UNA Magazine

May 2014

EDITION

ESKIFJORDUR

Volunteer’s guide

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Index

04 Editorial Notes

06 Chronicles of a long lasting marriage

08 Seafood in Eskifjordur

12 Shops in Eskifjordur

20 Culture and History

24 Free time

28 Credits

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Index

04 Editorial Notes

06 Chronicles of a long lasting marriage

08 Seafood in Eskifjordur

12 Shops in Eskifjordur

20 Culture and History

24 Free time

28 Credits

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After the abso-lutely success-ful experience of the special edition of the March number of UNA maga-zine, in which a guide for the new volun-teers coming to Reykjavik has been real-ized, the idea t o c r e a t e s o m e t h i n g similar for Eskifjordur, de-lightful tiny town in the East Fjords, where WF is o r g a n i z i n g many work-camps all the year long, had to be put into practice. T h e f o u r amazing vol-

unteers with whom I had the luck to work with where immediately enthusiastic about this idea, understanding the importance of such an effort: without wasting

any time, they started to look for every activity it is actually possible to do for a volunteer com-ing two weeks in Eskifjordur. The difficul-ties of writing and edit-

EDITORIAL NOTES

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ing in few days a guide with the cooperation of only 4 volunteers has been overcome by their determination and hard work. What we want to show here, is how many activities and ex-periences can be actu-ally done in such a small place. Thus, we

had to make a selec-tion among those expe-riences and activities for review. At the end, we decided to focus on four categories: free time, history and cul-ture, shops and facili-ties, local fish food and additionally, I also felt the need to write about

what WF do and has done in Eskifjordur as an opportunity to thanks all the local people who helped us to built a valu-able and prolific cooperation. If you are one

of the new vol-

unteer coming

in Eskifjordur,

here you can

find many tips,

reviews and

useful descrip-

tions of the life

in this amazing

place: we are

sure you will al-

ways know how

to fill your free

time here!

Alessandro

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Chronicles of

a long lasting marriage

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The long lasting cooperation be-

tween Eskifjordur and Worldwide friends is one of the most inter-esting and prolific example of mutual help between a non gov-

ernmental organization with a local community. In the last years Worldwide Friends has

hosted an impressive number of workcamps, which take place regularly during the whole year.

For such a remote and scarcely populated tiny town, volunteers coming from all over the world

represent an exiting opportunity to keep in touch with cultural di-versity and to built international

relations. If summer is for sure the best period to visit Eskifjordur and enjoy its outdoor activities,

in winter Worldwide Friends is extremely active as well in here: in “ aurora hunting” workcamps

volunteers realize video docu-mentary about Eskifjordur in or-der to promote its amazing natu-

ralistic and cultural richness; “journalism and photography” revolves around the necessity to

realize a newsletter concerning all the activities and interesting facts Eski has to offer; But it is

probably with“ art and environ-ment” that the cooperation with the local community reaches its’ peak: artistically talented volun-

teers are involved in the realiza-tion of beautiful artworks to be shown to the kids in the local

school in order to rise awareness about environmental issues. With summer approaching it is

time for volunteers to do some physical work, helping the com-munity to keep clean its shore-

line: in “Close to nature” work-camps volunteers go outside collecting trash and cleaning up

the seaside in a challenging but extremely meaningful ecological operation.

The feedback from the local com-munity has always been amazing. It is impossible here to mention

all the citizens of Eskifjordur and surrounding villages who helped us and were willing to cooperate

with us. We are very thank to the

owners of the local swimming pool who allowed volunteers to enter it every time whenever we want, to the manager of the local

fish factory who are always plea-sed to show us every steps of the production, to Petra who always

opens the door to her impressive collection of stones, to Atli always willing to concede us some of his

time to show us how he made dry fish. All of them were extre-mely warm and friendly with us:

always willing to help with any logistic problem that could pos-sibly rise. citizens of Eskifjorur

make more valuable the reason why we are here: to promote peace, dialogue between culture,

environmental values and friend-ship.

What is probably the most

amazing outcome of this coop-

eration is not only the extraordi-

nary richness that volunteers

bring to the local community but

also to see that the same process

is working on both sides: interna-

tional participants in workcamps

are very often amazed by the

lifestyle of this peaceful and

charming town, they have been

learning a lot from the sociable

and always positive behavior of

the local community, their hum-

ble and sincere manners, their

genuine way of life. For all of

them is an experience they will

probably never forget and that

will stay impressed for all their

life.

If there are no words to ex-

press our gratitude for the local

community, a special thank

must be given to young people

and kids who uses the hang

around the old school, were the

camps take place, sharing ideas

and opinions, showing local cul-

ture, teaching Icelandic history

and culture and of course hav-

ing fun with us.

Good enough, more, new exit-

ing workcamps are going to

take place this and in the fol-

lowing years, may Eskifjordur

and Worldwide Friends join

forces forever!

Alessandro

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Some general

facts:

The icelandic cuisine

consists mainly of

fish, but also mutton

and potatoes. It is a

simple kitchen. Un-

fussy,which is com-

mon in scandinavian

c o u n t r i u e s

Fish:

Marine fish,such as

"ýsa" (haddock), þor-

skur (cod) and stein-

bítur (Atlantic wol-

ffish)are usually pre-

pared as fillets rolled

in breadcrumbs and

cooked in a pan. O-

thers l ike si ld

(herring) are prepa-

red in marinade and

eaten on bread and

rúgbrauð, whose fla-

vor is reminiscent of

g i n g e r b r e a d .

D r i e d f i s h

"harðfískur" is also

very popular for Ice-

land.Usually it is ma-

de out of haddock,

catfish or cod. It will

serve you well as e-

nergy food during a

long and exhausting

day.

The lax (salmon),

the silungur (trout)

or the bleikja (char)

can be enjoyed best

cooked on the coals,

prepared en papillo-

te.

Nicolas

Seafood in Eskifjördur

Typical Icelandic disse

A must -try icelandic dish is

"gravlax",salmon fillets marinated in dill

and served with a sauce of mustard. For

very brave people, a must-try is

"Hákarl" (fermented shark).It is a tradi-

tional dish consisting of a Greenland

shark or sleeper shark, which has been

cured with a particular fermentation pro-

cess and hung to dry for four to five

months. There is a story saying that Ice-

landics urinate on the large basking shark

and then bury it. This is not the case. But

it does actually smell and tastelike this.

· Plenty of fish: for example salmon,

cod, herring or halibut

Focus on

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Harðfiskur

(dry fish)

In Eskifjördur there is a

place, where they are

still producing dried fish

in the old way. The fish

is directly purchased

from Eskja, a fish

company in Eskifjordur.

First they freeze the fish

for a few days in a cold

store. Then they take

the fish and cut it into

pieces. The pieces are

then placed on plates

and dry in a room desi-

gned for this purpose

(temperature / humi-

dity). Afterwards they

put the fish in salt for 30

minutes and finally they

p a c k i t u p .

Common kinds of fish

are catfish, haddock, or

cod fish. The production

process is entirely ma-

nual and pursued with a

care and love of detail

that is comparable to

the production of expen-

sive wines. The curing

methods have remained

the same since the be-

g i nn i ng and the

company is still run by

the same family local to

Eskifjörður.

Harðfiskur is usually en-joyed with butter. It has

a strong odor, but the taste is not unpleasant.

You can buy the dried fish in nearly every gro-cery store and super-

market in Iceland.

Focus on

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Randulf's Sea-House

Randulf’s Sea House was

built by a Norwegian man

named Peter Randulf in 1890

to handle the herring catches

that Eskifjörður was renowed

for. When large fishing tra-

wlers began to replace smal-

ler vessels and forced the

industry to move to larger

ports, the house was closed

and remained shut for the next 75 years.

In 2008 the house opened again: as a restaurant and

museum. Visitors have poured in to see the maritime

traditions of a small fishing village while trying reindeer

meatballs and fish straight from Eskifjörður.

The restaurant is open every day of the summer for

lunch and dinner. For winter, it is open for pre-booked

groups and special events.

Nicolas

WHERE TO EAT FISH IN ESKIFJÖRDUR

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Pagina 11

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Visitors will love amazingly beautiful landscape of Eskifjörður at first sight. On the other hand, it

may seem as a sequestered village to people visiting there, especially those from a big fancy city, but there are many shops that meet the requirements whatever visitors need such as pub, res-taurant, supermarket, health care center, pharmacy, and swimming pool.

SHOPS IN ESKIFJÖRÐUR By HYUNJUNG JO

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SHOPS IN ESKIFJÖRÐUR Opening hours:

Weekdays 10:00 - 21:00

weekend 10:00 - 18:00

Fee for swimming pool:

Age 6-17 200kr

Adults 600kr

Fee for gym and swim-

ming pool: 1000kr

Tel.(+354) 476 1218

At the entrance, you may find kind clerks at in-

formation desk. When turn to the left , you can

find clean shower rooms for women and men. A

gym at the corner provides a lot of sporting

equipment. The facility is generally tidy .

Sauna is next to the swim-

ming pools. The tempera-

ture inside is usually 65-70

ºc. This is very cozy place

where you may feel so re-

laxed , which helps to re-

cover from your fatigue.

Viewing scenic beauty, you

may enjoy several pools with

different temperatures. Do

not miss a chance for riding

three types of slides! You

may not allowed to say that

you have been to Iceland

without experiencing outdoor

swimming pool with pictur-

esque scene. Local people

often spend quality time

here with their family and

friends. Swimming pool is

taken to be the best place

offering a good memory in

Eskifjörður.

Swimming pool Sundlaug

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By HYUNJUNG JO

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SUPERMARKET Samkaup Strax

Customers can purchase all of grocery you need

here such as various kinds of bread, ingredi-ents for baking, snacks,

nuts, sauces, fruits, vegetables, coffee, and cheese, etc. Moreover,

daily necessities are dis-played as well. Products

with little bit expensive price are worth to buy in this town.

Second floor is Red

Cross second hand store. They sell some goods, especially cloth-

ing at reduced prices.

Skry is representative yogurt in Iceland. There are several differ-

ent tastes of them. Price for the yogurt (1) is 385kr.

Opening hours:

Mon-Friday

9:00-18:00 Saturday

10:00-14:00

Sunday closed

Tel.(+354) 475

1580

Dry fish is one of

specialty in this village. Tastes little bit savory

and is crunchy. Do you want

to know why dry fish is so loved by peo-

ple? Then, do not hesitate to try it.

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Omega-3 is 1719kr. omega-3 fatty acid is

good for nervous sys-tem, protecting cells , and speeding up me-

tabolism.

Pharmacy is located next to the Health

and care center. People can pur-

chase beauty and health products here besides medi-

cine. They in-clude Vitamins,

bath supplies, cosmetic prod-ucts, perfumes,

h a i r d y e , glasses, etc.

PHARMACY LYFJA

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 11:00-17:00

Tel.(+354) 476 1287

www.lyfja.is

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To Europe

175kr

A

(a couple of days)

160kr

B

(a couple of weeks)

Not to Europe

230kr

A

205kr

B

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 12:00-16:00 Price of sending post card/ stamp

Price of post card: 120-175Kr

Tel.(+354) 580 1200

A post office clerk is very friendly . In addi-

tion to stamps and post cards, other prod-ucts such as key holders, chocolate, acces-

sory, and bookmarkers are displayed on the left side.

POST OFFICE PÓSTHÚS

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Opening hours: Monday-Friday 12:00-16:00 Price of sending post card/ stamp

Price of post card: 120-175Kr

Tel.(+354) 580 1200

Opening hours:

Wednesday

13:00-14:30

ATM is available all the time

Tel.(+354) 410 4166

Bank is located middle of the main street in Eskifjörður and at the oppo-

site side of the supermarket. ATM is always available inside the bank . Only króna can be withdrawn from

the ATM.

BANK AND ATM LANDSBANKINN

PUB

krá

The name of this

pub kafihúsið eski-firði. During the day-time, the pub is op-

erated as a café. Visitors also can ask for information

about guesthouse by telephone. Do not miss a chance to

buy a cheaper beer during the Happy hours until 11 pm!

Price of a beer

(500cc) is 600kr and

a beer with one free shot is 900kr. The Pub is very popular

to villager, especially on Friday because of the pub quiz. Have a

great time in this intimate place with good music.

During Happy hour, a beer with one free shot is only 900kr !

There are totally 30

Opening hours: Happy hours 22:00 -23:00 Sunday-Thursday close at 23:00 Friday, Saturday close at 03:00 Tel.(+354)476 1150

questions for the Quiz

and the price for the winners are usually bottles of beer. Do

not be disappointed with the result. The last will get bobby

prize ! Team could be consist of maximum 3 people. Topic of the

pub quiz changes every week.

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Open hours: summer Monday-Saturday 8-23 Winter Monday-Saturday 8-22

Tel.(+354) 476 1383

PETROL STATION & RESTAURAN T

KR- IA VE IT INGASALA EHF

This is self-service gas station. Visitors can purchase petrol and fuel dis-

played on the left side and snacks, drinks, and ice-cream on the right side

at the restaurant. Price of Ice-cream cone is 250kr for small and 390kr

for large. Pizza is available after 4pm

Open hours:

summer Monday-Saturday 8-23 Winter Monday-Saturday 8-22 Tel.(+354) 476 1383

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MAP OF ESKIFJORDUR

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CULTURE AND HISTORY

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Gódan daggin! Welcome to the East of Iceland.

You chose well, because you are in a typical icelandic town now! You are 692km

away from the capital Reykjavík. Geologically, you are in the oldest part of Iceland

(but still you are in the younges t country in the world).

The population is a little bit more than 1000 inhabi-tants. Eskifjörður town,

named after the fjord on which it is

situated, is built on a small sand spit and up the slopes of the mountain

on the fjord´s nor-thern shore. Its main industries are fishing and small-scale farming.

Take a walk around town and note all the histori-cal builings and piers.

Also don´t miss the chance to visit the museums, which will give you

more insight about the culture and history of this town. Looking back,

Eskifjörður has the second oldest tra-

dition as a trading post in East Ice-land (after Djúpi-vogur), having re-

ceived its certifica-tion at the same time as Reykjavík, when the Danish monopoly in Ice-

land was relaxed in 1786. It´s the seat of the district magist-rate since 1853.

There is an old mi-ne Helgustaðir farther along the shore east of the

village. It´s one of the globe´s most famous spar mi-nes, where some of the world´s lar-

gest spar crystals have been excava-ted. Did you know that this area is the on-

ly part of Iceland inhabited by Rein-deer? Maybe you get to see some up the mountains!

Also watch out for whales, they sometimes get lost in the fjord! And don´t miss to visit the typical icelandic horses.

A white witch is watching over this town. She saved it both from a raid by North African marauders in the 17th century and from a German bombing plane in

World War II, making it crash at the fjord’s entran-ce. Look for a pile of rocks next to a picknick table, he-re rests the white witch and she will protect this fjord from invasion as

long as her bones are undecayed. Oh and by the way... the school

is haunted as well! So better be careful and beha-ve well.

Alexandra

This sculpture commemora-tes the mariners who droun-

ded at the sea.

A mural by the artist Bal-thasar on the wall of the

freezing plant, which is one of Iceland’s leading fish-processing firms, shows the village’s main

industry, which has long been connected to fish.

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Since it is a private exhibition, you need to make an

appointment to visit:

Tel.: (+354) 476 1177

Sören and Sigurborg's rock

and mineral collection

One of the "must sees" in Eskifjördur is the rock an mineral collection of Sören and Sigurborg. They have been collec-ting minerals and stones for over 25 years now, and have a collection of over 3000 pieces. A lot of them are really impressive and Sigur-

borg is happy to answer any question you have about it. In the collection you can find corals, granite, opal, black rock and many many more. Most of them are from this area, found at the beach or just next to the road.

The oldest one is over 14 million years old. So go and check it out and keep your eyes peeled in this area: Some stones can look

very inconsiderable from

the outside but they

could keep something

beautiful inside.

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The museum is hou-sed in the oldest building of Eskifjör-dur. It was built in 1816 originally as a shop. During the past it had many uses: a warehouse, a fish processing house, and a storage house for fishing-tackle. The house was reno-vated in 1968, and since 1983 it is used as a musem. There are various artefacts connected with life on the sea and the processing of seafood kept in the museum. Food-boilers and liver-rendering pots from whaling stations, the propeller of a ship which stranded in

Open: 13:00 - 17:00

seven days a week from 1. June to 31. August

or by arrangement:

Tel.: (+354) 470 9063

The Maritime Museum of East Iceland

the East-fjords in 1909, the mast of wooden Swedish ship which was built in 1943, and a 200-300 year old an-chor. When you climb up the stairs, you will find a lot of practi-cal things used by the early settlers to make a living in Eskifjördur: Domestic tools , ca-m e r a s , d en t a l equipment and much more... It really has a huge

variety to offer and

everything you see

is from this area.

It´s worth a visit!

Alexandra

Why do locals call the house "Gamlabúð"?

During the years 1860 to 1903 the shop ow-

ner was a Dane called Carl D. Tulinius and

the shop called "Tuliniusverzlun".

When the shopkeeper moved into newly-built

premises, the house became known as

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FREE T IME Welcome to Eskifijöröur. How

was the minibus trip? Eskifijöröur

is a small town, but there are

many interesting things to do

when you finish your daily

work.Most daily work ends

around/or before 3 PM. Except

for the ‘journalism and photogra-

phy’ work camp. There is no fixed

schedule. This information is

about how to spend your free

time, and I hope it will be helpful

for you.

INTRODUCTION

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Kim Jaeyoung

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King’s Game

Bored of just drinking

in the evening? Then you should try this game!

First, put a cup of beer on the table, spread

the cards around the cup. And, pick one card at one time. Then

just follow the rules. Enjoy your drinking!

of the mountain, so

make sure you prepare some lunch before.

Have fun!

Eskifijorsarhaidi

It is a name of moun-tain that is situated in the west of this town.

Before you start hiking, be sure to take your towels and another

pair of socks maybe, because you are going to cross several

streams there. It takes about 3 and a half hour to reach the top

DRINK ING GAME

H IK ING

PUB Have you ever been in

a pub before? This pub is special because we can enjoy a pub quiz

every Friday.

Unfortunately, the quiz has a high level of dif-

ficulty. However, do not be disappointed! There is a prize not

only for the winner,

but also for the

miserable bottom.

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Kim Jaeyoung

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Are you sick and tired

of learning languages from unfriendly teach-ers?

Meet the most friendly teacher ever!

Teach your country’s language to your friend in this fantastic work-

camp, and learn his or her language.

It is the cheapest and funniest way to learn a language.

Do you have a sketchbook?

Then grab your pencil or ball-pen and go

outside to draw something!

Try to use your hand instead of just push-

ing the button on your camera.

LEARNING LANGUAGES

DRAWING F ISHING W ITH K IDS Do you want to play something more Icelandic?

Then meet Dalton and his friends. This town’s kids are very friendly to you, and they will not

hesitate to be one of your friends.

You can meet Dalton in the swimming pool, and just ask him “Dalton, are you going fishing tonight?”, “Can I join?”. For sure he will say

“OK”. You can get the youngest friends you ever had, and also, you will be surprised by

their fishing competence.

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CREDITS

All articles written by Alessandro Zabban, Nicolas Raspiengeas , Alexandra Humpert, Hyunjung Jo and Kim Jaeyoung Cover, Index and back pictures by Nicolas Raspiengeas (https://www.facebook.com/pages/chekmydream/174016882801785)

Alessandro

Kim Jaeyoung

Nicolas

Alexandra

Hyunjung Jo

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CREDITS

Alessandro

Kim Jaeyoung Nicolas

Alexandra

Hyunjung Jo

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All articles written by Alessandro Zabban, Nicolas Raspiengeas , Alexandra Humpert, Hyunjung Jo and Kim Jaeyoung Cover, Index , Credits and Back pictures by Nicolas Raspiengeas (https://www.facebook.com/pages/chekmydream/174016882801785)

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