Krystyna

After losing our house to Sandy, living for 16 months in a cramped apartment with our dogs, and then going through the process of buying a new home (not in there yet) ... I decided that to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary we're going to visit Iceland this summer! I know there is one quilt shop there and a little guild, but I'm wondering if anyone on the board is from Iceland? And, what should I bring as gifts if I am lucky enough to meet up with guild members?

tessagin

you could check the member list at the top of the page!

tessagin

I just tried to check Iceland and that didn't work. Doesn't state the countries and lots of pages. Sorry! Hopefully a member will speak up.

tessagin

I Googled Iceland quilting guilds. There are a lot of blogs. Not sure any are on the board but you may want to check them out.

Krystyna

Yes, a few blogs. I saw that easily. I'm looking for QB members in Iceland.

cherrio

some folks don't list where they are from so it's hard to search here without the data. I hope the Icelanders see your post Krystyna and either way I hope you have a great time! If I may-why did you choose Iceland? Not that I can afford to travel, but I never would have thought of exploring there. hmm

Krystyna

Hi Cherrio, why Iceland? I suppose there are a million reasons. My husband and I really never went on vacation anywhere since we lived at a vacation destination for 25 years. There were a few other choices but concerns for public safety in this dangerous age made them not too appealing. And ... it's not a beach destination and being on the "fluffy" side, neither of us will have to wear bathing suits in public. Aside from rogue snow storms, there isn't much danger in Iceland for those who don't intend to go trekking about the interior or atop glaciers. It seems to be incredibly beautiful with lots of cultural appeal. The cost of travel really hindered us in the past, but I was blessed with a generous inheritance and being naturally thrifty, we've never even contemplated anything like this before ... so come mid-August we're off!

DogHouseMom

Cool trip!!!

A few things to help you get in the mood!!

One of my all-time favorite songs is by an Icelandic band ... Stralfur by Sigur Ros. I have NO idea what they're saying, but the music is absolutely beautiful. Here's a link to a YouTube video of the song with some lovely Icelandic views.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQuki_8COXs

It's a song I heard from one of my all-time favorite (and little known) movies ... "The girl in the Cafe". Brilliant movie filmed mostly in Iceland (the characters are Brits attending a G8).

And a few fun Icelandic facts ...

All given names come from a National Registry and have to be approved. You cannot name your baby "Paper" or "Moon Unit" just because you feel like it.

The surname is a compilation of the fathers (or mothers) given name followed by "son" or "dottir".

Because there are no surnames common to a family, the telephone book is listed by the given name - and it also gives the profession of the person (to avoid confusion!). So if Jon has a daughter named Ingrid ... she is listed as "Ingrid Jonsdottir" in the phone book.

Also because there are no family surnames, it is common to have a family unit of father/mother/son/daughter - each with a different "surname".

PKGranny

Such interesting information. I have always wanted to go to Iceland after seeing a short film years ago about Iceland and the Icelanders. More tidbits from this documentary: they are very 'pretty' people; very intelligent people and back when I saw this film, most have computers and are very literate. Either no trees or very few trees. You might want to take a swim suit, Krystyna, for the warm baths. You will have to let us know about your trip when you return. Have fun.

OES184

We lived in Iceland for 2.5 years. (1988 - 1990) It's a beautiful country, with friendly citizens who speak passable to excellent English. You've chosen the best time to visit: August & September. The temperature is warmest then. The little pink & purple flowers are blooming in the moss that covers the lava fields. The waterfall are magnificent, as the glaciers have been melting all summer. Long hours of sunshine. The country is small and you can get to almost anywhere in a day or less. Too many specific things for me to recommend seeing, but I'd put Thingvellur near the top of my list. Enjoy yourself!