely lucky (our guide said it was like we won the lottery) because we saw 2 minke whales feeding very close to the boat, and a pod of 8 dolphins. I can’t really describe the emotion! Just some advice if you plan to go whale watching: don’t have breakfast before it. No seriously, don’t.

And here's a picture of what you actually have to wear when you go whale watching with Elding in July:

Yes, it was that cold.

Trying to write down my feelings during the tour is clearly impossible. You can not describe the feeling you get when this enourmous animal looks at you from the waves. You can hear it breath. You can actually smell it.
Whales are so curious they come close to the boat and play. They are as big as a bus and they want to play. The emotions are incredible.

Elding, being the awesome company that it is, posted a video and a recap of our tour. Here it is, with a link to their website:

Tour at 0900

Report from Hafsúlan:

What a great morning in Faxaflói Bay! We started the tour at Akurey to watch thousands of Puffins. It is great to see how good the colony doing at the moment and we hope more and more to have young birds on the island in this autum. Once we were further out in the bay we spotted something in a great distance, some splashes and a black back, this turned out to be two lunge feeding Minke Whales! What a great moment out in a calm bay! Both of them surfaced close to the boat and we could see small fish jumping while the Whales were lunge feeding not more than 10 meter away. Once we all ahd a great look at the Minke Whales feeding hehaviour we headed into another area as there was a second boat coming and we did not want to disturb the whales. Not more than five minutes later we found a Pod of 10 to 15 White Beaked Dolphins. Again a nice surprise. They came close to the boat and we saw their whole bodies under the surface, before we decided to head back towards land. On the way back we spotted 4 other Minke Whales in different directions that we just looked at while passing by. Amazing start into the day for all on board!!!

Photos and video taken by engineer Guðmundur Geir

There is really no way to describe the Midnight Sun

This is Reykjavik at 2 in the morning in July..which means GLORIOUS MIDNIGHT SUN :)

Why you need a stick when hanging out in Iceland

If you're familiar with guides about Iceland, you may have noticed that several authors suggest you bring a stick when you hang out - both in the cities and in the country.

I never fully understood why until I was walking around Tjörnin one day.

I heard a screeching, cringing noise - I thought it was a cat or a very big and dangerous animal. As it turned out, it was a bird. I was reassured, but only for a minute: the bird proceeded to attack us like a war machine. 

And I'm not even making things up.

The animal catapultated towards us from a distance, trying to actually hurt us. We sought cover in the church nearby.

I was terrified. I never experienced anything like that. 

I asked our tour guide the next day if birds in Iceland are all crazy or if it was just that particular bird. He told me that apparently these birds - I don't know the name - are extremely territorial and if you go too close to their nests they can become pretty aggressive. They are afraid of sticks though. 

So make sure you have a stick. Do you understand? Bring a stick with you, always!!! (WARNING: I don't mean you have to hit the birds with the stick!! far from it!! You just have to swing it above your head and they'll leave you alone!)

Icelandic volcanoes

If a volcano starts erupting while you’re here, make sure you hook up with the icelanders and go see it. If it erupts while you’re abroad, hop on the first plane and get your ass here immediately!

(cit. our tour guide in Iceland, while visiting the Vatnajökull)

The shower police

I thought I was weird because I freaked out about the shower police when I was at Blue Lagoon.

Turns out I’m not the only one and there’s even a little book that talks about the shower police!

If you’ve never been there, here’s a brief explanation of what happens at Blue Lagoon.

After wearing your bathsuit, you have to pass through a shower section before entering the pools.

There are huge signs everywhere that say it’s mandatory to shower naked before entering the pool. 

There are a lot of showers, complete with shower gel, shampoo and conditioner.

Now, of course non-icelanders don’t always feel comfortable showering naked. So I didn’t take off my bathsuit and started showering and washing my hair.

That’s when the showers police intervenes.

A young lady walks up to me and politely asks me to take off my bathsuit.

To which I react like this: O____O

So I proceed to take it off, thinking she would move. But she stays. She stays and makes sure I’m washing.

I’ve rarely been more embarassed in my life.

So, if you go to Blue Lagoon…do it. Take off your bath suit and try not to get busted by the shower police.

A little side note: reading Alda Sigmundsdóttir's Little Book Of The Icelanders, I learned that the shower police is actually a thing among tourists. I was very relieved not to be the only prudish person at Blue Lagoon - apparently many people are puzzled about this custom. 

Money and elves and stuff

That’s right - don’t throw your money in the water. Meaning: don’t throw it here, you have to throw it in the next creek. There’s a particular creek in Þingvellir that is said to be populated by elves (like 99% of Iceland, I must say). If you throw them money, they bless you with luck. Our guide wasn’t sure about why they want money though, because a) they don’t need it and b) they don’t pick it up. He guessed maybe they like the sparkles of the coins hit by sunshine. So, since the elves don’t pick up the money, Icelanders do it for them (?!), and with the money they raise they fix the path through Þingvellir. And the elves seem happy about that, so the tourists don’t go stomping on their houses. Pretty neat, uh?

Paintings and weird things on the walls

The first thing you notice when you arrive in Iceland’s cool (see what I did there?) capital is the amazing amount of street art and colour around its streets.

Sure, there are lots of colourful homes and fences - but it’s not just that. 

People get creative in Iceland. It seems to me that people love art and literally living among art, so that pictures are not just to be seen in museums, but can decorate the entire city! This thought inspires me a lot - I’ve been in awe during all my holiday in Reykjavik. Everywhere I turned, there was a great mural, graffiti, or even knitted artworks decorating trees! Like this:

Talking about decorating trees in a creative way…

Moreover, art is used as advertisement by little shops - and it’s so much better than those huge blueprints we have here! Here’s an example - this mural advertises a company that fixes computers:

The artistic installation are a world apart. There are huge artworks made of glass or some kind of sequin that move with every gust of wind and sparkle like fairy powder on top of buildings:

And then there are huge masterpieces that remind you of modern time science fiction:

My thought when I came back home was: what if we did the same in our grey and boring cities? Suddenly a realization came to me: here, it would be impossible. Even if the city council gave its permission (and I don’t think they would, honestly, because for some reason they like their concrete), people would run around with spray cans and write stupid slogans all over the murals. Or they would add inappropriate male apparatus to pretty much anything (yeah..you know what I’m talking about). This doesn’t seem to happen in Iceland - or at least, I haven’t seen one mural ruined by mindless “sprayers”. I’ve been under the impression that most people respect stuff in Iceland. Want to set long chairs on Laugavegur for people to sit? Sure, no problem.

In general, Icelandic people proved to be very respectful towards things and people alike:  when I was lost alone in Reykjavik I had at least 7 people anxious to help me - and that isn’t something that  happened a lot during my travels in other Countries!  

People just seem genuinely happy about the murals, and the city council actually encourages this kind of things - as you can read here.

Walking the streets of Reykjavik is like being in one of those cool kids’ museums they have in Germany, where kids can look at art but also experiment and draw and live their creative impulse. I felt like I was perfectly allowed to take a pencil and draw pretty stuff wherever I wanted (I don’t know ifthis is actually legal, so don’t do it). Honestly, I just wanted to run through the colourful streets like I was 6.

Talking about young artists: I spent a night in Leynibúðin’s bar on Laugavegur. i understand it is some sort of young designers collective, active in the fashion area. Besides the brilliant DJ set they had, I had the chance to show my little art notebook to people there. They showed me their work, too, and we talked about street art for about 3 hours. It’s something that had never happened to me. 

So if you are an art enthusiast like me, Iceland is definitely the place to be. And don’t forget to visit the local bars and collectives of young designers and artists - there you can see art at work and meet interesting people who get excited hearing your latin-sounding name! 

Maybe I have a romantic and unrealistic idea of Iceland. Unfortunately I’m not naive enough to believe that there is a place where everyone is respectful and kind. But coming from a Country (Switzerland) where people is horribly rude to each other, my holidays in Reykjavik felt like a huge breath of fresh air!