Live music spills out of almost every corner of Reykjavic as you walk around the city streets and walking is something you find yourself doing a lot of – the city is not entirely flat though there are no steep hills to be alarmed about. My favorite aspect of the city is that you can get from one end to the other in under 30 minutes on foot, hence the difficult-to-pronounce street names soon become familiar, as do the brightly-colored houses, coffee-shops, bars, restaurants and sculptures which are dotted all over the place. Even the faces start to become familiar. I’m starting to think that life here could be a little claustrophobic. I am also starting to realize why people have a tendency to get blind drunk every Friday and Saturday night – drink enough and a familiar face might take on a completely different character.
As a health-nut I am un-impressed by dinnertime offerings. Not much fruit and vegetables can be grown on the island, and of course import prices are high. My garden in California has more fruit in it than the local supermarket we visit. Traditional restaurants carry a selection of lamb and seafood dishes, and puffin and whale are also advertised outside restaurants and stare at you from the menu. That’s not to say for a small city there isn’t a great selection of food – Indian, Thai and Vegetarian restaurants are widely available, and the prices are much lower than the local fare. We have also thoroughly enjoyed a selection of Icelandic desserts and fantastic coffee.
One thing the supermarkets and convenience stores do stock in abundance is Coca-Cola. Everything here is washed down with Coke and as I walk around I feel as though I have landed in a Coke advertisement, or a show in which Coca-Cola is the main sponsor of product placement. It is unbelievable and unexpected; it is the only visible sign of hard American influence as there is not a single McDonalds or Starbucks in the country. This, I feel, is no accident – it is the result of firm resistance and a culture that respects and supports small, independent restaurants and shops that consistently deliver great service and the personal touch.
For this – and many other reasons – Iceland is like nowhere I have ever been before. It is neither European nor North American. It is familiar and yet full of surprises. People are not friendly, yet they are not rude, the sun does not shine for us and yet it is not cold. I cannot quite understand Reykjavík and how on earth people live here – and yet I like it. I decide that if the city was a person, she would be naturally beautiful, quiet and dispassionate. She would continue to surprise you, she’d baffle you, and her permanent nonplussed mood would be a mystery to you.
Much like a novel that starts off slow but leaves you hooked, with time you might just slowly fall in love with her.
