Tumgik
#ísafjörður
aisling-saoirse · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media
Ísafjarðardjúp, Iceland - October 9th 2023
59 notes · View notes
tommargol · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media
#ísafjörður (at Ísafjörður) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoTAj6kIEN5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
80 notes · View notes
guy60660 · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media
Ísafjörður | MyModernMet
15 notes · View notes
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
With most of the country just under the Arctic Circle, Iceland does not experience true polar night, where the sun stays below the horizon and darkness lingers throughout the winter.
However, some parts of Iceland do experience a version of this phenomenon.
Due to the nation’s steep mountains, many people live in areas where the peaks block the sun’s rays.
This includes Ísafjörður, a small town in the Westfjords of Iceland.
There, from late November to late January, the rays of the sun fail to reach the town, leaving it in shadow.
On January 25 each year, the sun finally arrives at Sólgata, or “Sun Street,” in Ísafjörður.
To celebrate, families and friends gather for Sólarkaffi, “Sun coffee,” to welcome the return of the sun.
If it is a cloudy or stormy day, which is not uncommon for Iceland at this time of year, many will postpone the celebration.
But even if the sun’s rays can be felt for just a few precious minutes, out comes the strong coffee and Icelandic pancakes, along with wishes of gleðilega sólrisu, or “Merry sunrise!”
Around Iceland, many people celebrate Sólardagur (“Sun Day”) around January 25 with sweets and hot drinks.
But in villages such as Ísafjörður, many families choose to have their Sólarkaffi on the exact day that the sun hits their home.
Tumblr media
Ásdís Guðmundsdóttir has lived in Ísafjörður for the majority of her life.
She can remember celebrating the holiday when she was eight years old, with her mother making pancakes when the sun finally reached town on a clear day.
Now, she celebrates with her great-grandchildren, making and eating pancakes the same way she did as a child: with whipped cream and jam.
Icelandic pancakes, pönnukökur, are crepe-like pancakes best served with homemade rhubarb jam and whipped cream.
Some people like to cover them in sugar and then roll them up to be eaten like a hot dog.
The golden pancakes, with their resemblance to the sun, are eaten to celebrate making it through the darkest days of the year.
“We like to call them Sólarpönnukökur (“Sun pancakes”),” says Edda Björk Jónsdóttir, a specialist in education and communication at the Herring Era Museum in Siglufjörður.
In Siglufjörður, a small town surrounded by steep mountains in the north of Iceland, Sólardagur is celebrated on January 28, the day that the sun’s rays shine over the mountaintops and fall on the town.
In addition to celebrations at home, companies in town set aside time for employees to have sun pancakes together.
At noon, elementary school children gather on the church steps to sing songs such as “Sól er yfir Fjallabyggð,” an ode celebrating the light reaching the Fjallabyggð region.
These days, most people tend to leave their small fishing villages to move to the capital of Reykjavík, often for employment or education.
Yet Sólardagur is such a meaningful day to people from places like Ísafjörður and Siglufjörður that it is also celebrated in Reykjavík, even though the city receives direct sunlight throughout the winter.
Ísfirðingafélagið, founded in 1945, is an organization based in Reykjavík that connects people from Ísafjörður who have moved to the city.
Their big event of the year is Sólarkaffi.
Since 1946, it has been held annually, except for when the Covid-19 pandemic prevented large gatherings of people.
What began as a small gathering over coffee and pancakes on a Sunday afternoon is now a Friday night event with a ball and dancing—but only after the traditional coffee and pancakes are served, of course.
“Even though we moved to Reykjavík and could see the sun all year around, we kept this tradition to celebrate the day of the sun, in honor of our hometown and those who live there and have not seen the sun for a long time,” says Rúnar Örn Rafnsson, the current chairman of Ísfirðingafélagið.
“Pancakes and coffee are a vital part of the celebration,” says composer and pianist Halldór Smárason, who is from Ísafjörður but now lives near Reykjavík.
Smárason performs at Sólarkaffi every year and wouldn’t miss it for the world.
“I really love this event as it’s an opportunity to reunite with old friends and familiar faces from my hometown,” he says.
For many people, Sólardagur marks a return to easier times.
“The sun makes everyone happier, the grass gets greener, fishing becomes more manageable, and the long-awaited light creates a true and deep feeling of appreciation in all of us,” says Smárason.
Tumblr media
The celebration is especially meaningful, considering that the winter darkness can be detrimental to mental health.
Thelma Björk Guðmundsdóttir, the head of the mental health team at the hospital in Ísafjörður, notes that the arrival of the sun in dark Icelandic towns is a genuine cause for celebration.
“It means a lot to us when it happens, because of how it can affect us to be in darkness for so long,” she says, “which people might not quite understand unless they live with it.”
Jónsdóttir from the Herring Era Museum shares that sentiment.
“I think that most people associate hope with the Sólardagur,” she says. “Some people have said that it’s almost like the sun fills you with light, hope, and joy on the inside.”
More than simply coffee and pancakes, Sólardagur and Sólarkaffi are a chance for families and communities to celebrate the first sign of winter’s end together.
“It’s definitely a turning point,” says Jónsdóttir. “We have been without the sun for over two months, and when the sun finally comes back, it means that there will be less darkness.”
13 notes · View notes
yorkcalling · 2 years
Text
New Music: Sophia Dragt - Temporary Gold
New Music: Sophia Dragt – Temporary Gold
Sophia Dragt is a Utrecht, Netherlands-based folk pop singer songwriter who Jane first discovered for the blog last summer through her EP lslands. She was so captivated by Sophia’s music, she even followed up the review with an interview. Now she’s back on the blog with an emotive new track. It’s called Temporary Gold. (more…)
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes
islandiis · 1 year
Text
@englaiand | starter call
"It's pretty from up here, isn't it? See, the town is built on an eyri — Hm, I'm not sure what the English translation would be. An eyri, it's a spit of land which extends out into the ocean, but... Kind of like a hook shape. I'm not doing a very good job of explaining this." He laughs, quietly, and leans back on his hands. "You see, the town is surrounded by ocean on three sides. That's why, when I picked you up from the airport - and to get here - we had to drive the whole way around the fjord."
They're seated up Naustahvilft; a short, though steep climb that stops just under 200 metres. From here, they have a wonderful view over Ísafjörður, the airport, and the steep mountains on all sides of the fjord, bar one, which leads out to the ocean and snow-covered land on the far side.
"This is Nýhöfn. New Harbour. It´s where the cruise ships come in and dock," he points to the harbour closest to us, currently free of cruise liners blocking their view. To the opposite side of the eyri, he points to the second harbour, "and this is Gamlahöfn. Old harbour. This is where fishing vessels and things like that come in. Ísafjörður and most of the other towns around here are all old fishing villages, so there is a lot of history." He coughs to one side, before asking, "The UK has quite a maritime history as well, doesn't it?"
4 notes · View notes
travelingare · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
📍 Ísafjörður,Iceland
iceland Ísafjörður in Iceland is getting ready for Christmas This is a town in the northwest of Iceland and the largest settlement in the Westfjords of Iceland. It is considered the capital of the region and is the center of trade, commerce, fishing and tourism.
Travel tip The oldest house still standing in Iceland, built in 1734, is located in Ísafjörður as part of the local folk museum.
@haukursigurdsson
28 notes · View notes
nfasth · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media
Morning fog over Ísafjörður
22 notes · View notes
kellyvictoriak · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Arctic Foxes Hornstrandir Reserve, Ísafjörður, Iceland 4.2023
13 notes · View notes
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson Born: May 14, 1943, Ísafjörður, Iceland Physique: Average Build
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is an Icelandic politician who was the fifth president of Iceland from 1996 to 2016. He was previously a member of the Icelandic Parliament for the People's Alliance and served as Minister of Finance from 1988 to 1991. Since the end of his presidency, Ólafur has been serving as Chairman of the Arctic Circle, a non-profit organization, and as Chairman of the International Renewable Energy Agency's Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation.
Tall, handsome and a head full of thick white hair. This is a man I I'd love to grind on... in multiple ways. And with me saying that, you know he's married with children, which is a standard for all the men I lust after now days. But that does not matter when your mentally fucking them.
41 notes · View notes
alexstrohl · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The raw, mysterious, and, magical place that is Ísafjörður in the dead of winter…
44 notes · View notes
aisling-saoirse · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ísafjörður, Iceland - October 11th 2023
2K notes · View notes
tommargol · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media
#ísafjörður https://www.instagram.com/p/CnDI521Lw1N/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
6 notes · View notes
gfxced · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ísafjörður, Iceland 2011
7 notes · View notes
cappymightwrite · 1 year
Note
If you could get away for a month, anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I think I’d go back to Reykjavík 🇮🇸 I had such a wonderful time there doing my MA and had really started to settle in before the pandemic hit and I decided to come home. It’s just like nowhere else and it’s such an inspiring place to be. You feel like you’re on the edge of the world, even in Iceland’s capital, the sea right there and the mountains in the distance. There’s just a feeling about the landscape, that everyone partakes in, which is very special. But at the same time, it’s a very modern and dynamic city (and country). Icelanders are very helpful, too.
During my month, I’d love to get the internal flight to Ísafjörður, in the Westfjords, as well. I had a week there for a language course at the University of the Westfjords in 2018, but I’d love to go back and explore the neighbouring area a bit more. I just really loved Iceland, and maybe I romanticise my time there because it was pre-Covid, but I’ve truly never felt the way I felt there anywhere else. I miss it a lot 🏔 🌊
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Thanks for the ask 🇮🇸❤️
13 notes · View notes
aif0s-w · 1 year
Note
Also, I will now provide you with the following cursed knowledge:
The Kirkjuból witch trial was a witch trial that took place in Kirkjuból in 1656, in what is today Ísafjörður, in Iceland.[1] It is the most famous witch trial in Iceland.
The plaintiff in the trial was pastor Jón Magnússon (author), who had been suffering poor health since 1654. He contended that his illness, as well as what he described as demonic disturbances in his household and in the surrounding district, were brought on by sorcery practiced by two members of his own congregation, who also sang in the choir, a father and son both named Jón Jónsson. The elder Jón confessed to owning a book about magic and that he had used it against Jón Magnússon. The son also confessed to having made the pastor ill and of having used magical signs and farting runes (Fretrúnir) against a girl. The curse of farting was intended to be relentless; to not only humiliate the victim, but also to bring about chronic abdominal discomfort and weakness.
Okay this is official: Middle Ages were damn crazy
Poor Jon and Jon though
Tumblr media
Thuridur Jonsdottir slay queen
4 notes · View notes