I have just met the summer for the second time here in Iceland. Like last time, it was winter. But that´s Iceland, I have found out: always different and full of unexpected experiences.

In February, my wife and I saw Gerpla on the National Theater scene. I have read both the book and the saga so we were familiar with the story even if we did not understand all the jokes. But we appreciated highly the choreography: you have really a good director here in Iceland!

After the play, we felt for a beer and visited a pub. It was on the first floor, which we found a bit strange, and there were almost no people. We had our beer and took a seat alone at a long table where we could enjoy the sight of the streetlife below.  An Icelandic couple asked if they could sit together with us and we started to talk. They told us that soon there will be a performance of the oldest punk-rock band in Iceland, Fræbblarnir, and that they were in family with the band. In five minutes, there were almost twenty persons sitting at our table, all related  to the band. And when the band came, we were introduced to the band members. As a matter of fact, one of the members had been teaching at Holar so we felt like colleagues. Unfortunately, I sat just half a meter from his guitar. But the evening was great.

My research project about backmovers to Iceland is moving forward.  I have now got the names of those who have moved back to Patreksfjördur, Hvammstangi, Siglufjördur and Vopnafjördur. What remains is to ask them why, a rather interesting question. Kvænangen kommune in Norther Norway will also be investigated like the Faroe Islands.

I have been in Sweden in order to pick up my car and during the stay, I visited Kvænangen. It is really far to the north, 70th parallell, and the small community has no hotel so we had to stop at a hotel 60 km before Burfjord, the central place of the community. Next morning we were told that there had been an avalanche during the night and the road was blocked and they could not tell us how long it would take. The road is E6 and it is like in Iceland, no alternative roads. So we had to go back for a 400 km long roundabout way. But the day was sunny and the view over the mountains was magnificent so we had a very pleasant time in the car. And the hotel room in Alta was on the brink of the Arctic Ocean with a fantastic view so we really got on well. And the meeting was very fruitful.

On the tour back to Iceland by Norröna, we stopped in Torshavn and I had the opportunity to meet different people of importance for me there. The meeting place was the Foreign Ministry of the Faroe Islands, probaly the only foreign ministry of the world where you just can pop in and have a cup of coffe in the staff room. And they assured me that the realtions with foreign powers was good.

Unfortunately, we brought my wife´s granddaughter (20 years old) with Norröna  to Hvammstangi and today. During the last days Keflavik has been closed a lot so I hink we might have to adopt her.

All the best, Per Åke

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