Words by

Alice Demurtas

Photo by

Gabriel Motola

For a Chinese couple driving through the snow-flooded Westfjörds, the weekend could have easily turned into a nightmare when their car got stuck off road. Instead, thanks to local farmer Viðar Guðmundsson, they’ll always remember their trip to Iceland as the most exciting of adventures.

Some heartfelt hospitality

Viðar, who lives with his family in Kollafjörður, rescued the two while they were waiting for a tow truck to drag their vehicle out of the snow. Since the weather wasn’t likely to improve any time soon, Viðar decided to show the couple some heartfelt hospitality and drove them to his house to wait out the storm.

As customary when Icelanders host foreigners, Viðar did not let this opportunity slip away, and decided to introduce the tourists to some classic Icelandic habits. First, he showed them around the farm, where the family owns a sheepcote. “They are very curious about Iceland,” Viðar told Vísir. “So, while they were here they got to learn various things about the country.”

An authentic experience

Later, Viðar offered the couple the infamous ‘neftóbak’—effectively pulverized tobacco that can either be inhaled or, as Viðar suggested, packed in a ‘lumma’ made of paper which is then placed between the lips and the gums. This can be quite a memorable if not sickening experience when done for the first time: in fact, if the lumma is too big or if one is not used to it, the amount of nicotine can shock the body enough to make one regurgitate.

Viðar’s guests, however, seemed to have had a lot of fun trying out new things with their hosts. “They’re really happy to have ended up with locals,” Viðar said. “The man said he had come to Iceland last year but there was not one snowflake in sight. But I think this year he really got enough of it.”

Although this story turned out well for the tourists, we still recommend you check the weather forecast and do not drive in dangerous conditions. More snow and strong winds are expected to hit the country today, especially in the south and in the Westfjords, so bundle up and safe travels!