Interviews

Gísli Pálsson – Icelandic Anthropologist, Professor & Author: Ep. 56

I had the pleasure of interviewing Gísli Pálsson for this episode of the podcast in his office at the University of Iceland. He recently retired, but he has served as a professor and Director of Institute of Anthropology at the university. He has written several books, including “The Man Who Stole Himself”, the story about…

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All About Icelandic Sheep: Ep. 55

Icelandic sheep are a mix of adorable and fascinating. During the summer, you can find them roaming freely around the country. For months they are on what seems like the ultimate Icelandic summer vacation – eating, sleeping, and walking wherever they please. Before winter sets in, they are rounded up by the farmers that own…

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The Icelandic Education System: Interview with Arnór Guðmundsson – Ep. 54

To get a better understanding of the Icelandic education system, I sat down with Arnór Guðmundsson for this episode of the All Things Iceland podcast. In his role as the Director of the Directorate of Education, his agency focuses on testing and producing textbooks for schools in Iceland. We discussed many things. Some of them…

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Top 10 Iceland News Stories of 2019 – Ep. 53

When people think of Iceland, they have images of beautiful landscapes, sheep, the northern lights, and glaciers. Many are unaware of the scandals, corruption, and overall fascinating events show up in Iceland news stories throughout the year.

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Life on a Sheep Farm with Pálína Axelsdóttir Njarðvík: Ep. 52

The Icelandic sheep farm is pretty much as old as the country because the first settlers from Norway in the 9th and 10 centuries brought sheep with them. As a native New Yorker that was completely disconnected from raw nature, such as the kind found in Iceland, I find it fascinating and difficult to imagine…

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Every Single Word in Icelandic: Interview with Eunsan Huh – Ep.51

I had the pleasure of chatting with Eunsan Huh, the awesome creator of the popular Instagram account, @EverySingleWordinIcelandic. On her account, you will find Icelandic words that she has illustrated as icons, which is helping her and others to learn the language.

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Andri Snær Magnason, Award Winning Icelandic Author: Part 1 – Ep. 42

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andri Snær Magnason, an award winning writer of novels, poetry, plays and films. He is also a very active environmental activist. We chatted about his fascinating literary career, how he chooses topics to write about, and so much more.

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Andri Snær Magnason, Award Winning Icelandic Author: Part 2 – Ep. 43

During this part of the interview, Andri provides some great insight into the current literature landscape in Iceland and the impact of literature from this country on the world. We start off this interview talking about Reykjavík being a UNESCO City of Literature. Andri is a great person to talk about this because he is…

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Reykjanes Peninsula – What to See & Do In Iceland’s 2nd UNESCO Geopark: Ep. 45

After most visitors to Iceland arrive at Keflavik international airport, they quickly grab their bags and set their sights on traveling to downtown Reykjavík. Unfortunately, the don’t give any thought to visiting the rest of the Reykjanes Peninsula.

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Ásatrú – Iceland's Fastest Growing Non-Christian Religion

Ásatrú, an Old Norse paganism, has become the fastest growing non-Christian religion in Iceland. When most people think of this country, religion is not normally what pops into their minds. However, over 75% of the Icelandic population are registered as members of a religious organization.

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