This is the second response episode for my new segment “Ask Jewells Anything About Iceland”. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions and if you would like to submit a question, you can do it here.
That being said, there are some things that come up that can be a little bothersome for Icelanders that wouldn’t be considered as strange in the US.
The first that comes to mind is that many Americans are not comfortable showering naked before entering the swimming pool. The changing rooms are separated by gender. In order to not use as much chlorine in the local swimming pools, showering without your bathing suit on is a requirement.
Americans are the largest group of tourists to Iceland and kind of shy when it comes to this rule, so it is normally assumed that a person is from the US if they try to skip showering naked before entering the pool.
Also, many Icelanders don’t agree with how the political system in the US is set up. I mentioned this in my last ask me anything answers, that only having two political parties to choose from for higher political offices is a strange and foreign thing to Icelanders.
Things Icelanders like a lot about the US during World War 2 and it was shut down in 1994. During those decades, the US’s influence on Icelandic culture exponentially grew. Icelander’s like American TV shows, food like pizza, burgers and fries, as well as celebrities, other media, and trends.
It might surprise some people to know that a decent number of Icelanders like country music. It makes sense when you think about how most of Iceland is like a rural place with lots of farmland in the US than a bustling city.
My guess for favorite Dolly song is Jolene but a close second might be 9 to 5. Since Dolly Parton has been iconic as a performer and song writer, and Iceland has a ton of musical artists, there is no doubt in my mind that she has influenced many people here.
Yes, I have been whale watching in Húsavík in North Iceland with a company called North Sailing.
I hope you do come back to visit in the near future.
Yes, the elves are all around us. While I try to be mindful of them, the trolls are the ones I am most concerned about.
Pronunciation of Icelandic like a native speaker is by far one of the tougher parts of the language. Of course, declining of words is harder but I think pronunciation is a close second. The one thing that helped me the most with pronouncing Icelandic words as close to native speaking as possible was to ask a native speaker to constantly correct me when I spoke.
When I was married to Gunnar, he was the person correcting me the most but I also asked my co-workers and friends because I was determined to get it right. Doing this can cause a lot of frustration because there are sounds in Icelandic that might be foreign to your mouth or mother tongue. I also think listening to a lot of Icelandic helps too but the key is to have a teacher or friend who speaks Icelandic well to help you.
It is also helpful to know that some people speak Icelandic with an accent. Meaning, they don’t sound like a native speaker when they talk the language but what they are saying is correct. That is totally fine and there is no reason to beat yourself up because you don’t sound Icelandic.
However, your question was mainly about pronunciation so I am addressing that. I am still a stickler with how I say things even to the point where I am over pronouncing words and I am learning to say things more colloquially. The more you learn Icelandic, the more you will hear that Icelanders don’t always pronounce every part of the word. That can cause some confusion at times but with practice and a trained ear, you will pick up on it.
If you don’t already, I would look into private lessons with an Icelandic teacher to work on your pronunciation, if you don’t already have one. iTalki is one place that has teachers. Also, there is Icelandic Made Eas(ier) by Siggi. Lastly, there is a great app called LingQ, where you can hear and read in Icelandic from different sources online, like videos, songs, and so on. It is awesome and the premium version is totally free for those learning Icelandic.
Viltu læra íslensku? and Íslenska fyrir alla are other resources for learning Icelandic and hearing it spoken.
Michelin star restaurants
Other Restaurants
I normally like to order the 3 course or 5 course menu at places because when I normally do the math, it comes out to be less expensive than a la carte.
Te og kaffi
“What quintessential Iceland souvenirs do you recommend bringing back home? An authentic sweater is out of my price range, but I would like to buy some gifts for others and myself.” – Christina C.* Icelandic Candies
Some places to get inexpensive souvenirs or gifts are grocery stores like Krónan, Bónus, Hagkaup, as well as the flea market called Kolaportið. Also, the National Museum of Iceland has a shop and you can possibly find some inexpensive items there too.
Hafravatn
“Hi Jewells! We will be in southern, west and northern parts of iceland in early April. Is there any chance of seeing puffins this early? If so, where would be the best place? Thank you :)” – Sasha C.Typically, puffins come to Iceland in May and stay until mid August. Unfortunately, when you come Puffins will not be here yet.
Tjörnes Peninsula and grímsey island are places in north Iceland where you can see puffins. You can also see Puffins in Dyrhólaey, and the Westman Islands.
Use the code ALLTHINGSICELAND in all caps to save 10%
The restaurants that I mentioned in an earlier question will definitely be great experiences.
Share This With a FriendFacebook
Email
Twitter
Let’s Be Social
Youtube
Tiktok
Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta og sjaumst fljótlega.