On the Edge of the World

I have arrived at my final destination after a week or so of traveling: the village of Ólafsfjörður on the northern tip of Iceland. Though I don't quite want it to be the case, it's time to stop being a tourist and time to get to work (although I'll be taking a few more trips before I leave to see different parts of the country). 

I spent my weekend in Akureyri, following Reykjavik and a short flight over the Icelandic Highlands. I'm still trying to figure out how this country is put together: lots of very abrupt mountain ranges that end just as quickly, interspersed with massive canyons that seem to be totally self-enclosed, just huge fissures in the Earth. Certainly the result of an abundance of volcanic activity. I noticed the difference in temperature as soon as I got off the plane which landed between two rows of icy mountains. Akureyri is a nice little city that I will have to visit again, as a lot of things were shut down for the Easter weekend. Iceland is not a terribly religious country, but they celebrate Easter very conservatively. It's a city of about 17,000, the only other city in Iceland and the "capital of the north." It was a quieter weekend, which is probably for the better: lots of time spent in the cafe/bar on the ground floor of the hostel catching up on things and watching Premiere League games which screened as often as they were on.

Akureyri

Another Icelandic church: Akureyrarkirkja

I took a bus up to Ólafsfjörður in which I made contact with four other people also on their way to artist residencies in different places on the north coast, so it seems there's something of a network of us up here. The bus trip was as scenic as any other travel has been in Iceland: things have become almost entirely white. The snow up here will not melt for some weeks yet, especially with temperatures in the twenties like we've been having.

The town itself is small: around 900 people, sitting right on the water with its own small harbor. The main industry has been fishing for quite some time. To get here you have to take a one-lane tunnel 3 kilometers long under the mountains, turning off onto strategically placed alcoves when someone needs to pass. It is isolated, and that is both unnerving, and exactly what I was looking for. There's one local restaurant/bar for social activity, from what I can tell. I should have plenty of time for writing, in a snug little apartment.

Listhus Artspace Apartment

Living Room

Kitchen

Ólafsfjörður

It's a little strange to be situated in such a place. When I look out across the water, I know that there's nothing up that way. Just ice, and eventually, eastern Russia. For the most part it's a straight shot to the north pole.

For research, I have several things lined up. I am visiting a small Icelandic Folk Music Museum which conducts regular sessions instructing peopled in traditional vocal styles. I'm not yet sure whether I attempt said vocal styles, I reserve the right to listen first. I will be visiting a local music school for similar purposes: determining how Icelandic folk music is put together. There is a possibility I will get to try some traditional Icelandic food, which is mostly animal organs and shark that has been left out to ferment, so we'll see how that goes. And following that I have an appointment to talk with a local teacher of Icelandic Literature which is really where my research lies, in the Eddur and the Sagas.

I have begun the character development process, which will initially cover about a dozen central characters, with plenty more on the fringes waiting their turns. It's a little daunting to be putting words on paper toward a screenwriting project that might be hundreds of pages long, but the characters are the foundation stones as in any narrative, so at least I have a place to start.