Iceland: The Snaefellsnes Peninsula

 

We decided to devote one of our days in Iceland to explore the Snaefellsnes peninsula. A two-hour drive north of Reykjavik, this largely rural area is considered to be Iceland in miniature. Lava fields, sea cliffs, fjords, fishing villages, waterfalls, mountains, black sand beaches, wandering sheep, and a glacier are all among the attractions that can be found on the peninsula.

I was worried about the weather for our tour, and specifically the effect that bad weather would have on my photographs. Based on what I saw online, rain looked like a near guarantee. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to adequately capture the experience, both to share with others about our trip and to have as a reminder for our family of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, when we stopped at our first location--a lava field and waterfall--and the rain was holding off, I snapped as many pictures as possible. It turns out my concerns weren't entirely necessary, as only one of our stops was really impacted by rain. And I think I was able to get some great pictures, maybe even one worthy of a Christmas card. It was chilly and windy, yes. And that was in stark contrast to the mid-90s that we would have experienced if we'd stayed in Raleigh. I kept my heavy duty rain jacket on all day. I wore a winter hat and gloves. So when you see these pictures, remember that this is what early July feels like in western Iceland.

We saw sheep all over the peninsula. They roam freely and typically are in small family groups like these three that we saw at the waterfall.

I also have to admit I was a little concerned about safety, too. From what I had read prior to our trip, we would not see the kind of safety barriers and protections that we're used to in the U.S. With two kids under 10, and one of those a very active and very slow to listen six-year-old, I gave a lot of warnings. I promise that I gave my son as much latitude as I could handle, but I realized about halfway through the trip that everyone in our group knew my son's name from us calling him so many times.

We stopped in the village of Grundarfjordur for a lunch of fish soup and bread. 

The iconic Kirkjufell mountain. "Kirkja" in Icelandic means church, and this steep narrow mountain mimics a gothic cathedral. 

This stop was the one time that rain was a major factor. The combination of the rain, the spray from the waterfall, the steep slopes, and a driving wind coming up from the sea a few hundred yards away made this location a little challenging to navigate.

The black sand beach at Djúpalónssandur was definitely a highlight of our trip. The lava field that we walked through was otherworldly. Volcanic rocks had been smoothed down to little pebbles along the beach, and I slipped a few in my pocket as a souvenir. 

Walking through a lava field

The black sand beach at Djupalonssandur

While this picture doesn't do it justice, the waves at this beach were massive. We were warned to not get near the surf--the waves would pull you out with deadly consequences.

The cliffs at the beach

Family shot next to the cliffs

The tiny fishing village of Arnarstapi was the site of our next stop, where we saw incredible sea cliffs. The ocean here was a milky blue, thanks to the glacial water melting off of Snaefellsnes. We were able to walk along the cliffs and see a seagull colony where the chicks had just hatched.

The waves crashing through these sea cliffs were incredible

Our final stop was the golden sand beach of Ytri-Tunga on the southern side of the peninsula. The beach houses a seal colony, but we arrived at high tide and missed them.

We returned back to Reykjavik after eleven hours, exhausted and hungry. We splurged and ate out that night (a huge splurge considering the ridiculous restaurant prices in the city) and even followed dinner with ice cream. I'd have to say that the Snaefellsnes peninsula is one of my highlights, not just of this trip, but of any of my travels outside the U.S.

Fotografiska

According to much of the travel advice I received prior to my trip, Stockholm's photography museum was a site that couldn't be missed. A more recent entry to Stockholm's seemingly endless list of museums, Fotografiska has only been a stand-alone facility since 2010. The museum has no permanent collection, but instead features four major exhibitions (and several smaller ones) that rotate each year.

A trip to Fotografiska isn't just about the collections, however. The museum repurposes the former customs house, a large brick structure perched on the waterfront at the southern edge of Stockholm's harbor. There are two dramatic ways to approach Fotografiska. Either you can step off a water taxi right at the museum, or you can descend dozens and dozens of stone steps from the lofty cliffs that house the restaurants, shops, and bars of the trendy Sodermalm neighborhood. The facility also includes two places to eat: an outdoor restaurant and bar that sits at the front entrance and an elegant cafe with an incredible view that makes up the museum's top floor.

One of the other qualities that sets Fotografiska apart from its competition is its late hours. The museum stays open until 11 pm on weekdays and until 1 am on the weekends. We took advantage of this rare after-hours opportunity among Swedish attractions and arrived after 8 pm to view the collections. After scanning our Stockholm passes, we headed up to the top floor for a late dinner, only to be met with our first surprise: the cafe doesn't keep the same hours as the museum. I walked over to the long bar that stretches across the water-facing windows, the same spot where I had hoped to dine, to check out the priceless view. It was amazing, and I highly suggest it for those who can make it during cafe hours. One of the servers suggested that we head back down to the restaurant that was at the front entrance. We followed her advice, only to discover that they had stopped seating customers for the night. But, we were told we could still order food from the bar. Option three did lead to food, but there was only one item on the menu: a barbecue plate. Realizing that this was our only option, we ordered from the bartender (and least friendly Swede we encountered during our trip). I split the plate with one of my fellow travelers, and we made the best of the situation. We still had an incredible view, just a little lower. And we still had a great meal, just a smaller portion at a higher price tag.

We finally headed into the museum to view the exhibits. It is important to note that Fotografiska falls into the modern art category, meaning that one can expect to see content that is probably edgier and racier than you get in a typical museum. And the exhibits did not disappoint in that regard. The largest exhibit was entitled "Like a Horse," and it explored topics like class, gender, and culture through the connection of horses. In addition to photographs, the exhibit also included objects, videos, and randomly placed golden horse droppings--which I really hope were fake. I found the works to be thought-provoking, like when one of my travel companions and I discussed the shift from the masculine cowboy image of horses to its current status as a female-dominated activity. 

Like a Horse

One of the show-stoppers for me was a display of glass bottles that advertised to contain scents associated with horses. We had to remove the top of each numbered bottle in order to smell it, and a key on the nearby wall identified the smell. I thought it best to try a couple out before I checked the descriptions, you know, to be daring. Then I joked, I'm probably smelling horse pee or something gross like that. A quick check of the key indicated that yes, in fact, horse urine was one of the scents I had tried. Some of the bottles contained nice smells, like sandalwood and hay. Then I made the poor decision to sniff the bottle identified as "human sweat." It's always nice to be reminded that yes, I do have a gag reflex. And it was also nice that I'd had a light dinner, so there was less to turn in my stomach. I don't know how the artist created the scents, but I can assure you that the effect was very powerful. I chose not to watch the short fictional film in the exhibit, which I think was a good decision. That's the point I realized I would not feel comfortable bringing small children with me to this museum.

The Scent Jars

The move to the next room was jarring. Entitled "What's on the Plate," this exhibit focused on the current famine in Somalia and South Sudan. The lighting was darker, sounds of wind and birds filled the space, and images of food and starving individuals stood on the walls. The mood was much more somber and subdued as we read the stories of struggle and survival as well as messages on climate change and its role in the famine. There was also a hut structure that you could walk into and sit down on the floor. A video about the famine was playing the round, and I couldn't help put feel pulled into the experience.

The Same New Pet

The second floor contained several smaller exhibits. "The Same New Pet," a look into efforts in South Korea to clone your pet. "Confluence" a collaboration between two artists--one who produced a photograph, the other who added additional elements with paint, ink, or other media. A selfie booth. And finally, an exhibit on the collected works of Irving Penn.

Confluence

What I enjoyed most about the exhibits from Fotografiska was the mixing together of classic with contemporary. While the shifts between exhibits could be stark and unexpected, I did enjoy the variety of subjects. This is a museum that you don't want to visit alone--you need someone else to share the experience. At times, you'll be shocked, disgusted, upset, impressed, and filled with laughter. Overall, this museum is a great complement to the Stockholm museum scene.

View from Fotografiska: Gamla Stan at Sunset

Birka Viking Settlement

Glancing at the schedule for this week, I knew that our visit to the Birka Viking site would be one of my highlights. The two hour boat ride across Lake Mälaren, charging across the water like Norse raiders of old, landed us on the small island that was home to the first city in Sweden.

When I hit the shore I knew I had one main goal: find the dragons. I recognized that Cressida Crowell’s seemingly fictional How to Train Your Dragon book series must certainly be based on this site. Her island of Berk, populated by Vikings and their pet dragons, was clearly using this historical locale as source material.

My excitement was soon tempered by the icy reality that there were, in fact, no dragons at Birka. There were several Vikings on the island--making bread, spinning wool, chopping wood, roasting boar, selling prepacked ice cream--but none training the flying beasts that I expected to see. The degree of my disappointment was only dwarfed by the amount of sheep caca that littered the path leading through the archaeological site.

Representation of the Naglfar

My visit was not without discovery, however. I was able to find evidence of giants. I have a passing knowledge of Norse mythology--Odin, Freyja, Valhalla. Thanks to the movies, I know all about Thor and his mighty hammer. And by the movies, I am of course referring to the 1987 classic, Adventures in Babysitting. But I had never known that Norse mythology included both gods and giants. Just like with the clash between the Greek gods and the titans, the Norse gods and giants will battle in the future conflict of Ragnarok. According to one of the Viking sagas, the shapeshifting god Loki will lead a boatload of giants into battle against the other gods. A display at Birka represented this ship, the Naglfar, and it also described each of the giants that should be onboard.

Here’s a couple of the stories about the giants that I found particularly interesting:

• Thrym was a clever thief who succeeded in stealing Thor’s hammer. He demanded to marry the goddess Freyja in exchange for the hammer. Instead, Thor disguised himself in a bridal dress and tricked Thrym into marrying him. Thor then succeeded in getting his hammer back.
• Gjalp attempted to drown Thor by urinating over him. She failed and is later killed when Thor breaks her back with a chair.

I also read about the Norse creation story, which centered around the figure of Ymir. He was created at the beginning of the world by the clash between frost and sparks. Ymir’s toes gave birth to new giants and his underarm sweat gave birth to man and woman. After my very recent experience smelling distilled scents associated with horses at the Fotografika museum, I am all too aware of the putrid nature of human sweat. I can only imagine how this connects to the everyday smells that Vikings of that time associated with each other.

On my way back to our boat, at the end of our visit, I was able to spot one familiar beast that made me think that perhaps this search for dragons wasn’t pure silliness.

Arrival

It's July 9th, and I'm here in Stockholm! I took an extra leg to get here, making today's journey not so bad. Because I flew on Icelandair, I took advantage of their stopover deal. They allow you to stay up to 7 nights in Iceland, and they treat it like a layover. In other words, there was no extra charge to my plane ticket. How could I pass up that opportunity? And since I had to pay for my flight anyway, why not bring my wife and kids along for our first international family vacation?

I'll include more on Iceland and its clearly different climate and geography in another post. The biggest benefit of the stopover is that I had a much shorter flight today. After seeing my family off this morning, I was able to get some much, much needed rest--Iceland is more of an adventure than a vacation--before my three hour flight into Stockholm.

I arrived with two of my fellow travelers--always a relief to have someone with you when you arrive in new country. We grabbed a bus into town, dragged our luggage over a few blocks and down a long flight of stairs, and checked into our hotel. It's pretty late now, and I'm excited to see real nighttime for the first time in 6 days, so I'm off to bed.

We've got big plans for tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to including as many updates as I can.

Religion Survey

During my time in Sweden, I’ll be researching the topic of religion. The Scandinavian nations are noteworthy for their secularism. While approximately 40% of Americans attend religious services on a regular basis, only 5% of Swedes do so.

I tasked my sociology students with creating a survey to study these divergent behaviors, and in the end we decided to recreate a Gallop poll on religion in America from 2007. The main goal of this study is to explore what motivates individuals to either participate or not participate in religious services, and then to compare those results across social categories.

Please consider participating in our research by completing the survey. You likely will be asked to enter a Google account, but that is only to prevent multiple responses. I can assure you that all responses will be kept anonymous and the data collected will be used for classroom academic purposes only.

I’m also working on a way to effectively deploy this survey while I’m in Sweden. I appreciate any suggestions or advice that anyone can provide. Please feel free to share this link--I welcome as many responses as I can get.

Here's the survey link: Religious Participation

Swede Facts

In preparation for my trip, I've spent a lot of time researching Sweden. My students (and my wife) were the main recipients of all this newfound knowledge, whether they wanted to hear it or not. Whenever we study other countries and cultures in my classes, I encourage my students to focus on the similarities as much as the differences. So, here's a brief look at Sweden and North Carolina, incorporating both aspects:

• Sweden and North Carolina both have a population of approximately 10 million, with North Carolina being slightly larger. In terms of physical size, however, Sweden is substantially larger than the state of North Carolina--almost nine times larger in fact.

• The Swedes have one of the oldest monarchies in the world. It includes 11 dynasties that date back a thousand years. Sweden's current monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, is the seventh king of the House of Bernadotte. North Carolina's current dynasty comes in the form of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team, who just won its seventh national championship this past April.

• Both Sweden and North Carolina have a small but significant indigenous population. The Sami are historically a semi-nomadic people living in the far northern stretches of Sweden who made a living breeding reindeer, though they are now spread throughout the nation. North Carolina has the largest Native American population east of the Mississippi River, with eight officially recognized tribes. 

• Sweden has not engaged in a major military campaign since the Napoleonic Wars two centuries ago. North Carolina's citizens have played a major role in several global conflicts in that time, and the state is home to the most populous military base in the world (Fort Bragg).

• Some popular Swedish phrases:
• Lagom, meaning just enough or just the right amount
• Fika, a coffee break 
• Kanelbulle, a cinnamon roll
• Skal, cheers
• Some popular North Carolina phrases:
• Hey yall, a proper greeting
• Pig Pickin, a social gathering around chopped or pulled pork
• Tobacco Road, a reference to the major basketball schools
• Cajun Filet Biscuit, just yes

• Despite being in the European Union, Sweden uses it own currency, the krona. One U.S. dollar is currently equal to 8.7 Swedish krona. 

• The Swedish have arguably the most generous, progressive, and extensive welfare state in the world. North Carolina, um, no comment.

• Stockholm is Sweden's capital and largest city. North Carolina's capital is Raleigh, and Charlotte is its largest city.

• Both Sweden and North Carolina have a strong tradition of popular music. The Swedish band ABBA is the fourth-best selling music act in history, after only Elvis, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson. The Scandinavian nation has also been home to popular acts such as Roxette, Europe, Ace of Base, The Cardigans, Eagle Eye Cherry, The Hives, and Robyn, as well as a number of producers who are behind many chart-topping global hits. North Carolina has a proud tradition of music as well, crossing genres from older styles like bluegrass, country, and jazz to newer styles like rock, punk, and rap. Famous musical acts from North Carolina include Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, James Taylor, Ben Folds, Tift Merritt, Eric Church, Petey Pablo, and the Avett Brothers.

International Festival

This spring one of my Sociology classes participated in the annual Millbrook International Festival. The festival is organized by a group of teachers and focuses on a different theme each year. Classes and clubs can sign up to participate by running booths. The festival ran during two periods on April 7th.

This year's theme was Sustainability. We could take that in many directions--economics, politics, environment, culture. The class settled on this focus question: "How will Sweden sustain its traditional culture in the face of globalization and immigration?"

We started our study of Sweden by watching a few videos about Swedish culture and reading a few chapters out of Michael Booth's The Almost Nearly Perfect People. The students split up the chapters and shared out what they learned. We were able to use these resources to build our understanding of the forces currently influencing Swedish culture. Students worked in groups to brainstorm ideas on how to represent traditional Sweden and how to address challenges. I worked with each group to develop a plan of action, and finally the students created their respective parts of the booth.

One of the 4 Squares created during our book study

What students shared out about the chapters they read

I was really impressed by the students' ideas and the products that they created. Here are the examples of culture that they used to represent the traditions of Sweden:

• Fika -- We learned that having coffee is a popular and easy social occasion in Sweden. So, we invited students to "fika" with us. The students brewed coffee, offered cinnamon bread (as a replacement for kanelbullar, or cinnamon buns), and created a menu of discussion topics.

• Pippi Langstrump (Longstocking) -- Students shared this popular Swedish children's character by displaying one of the chapter books, creating an absolutely amazing drawing of Pippi, and showing videos of the old television series.

• Swedish phrases -- One group selected a few Swedish words and asked students to match them to their English translations. They made bead bracelets with the Swedish words on then handed them out to visitors to our booth.

• Swedish meatballs -- Another group really wanted to serve Swedish meatballs. While I admittedly hated the idea of what an undertaking this would be, the students were adamant. And to their credit, they figured out all the details. All it took from me was a trip to BJ's for frozen meatballs and an order from Amazon to get the sauce and some lingonberry jam.

• Hela Havet Stormar -- To provide something more active, students also put together a game of musical chairs (or "the whole sea is storming" in Swedish). And, of course, the music was entirely ABBA songs.

To address the issue of cultural sustainability, we looked at the ways that the culture of Sweden is facing challenges. The students relied heavily on the lessons learned from Michael Booth's book for this part. With the increasing immigration and resulting multiculturalism, what it means to be Swedish is changing. Plus, global products and mass media are increasing international influence in the small Nordic nation.

Chart of immigration growth since 1950

Students selected quotes from Booth's book to represent reactions to immigration

Visitors to the booth were quizzed on who they think is Swedish. The catch? They're all Swedish. Another representation of Sweden's changing population.

My students enjoyed studying Sweden as a case study of culture, and I was appreciative of their enthusiasm and hard work. With hundreds of students interacting with our booth, I was really happy with the opportunity to represent culture and global issues to the Millbrook community.