When my grandfather left Iceland for Canada as a child back in the late 1800’s, he was part of a large exodus of Icelanders escaping the devastation that erupting volcanoes had made on vegetation and livestock. This was before mail service, phone and internet.Those that left for Canada were not heard from again and lost touch with family and relatives in Iceland.
Thanks to a long-lost cousin’s interest in genealogy, our Canadian family has reconnected with our relatives in Iceland. Cousins Hilda and Herman put all the pieces of the puzzle together. When we made the journey to Iceland with our mother, it was touching to see our Mom, speaking Icelandic with the cousins she had never met. They were enthralled by the way she spoke the language, using colloquialisms of the 1880s and speaking in a way that was locked in time. The strength of their bond was clearly visible even after the long separation of time and distance.
Icelanders are warm and inviting people and we were treated like royalty. We were told the stories of their history, how these hardy people had survived great hardships. One such story was during the time the volcanoes destroyed the livestock, the men were lowered in baskets down steep cliffs to gather Puffin eggs. This was their only source of protein and was the reason the people were able to survive. In honour of this pivotal piece of history, we were treated to a feast of these large blue-shelled eggs following a tradition that has been in place for over 100 years.
This warm welcome is not just reserved for family. Strong, proud and resilient, Icelanders welcome visitors to their land of fire and ice. I am looking forward to sharing the beauty of the land and learning from these people I am delighted to call my own.
