Iceland review - 2015, Qupperneq 71

ICELAND REVIEW 69
Berglind and Svavar have plenty of other projects in the pipe-
line, like producing a variety of other snacks, including from
seaweed from down at the nearby shore, and creating a space
to hold concerts and other events in the spirit of Havarí, the
downtown Reykjavík record store/gallery/concert venue/hang
out they ran from 2009 to 2011. They also hope to welcome
tourists at the guesthouse during the summer and run an artist
residency during the winter. “There are a lot of possibilities, a
lot of things we want to do here in the future,” Berglind says.
LIFESTYLE CHOICE
With the move to the countryside inevitably came a steep
learning curve. “We really jumped straight into the deep end
but we’ve learnt a lot. And when we get stuck, we can always
ask for help, or Google stuff. There’s heaps of information on
the internet,” Berglind says with a smile. “We sometimes work
from 7 am to midnight,” adds Svavar. “There’s the production
facility, the bookkeeping, renovating the guesthouse, the band,
the kids... Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and
think ‘What are we doing!’... but we always end up telling our-
selves that we have to continue.” Berglind stresses that while it
would be a lot easier for them to go and get regular jobs—she’s a
former television journalist and Svavar a graphic designer—this
is a lifestyle choice where the boundaries between work and
family life are blurred.
Speaking of family, their two young children, Aldís (18
months) and Hrólfur (5 years), Berglind’s 15-year-old daughter
Elísa Egilsdóttir, their two cats, Mosi and Lotta, and dog Píla,
have taken to life on Karlsstaðir. “The children enjoy life here in
the countryside,” Berglind says, admitting though that her eldest
sometimes misses her old friends. Given the region’s distance
from their families in the capital, Berglind too was initially reluc-
tant to relocate to East Iceland. “But we travel back to Reykjavík
at least once a month to visit them and also to perform so it’s been
fine.” Things will be more difficult though when Elísa moves to
her father’s in Reykjavík to begin upper secondary school in the
autumn. “I will miss her tremendously,” Berglind says.
Support from the community has really helped the family find
their place. “I couldn’t imagine it would be so good to live here.
Everyone has been really welcoming,” Berglind says. “The com-
munity in [nearby] Djúpivogur is also young compared to some
other places in the region. There are also a lot of artists elsewhere
in the East Fjords.”
Despite a family connection—Svavar’s mother grew up on
the farm next door, where he spent time as a kid and his uncle
now lives—the couple insist this wasn’t the reason for choosing
Karlsstaðir. “We actually weren’t looking in East Iceland at all
but then we heard about this and it met all our criteria. Then
there were all sorts of bonuses like the family connection and the
fact that we get the sun here a lot longer in the winter because
we’re not hidden in one of the deep fjords,” Svavar says, adding
that the area’s beauty has also been a source of inspiration. “It’s
a one-hour return trip to take the kids to school and an hour to
Egilsstaðir [regional capital]. It’s a beautiful drive and it gives us
time to think. I can’t tell you how many songs were written on
those journeys.” *
RURAL LIFE
The couple’s Bulsur vegan sausages with broccoli, sprout, and garlic olive oil mashed potato.