Black out

An interesting fact about Iceland:

When the Icelandic government was negotiating with the American army, about taking care of Iceland's safety on the behalf of NATO, it was important to the Icelandic government that the Americans would not send black soldiers to serve here. It can bee seen in the words spoken by some Icelandic official (no name mentioned): "Icelanders have nothing against the colored friends of ours, but they are not used to them and might possible be scared of them". In the first group of American soldiers that came to Iceland on May 7, 1951 there were no black soldiers.

The dinosaurs of the shores

Brilliant weather last weekend gave me a great opportunity to continue my hunt for lighthouses. Driving on gravel roads along the cliffs of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, I discovered a new born lighthouse.

In a region dominated by fishermen and their boats, it is a local tradition for each boat to adopt a lighthouse. The crew which adopt a lighthouse is responsible to take care of their lighthouse, to paint it when necessary, clean around it and provide the routinely maintenance so assure it function properly. With modern navigation systems, there is no more need for lighthouses. GPS is the new lighthouse. It works in any weather condition, day or night and it helps boats to find their way to the safe harbor. Lighthouses are mostly left for decoration purposes, remnants of the old times, the dinosaurs of the shores. However, in a place that doesn't forget its past, lighthouses are still respected and well treated. They are cherished by the same people who were once depended on them. Once were the savers of many lives, now they own their existence to the same people they once saved.

Standing next to the lighthouse there is a beautiful view of the magnificent Snæfellsjökull. Catching great views is one of the side benefits of lighthouses hunters.

The lost tribe of Iceland

Ages ago ten Israelite tribes were expelled from their land by the Assyrians and disappeared forever. Until recently I thought one of the lost tribes might actually have resurfaced, right here in Iceland.

As bizarre as it may sound, this is not a Jewish conspiracy to claim this land and its natural resources, but a story I once heard from an insurance sales agent who came to my house trying to persuade me to buy life insurance.

As any good sales person who knows their job, the sales agent started with a “breaking the ice” conversation topic, which is necessary to make the client feel more comfortable so that it is more likely that he or she signs the papers at the end of the sale process.

After I told the insurance agent that I’m from Israel, he asked the mandatory question: “How do you like Iceland?” And I answered: “very much.”

I sometimes fantasize about replying, “I don’t really like it here” just to see what the reaction will be, but I do want to be honest and tell the truth.

While we were talking, the sales agent told me two interesting things:

Firstly that Iceland was the first country to vote on the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine about the division of the western portion of the British Mandate of Palestine into two provisional states, one Jewish and one Arab. The act led to the establishment of the state of Israel.

And secondly (that came almost as a whisper) that Icelanders are probably one of the lost tribes of Israel. "At least that’s I want to believe," he added.

I was surprised by his remarks, especially about the second one. I refrained from asking whether he was Jewish, thinking: "This guy is really desperate to sell."

A while later I found out that the guy had been right about the first part; Iceland was indeed the first country to vote on the UN 181 resolution. It was genuine remark and it made me think that maybe he was right about the second thing as well. Maybe Icelanders really are one of the lost tribes of Israel?

This idea kept haunting me for some time and even though I didn't expect to make any big historic discoveries, I decided to do my own little investigation to see what I could find out about the subject.

A few attempts to find more resources about this theory online didn’t bring any results so I quickly gave up the whole idea and dismissed it at the guy’s own wishful thinking.

Icelanders, so it seems, are descents of Vikings and Celts, not Middle Eastern tribes. Finding my Hebrew roots in Iceland is definitely not something I expected before I came here, so I can’t really say that I’m disappointed.

I think the insurance guy shouldn't be disappointed either. At the moment Iceland has enough trouble for itself, so why raising more? Throwing this small and peaceful island directly to the "Who Is a Jew?" question is really not necessary.

Iceland is a land of many myths. I realized that when I first opened a tourist map, like the ones you can have for free at any tourist information (which is also the one used by the editor of Iceland Review Online). Trolls, ghosts and sea monsters can be spotted in different locations across the island.

As much as I’m fond of Icelandic stories and myths, I think that the lost tribe of Iceland tale is one myth too many, even for Iceland.

And in case you’re wondering about my life insurance status, I am still looking to get one. But that’s a different story.

Published in Iceland Review May 20, 2009.

SS

Today we took advantage of this great sunny weekend to travel to Stykkishólmur. The region main town is home for the biggest supermarket and swimming pool in the area.

Our first stop before the supermarket is the great outdoors swimming pool. Getting some tan in Iceland doesn't always come easy, so in a day like this, you don't want to miss the opportunity. Semi Olympic outdoor pool, indoor pool, three hot pots and a gym definitely make this place a worth visit.

After the swimming pool, it is a tradition to stop at the famous SS hot dog stand that opens only during the summer. When I first introduced to it, it took me some time to get over the inevitable association with the other famous SS, but after little investigation and without checking the ingredients I made sure, this SS is Kosher.

Sad story

Today I killed a puffin. It was an accident. Two birds were standing on the road, minding their business, enjoying the sun. Suddenly a driver came from behind, caught them by surprise. One bird managed to fly, the other hit the light. I heard wings crushing on the windshield and a beak twisting to the side. The two of us stopped breathing. Me for a moment, the bird for a life.

My little monster

It's been raining non stop for almost two weeks here in Olafsvik. Today when I came back home, I saw our little backyard waterfall converted into a monster. I call it "backyard waterfall" but its official name is "Bæjarfossinn", which means "the waterfall of town". Well, I don't care what's the official name is, it is still my backyard waterfall.

This is how it looks like from our living room window.

Know the difference

A quick look on the map below might get you confused. What you are actually seeing is a satellite map of Antarctica, on which I draw names of places in Iceland. If you want to see how Iceland really looks like from space, go here.


Here some common misconceptions about Iceland:

1. Iceland is not literally 'the land of ice', same as Greenland is not 'the land of green'. The opposite is closer to the truth. 81% of Greenland is covered with ice sheet while only 11% of Iceland is covered with glaciers.

2. There are no Eskimos living in Iceland. Eskimos live in Siberia (Russia), Alaska, Canada and Greenland, not in Iceland. Icelanders are descended primarily from Norsemen of Scandinavia and Celts.

3. Don't go looking for Polar bears in Iceland. The few Polar bears who reached Iceland shores floating on icebergs, get shot upon arrival.

4. Icelandic women are probably the most beautiful women in the world. But you better watch this before considering to date a viking woman.

Who is it

I'm rediscovering Björk. Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) is the second single from her album Medúlla. The video was shot outdoors in Björk's native Iceland. The video features the bell choir version of the song, which was re-recorded with the Bústaðakirkja Bell Choir.




His embrace, a fortress
It fuels me
And places
A skeleton of trust
Right beneath us
Bone by bone
Stone by stone
If you ask yourself patiently and carefully:
Who is it ?
Who is it that never lets you down ?
Who is it that gave you back your crown ?
And the ornaments are going around
Now they're handing it over
Handing it over

He demands a closeness
We all have earned a lightness
Carry my joy on the left
Carry my pain on the right

If you ask yourself patiently and carefully:
Who is it ?
Who is it that never lets you down ?
Who is it that gave you back your crown ?
And the ornaments are going around
Now they're handing it over
Handing it over

Just keep smiling

Note: This is not just another essay about the kreppa (Icelandic word for economic crisis). Many smart people are working hard right now on trying to figure out a ways out of the economic crisis.

Many experts have proposed solutions and stimulus plans that involve spending billions of dollars in an effort to revive the failing economies around the world.

I’m not a big economy wiz and I hope someone is doing a good job out there. I’m a practical man, and I know that happy people are more likely to spend more money.

I have an idea for a stimulus plan that anyone can take part in and hopefully, in the end, it will also encourage people to spend more of their money.

I came to Iceland few months before the kreppa and to me one of the signs of the prosperous Icelandic economy was the incapability of shop keepers to smile at their customers.

I felt that business owners were too confident about the situation because their customers were so eager to buy that everyone just forgot to smile all the way to the cash register.

I remember that while living in America I was greeted every time I entered a store almost without exception. It was like unwritten law that everyone followed. By entering a shop you were entitled to be greeted and if it the friendly gesture was fake it didn’t really matter.

One of the first things I noticed after arriving in Iceland was that smiles were rare, even the fake ones. Many times while shopping or even while passing someone I was familiar with on the street, I was simply ignored; I didn’t get even the minimal nod of recognition.

It felt weird and it still does. In the beginning I blamed myself for wanting to be greeted more than I ought to, so I decided to share this observation with a few of my foreign friends to see if their experience was similar to mine.

Starting this conversation was like opening a Pandora’s Box. Everyone agreed with me and gave me examples from their personal experiences.

Some tried to analyze this behavior and one of the excuses they came up with behalf of the Icelanders was that the Nordic people in general have difficulties expressing their emotions, especially in public.

Hugs and kisses are rare, even among friends and couples. You can sense an uncomfortable sentiment while approaching an Icelander with a genuine hug or, God forbid, a kiss.

I don’t think many Icelanders would feel comfortable reading this but I’m sure that many of them will agree. As an Israeli, I know, nobody likes to be criticized. But I also know that many wish things were different.

Icelanders deserve to be smiled at like anybody else. We all deserve to be greeted by our friends and family members and also by strangers passing by. Showing courtesy to a fellow human being is not a burden; it’s an acknowledgment of our own existence as members in the family called humanity.

In the Talmud there is a story about a Rabbi who was known for being the first to greet everyone he met, even if it was a stranger in the marketplace—a virtue that I’d like to share with you. I decided to take the Rabbi’s example and greet and smile at everyone I see.

It took me some time to get used to it but I enjoyed every smiling moment. I discovered that smiles are more contagious than the flu.

I believe that the people who were greeted by me won’t forget about it anytime soon. I made sure they won’t and I guarantee that my smile will be reflected back at me the next time I see them. I dare them to ignore me. I don’t care if their smile is fake, any smile will do.

As for the kreppa, smiles don’t cost a thing but are worth more than gold. We could all be richer if we’d just smile a little bit more.

Published in Iceland Review May 6, 2009.

Lighthouses

I'm a big fan of lighthouses. Since I was a child I had this dream about living in a lighthouse. As I grown up I changed my mind, it doesn't seem so much fun running up and down the stairs all day. But I'm still fascinated about them. Here are two lighthouses I found in Snæfellsness so far. To be continued...

The beautiful face of politics pt.3

In the 3rd chapter of the saga looks like things are getting better (or worse) depend on your perspective about the issue. The latest development happens in Berlin, where I just read that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel was seen in her bra and panties. In a part of an underwear advertising campaign urging consumers to trade in their old underwear for a discount on new ones, the ad shows a mock-up of the German Chancellor wearing only a bra and pantie set. Behind her are other German politicians posing in boxers. I wonder what the Icelandic version of that would be? Letting the public see Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir in her underwear doesn't sound like a good idea. How about a poster of a rotten fish next to a fresh one and a slogan "Trade your old stinking cash for a new one", I can certainly see that happen.

Watch it on Youtube.

The beautiful face of politics pt.1, pt.2

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South Iceland

South Iceland. Europe best kept secret.