Thursday, April 9, 2009

Reykjavik, Iceland



Simply Fallegt

The moment I set foot in Reykjavik, I was farther from home than I had ever been in my life. Funny thing is, that sentiment never had a chance to sink in before the city became familiar and entirely welcoming.

Hopping from the capital of New York to the capital of Iceland is a preposterous transition - their similarities instantly cease in that common title. Reykjavik is small. No, Reykjavik is tiny. The "bustling" downtown area is contained across a half dozen shop-dotted streets, and between a pair of single-lane roads, each of which is lined with traffic patterns akin to a funeral procession. While I still cannot pronounce most of the street names (I've mentally renamed them all to their first four letters), it took little more than a day to familiarize myself with the city's layout. From that point, wandering was easy.

I've been fortunate enough to drop into Reykjavik in the midst of Blúsfélag Reykjavíkur, their annual blues festival. Icelandic blues are funny because they're fairly happy and whimsical. The second set was performed, interestingly enough, by the musician who established the festival I'm about to attend in the Western Fjords (reportedly the "cold" part of Iceland), and also the brother of one of my hostel attendants. We went out for drinks, and now I have an all-access festival pass from the immensely talented guy who put together Iceland's largest annual music event. Should make for a fun weekend.

Thanks to the death of Our Lord Jesus, last night was my first taste of Reykjavik nightlife (Icelanders only party on weekends, and Easter is for some reason a week-long weekend). Needless to say, today has been slow in recovery. More on that another time.



So how do you define the soul of a place through photography? It's something that is obviously reflected in a city's architecture, its urban layout, and most certainly its people. Yet, these things are so often interchangeable - as much as what I see feels distinctly Icelandic to me, the world isn't so big a place as to deny cultural overlap.

I suppose it's all in the details. A unique gathering of individuals. The graffiti on a bus stop. The character form of a skyline. The discarded pieces of life. If only I could so easily capture the bizarrely ephemeral music that occasionally drifts out apartment windows and through the air, the steady pulsing beat from deep within the many cafe-turned-nightclubs downtown, or the salty scents that fill the streets closest to the waterfront. The flute-like language of the conversing locals and the soft breeze that continually bites through your warmest clothing, reminding you that it's seen far colder places than you. If I could do these things, I could put Reykjavik inside a frame, and consider my photo to be perfect. Until then, I will have to continue hunting for those little details.

For now, I'm going to go find out what blue whale tastes like.

6 comments:

  1. Eat those whales up while you can. When the new government gets set up they're probably replace the cap on how many can be hunted. Until then however, enjoy the bargain priced whale meat!

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  2. You have definitely captured Iceland for me--in your pictures and your words. I'm not sure I want to know how the whale tastes, but I am enthralled with the other observations and descriptions. Just don't get too comfortable there! Have fun at the festival!

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  3. I think blue whale will be extinct before such regulations ever make a significant difference.

    And for the record: like a cow that drank a whole bunch of saltwater.

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  4. Inspired by you, I replied to an inquiry by someone in Kobe that I would indeed eat whale if I had the chance. I got many bad looks and an obligatory fake guilt trip for it.

    My theory is that Icelanders believe in elves because they hallucinate from the cold. Let me know what you think or hallucinate upon your return.

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  5. I'm putting together a thorough report on my conclusions regarding Icelanders, elves and magic (the existence of).

    We'll debrief as soon as the pixies give me some peace and quiet.

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  6. I've been thinking similar thoughts on this trip. Photos are prized as captured bits of travel, but everyone should really be carrying audio equipment as well. The sounds of the language, of basic street sounds from crossing pings to the sounds of bicycle bells and sirens, and of wind through the trees are SO different place to place. We've been admiring the different crossing street pings in different cities here.

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