My Own Father, and I quote:

Dear Daughter: So sorry you are going nuts in the head! Ann tells me this is a wonderful thing you are doing! She is going nuts in the head too! How does one post comments on the blog web? I would like to have what I say posted and not just directed to you alone. The Hawaiian music is just right for that cold, cold island. I hope this does not mean the whole world is going cold and crazy. Actually it is fun that you are getting so worked up over this trip. No other trip to anywhere with anyone that I know has ever shown such spirit. WAY TO GO!

FIF

Icelanders are very poetic, even evocative. In the Reykjavik Grapevine Paul Fontaine-Nikolov quotes his guide: "As the solar wind from the sun penetrates the earth’s magnetic belt, its light builds slowly, eventually reaching a climax that can fill the whole sky."

Of course, you must visit when the weather is cold and crisp in order to see the Aurora Borealis. That means, NOT SUMMER!

W.H. Auden: What's the Buzz?

Rating: 4 puffins

Letters from Iceland was published in 1937. Wystan Hugh Auden (age 29) and Louis Macneice alternate the composition of these "memoirs" of their trip. What better way to engage the reader's attention than to begin the book with a letter, in poetic form, to Lord Byron?

Excuse, my lord, the liberty I take
In thus addressing you. I know that you
Will pay the price of authorship and make
The allowances an author has to do.
A poet's fan-mail will be nothing new.

And,

I hope this reaches you in your abode,
This letter that's already far too long,
...As to its length, I tell myself you'll need it,
You've all eternity in which to read it.

My personal favorite: "Hetty to Nancy"-- a letter from an English gentlewoman in the wilds of Iceland, camping with Girl Guides and Formidable Women. This is a literary device that is effective and perfectly convincing. Macniece was the author, and he fooled me. It also serves to lessen the self-indulgence of the rest of the book.

Other features: price of tours, guides, food, rentals; quotes from other Icelandic travelers over the centuries; photographs; a dialogue with the ghost of Grettir; conversations with Icelanders; rummy, horseback riding, hiking and bus trips.

It is disturbing to read the numerous references to Nazi Germany. It gave me an eerie feeling of forbodeing to have the ability-- that Auden and Macniece lacked-- to foresee the future.

Opinionated, yes; occasionally tedious, yes ; compelling, funny, evocative: yes, yes, yes!

Why read Auden's Letters from Iceland?

"Having put up the tents we ate a large meal... smoked mutton. Smoked...you put your teeth in a hunk and then haul away the hunk in both fists."

"The people themselves are not nearly so foreign...You can't imagine any of them behaving like the people in the sagas, saying 'That was an ill word' and shooting the other man dead. Disappointing, still one needn't travel if one wants to see odd behaviour. You are wonderfully situated, of course, in Cambridge."

"all we could think of was getting somewhere else. But we didn't. We went on and on and the landscape remained the same. It was like walking the wrong way on a moving staircase."

"Finally the remoteness of Iceland, coupled with its literary and political history, make it a country which, if visited at all, is visited by people with strong, and usually romantic, preconceptions. Few...people take an interest in Iceland, but in these few the interest is passionate."

W.H. Auden Rocks! More reasons next time...

FIF (Fun Icelandic Fact)

Icelandic horses, which are of small stature but are not ponies, have a unique fifth gait called the tolt. It is smoother than a trot, so that the rider doesn't even need to post. It is so smooth that you could drink from a glass without spilling while riding (do you believe that? I'll let you know once I've tried it).

Fun Iceland Fact: Public institutions of higher learning in Iceland are tuition free for residents!

Your Questions: Answered

When did your obsession begin?
Approximately 3 years ago.

Have you ever been to Iceland?
Only in my dreams.

Are you a lazy sod, or what?
No, I recently spent the major part of a week revising an essay for an Icelandic Air Spring Break contest. I didn't win, but it sure felt like a winning essay to me! You'll have a chance to see it soon.

What can I look forward to on this site?
Reviews of books on Iceland! Rants and raves! More fun facts!

Why Blog?

The subject of Iceland might possibly become tedious to my family and friends. They may have reached their breaking point already. Or passed it, weeks ago. This blog may be a "healthy" outlet.

Why Iceland?

Bill Holm. The Sagas. Halldor Laxness. Gunnella at Xanth.is. Icelandic Communities Association of North Dakota. It goes so well with Hawaiian music.

Why me?
I can't help it.
Why you?
Are you berserker about Iceland too?