Julie is staying in Patreksfjörður (Patró for short) and has been discovering her roots, literally:
"Last weekend my host family took me to Flatey, a small island in Breiðafjörður. Some of my ancestors came from Skáleyar, a nearby group of islands. Knowing that, and having watched the movie Brúðguminn (White Night Wedding), which was filmed on Flatey, I was sad to find out that this year's tour didn't include a trip there. But when my relatives and I were looking at my genealogy book, they asked if I would like to go and of course I said yes! From Patreksfjörður, we drove south to Brjánslækur and took the ferry to Flatey. It was warm and sunny all day - perfect weather for exploring the island. We listened in on choir practice at Flateyarkirkja while admiring the ceiling mural, saw the bókasafn (the oldest library in Iceland), said 'góðan daginn' to all the summer residents who were out painting their houses, and enjoyed the view of Snæfellsnes glacier.
On the way home that night, my host pabbi suddenly stopped the car and pointed to a farm. 'Þetta er Miðhlíð!' he said excitedly. Miðhlíð is the farm where my great-grandfather was born, and as the name suggests, it is nestled between two mountain slopes. It's located along Barðaströnd, on the water, with a view of the open ocean and Snæfellsnes in the distance. A beautiful and surreal moment to end an incredible day!"
- Julie
"Last weekend my host family took me to Flatey, a small island in Breiðafjörður. Some of my ancestors came from Skáleyar, a nearby group of islands. Knowing that, and having watched the movie Brúðguminn (White Night Wedding), which was filmed on Flatey, I was sad to find out that this year's tour didn't include a trip there. But when my relatives and I were looking at my genealogy book, they asked if I would like to go and of course I said yes! From Patreksfjörður, we drove south to Brjánslækur and took the ferry to Flatey. It was warm and sunny all day - perfect weather for exploring the island. We listened in on choir practice at Flateyarkirkja while admiring the ceiling mural, saw the bókasafn (the oldest library in Iceland), said 'góðan daginn' to all the summer residents who were out painting their houses, and enjoyed the view of Snæfellsnes glacier.
On the way home that night, my host pabbi suddenly stopped the car and pointed to a farm. 'Þetta er Miðhlíð!' he said excitedly. Miðhlíð is the farm where my great-grandfather was born, and as the name suggests, it is nestled between two mountain slopes. It's located along Barðaströnd, on the water, with a view of the open ocean and Snæfellsnes in the distance. A beautiful and surreal moment to end an incredible day!"
- Julie
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