We've Landed!

6-hour stopover in Seattle with our 4 suitcases & 2 carry-ons

After being awake for 24 hours in a row, we landed in Reykjavik at 6:30 a.m. this morning on a flight where the sun never set. It just kept glaring brightly through our window for the whole 8 hours.

 

It was the strangest landing I’ve ever had into Keflavik. There was no rain, sideways or otherwise. There was no fog. There was no May snowstorm. There was just… bright sun and blue sky!

 

We found our rental car by wandering through parking lots of Hertz and Avis and Budget, each separated from the others by walls of lava rocks.

 

Oliver navigated us straight to my cousin Hrefna’s house (not a single wrong turn), where we had a wonderful breakfast of breads with cheese and homemade, local berry jelly and salmon and smoked lamb (no shark meat). We talked about crazy Icelandic politics: according to the latest polls, Reykjavik looks set to elect a mock political party tomorrow, called Besti Flokurinn (the Best Party) led by a stand-up comedian who may just become Reykjavik’s next mayor.

 

 Movie star & stand up comic Jón Gnarr: Reyjavík´s next mayor?

“With its special brand of absurdist nihilism, and under a slogan that loosely translates to "Whatever Works!" Mr. Gnarr's Best Party is tapping into the national protest mood.” WSJ, May 28

 

According to Hrefna, the main platform of the party, if there is one, is (1) a polar bear for Reykjavik and (2) to build a prison to house all the bank criminals who caused the economic collapse.

 

We then took sleeping pills, slept through the midday with a black blanket hanging over our window, and woke up after 6 hours to head for dinner at my publisher’s house.

 
 

Tonight was my first time meeting my Icelandic publisher, Jakob Ásgeirsson, who had The Tricking of Freya translated into Freyjuginning. I met his lovely wife Margrét once many years ago because, like most Icelanders, she happens to be related to me.

 

It seems I am in good company, as Jakob´s line up includes Icelandic translations of F. Scott Fitzgeral, George Elliot, plus one of my very favorite writers, Paul Austur.

 
 

Dinner was rack of lamb, eagerly devoured by Oliver, myself and their two year old daughter, who kept merrily crying out “Kjöt! Kjöt!” (“Meat! Meat!”) as she snatched up jibs of lamb with her tiny fingers.

 

  Icelandic sheepdog at work!

We left my publisher's house with two boxes of Freyjuginning books to take on the road with us. I’ve always had a fantasy about being one of those writers who drives across county selling her books out of the trunk of her car. I never considered it might be Iceland.

 

And everyone we’ve met so far is completely floored by Oliver´s ability to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull.

 

PS Check out this wonderful new review of The Tricking of Freya at one of my most favorite blogs, The Iceland Weather Report. 

Comments

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The stand up comic running for Mayor on this "best Party" line is so odd....it's a reaction against anyone who's been anything that has been....in power! The Da-Da-esque aspect of it is very appealing....
Polar Bear for Reykjavik? Sure....how about lipstick for all the cats and dogs too?
;)
We'll watch the returns w/our hosts tomorrow and see how it turns out....very exciting.
Can't believe we're finally here....sightseeing and landscapre tomorrow!