(This post is a continuation of Adam trying name his favorite band)
Iceland is crazy pants.
I spent New Year's Eve in Reykjavík and was blown away by the drama of the landscape, the fireworks bombarding every inch of the city and the general elation for the coming new year.
If they ever turn C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet into a film (which they should do immediately) it must be shot in Iceland. This place does not feel like earth. The terrain is often rocky and mossy, the icy mountains are epic, the waterfalls are dangerously intense and the water rarely looks like water. Sometimes it is milky white, sometimes it is literally neon blue.
And even the people seem a little like aliens with human skin stretched over them. They almost all speak English, which makes everything very easy, but it is the kind of English where just enough gets lost in translation so every interaction is slightly off.
Instead of a simple 'Yes' they often give a different and disconcerting reply:
Me: Does this bus go to my hotel?
Driver: With any luck.
Me: Um...fingers crossed?
Turns out this is just cautious optimism. These people take nothing for granted.
On the flight to Reykjavík, I watched a documentary on Sigur Ros. This band had always been in my peripheral but I never really knew a thing about them. Turns out they are Iceland's golden boy and produce transcendent music. Inní mér syngur vitleysingur, which translates to "Within me a lunatic sings", is the breakout track off their new album. Listening to this song you can almost feel the oppressive darkness of winter giving way to the long days of summer, and in that, the mysterious optimism that comes from being Icelandic.
If I were raised in Iceland this might be my favorite band, but I need to pick something with which I can sing along.
In the meantime, put your head phones on and take a trip to the Arctic Circle.
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