Travel diaries

In some ways Iceland is the exact opposite of Argentina and in others, it’s its alter ego. Patagonia has Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire, and this is the land of ice. Argentina’s got the almost southernmost city in the world and Iceland’s got the almost northernmost (Reykjavík is the northernmost capital). There is a sameness to the topography and mood as well. Glaciers, miles of wide open, windswept no man’s land, desolation, feeling like the last person on earth and in some magical otherworld.

My first stop in Iceland is Reykjavík. Despite its big reputation, it’s quite wee and strikes me as more of a small city or large town rather than a metropolitan capital (and that’s not a bad thing!) There’s some suburban sprawl, but the city itself is no bigger than, like, Portland, Maine. There are a couple of ugly highrise buildings down by the harbor, but for the most part, it’s a low rise kinda place, which suits me just fine. There’s a strong art and music community, tons of great restaurants and some interesting architecture- enough to keep me occupied for my two day visit.  

My first stop is bed, where my 45 minute power nap turns into a two and a half hour affair. Next stop is the Hafnarhúsid (that last “d” should be the Icelandic d with the cross through the top, but my computer can’t handle that), part of the Reykjavík Art Museum, to check out some local art in a très Scandanavian architectural setting. I spend the rest of the day buying art supplies for the residency, walking around town and hanging out at a very cool lounge with the very cool Jon, a friend of my friend in NY.

I’ve got big plans for my second and last day in Reykjavík , but they are thwarted at every turn. There’s a free breakfast at my guest house, but I miss it by two hours when I accidentally sleep in until 11:30 (can’t blame me, that’s only 6:30 US time). My plan for the day is to check out some more Icelandic art at the National Gallery and some of the smaller galleries in town. The National Gallery is between exhibits, as is another gallery, a couple of the other galleries aren’t open on Tuesdays and another one has closed altogether. Life is hard.

I do stop in at 12 Tónar, Iceland’s coolest music store. I’m psyched to discover some bizarre Icelandic music which ain’t too hard. I pick up a compilation CD with Icelandic bands covering American light sounds of the 70’s (my favorite!)- IN ICELANDIC!!! There’s a cover of Mandy by Barry Manilow and Yester-me, Yester-you, Yesterday by Stevie Wonder, to name just a couple. I also get a disc by Sigridar Neilsdóttur. I imagine her as a cute Icelandic girl making music on a Casio in her bedroom that has a pink rug and floral bedspread. It reminds me a little of the musical stylings of Rosateresa, my favorite NYC subway busker.

I also make a visit to the Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland’s tallest building at a whopping 8 stories (probably a little higher because you climb a staircase at the top, but the lift only goes up to 8). The church has got a mother pipe organ and the tower offers a nice panorama of the city, including the surrounding mountains and water and one of my favorite buildings in town, Perlan. I love Perlam because it looks like something out of the 60’s Tarkovsky flick Solaris, futuristic but in a kinda dated way.

Later on, Jon and I go to an amazing fish restaurant. The menu is organized according to country of culinary influence and then taste, so the dishes have titles like “Iceland- Sour Milk” and “Brazil- Lemon fruit”. The fish is so fresh and juicy and the flavas are really inventive. We also hang out at Kaffibarin, another hip Icelandic night spot.

I head back to my guest house in the snow and pack up for the journey to Skagaströnd the next morning at 8:30am- that’s 3:30am US time. Let the jet lag begin!