Atlantica - 01.12.2006, Page 61

AT L A N T I CA 59
they don’t recognize drives down the one main
road. Certainly a man with his ideas would be roll-
ing in cash if he were to move to Reykjavík.
“The rent in Reykjavík is high and the price is
high,” Elli says when I ask him why he chooses
to live in Sudureyri. “Here, the rent is low but the
prices are still high. In Reykjavík I have to work
constantly to make sure my guesthouse is always
full. Here, the life is easy.”
Thanks to better margins, Elli makes enough
profit during the summer to survive the lean win-
ter months when few – if any – tourists find their
way to Sudureyri. Next summer Elli’s expecting
up to 5,000 guests to spend the night in one of his
guesthouses. Of course those visitors will eat at
his restaurant, buy groceries and beer at his conve-
nience store, as well as bait to feed the cod.
“These fish bite,” says Benedikt quickly pulling
back his reddened finger, discolored either by the
cold seawater or an actual fish nibble. “You gotta
be careful when feeding them by hand.”
Easy living is what life in Sudureyri is all about.
The pace is slow, the air clean. There’s not much
to do around here, but the cod keep coming –
around 30 fish now feed in the shallows. Nobody’s
sure why the cod call on Sudureyri, but when it’s
time to strap on the chow bag, these wild fish
know how to put on a show. a
The fixer-upper Elli and his partner
Benedikt aquired for free.
ICELAND a
Air Iceland flies to Ísafjördur two times a day, seven days
a week during the winter. airiceland.is
050-94ICELANDAtl606.indd 59 20.10.2006 9:57:21