Isafjordur Cemetery in Iceland

the church

I went the Isafjordur for the exact purpose of visiting the Culture House. Nothing more. Nothing less. The Culture House – which is really a library, was exactly what I needed to complete my golden trio of objectives in Iceland: visit a cemetery, grocery store, and library.

Having already been to a grocery store and cemetery in Reykjavik on my last trip in 2011, all I wanted to do is Isafjordur was visit that glorious library.

After a long multi-method journey from our apartment Reykjavik the shuttle from Isafjordur airport pulled into the sitting and I began walking towards the library.

Being a cemetery enthusiast, one can only imagine my joy when I saw that a cemetery was right beside the library. Never have I seen such convenience. My two favorite things – side by side.

Cemeteries are usually kept on the edges of town and quite difficult to get to and find. I was so thrilled that I would get o experience another Icelandic cemetery, and one much more modern that Hólavallagarður.

Hólavallagarður was old and green and moss-covered. Ísafjarðarkirkja  - which is the name of the church attached to the cemetery, was modern, sparse, and snow covered. It had also been a secret dream of mine to photograph a cemetery in the snow, so  Ísafjarðarkirkja allowed me to check that off my list as well.

The gate is designed with a motif of an anchor, an ode to this fishing town.

The tombstones spanned in age from the 1900s to present day. Despite the hundred-year-age difference, the graves in the cemetery appeared fairly uniform, and there were no noticeable aesthetic differences between them.

One similarity with Hólavallagarður was the gates that surrounded a few plots. Though they were not green and moss-covered, they were rusted and charming.

I was also struck by the prevalence of the cross motif in this cemetery, where the graves were typically simple and geometric. 

I was surprised to find this cemetery in such a central location in town and I am pleased to be able to complement my cemetery experience in Hólavallagarður with this very different site in Ísafjarðarkirkja.

Hello 30

My thirtieth birthday fell in the middle of a hot summer and I celebrated it with a dress that I made

for only such an occasion. This dress was inspired by something I saw Dita von Teese wear and I just had to make a knock-off. 

Mine is a bit different in design but I made it to flatter my own body. I will admit that getting the fit right was a challenge and it is a little snug.

Although I've been kind of gothic lately and wearing a lot of black, this birthday was very colorful. From the dress to the drinks to the Thai food. A perfect late summer birthday. 

I was able to pair the dress with some of my favorite colorful and contrasting accessories. 

This look really highlights my favorite things about myself. What a way to bring in the thirties.  

Dress: made by me

Shoes: Target

Bag: Louis Vuitton, bought in Dubai

Bag charm: bought in Japan

Jewelry: from Pakistan

What did I eat in Isafjordur?

In Reykjavik, the food I was post looking forward to was Thai, Indian, Italian. But In Isafjordur, a remote town in northern Iceland, I was looking forward to some authentically prepared Icelandic fish. 

Unfortunately, the most famous seafood restaurant in the town closes for the winter, but Husid café quickly became our go-to place. Not only did it have a quaint and welcoming atmosphere, but their selection of fish changes daily (believe me – I know, we ate there three times). At Husid, there are two ways to order fish: creamy Icelandic Fish soup, or Grilled Icelandic fish with potatoes and vegetables. Of course, we ordered the fish both ways each time, and I never did tire of it. 

Creamy fisherman's soup

Close-up of the fish soup

I was surprised by how creamy the soup was. It’s a fragrant paprika broth with a dollop of creamy whipped butter that melts into the soup as you eat it. The fish I soft, but it doesn’t fall apart and I never found a single bone. 

Grilled fish: Day 1

Grilled fish: Day 2

For the grilled fish, each time the sauce and seasoning is different. We ate the fish with sweet fruity glaze, savory onion and pepper glaze, and teriyaki glaze. There are so many delicious ways to eat fish!

At Husid, we also enjoyed some authentic lattes and coffee. Apparently, you can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl. 

Lattes at Husid

Inside Husid cafe

Another Isafjordur favorite were the pastries. There are two bakeries in town: Gamla and Kaffihus Bakarans. We ate at Gamla our first morning and chose some very weird-tasting cheesy savory breads. The cheese was almost liquid with some small slices of small. It was very….interesting. 

Breakfast at Gamla

Savory cheese sandwich and coffee at Gamla

At Kaffihus Bakarans, having learned our lesson, we selected a chocolate and regular croissants. I love sweet pastries, but Iceland sweet pastries look too sugary even for me. Just look at the colorful glazes on these. 

Breakfast at Kaffihus Bakarans

Savory Croissant and Chocolate Croissant

Inside Kaffihus Bakarans

Overall, I was very thankful for the opportunity to eat-like-a-local for three days in Isafjordur. 

Breaking Things and Pounding Nails at Reykjavik Art Museum

How often do you get the chance to go into an art museum and touch the artwork?

What about break the artword?

What about vandalizing the art with your graffiti?

What about pounding nails into a canvas?

In Reykjavik, this was all possible. 

When I last visited Reykjavik in 2011, I was deeply sad to be leaving after only four days with still lots of see and explore. One of my deepest regrets was passing by a gallery on our bus to the airport and thinking “I bet Reykjavik has an awesome art scene and I didn’t see a bit of it…” 

When I returned last winter, I had an ambitious itinerary which included an unexpected 3-day jaunt to the west fjords, meaning that I had even less time in the city than planned, so I didn’t get to go on my great art tour as expected, but I did manage to go to the Reykjavik Art Museum. 

With a few exceptions, I usually don’t blog about museums because I can’t take photographs and the experience is pretty standard but I was pleasantly surprised by an exhibit at the Reykjavik Art Museum which was much more interaction than I imagined. 

This exhibit was designed by Yoko Ono, and in her own unique style, it featured lots of curious weirdness. 

A canvas you can create

Visitors pasting broken ceramic back together

Hammering a nail into the canvas...it was very loud

Created by museum visitors

Messages from visitors

Map of the world, were you can stamp "peace" in the places that need it

Hello Yoko, is is me you're looking for?

Wall of testimonials from woman who experienced sexual assault

Wishing tree, write a wish and hang it on the branch

In addition to the Yoko Ono exhibit and another floor of artworks by Icelandic artists, the museum also featured a pretty cool art library. And we know how I feel about art libraries...