Another Day, Another Awesome Mountain

A lot can happen in 5 days. I have done so much that there is not space in this blog, or time left in my evening to write about all of it. I´ll try to cover all the bases, though I know I won´t be able to do the week justice. Here´s the run down:
This past Thursday I went to Egilsstaðir with Bogga after a stimulating morning at the bank. She had a hair appointment and I was more than happy to go along for the ride. We had plans to do some shopping afterwards, as I was still on the hunt for a ponnukokur pan. I read my Nook for the duration of the hair appointment. I was in the middle of a good book and happy to have the down time. We had an amazing afternoon coffee at Hotel Egilsstaðir, which is the hotel which runs from the farm which gave its name to the town. It was a beautiful place, and I had a to die for piece of apple rhubarb cake with whipped cream and hot chocolate. Heaven help me, I just can´t say no to something like that.

We stopped in the barn on the way out, as I was curious about the dramatic Mooooooooing coming from inside. The cows were having an afternoon coffee break too, though their snack didn´t look nearly as good. Their dining room also smelled considerably worse. I stepped in there for maybe a minute and I swear I smelled like cow pee for the rest of the day. Lesson learned: photograph cows from outside the cow barn.

I had no luck finding a good ponnukokur pan during our brief shopping trip, but I was not discouraged. The right pan is out there for me somewhere. I just have to find it.

Friday was a big day because I was going with Bogga, Thorhildur, Stefán Alex and Eiður to the family reunion camping trip near Akureyri. That is about 4+ hour drive from where I am staying and I was sitting between 6 year old Eiður and 11 year old Stefán Alex for the whole thing. That ride pretty much cinched my decision to never have children. About 200 relatives gathered for the weekend. I was related to some of the branches represented there, so I had the opportunity to meet even more cousins. The campground was beautiful. It turns out Icelandic camping is not so different from American camping.

I think the biggest differences are that the campsite is just a huge field, there is not a tree to be found, so you aren´t tucked into a private corner of the woods like in many campgrounds I have experienced at home. Also, it was significantly colder than any other camping trip I have been on. This was not 100 degree heat like in Medora, ND, or a warm evening sitting by the fire at Buffalo River State Park. I was fully decked out in wool hat and mittens, and about 8 layers of clothing any time I set foot out of the camper on Friday and Saturday (it warmed up significantly on Sunday).

Friday evening wasn´t too wild. We got set up at the campsite and walked around meeting people and talking. I carried my ancestry book around, as always, and used it to explain to people why I was crashing their family reunion. I got many warm welcomes, including one old fella who video-taped our introduction and conversation for several minutes thereafter, rendering me completely idiotic and unable to form a complete sentence. Mostly I just tried to smile pretty and keep quiet.

Saturday morning we made the 40 minute drive from the campsite into Akureyri to do some shopping and look around. Bogga was by this time just as determined to find me a ponnukokur pan as I was, so we went to about 6 or 7 different places trying to find a good one. Not a single place had them, including some antique shops (the older and more used the pan the better). We finally asked a clerk why on earth they weren´t anywhere and she told us there is a problem with the company right now and so there aren´t really any available. Just my luck. I could buy one of the cheap teflon ones, but I want the legit, heavy as lead kind that all the ammas around here have passed down over the years, keeping each generation well supplied with pannokokur. So I´ll wait. We managed to do some non-pannukokur pan related shopping as well, and went through several stores in the Akureyri mall. The most exciting thing I saw there was an Angry Birds tournament. Apparently this is taken very seriously in Iceland.

We got back from Akureyri in the late afternoon and I was instantly set upon by an older, outgoing gentleman that I had been introduced to the previous evening. His name is Daniel the White. He grabbed my by the hand and speaking to me in Icelandic said to go with him to his car. Now I´m not stupid, and normally this would have raised some alarms, but Bogga and Thorhildur were laughing and waving me on so I walked with him to his car. He gave me a book that he had made on the descendents from Kolmuli (all the family members at the reunion had ties to Kolmuli). "Special for you," he told me. "For you to keep, special". I was honored and thanked him over and over. He wrote me a little note in the front of the book and everything. What a wonderful gift.
After that I made lummur with Bogga. Lummur are basically small pancakes (maybe a little more dense) and are served with whipped cream and the jam/sauce of your choice. Another option it to coat them in sugar. Really there is no way you can go wrong.

I made the whipped cream by hand with a whisk, which was exhausting, but pretty gratifying when it actually turned into real whipped cream. Cream (the legitimate stuff) is used in everything around here. I think Icelanders might just keel over dead if you showed them a tub of Cool Whip. Dinner was held in the gathering hall at the campsite, which managed to accomodate all 200+ people that had come to the reunion. They served grilled leg of lamb, baked potatoes and salad and it was all delicious. There was a speech, which I did not understand at all, and then a music program. I was both saddened and relieved to see that the Swansons are not the only branch of the family that forces children to perform at family functions.

I helped wash up after dinner, which was a good way for me to keep from feeling awkward or in the way. I´m happier when I´m busy. I got to talk to one of my cousins while we worked too, so that was nice. There was a huge bonfire and everyone gathered around and sang. People asked me all weekend, "Do you do this sort of thing in Minnesota? (or Manitoba, depending on who was asking and how confused they were about who I was and why I was there)." I always sort of nodded and told them, "Yep. Well, my family doesn´t, but I´m told that other families get together and do things like this." One guy told me he figured American campgrounds must be full of only huge fancy RVs and no tents or pop-up campers or camping trailers. I set him straight when I told him that last time I went camping we didn't even have tent poles so we had to set the damn thing up with big sticks. I think I changed his view of Americans being overly luxurious.

Sunday morning was pleasantly warm and sunny. We slept late and took our time getting out of the campsite. I played soccer with Stefán Alex for awhile, and then we bonded over Angry Birds on my Nook. The ride back was long, with my boisterous little cousins on either side of me, but the scenery was beautiful so I tried to concentrate on that. I was happy to have been able to go with for the weekend, so the ride was really worth it. It was fascinating to get to see Icelandic camping, participate in a family reunion, see Akureyri and drive through all of Northeast Iceland. Great weekend.

Today at the bank I used the time to finish my assignment for the Snorri Program that is due on Wednesday. Each participant has to write a paper or poem or something about their experience with the Snorri Program. It can be about a particular event or activity, something we learned or have observed while being here about nature or family or whatever. Anyway, I got mine mostly done this morning which was a relief considering I didn´t know what I was going to write about when I walked in the doors at 9:15. This afternoon I made pannukokur at the shop with Lísa and Bogga. They taught me how to make them so they are nice and thin, and oh so delicious. They are really fun to make too. Now if only I had a pan of my own on which to bake them.
Bogga and I went mountain climbing after that. We spent 3 hours or so climbing up and another hour going back down. I maintain that climbing down is far more terrifying than climbing up. I´m going to be climbing Sandfell tomorrow and I'm seriously thinking about looking into the prices for being airlifted down once I´m signed the guestbook at the top. The mountain we climbed today was on the north side of town and was very beautiful. I think I now have roughly 1 billion pictures of Icelandic waterfalls in my collection. Not too shabby. It was nice and warm up in the mountain, much warmer than in town, which is cooled by the breeze coming off the water. The smells from the herbs, grasses and flowers along with the fresh water from all the waterfalls and mountain streams was absolutely intoxicating. People could make millions if they could bottle it. We explored the waterfalls and found the ruins of an old ski cabin and a lóa nest full of eggs. It was a great afternoon, though my feet are a little the worse for wear. I have a couple of humdinger blisters that might make tomorrow´s climb a little challenging. Nothing a little moleskin or some High School Musical Bandaids can´t take care of I hope.