Lögberg-Heimskringla - 07.03.1986, Síða 5

WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 7. MARZ 1986-5
A Visit to Iceland
A Century Later
View of the harbour at Akureyri.
by Sandra Perrin
Seven years ago, when my parents
returned from their second trip to
Iceland, Dad had said that some day
he would like to take the family over
there. Now the time had come. We
were tired from the overnight flight
from Winnipeg. Ted and Marge Ar-
nason of Viking Travel had hosted
the Tenth Anniversary with cham-
pagne and sone, while many "West-
ern Icelanders” spent the time re-
newing old acquaintances. As a result
no one had experienced much sleep.
The drive to Reykajavík on the bus
was quiet and as I looked out of the
window at the barrenness of the
landscape I could feel myself being
pulled back over the years. Back to
a time long ago when my great-grand-
parents Johannes Magnusson and
Sigurborg Sigurdardottir left this des-
olate land. A time when this land be-
came so bleak that only the call of the
unknown new world could be heard
in the hearts of the young men and
women who dwelt here. I looked
from the window to my father who
had said, "Come my children, for to
see is the only way you will under-
stand. Come and place your feet on
the soil they left. Meet the relatives
who still remain and know yourself
better." So here we are, my father
Paul Magnusson, my brother Herb
Magnusson, his wife Vivian, and
myself, ready to enjoy three weeks
in this fascinating, unique country.
We were met at the air terminal by
Jonathan Thorisson and Ragna Jons-
dottir, cousins on grandmother's
side. They were so warm, friendly,
and glad to see us, we soon felt we
had known them for more than a few
hours.
One of Dad's desires was to trace
his family's family back as far as
possible, something he had not been
able to do from Canada. During con-
versation over breakfast, our hostess,
Sigrun Palsdottir, mentioned that her
son, Erlendur, worked in geneology
and could perhaps help. The next day
he came and talked at length with
Dad about what was known of the
family. He left us in high hopes that
he would find more information.
We spent the next five days visiting
the National Museum, taking in the
beautiful sights of Reykjavík as well
as the breathtaking view from the
steeple of Hallgrimskirkja. Sunday
we went out to Bessastadir for
church service and a warm welcome
to Iceland from President Vigdís
Finnbogadóttir. We flew to the West-
mand Islands to see Heimaey. We
could only marvel at the determina-
tion of the people of the island as
they turned this volcanic catastrophe
back into a beautiful, thriving
community.
We were well rewarded, when we
returned, to find our family history
went back to the early 1700's!! Erlen-
dur felt he could go back perhaps
another two generations. Dad was
elated and very grateful.
We left Reykjavík and spent time
at Thingvalla, feeling and imagining
the history that evolves around this
location of the oldest parliament. We
then went to Hvanneyri, the agricul-
ture school near Borgarnes, to visit
friends my father had met on his first
trip to Iceland. At Hvanneyri, the
Canadian flag was raised in our
honour and remained flying until we
left. We had a relaxing two days in
the hotpools, visiting strangers who
soon became friends.
One of the highlights of the trip
came when we visited the farm sight
of Klefarvöllum, near Miklaholt, in
the shadow of the Snæfellsjökull, the
place where great-grandfather grew
up. The remains of the house and
barn were still evident. As we walked
on this soil a melancholy feeling
settled over the little group of descen-
dants, each lost in his own thoughts.
Each experiencing new ties with the
past. Ties connecting and binding us
with the forefathers. We knew for
certain in those few moments why
we had come. We stood there and
iooked around at the desolate barren-
ness of this beautiful place. The
ocean only about one kilometer away
still seemed to beckon and we under-
stood then why the people had left.
After having lunch at this historic
spot we drove around the Snæfells-
jökull then on to Stykkishólmur
where we were to havé supper with
some newly found relatives. After a
lovely supper, we spent the evening
looking at pictures of generations
gone by and getting acquainted with
the three generations gathered
together.
The next morning we drove to
Dalvik to visit Herb's pen pal of six
years. After all the corresponding the
two men met and shook hands. Once
again the Icelandic hospitality and
warmth showed itself in this home.
Þorvaldur Baldvinsson and his
family made us feel extremely
welcome. They showed us the sights
around Dalvik and explained their
method of drying fish on racks out-
doors. He then took us to the island
of Hrisey in his fishing boat. That
evening we were served a meal fit for
a king.
Myvatn must surely be the most
beautiful spot in Iceland! After driv-
ing from Akureyri over barren,
rough road, it was hard to believe this
lush green spot could exist. We mar-
velled at the abundance of wild birds,
the strange volcanic formations and
the lava fields boiling and steaming
in the midst of the flora. We could
have spent many days at the Myvatn
but our three weeks were passing all
too quickly. We had to go on.
We enjoyed the east side of the
islands with fjords, ice fields and
water falls. The most regal of all was
the Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in
Europe. We visited the museum at
Skogafoss and were grandly enter-
tained by the custodian. He played all
the old instruments and sang all the
old folksongs with great pride and
feeling. He also showed us how to
make horse hair twine, how to card
wool as well as many other skills
necessary for survivaf in the early
days of Iceland.
When we got back to Reykjavík we
spent the last few days shopping and
visiting. The day when we had to say
goodbye to our new friends came too
quickly and in our hearts we hoped
to some day return. Our plane left
Keflavik airport and as we rose up in-
to the air I looked out over the right
wing. The majestic Snaefellsjokull
was piercing through the clouds. An
affectionate farewell from our begin-
nings.
Thank you Johannes and Sigurborg
for braving the unknown so that we,
the future generations, could grow up
in peace and abundance as Cana-
dians. Thank you Paul, for knowing
the significance of making it possible
for us to return to our roots in order
to understand and kríow ourselves
better.
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