Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.07.1994, Blaðsíða 1

[ Lögberg )
neimsKringia
The lcelandic Weekly
Lögberg Stofnaö 14. janúar 1888 Heimskringla Stofnaö 9. september 1886
108. Árgangur Föstudagur 1. júlí 1994
108th Year Publications Mail Registration No. 1667 Friday, 1 July 1994
Inside this week:
IODE and Frón join hands..........2, 3
Refugee reflects lceland's new face..4
Minneapolis Samkoma..................5
Einar's Anecdotes....................6
Poet's Corner .......................7
Númer 24
Number 24
lcelandic
News
lceland /s
■ ln commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of the lceiandic
Republic, the Harpa publishing
company has published a book
called "lceland Is Your Land“. The
book contains selections of patriotic
songs. Páll Bjamason chose the
songs and wrote the introduction.
Many of lceland's best known and
best loved patriotic songs are in the
book, or 58 in all, as well as samples
of songs by 33 poets. Never before
bas there been a book published in
Iceland with such a wide selection of
patriotic songs. The book is there-
fore a great contributíon especially
to introduce the younger generation
to this classic national wealth. The
book is I44 pages and decorated by
Bjami Jónsson.
your land:
■ Production and sale of souvenirs
to commemorate the 50th
Anniversary of the lcelandíc
Repubtíc have been going well.
Among them are e flagpost made
from copper and brass, a book mark
made from sterling silver, and also a
spoon made from sterling silver. The
anniversary logo is engraved on the
pieces as weil as the years I944-I994.
GUNNUR ISFELD
The view from
Þingvellir
The drive from the airport at
Keflavík to Iceland’s capital city
of Reykjavík takes the traveller
through some of the bleakest country
on the face of the earth. Why one
wonders would anyone want to live
here, let alone come here for a holi-
day? As has often been pointed out, it
is a bit like travelling across the face of
the moon.
Indeed, American astronauts
trained in Iceland to prepare them-
selves for the kind of landscape they
would encounter when they finally
made a moon landing. A lunar land-
scape is exotic in its own way, and
Iceland is one of the most exotic and
unusual countries on the face of this
world. In places it may be bleak but
even that bleakness has a compelling
attraction. The story is told of two
Icelandic students retuming by boat
from extended studies in Denmark. As
the coast of Iceland comes into view,
one tums to the other and says “God,
it’s good to get away from all that
damned vegetation.”.
Iceland can be remarkably beauti-
ful, too, uniquely beautiful. It is not
the beauty of an English country gar-
den, or the lush Danish countryside or
the magnificent cathedrals of Europe.
It is a stronger, more mythic beauty, a
reminder of what the world might
have looked like when it was young.
That may be because Iceland itself
is young; it is a nation that is still tak-
ing shape, both geographically and
socially. Its volcanoes are still active,
changing the face and shape of the
country — Surtsey emerged from the
sea only a few years ago. Socially, it is
changing too, emerging from one of
the desperately poor nations of the
world in the last few centuries to one
of its most prosperous ones in this
century.
One gets a glimpse of both of these
aspects, as well as an idea of the tme
beauty of the country, as one
approaches Reykjavík, across the bay
with the magnificent Mt. Esjan in the
background. Icelanders say that Mt.
Esjan never looks the same from one
day to the next, even from one minute
to the next, constantly changing
colour in the crystal clarity of the
Icelandic air. Indeed, the country is
an environmentalist’s dream, with
clear clean air and pure water. It has
not, of course, escaped the 20th
Century curse of the automobile, and
maintain their resolve
to preserve that dis-
tinction.
The influence of
international culture
can be seen, of
course, particularly
American culture, with McDonald’s
and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets
to be spotted here and there and the
ubiquitous rock music in the bars.
Even here, Iceland remains different,
however, where else would one find a
bar that plays Gregorian chants as
background music?
Speaking of bars, a week spent in
Rekjavík revealed none of the leg-
endary drunkeness that has been asso-
ciated with Iceland and Icelanders. In
fact, most bars seem to serve as much
coffee as they do beer or liquor. One
bar owner, asked by an inquisitive vis-
itor where all the drunks were,
explained that there were really only
two establishments where drunkeness
was common. This reporter failed to
visit either and neglected to find out
their names and is thus unable to
direct you to them.
N either was there any drunkeness
apparent at the celebration at Þingvel-
lir, a fact which seemed to surprise
almost everyone. Certainly it was con-
sidered newsworthy enough to be
commented on several times on the
radio and discussed in terms of some
amazement by the people passing time
as they waited in the traffic jam.
nd it is kind of amazing. When
60,000 people get together for
a major party, one would
winter days in Reykjavík
can apparently come
close to Winnipeg in the
fumes that hang in the
cold air, but the popula-
tion is small enough that
even this is not a serious
problem.
On the occasion of
the 50th anniversary of
Iceiandic independence,
there were according to
the authorities, more
than 60,000 people and
25,000 cars that went to
Þingvellir, the site of the
original Alþing. More
tried and failed to get
there because of the traf-
fic — including some
who had come all the way from British
Columbia — and the massive traffic
jam that resulted tumed the 30 mile
trip from Þingvellir to Reykjavík into a
six hour ordeal. But at least one was
stuck in the middle of some remark-
ably beautiful countryside, rather than
on a Los Angeles freeway or a New
York bridge.
The social change occurring in
the country can be easily seen in
Reykjavík. It is really two cities
— the old city with its old buildings
and distinctively Icelandic architecture
surrounded by a new one built of con-
crete houses and office buildings.
There is, fortunately, not one of those
monstrosities of 20th century culture
— the skyscraper — to be seen, which
must make Reykjavík unique among
the capital cities of the world and one
can only hope that the Icelanders
Winner of the
Competition
ihe winner in the competi-
tion for the national cos-
tume for men has been
declared. He is Kristinn Steinar
Sigríðarson, dothing designer.
60 designers took part ín the
competition for a men’s costume
for the 50th Anniversary of
Iceland’s Independence. The
prize was $4,500.
Above we see Jón Ásgeirsson
modelling the new national cos-
tume.
Cont’d p. 4