I have just returned from a delightful stay in our summerhouse on the south coast of Iceland. I went there mainly to review two concerts, but also to experience a little bit of the Icelandic countryside, before embarking on another trip with Björk et al.
See a photo below, which I took there this morning.
I left Reykjavik last Friday. The evening before saw the birth of a music club of which I’m a very proud member. We intend to meet as often as possible (which due to circumstances will not be very often in the next months), play CDs for each other and discuss music.
The evening was a success. It began quietly, with a great dinner and marvellous music. Then it got rowdier… and I’m not sure how it ended!
It was Sjón’s wife, Ásgerður Júníusdóttir, who had this brilliant idea. She is a fabulous mezzo-soprano, in case you don’t know.
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August 13th, 2007 at 12:54 am
Iceland looks absolutely stunning…I would love to visit Iceland one day!
August 13th, 2007 at 5:50 am
yes, it looks absolutely gorgeous!! i have to ask… how warm does it get over there during the summer?
August 13th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Iceland’s landscape is gorgeous, but I still wonder how people outside Reykjavik and its suburbs are not going nuts. Judging on pictures from Iceland (yours included) living on the countryside must be a _very_ quiet and solitary experience.
Perhaps by founding … music clubs?
August 13th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Ha ha! I have never understood people who live outside Reykjavik. But then, people are different. My brother lives in a small village on the opposite end of Iceland and he loves it!
August 13th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Around 18 degrees Celsius when you are lucky!
August 13th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Wonderful photo Jónas! Hope you and your music club have many good times. I didn’t know that Sjón’s wife had a wonderful voice, Iceland seems to be blessed with über good karma in the arts department. Hope the next section of the tour goes well with many fun moments!
August 13th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
it’s so painful to see the nice photo and hear of the nice club with sjon and wife. you have my ideal life. i hope you are enjoying every minute of it! someday i’ll be back in iceland, and NOT in reykjavik either! i think isafjordur is calling my name. the solitude is good by me. but, i’d like to have sjon and wife stop by, or gabriele fridriksdottir, bjork, hrafnhildur arnardottir, you perhaps? till then Home, WA is where i’ll i stay.
August 14th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Ohhh, lovely picture….but no trees….People keep telling me Iceland has no trees….But I distinctly remember taking a riding trek on Icelandic horses when I was 13 in the countryside I’m sure near Reykyavik and we came to a place that had short trees near a stream and it was misting rain and I remember rainbows in the trees and my friends think I’m high because Iceland has no trees…and the memory of rainbows in them isn’t helping my case…am I remembering wrong? Were they only tall bushes?
August 14th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
There ARE trees, but not many of them
I have always thought that Icelandic landscape resembles that seen in the Tarot deck of Arthur Edward Waite!
August 15th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
i love that photo…
i grew up in the woods, in the appalachian mountains. i miss it so much.
i love life when its just animals & me.
who else is in the music club?
if margaret örnolfsdottir is in the club, please ask her to release some more music!
August 16th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Every time I see a photo like that I well up and get emotional. Can’t wait to come back! I’m planning a home exchange if you ever wish to stay in Vancouver again. ;P (I want to get the heck out of here for the duration of the 2010 Olympics.)
Your music club sounds wonderful.
I was thinking this morning how great it would be to have semi frequent listening parties with my musically inclined friends. I am going to have one every few weeks as I develop my debut album to get feedback from those I respect.
It could be so nice to have everyone bring a selection of their favorite music to actually listen to rather than talk over….
I have really enjoyed this journal immensely, thanks for sharing it with us.
How refreshing to see/hear the perspective of a well educated, talented and successful artist who is also humble, playful and grounded. Your stories remind me of the lyrics to INNOCENCE, it’s still here.
I’m probably going to go back and enjoy the entire thing from beginning to now. =)
August 24th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
and how iffer. Jonas you are a good soul.
As for the photo, I want to put my mouth on the ground and drink it. It looks as though if I sucked on it, I would get nothing but the most refreshing delicious water on earth, and little air bubbles too perhaps.