| Jostled by Vikings |
| the people |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Icelanders are direct descendants of the Vikings, and after six days in their country, I know how the Vikings conquered their victims: with their elbows. If jostling were an Olympic sport, Iceland would bring home the gold every time. It's not that they're rude or violent, but when they're in a club they just seem to have a different concept of personal space than Americans, and that concept is "all up in yours." (Before I give you the wrong idea, they are in general very polite on the street and in coffee shops. Just don't get between them and a bar.) If you're 5'2" and weigh 80 pounds, send somebody else up to buy your drink. |
| In casual encounters, in a shop for instance, they have an interpersonal reserve that reminds me of English people. They might not be all smiley when you meet them, but once you start talking, they are friendly and helpful. It's not that they're opposed to you having a nice day, they just aren't evangelical about it the way we are. (Tony went into a clothing shop, and when the clerk said hello, he said, "How are you?" The woman look puzzled and then asked, "Do all Americans always ask people how they are?" Tony answered, quite rightly, "Yes, but we don't really mean it.") |
| Really Nice People We Met On our first day, Mike was peering into the window of a bar called Sirkus. A man walking by asked (in perfect English, of course) if he could help. Mike said we were trying to find a place to get a beer. The man responded, with only mild surprise in his voice, "It's ten o'clock in the morning." But he then told us about two places we could go, apologized for not being able to invite us into his home, determined that he and Mike had a mutual friend (naturally) and wished us a pleasant stay. |
| A few days later, we had lunch at the family home of Magnus from Icelandair. His father is a jazz musician famous in Iceland, who played in Harlem in the '60s with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald. He and his wife thought nothing of inviting a group of close to 20 smelly music geeks around for lunch. Hell, I wouldn't even do that. |
| And I can't even begin to number, or in some cases, remember, all of the incredibly nice Icelandic people, musicians and aficionados, who we spoke to in clubs and bars during Airwaves. They were extremely welcoming, glad that their scene was getting outside attention, and very interested in learning about music in Chapel Hill. I made a CD of Chapel Hill bands before going over, and quickly gave them all away. At the Sparta show, I was sitting on the stairs, momentarily separated from the posse. I was totally amazed by the show, and had to share it with somebody. I slapped one of these guys (right) on the thigh, and gave him a "Doesn't this fricking rock?" face. He reciprocated, and we shared a moment of true global music geekery. |
| And as for the beauty of the general population, everything you've heard is true. Our female traveling companions confirmed that the good-looking men were just as thick on the ground as the beautiful women. It's nothing to walk into a bar and order a beer from a supermodel. If you'd like to see more photos of Icelandic men and women getting their drink on, check out the "Nightlife" section at www.reykjavik.com. |
| Not So Nice People We Met By Saturday night, the fourth night of the festival, a small percentage of the local population seemed to have had enough of being overrun by drunks yammering in slurred English and fumbling with the money. Most of the men in our group had at least one encounter with a drunken Viking who wished we had caught the previous night's flight home - nothing violent, but definitely testy. If you haven't been to Iceland, don't let this put you off. Just be aware that if you're in a crowded bar on a weekend night, a few of the people there won't be happy to see you (especially if you're hitting on their women). But that's true everywhere. The Icelandic people to whom we relayed these stories the next day were universally surprised, dismayed and apologetic. Read what Adrienne said about being overrun. Read what Brian said about the money. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| These two were driving by, and stopped to ask me to take their picture. I kindly obliged. |
| lunch at Magnus's, with a view of the lava fields |
| Kristi at Cafe Priki� |
 |
 |
| Singer Thorunn Antonia - read more about her on the Music page |
 |
| My pals from the Sparta show |
 |
 |