Bad News Turned To GREAT NEWS!

On Monday morning, March 7, when Terry and I arrived at the Archives we were informed the software and computer we were using to capture the historic images needed to be upgraded. So, NO WORK ALL WEEK. We were sad with the news for about three seconds and then SO EXCITED because now we could spend the entire week with our grandson, Morgan, who had just arrived the Friday before.

Be prepared with picture overload, as Grandpa and Grandma show Iceland to Morgan, Shepherd style :)

MONDAY, MARCH 7

 Morgan and Audunn, our Icelandic son/friend, met over lunch! Morgan and his dad, John, took Audunn snowmobiling in Utah when Morgan was about 12. They had some good 'remember when' stories. 

We showed Morgan where we go to 'work' everyday, at the National Archives of Iceland. The green line is where we drive in and park, which is a great place to have. Parking is hard to come by in downtown Reykjavik, so we're thankful to have such great, easy, and free. The blue circle is the second floor window to our office. The red circle is the third floor lunch/break room. The view is great and the company is always good. The yellow line is the 'reading room', which is where people who are researching their Icelandic heritage can come in and request to 'see' a book. They can't take it out of the building, but can stay as long as they would like.

We spent the remainder of the day showing Morgan around Reykjavik. It was a fun day.

TUESDAY, MARCH 4
We gave Morgan our version of the Golden Circle Tour which consists of a MAGNIFICENT and BEAUTIFUL waterfall, a shooting geysir and hot springs (like at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park), and Pingvellir (P is pronounced with a 'th' sound . . so Thingvellir. This is where the tectonic plates are drifting apart and where the world's oldest parliament, Alpingi, was founded in the year 930.....that's not a type-o.....really, 930!

There was LOTS of chit chat going on in the front seat. It made my heart happy to hear the two of them talking away about all kinds of things. I gave up my front seat for the entire week, Morgan became the navigator, and I became the ultimate picture taker :)

 I LOVED sitting in the back seat, snapping away.

The scenery is just BEAUTIFUL!

 Would anyone like to book a ride on an Icelandic horse?

Or attend an Icelandic horse show? If so, here you go :)

 Two of our favorite cities in Iceland.

They are both farming communities, they remind us of home.

I wish my camera could capture what my eyes were seeing - awesome! 

Our turnoff to the sites for the day.

Hint: The white box with the black circles in it signify this is a tourist site. Otherwise, names listed

are names of cities.

Terry spotted a farm where the owner had planted a bunch of birch trees. There are not many trees in Iceland, so it's great when they can find a tree that does well here. 

 Just a pretty picture. There's something about white snow and a river.

Lots of white and green pillows for the trolls that live here in Iceland, oh wait, maybe they are just GIANT marshmallows. The first time I came to Iceland in 1996, this is what the tour guide told us about these huge 'bales of hay wrapped in plastic' were. Take your pick, you decide.  

But actually, they hay is for these Icelandic horses. We saw so many out in the fields, all colors, and each just beautiful.

 Loved this picture, yes, you do need a 4X4 if you live in Iceland.

 The beautiful Gullfoss waterfall. I have only seen this before in the summer, WOW, what a beauty it is in the winter. Just breathtaking.

 And VERY cold and windy.

 This waterfall is somewhat off the beaten path. However, this lady, Sigridur, felt people should have the pleasure of seeing it, so she made a path to it. She enlisted her sister to help, and it's been a favorite site for millions of people. I hope you can click on this picture and read what it has to say about Sigridur. You will note the sign is in four languages, yea for us English speakers, and the others too (Danish, German, and of course, Icelandic).

 There is also a monument placed by the plaque in honor of Sigridur and her efforts for all to view her beautiful Gullfoss (by the way, 'foss' means water).

 Terry insisted he needed to take a picture of me with Morgan....oh my.....it was COLD!

 Darn it, this picture turned out so dark. Morgan's face was WET as if he had been in the shower from standing outside. Plus, can you see he is quickly warming up his fingers. Ha, he said he LOVED it!

 Time to get some lunch and browse around the gift shop. Grandpa wanted to buy Morgan this hat, which he as fine with, but it was TOO big. The back side was made of seal skin. Warm for snowmobiling.

 Smjor is the Icelandic word for butter 

 Put that YUMMY butter on an AWESOME piece of Icelandic brown bread and you have yourself a real treat! Truly, I would take it for dessert. 

 Thought you might like to see some of the Tour Bus names.

For whatever reason, I love looking at them. I'm strange :)

What you're seeing is the STEAM coming from the Geysir that just blew. It smells a little like hard boiled eggs, not too much, just a little.  When you realize that is the 'smell', and not your companion, then all is good :)  And if you LOVE the area, no worries, you can just book a night or two at the Geysir Hotel (and eat more bread and butter).

 Another row of Birch trees

 A farming community called Reykholt. The entire city map is outlined just as you turn in, just in case you're looking for something or someone in particular. Smart!

 A diary farm, they enjoy those large marshmallows too!

 More Icelandic horses

 ALWAYS a little Church in every town and/or village

 Beautiful

 More Beautiful

 Now off to Pingvellir (remember the 'th' for the P)

 Handsome Morgan standing where the tectonic plates are drifting apart

 A sign posted telling of the 1,000 year celebration of Iceland being a Christian nation. My father, Terry, our son Tyler, and myself were at this celebration in July 2,000.

 The Church at Pingvellir, shops, and government buildings

 Just so you don't get lost at Pingvellir, here is a map telling you where you can go and how far away it is. Ha, now you know why we get lost, sometimes.

 Again, I hope you can blow this up and read what it says in English about Pingvellir.

 This is Terry's second favorite place while we're touring, his first being next to Morgan. Usually he gets out and does it all with us, but every once in a while, he just wants to take a snooze. He's a happy camper when he gets his nap :)

 More pretty pictures and again, always Churches.

We Live In A Small World

Meet Grettir Gislason and his wife (sorry I didn't get her name). The zipper on my suitcase broke as it was headed to Iceland. When we arrive, my clothes were literally 'hanging' out on three sides. Long story short, these two awesome people fixed it at their suitcase store and repair shop. I told them I was a Western Iceland from Utah. Grettir said he had a neighbor who moved to Utah about 15 or 20 years ago. He said the father and his son were crazy about old cars and motorcycles. I said, hmmm, did the father's name happen to be Emil Emilsson? His eyes got SO BIG and he said YES! Well, we had a lot to talk about then. Emil, his wife, and their beautiful daughter, Lara, joined our Icelandic Association of Utah. It's a small world we live in filled with beautiful people.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9

Today we headed to Skogar, where you can take a journey back in time and experience the life of old Iceland. The museum has preserved the cultural heritage of the southern region of Iceland in the form of tools and equipment used at lad and sea, crafts, old buildings, books, manuscripts, and documents. I read there are over 15,000 items here. I have been to Skogar about eight or ten times, lost count, but it's one of my FAVORITE places to visit.

 On the way, we passed the mall, Smaralind,which is where we shop

 As well as the Kostur (knock off of Costco)

 Again, lots of gawking and picture taking.....

 and more . . . . 

 still more . . . 

 and more . . . 

 and more . . . 

 Then when you hit the south coast you begin to see TONS of waterfalls, some are big, and others small, but they are all fascinating. The water flow is coming from the melting snow and glaciers above. They fall down in to the farm lands and in the summer everything is GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!

 I hope you can blow this picture up a little big and see the many little waterfalls coming down.

Just a FEW of the Random Pictures from Skogar - Enjoy!

Every items has a place card by it talking about it's importance. This blue grandfather clock has great significance to me. In 2002 when I brought a group of Western Icelanders to tour their father's homeland, there was an 82 year old man on the trip with us from Salt Lake City, his name was Ev Bearnson. Before we leave for the tour, we always give the genealogy of our ancestors to our tour guide here in Iceland, Gugga. She then figures out which family farm our ancestors came from and we try to visit them. She also prepares some of the locations where we visit that a group of Western Icelanders are coming. Long story short, Ev's grandfather was the maker of this clock. When we arrived at Skogar that day in 2002, the Curator was SO EXCITED to meet Ev and show him this clock. Ev was overtaken with emotion and said, which I can hear so clearly right now, "My grandfather is here right now, I feel his presence so strongly". Then he literally trembled and sobbed with joy. Ev's father, Samuel Bjarnason, was one of the first three Icelanders to settle in Spanish Fork, in the fall of 1855. (Note: many of the Icelanders changed the spelling of their last names to fit in to the American way, that's why the spelling is different on the last names of this family.)

 A real fishing boat, that sailed many times to sea. There was a plaque on the wall with all of the names of the fishermen who lost their lives at sea. Terry was emotional about this, 'bless their hearts', he said.

 Some awesome 'out' buildings to show how the Icelanders use to live

 The 'shed' if you will....

 Mid 1800's

 Morgan couldn't get over how they built their homes with little lumber and a lot of dirt and grass

How is this for a modern kitchen . . . WOWSER! The best/worst part is, they kept 'warmer' in the winter because they would keep the animals in the 'barn' which separated the house from the barn with just a door. The 'heat' from the animals would help keep their home warm. Morgan is walking from the kitchen above in to the barn where the cows and sheep lived during the cold months.

And of course, it wouldn't be a real town or village replica without a church. This church has a new exterior but the interior is largely original, from the church of Kalfholt, built in 1879. Window's from the church of Grof, 1898. Bells hanging in front date from 1600 and 1742. All of the church furnishings are old, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. 

There were LOTS more pictures and sights we saw, but you're just going to have to come and see ALL of its marvel with your own eyes.

Behind Morgan, just a few meters from the museum is Skogafoss, a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall is 60 meters high, is the pride of this southern tip of Iceland. Literally tens of thousands of people every year visit here. Legend claims that when the sun shines, a store of gold hidden by original settler Prasi may be glimpsed glittering behind the cascade.

 I just LOVE how Morgan took EVERYTHING in and loved just looking and looking and looking, with a smile and pleasant look on his face the entire time.

 We got a kick out of this guys, balancing his tripod and camera, just right, in the flow coming from the waterfall, to get just that right picture. His friend, giving him instructions on just how to capture the best photo. (Maybe they were waiting for a glimpse of the glittering gold.

It's time to head home, Terry needed a little snooze, so Morgan took the wheel over until we got back in to town and stopped for a yummy Icelandic dinner. Some of my ancestors came from South Iceland, so I know, we covered some ground today that use to be home to my family. I'm certain Morgan felt that family connection today.

THURSDAY, MARCH 10

It snowed on and off all day, we decided to stay home, shop a little and get ready for our big outing the next two days. The picture above was taken from our kitchen window. If you will remember in an earlier post a few weeks ago, you could see the ocean and a fjord and town in the distance. Not today, in the morning anyway. If people don't like the weather in Iceland, the story is, just wait five minutes and it will change. It goes from snow, to sun, to snow, in five minutes or less.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, MARCH 11 AND 12

Vestmannaeyjar to Icelanders or Westman Islands to Western Icelanders

This is the place where it all began, the movement of approximately 315 Icelanders immigrating from Iceland to Utah between 1855 and the early 1900's. About 190 of them came from this little island. I have been here many times, and every time, I'm overwhelmed with the feelings of 'being home' I receive. Also, every time I have always taken a 20 minute flight from Reykjavik to the island. There is now a ferry, which is really nice, and you can take your car with you. Deal! Sounds awesome, and we're off for two days.

 The drive to the harbor was about 50 minutes outside of Reykjavik. No problem, wrong, big problem, we got in a total whiteout. YIKES. No worries, Morgan is watching for yellow markers to keep us on the road and Terry is white knuckling it. WOWSER, good thing we left extra early, didn't want to miss the ferry.

 When the sun finally broke through everything was white and beautiful.

 What a ferry boat - the front side opened up and out came about 25 cars and five diesels. WOW, how did they all fit in there. We were anxious to find out. Morgan got pretty animated when more and more cars and diesels kept coming out. It was fun listening to him and Terry try and figure out how it all worked.

Then it was time to load the cars and diesels.  Here we go down the ramp, looks like we were heading east by the big 'E' on the rear view mirror. Ha!

 Can you believe it, all the spots filled right up. As always, all of the workers on the ferry boat, like every Icelander we have met here, were so nice, friendly, and happy.

And we're off. Sorry, I didn't get one picture of the inside of the ferry, it was really nice. We were hungry for lunch, so the guys ordered a cheeseburger and fry and I got a pylsur (Icelandic lamb hot dog - yummy). The plan was to eat while we started our 2 hour and 45 minute journey, then take pictures. We ate, then instantly as soon as we got out of the harbor the water got REALLY ROUGH. The three of us have been on plenty of ships and never got sea sick. Well . . . for the next two and a half hours, we were SICK and lost everything we had eaten, plus some. Oh.My.Goodness. It was HORRIBLE. When we finally arrived in Vestmannaeyjar a fisherman of 58 years who had been on the ferry with us said that was one of the roughest journeys he had been on. I asked him if he got sick, he just smiled, and said 'no, I'm a fisherman and an Icelander'. He was really cute.

We went straight to our Guesthouse which was a two minute drive and tried to figure out what had hit us. Morgan and I walked a block to a store, got some crackers and 7Up, and within minutes felt really good. Terry was still feeling sick, so we left him to sleep and the two of us went out to see the beautiful island. We were to return the next morning, on the ferry (yuck), at 8 a.m.

Hunting birds and fishing are the traditional mainstays of the economy on the islands (there are a few islands that are not inhabited around Vestmannaeyjar). They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds. There is an abundance of natural resources the inhabitants often refer to the sea cliffs and the ocean surrounding Vestmannaeyjar as a 'food chest'.

 Here is Morgan again, in awe and looking at the amazement around him. I've only been here in the summer, when it is green and beautiful. But there was something, still very beautiful, with the surroundings today.

 Smile Morgan

Can you see the white house on the left side of the island? That is where the hunters of the Puffin birds stay. Also, they hoist sheep to the top of this island in the Spring and the care takers will stay in the house now and then. They put a herd of sheep in a boat, go to the island, put two or three sheep in a net, tie it up, and the guys from the top of the island pull them up. Oh my! I've seen the island in the summer with the sheep on it.

 A picture of the sea, before it reaches the harbor

Some of the massive fishing boats, they will go out for two or three days.

We were told the Icelanders invented the idea of having the back of the fishing boat open up, so the big heavy fishing nets didn't have to be pulled up over the side of the boat.

We drove to the highest point possible on the island to get the best view of the city possible. Again, my camera just doesn't pick up the beauty.
So I cheated a little bit, and took a picture of a picture of the city that I saw in town. Speaking of the town, there is only one town on the island, which is called Heimaey.There are about 3,500 people who live on the island, and they all fisherman, work in the fishing factory, or support the harbor, fishing boats, own restaurants, guest houses, school teachers, etc. There is no hospital on this island.

Do you see the two little hills in the picture above this one? They are volcanoes. The volcano on the left erupted in January 1973, totally unexpected, and everyone was evacuated, more than 5,000 people, in fishing boats. Not one life was lost. The island grew 20 percent because of the lava left behind. The residents couldn't come back for more than six months, to see if their home and belongings were buried in ash or lava. The picture directly above is an ariel picture that shows the inside of the crater. You can actually walk up a trail and go in to the crater. There's an amazing museum on the island that tells the story and the many miracles from this tragedy turned good.

 Can you read the wooden sign Morgan is standing next to? It says Mormonapollur, an Icelandic word that says in English, Mormon Pond. Behind Morgan is the ocean, when the tide goes out, it leaves calm and very cold water pools, or small ponds if you will. This is where our ancestors were baptized in the 1800's.

The water was pretty violent, the tide didn't really go out much while we were there, but you can get the picture. Morgan felt pretty sad that his ancestors had to endure the cold waters. I saw him reflect in his mind what this looked and felt like. He now understands and appreciates just a fraction of their sacrifices, just like those of us who have traveled here.

Right next to the shore is a statue of an angel, with her arms stretched out, towards America. In the year 2000, there were 70 of us Western Icelanders who traveled to Vestmannaeyjar to place this monument in honor of our ancestors. The angel stands on a marble structure that has the 315 names of those who left their beautiful homes in Iceland in hopes for a better life far away in America.

 The monument was placed here by the Icelandic Association of Utah. This association was formed by our ancestors in 1897. It is truly our pleasure to honor them. Our Association put up an exact monument just like this one, minus the angel, in Spanish Fork.

The picture above is of our Icelandic Memorial in Spanish Fork. My father, Arthur Sigurdur Johnson, was 14 years old when this was erected. He had fond memories he shared with us when the original light house was brought to town. Behind the light house you can see the black marble monument where the 315 names are etched, to match exactly the monument placed in Vestmannaeyjar.

I pulled this picture from the web to show what the monument looks like on a beautiful summer day.

There are a zillion birds in the water on resting on the cliffs nearby. They are amazing to watch and listen to.

 We finished our self guided tour. We saw, felt, touched, and experienced so much more. To get the entire picture, you'll have to go on-line and check out this amazing little island, or better yet, take a trip of a lifetime and go visit it.

We checked in with Terry at the Guesthouse, he was feeling better, so off to Subway we went. It's pretty much like Subways any place else, other than the menu is in Icelandic and the prices are in Icelandic Kroners.

The woman who helped us was very kind, had good English, and was patient while we decided what our tummy's wanted to eat. As I was paying for our food, Morgan said, "Grandma, can I give the lady a tip". I said, I guess so, but you don't have to, they don't really tip here. Before I knew it, he walked up to the counter, asked the woman if he could give her a tip, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders, and said, 'Sure'. He handed her a 5000 Kr bill. Her face lit up like a light bulb. That was more than double what our dinner cost. When we got outside I said Morgan, do you know you just gave her about $40? He said yes. It was quiet for a minute, and I said, I'm not going to ask you why you did it, but can I ask you if you were promoted to do so. He said yes, with a shy and humble smile.

He's a chip off the old block. Morgan's father, John, is always looking for someone to help, someone to share his goodness with, and always quietly and with a humble heart. John's father, Richard Hughes who I had the opportunity of working with 35 years ago, was the same way. Terry also loves to tip people, giving them way more than the normal 15-20%.  This grandma's heart is so proud of this young man and what he stands for.

We had a pleasant day on Saturday, exploring and enjoying more sights, then it was time to get back on the dreaded ferry. The owners of the Guesthouse gave us some sea sick medicine before we left for the ferry. We were told when we got on that 'today's journey was going to be worse than the day before'. OH MY!!! Well I'm happy to tell you, we didn't get sick at all. We were thankful for our calm tummies and returned home with happy, full hearts.


SUNDAY, MARCH 13

Morgan packed his bags and early this morning we drove him back to the International Airport in Keflavik, which is about a 50 minute drive from our apartment. What a gift. What a treasure. Thank you Morgan for coming to visit us. Blessings to you as you continue on your lives journey.

Here we are at Church again, meeting friends from when our son, Tyler, served a mission in Iceland 20 years ago. This is Gulla. She came up to me today and said she knew our son. In fact, he had given her a Snowman ornament when he was on his mission. She said every year at Christmas, she has placed that ornament on her Christmas tree. She said every year as she does so, her family talks about Tyler and shares the tender feelings they have of him. Wow, we never know what kind of impression we are going to make and leave on someone. I guess that's why we should always be nice.

 We also had a nice surprise at Church today, visitors from Spanish Fork. This is Matt and Rochelle Barber and their three children. Matt is a Western Icelander too, so I guess that means his three children are also. We are not related, as far as I know. Their feelings about their Icelandic heritage are just as strong and they are proud as ever. I served on the Icelandic Association Board of Directors with Matt's grandmother, Donna Stone. What a remarkable woman. I'm certain she is smiling from heaven as she watches the love of her great grandchildren honor their heritage.

Rochelle promised to give our kids a "BIG HUG" if she sees them when they return home. That made our hearts happy.

We're so thankful our bad news at the beginning of the week turned in to so much good news and tender mercies that will mold us in to the eternities.

Bless bless until next time,

Terry and Lil