Last week, Reykjavik in Iceland came alive with their annual Seaman’s Festival, an event whose name has been changed to The Festival of the Sea. Given that the sea and its sailors are an important part to Icelandic culture, it has become an annual celebration full of seafood and music.
Originating from the traditional Icelandic Sjómannadagur or Seaman’s Day celebrated on the first Sunday of June, every ship in Iceland remains in harbour over the weekend and all sailors have the day off to take part in the maritime festivities! This year the festival marked 100 years since the harbour was constructed, as well as the 75th anniversary of the first fisherman’s celebration in Reykjavík.
There was a strongman competition, rowing challenges, rescue demonstrations and aeroplane stunts. For the family there were games and performances, plus discounts on puffin and whale watching and a feast of herring and mackerel! Puffin is a rare bird by the way; half of the puffin population resides in Iceland. More on them in our whale watching tour in Reykjavik which will posted this month.
Additionally, the Reykjavík Brass Band performed, Örvar Kristjánsson on the accordion and Fisherman’s Musical Requests with Iceland’s most popular fisherman’s music performed by a selection of Icelandic musicians.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored over 90, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity. She is also the founder of the Magdalene Collection, a jewelry line dedicated to women’s unsung voices and stories, and the award-winning author of the bestselling book Magdalene’s Journey
She is founder of Blue Soul Media and co-founder of Blue Soul Earth as well as the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS podcast, that bridges science, technology and spirituality. Renee also founded Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
