Up and across the graveyard and down the other side.

I am now in London (which is cold and grey) and will fly back to Australia tomorrow (Sunday).  I was going to make this my last blog for a while but Ross has requested that I keep it up so that people overseas will be able to see how my prep for moving etc (if everything falls into place) is coming along....no promises but I might keep it going.

I said farewell to Iceland yesterday hopefully to return by summer.  My walks around the town are what I will miss the most, plus stepping outdoors every morning to be surrounded by the mountains, which occupy every view,  it is just so exhilarating.... I will never get sick of that.

I owe much to Sigga and Kristin who have provided room, board and great company on this extended stay, their hospitality and kindness has been wonderful, I really don't know how to repay...but I owe them both big time.

I think this post should showcase the breathtaking views and few odd things I have encountered on my last walk with Freyja up and across the graveyard and down the other side.

  

Once again from the top of the graveyard the view to the town centre and harbour

View across from the graveyard

 

Ravens/crows are my favourite bird, there are many in this town, these ravens are larger than the Australian crow and have a deeper call.   When they perch on the church steeple superstition here says a funeral is not far away.  There is no funeral parlor in Sauðárkrókur, when someone dies the body is kept in the hospital morgue, coffins are made by the local carpenters, then a church service and burial at the gravesite above the town.  Pretty straight forward, no middlemen and every citizen has a burial plot...which is paid through their taxes.

 

 

The sheep here look quite different to Aussie sheep, I have seen them white, brown, black, plus black and white.   The farmers let them roam free in the summer up into the hills and then everybody gets together and rounds them up, they are placed in a special central round pen Réttir and then the farmers select their own sheep, most of the them can do this via face recognition although they have little tags just in case you are not 100% sure. Ross and Olga were in town in 2008 and Olga has a great description and photos in her blog Réttir! of their experience 

  More info here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWjIwOFBrZU&NR=1 and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_sheep

There are horses everywhere around Iceland and most country people can ride. I have made a promise to myself to learn when I return. They are small and friendly, very rarely bite and good for the inexperienced, young and elderly. There is only one breed of horse in Iceland which has been isolated for over 1100 years to prevent diseases. Here is a link to the movie trailer of an emotional documentary about Tóti and his amazing award winning horse Kraftur.  Tóti lives in the region around Sauðárkrókur and his wife is the pastor who married Ross and Olga.   Tóti gets invited to the world championship in Holland but there is one catch, horses that leave Iceland
 are never allowed to return home.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85h8QxhH1yU
For more info on the Icelandic horse check out these links also. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_horse , http://www.icelandichorse.is/

  Whilst we are on animals, here is a pic of a ginger cat sitting on top of hay bales.  This cat did not flinch a muscle when Freyja barked incessantly,  he/she just looked at us as if we were ridiculous!

 

A frozen stream 

 the ice starting to melt.

 

Ice crystals

 

on an outdoor table 

 

Curious old buildings that I pass on my walk 

 

On my way back down to the town

The view as I enter the main street.

I am in a Christmas Card!

Well we arrived in Reykjavik Iceland around 2 in the afternoon on Dec 22nd after several trains and delayed flight from London to absolutely no snow at all...I was so disappointed, however it was all waiting for me in Saudarkrokur! It has snowed everyday since I have been here. At times when out walking I sink down to my knees in the snow.

There are lots of Christmas traditions here in Iceland I have had to resurrect my Christmassy spirit which has been well buried for sometime. It is quite dark here but the town is ablaze with Christmas lights...every house is decorated with lights in the windows, all over the house and in the garden....quite amazing to see a whole town lit up. Sunrise is around 11.30 am and sunset is around 3pm, the days are getting longer by around 50 seconds each day. The days are not pitch black but twilighty most of the time.

Wednesday afternoon we made little decorated Christmas trees from Pine tree branches to tie to the crosses up at the cemetery (another tradition)....It was -10 down in the town but up on the hill in the wind it must have been at least -15 with a chill factor of -20 I have never felt so cold...but it is all oh soooo beautiful. The graveyard is alight with luminous crosses and candles.

This photo of Ross and me is around 3ish in the afternoon, it's just starting to get darker, if you look closely you can see the lights of the town.

Wednesday night after dinner we walked to some relatives of Olga's where they were cooking this stinky fish (another tradition)....you eat it when it has gone rotten! Sigga encouraged me to try some...I did taste a little bit....it tasted better than it smelled but not that great! Then Sigga proceeds to tell me that she has never tried it as she cannot get passed the smell. One mouthful was enough though as I watched people eat great slabs of it....it has a very strong ammonia smell which does clear out the sinuses. Hard to try and describe a smell but maybe Ross's face will do it!

Another tradition is everybody drives around the town delivering Christmas cards. Olga and Sigga did this while Ross and I took a long walk up a hill around the top of the town to the graveyard no wind today so not that cold....it was so picturesque it was as if we were walking in a Christmas card. The snow is soft and fluffy just like I had imagined and here are pictures of snow, snow and more snow.

Fluffy Snow!

Views of snow covered Saudarkrokur from the graveyard.

The heavy snow covered graveyard!

Snow covered Fjord

Fjord later in the day, the snow covered mountains almost look like huge icebergs!

It has snowed so much here that Ross and Olga were able to build a couple of snowmen, apparently there was not enough snow last Christmas.


"Snowman"

Olga, Ross and Snowmen stand ins for Joe and Andy!!!

Amazing things appear on the beach in Saudarkrokur, last year a Polar Bear this year coconuts!