Stinky fish and rolling seas

Today is the Day of Saint Thorlak. It´s a long tradition in the West Fjords of Iceland to eat stinky skate fish on that day (don´t ask me why!) and during the last decade or so, this tradition has spread all over the country. The skate fish is put in a large container for some period until the ammonia smell becomes worse than in a lousy bar toilet on a Sunday morning. Yummi…

This delicious dish is not my favourite cup of tea but I always give it a go for the “fun” of it. This time my grandmother in law who is 86 with not a single gray hair and born in Hornvik in Hornstrandir, cooked the skate for her old man and my family. My clothes still stink!
Today we also had very high winds, high tide and low barometric pressure. It fell around 20mb in 12 hours yesterday and last night and until noon it was blowing crazy from the southeast. The sea level was so high, it came over the sandspit and filled many basements in the town centre of Isafjordur. The brand new gas station got damaged and few windows broke in some houses. But we´re lucky compared to other towns and villages in the north and capital Reykjavik where mudslides ruined some farms and bridges collapsed when rivers got too big in the unusual warm weather.
But now it´s going to get colder again with snow.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!