Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Certified travel blogger

English

I’m Alda, an Icelandic-North American hybrid and the author of several books about Iceland, including the 'Little Books' series that many Iceland-aficionados know and love. I love to delve below the surface of things and to give people insight into Iceland's culture and its people. I have written about the Icelandic national character, the harsh lives of the Icelanders in the old days, the Icelandic language and how it reflects and is reflected in Icelandic culture, and Iceland's folk legends and how and where they originated. My latest book is called The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland, and it is chock-full of insights and tips to help all those who wish to tour Iceland safely, responsibly and in harmony with the locals. On this site I hope to share some tips and insights to help you gain a better understanding of the Icelanders, and the best practices for touring Iceland.

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Day five: paradise and waffles in the middle of nowhere

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Day five: paradise and waffles in the middle of nowhere

In which we barrel along on our road trip of the amazing West Fjords. Having spent half of Sunday in Ísafjörður we hit the road again, this time due south. We weren't headed far, only a couple of fjords down to Dýrafjörður - more specifically to Núpur, which for decades was a parsonage and also the site of the regional boarding school, but which is now part of the Farm Holidays collective. The building is owned by the state, but two brothers operate a guest house there during the summer, in the old school. Núpur has some well-known alumni, including Birgitta Jónsdóttir, MP for the Pirate

Day three: more on the the enchantment of Djúpavík

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Day three: more on the the enchantment of Djúpavík

Day 3 of our stupendous West Fjords excursion, ostensibly undertaken to distribute a book but really mostly just for having a fabulous time in amazing surroundings. We started the day in Djúpavík, a minuscule town in Strandir, most famous for its humongous abandoned herring factory. Djúpavík is a fascinating place. Its best-known residents are Eva and Ásbjörn who own and run Hótel Djúpavík, and who also own the big old factory by extension. They have lived there since the mid-1980s, came there from Reykjavík and completely fell for the place, and wound up living and raising their children

Day four: lovely Ísafjörður and some unexpected tangible history

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Day four: lovely Ísafjörður and some unexpected tangible history

We left off the last post where EPI and I were driving from Djúpavík to Ísafjörður, via Hólmavík. We arrived in Ísafjörður pretty late, the drive being quite a distance - all that threading of fjords in and out, back and forth. The area we drove through is known as Djúpið - "the deep" - because it's made up of the fjords bordering the long fjord known as Ísafjarðardjúp - literally "The ice fjord deep". It's very remote, there are only a handful of farms along the way and no towns. Across the "Djúp" you can see the northernmost part of the West Fjords, including the Drangajökull glacier - al

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Happy happy Cream Puff Day!

Today is bolludagur (Cream Puff Day) here in Iceland, during which we gorge ourselves with - what else - cream puffs. It is followed in rapid succession by sprengidagur (Eat Salted Lamb Until You Burst Day) and öskudagur (Ash Wednesday). This happy trio marks the beginning of Lent each year. Bolludagur comes first, on Monday. On this day children are supposed to sneak into their parents’ room before they get out of bed in the morning and spank them on the bottom with colourful wands specifically made for that purpose. The number of spanks they manage to get in determines the number of bollur

A wee Advent story about some traditions and a tree

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

A wee Advent story about some traditions and a tree

As some of you may be aware, the Christmas season is a pretty big deal here in Iceland. Advent (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) is definitely one of the most magical times of year here, fully qualified to rival the season of the midnight sun. It's the time when coloured lights decorate just about every window, and practically every other tree is wrapped in them. There are concerts everywhere, almost everyone goes to at least one Christmas buffet (usually with their workplace), and families uphold their Yule traditions, be it making laufabrauð, or baking gingerbread cookies, or choppin

The Icelanders and their Big Love of books

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

The Icelanders and their Big Love of books

This is the time of year when we Icelanders experience the so-called jólabókaflóð, or “Christmas book flood”. Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world and the bulk of book sales happens at this time of year, with the publishing industry receiving something like 80 percent of its annual revenues in the approximately two months leading up to Christmas. The main reason for this deluge is the longstanding tradition in Iceland of giving books as Christmas presents - each and every Icelander typically receives at least one book under the tree each year. After open

3 great reasons for visiting beautiful Hofsós (besides the fact that it's beautiful)

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

3 great reasons for visiting beautiful Hofsós (besides the fact that it's beautiful)

Hofsós, located on the banks of Skagafjörður fjord in north Iceland, is a historic trading port overlooking the stunning island of Drangey, which rises almost vertical out of the sea in the distance. It’s a friendly little village, that comes alive in the summer with tourists, hikers and seasonal residents. Personally I think the view is reason enough to visit, but if you prefer something more hands-on, here are three more. The Icelandic Emigration Centre (Vesturfarasetrið) This wonderful museum details the mass emigration of Icelanders to North America in the late 1800s. As many readers

Safnasafnið: a jewel of an art museum in North Iceland

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Safnasafnið: a jewel of an art museum in North Iceland

Just past Akureyri, heading north, travellers tend to do a double take on seeing a very tall figure of a man by the side of the road. And I mean VERY tall. This is the "museum curator" - the representative figure at Safnasafnið, the Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum, which I think I can safely say is my favourite museum in Iceland. Why is it my favourite? Well, for one thing it is exquisitely beautiful. Bright and airy, with big windows and plenty of natural light. Some of those windows serve as “art” in and of themselves, in that right outside there is a beautiful, slightly wi

A culinary revelation in a most surprising location

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

A culinary revelation in a most surprising location

I have had some pretty fantastic meals in Iceland. There are many excellent restaurants here, and of course some of the ingredients you get in Iceland are remarkable for their quality and freshness - in particular the fish and the lamb. Yet the restaurant at Hótel Varmahlíð had not been on my radar as one of the best restaurants in Iceland until we dined there on the last night of our ring road trip ... and were completely awed by the experience. We had spent the day on a boat cruise on Skagafjörður fjord, so by the time we got to the hotel we were pretty hungry. Consequently, on inspecting t

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