Iceland review - 2014, Page 66

64 ICELAND REVIEW
Whether you have just returned from a visit to
Iceland or still find yourself walking these north-
ern shores clutching your copy of Iceland Review,
perhaps you have wondered if you could actually live here. It’s
a question many have grappled with, not only foreign-born
visitors but also many natives who have spent time abroad and
returned.
Life Less DuLL
What is it really like, living 64 degrees north, 18 west? What is
it like being an Icelander? The answer to both questions is, for
what it’s worth, that it’s certainly much better than it used to
be. You wouldn’t have liked Reykjavík in the 70s. Well, perhaps
that’s unfair—the 70’s was not a particularly glamorous time to
be in London or New York either. But Iceland was dull. Now
at least we have a city that is bustling with life. You see people
outside and cafés and restaurants are busy. That’s what makes
a city—life outside of homes and offices. Cities are about the
chance meetings of people, brief conversations before heading
to work. Reykjavík didn’t used to be a city. It used to be a strange
combination of a village and a suburb.
You can go to a concert every night of every week, year-
round in Reykjavík. There are stunningly good music festivals:
Dark Music Days, Reykjavík Visual Music, Sónar, Tectonics,
Reykjavík Midsummer Music, Reykjavík Jazz Festival and
Iceland Airwaves.
energetic Art scene
The visual art scene is full of energy—over the last few years
we have seen shows by internationally-renowned artists, such as
Paul McCarthy, Jason Rhoades and Lawrence Weiner, as well
as homegrown talent like Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir, Anna Hrund
Halldór Lárusson
discusses life in the country we call home.
Could You live in
iCeland?