Iceland. A place that was not originally in my bucket list (too far, too cold), but became interested in when I saw an advertisement in the National Arts Council’s newsletter for a writer's retreat. This got me surfing about the country, which is very often associated with the Aurora Borealis. A chance to see this phenomenon strengthened my resolve to attend the workshop, though at times I wavered especially when I was checking the flight options/durations and it became clearer to me how remote Iceland really is from Singapore!
I (and my family) reached Iceland on a late afternoon in April. From the moment I disembarked the plane I could already feel that it is a country like no other. On the circular windows along the airport corridors, I could see quotes from famous Icelanders including Bjork's about the wide open space that is her country. But I was not paying much attention to the quotes as I was transfixed by the landscape beyond the glass windows - endless brown lava fields and barren rocks. And for miles, this was the scene on both sides of the road to Reykyavik.
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The endless lava fields on the road to Reykyavik; this unique and rough terrain is almost otherworldly
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| Once in a while, this desolation is broken by a burst of colour from charming houses rising up to defy the harsh terrain |
It was grey and overcast, and for a long stretch, we had not seen any colour until the cab driver pointed at the rainbow. Against a barren landscape, the rainbow looked more vivid, almost in its full spectrum. For probably the first time in my life, I could see the full arc as there were no skyscrapers nor trees that could obstruct this vista - Iceland's volcanic soil makes it difficult for vegetation to thrive, hence the barren lands. The driver also told us it was not unusual to see two sets of rainbows at the same time, which I did on the second day of my stay.
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We arrived in Iceland on a grey afternoon; the road to the capital city was practically devoid of colour but for the full arc of the rainbow which in any case more than made up for the lack of colour around.
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The endless lava fields evoked emotions I’ve never felt in my earlier travels. But before the desolation could get into me, curiosity had taken over as we drew closer to Reykyavik, where at least 60% of Iceland's 320,000 population reside. Reykyavik is very quiet by capital city standards - I guess this is expected given its tiny population. It is a very charming kind of quietness though, with some parts of it having a story book quality. It is dotted with cafes, bars/pubs, and shops in colourful structures, a stark contrast to the highways.
And I got a chance to explore more of downtown the next day during a literary walk-about - Reykyavik is recognised by UNESCO for its literary heritage and luminaries, including Halldor Laxness, a nobel laureate in literature. It is said that Iceland has more writers/books/readers per head than anywhere else in the world, and I guess the same can be said about its nobel laureate per capita productivity :-)
Luckily it was a sunny day for the walk-about, albeit still cold and windy. I was told this was relatively mild given the country's latitude and proximity to the Arctic Circle! So off we went, a group of 50 or so writers from around the world, to at least six buildings popularised in Icelandic novels.
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| The walk brought us to well-known literary places including this - one of the earliest structures in Reykyavik, a government house supposedly built by prisoners. This appeared in Gunnar Gunnarson's The Black Cliffs. Gunnarson is one of the more famous Icelandic novelists. |
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| The Dubliners' Pub was another stop, mentioned in Operation Napoleon, by Arnaldur Indrioason (not the perfect spelling, I don't know the keys to some of the alphabets) |
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One of the cultural centres beside the National Theatre - cited in Hypothermia, by Arnaldur Indrioason
I did not see any colossal or imposing architecture none in the league of Gaudi's or Italy's reaissance palazzos anyways (the closest to a landmark is probably the tall church steeple at the end of the road but I wasn't able to check up close); what I saw was more an amalgam of styles made distinct by strong colours, many in vivid red, green, and blue. At some point I felt as if I were in a theme park. |
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| This used to be a French Hospital (tres chic!), but has been converted to a pre-school (A folktale from Peculiar Passengers) |
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| Near the harbour area in downtown Reykjavik |
On the third day, we had a chance to visit the President at his Residence outside Reykyavik. One of the main features of the residence is its cozy library, its walls lined with hardbound books. This is where we lingered, browsing through the books, and just plainly soaking up the wonderful atmosphere. During his speech, the President mentioned that Icelanders have more respect for poets and writers than for politicians. This point was likewise reiterated by writers based in Iceland: creativity especially of the pen is very much encouraged, and writing is a well-respected endeavour.
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| On the third afternoon post our workshops, we were invited to meet the President of Iceland in his official residence |
Interesting curios, some are gifts from heads of states, are neatly displayed in the bay windows around the house. And this residence is not lacking in windows! which probably added to the brightness inside as the windows open up to wide spaces all around.
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| One of the smaller houses in the President's Residential complex |
The fourth day was supposedly a tour of the Golden Circle with the writers, which I missed unfortunately because of an asthma attack. I started feeling better only after lunch. And the moment I did, my family and I decided to check out the Blue Lagoon (located in a lava field in Grindavik, 40 km from Reykyavik). For me, this is one of the highlights of the trip, not only because of the restorative geothermal water, but because we delighted so much in the unique sensorial experience of letting snow flakes melt on our faces and ducking into the naturally heated pool when it got too cold for comfort! It was for us a great bonding moment specially for my daughter who loves 'fun' swimming, as against regimented swimming in school.
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| Along the road to Blue Lagoon in the Reykjanes Peninsula |
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| By the entrance to the Blue Lagoon |
During this trip, I also had a chance to meet some of the workshop lecturers, including Susan Orlean of New Yorker. I am profoundly impressed by this supremely eloquent woman who wrote the Orchid Thief (which the film Adaptation was based on), among other great books. I first saw her on my way to the lift, smiling and genuinely warm, inquiring about the MacBook Air I was holding (her latest piece in the New Yorker is about Man and the Machine). We were chatting for sometime while waiting for the lift, when it dawned on me that she was the lecturer for my next session. Even before I realised who she was, I could already sense that she was someone special by how engaging she was. She covered her session without any notes or references, and yet, her discussion was one of the clearest I have ever attended. Despite the lack of powerpoint slides (In my previous life, no meeting was ever conducted without a powerpoint!), there was a palpable structure to her talk. Overall, it was so impactful that I came out with my own takeaways ...in clear bullet points! She shared that her creative process is heavily dependent on oral story telling. Before she writes anything down, she makes it a point to tell the entire story first to her husband or some willing listener. Hence, even if her notes or manuscript were lost, she could still replay an entire story because she would know it by heart.
I also liked Joseph Boyden's session A Writer’s Life. What I appreciate the most about multi-awarded and talented Boyden is his sincerity and humility. He mentioned about the many rejections he had received before his work saw the publication light of day. This is quite comforting especially for a newbie like me, who, as many statistics suggest, is likely to get many rejections before getting serious attention (if at all!) from the more reputable and established publications. What is also worth noting about Joseph Boyden is he writes about socially and environmentally relevant issues, like the reservation areas in North America. He shared a few tips on managing the writing life, including having a regular schedule, and possibly joining a writers’ group, or having a very constructive reader. Perhaps seeing there were a few retirees/mid-lifers in the session, he told us Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain) attained phenomenal success only at 62! That to me is another encouraging thought :-)
Kudos to the two visionary ladies who founded and directed this first ever event of its kind in Iceland - Eliza Reid and Erica Green. Clearly, it was a resounding success.
Iceland, by far, is the most evocative of the places I've been to, and I would love to visit again, this time to catch the elusive Aurora hopefully, and go on the Golden Circle tour.
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Perhaps the steam effectively unclogged my airways because when I started swimming in this lagoon, my respiratory issues suddenly disappeared!
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A relaxing soak in this silica and sulfur-rich geothermal pool capped off our visit to Iceland. This will always be one of my fondest memories
#Iceland #BlueLagoon #IcelandWritersRetreat
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