Hi all!
I fly out of Newark on the 1st destined for the Land of Fire and Ice. This note will be a small compilation of Iceland-y things that I will be seeing/doing just shy of the Arctic Circle.
First things first- learn Icelandic. The language remains true to its Old Norse heritage since, for centuries, Iceland was chillin’ in the middle of the ocean with little contact to the outside world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxzhWkMD3co&feature=fvw
Give yourself a break from even trying to pronounce half of those words. Imagine that you are now at the world famous Blue Lagoon, a huge geothermal pool with healing powers. Yes folks, it’s miracle water and I plan on soaking it up when my plane touches ground at Keflavík. http://www.bluelagoon.com
I will hang my hat at the (must pronounce the next 4 years with a British accent) FABULOUS Hotel Plaza Reykjavík. Accommodations are in the "old town" (apparently a baller location). It’s one block from the tourist info office and 2 blocks from the grocery and the wine stores- let’s be honest, the latter is important to know. http://www.hotelclub.com/Hotel-Plaza-Reykjavik/
Get to know the city and see the sights. This is exactly what I plan on doing. The Hallgrímskirkja is on my list as well as the Viking ship sculpture and the Icelandic Phallological Museum. I will be so upset if I don’t find this place and for the record, I still can’t spell or pronounce Hallgrímskirkja. In the meantime, let Samantha Brown be your guide: http://www.travelchannel.com/
The reason you go to Iceland is to see the vast landscape. No lie, all the pictures I’ve seen on Google are absolutely stunning. The roomz and I are going to rent a car and drive the Ring Road (practically Iceland’s only highway that encompasses the island in, you guessed it, a ring shape) and go hiking. The destination is still TBA, but a visit to that silly volcano may be on the agenda. http://www.nat.is/gonguleidireng/gonguleidir_allt_landid.htm
The other reason to go to Iceland is to sing- heyooooo. Not really, but that’s why I’m going. We’re singing with a group called Vox Academica and the conductor has performed with Björk. (I’ve actually been listening to her stuff to prep for the trip and I found I like only 2 of her songs.) Speaking of Björk, where I’m singing is where she performed on her Volta tour. Check out our venue, the Langholtskirkja church: http://kirkjan.is/langholtskirkja/
Iceland has a surprisingly bangin’ music scene with more musicians per capita than any country in the world. This nation of 300,000 people (about the same size as Cincinnati) has ninety music schools, about four hundred choirs, four hundred orchestras and marching bands, and an unknown number of rock bands, jazz combos, and dj’s. For all of you musically-inclined people our rep is the following (not in this order):
Bound for the Promised Land, Wilberg
Alleluia, Thompson
O Magnum Mysterium, Lauridsen
Recessional (Not One Sparrow is Forgotten), Hawley
Saints Bound for Heaven, Wilberg
Chichester Psalms, Bernstein
Agnus Dei (Adagio for Strings), Barber
Ave Maria, Regnarsson
The Ave Maria was written by an Icelandic composer and the chords are at times haunting, alluding to the dark Icelandic winters. The only thing about this song is that the meter practically changes every measure, but then again it wasn’t hard to pick up. http://www.musicanet.org/en/CdC/augu00en.htm
Nothing too complicated, good rep for the road and 2 rehearsals before the concert.
And finally, on one of my last days in the country, I will be taking the Golden Circle tour. The Golden Circle is a 300 km long loop through central Iceland and it showcases some of the island’s most fantastic natural wonders. We will be going through Þingvellir (that “Þ” is pron. as a “’th”), seeing the Gullfoss waterfall- the largest in Europe, Geysir and Strokkur (geysers, think Yellowstone), and possibly seeing Kerið volcano crater. http://icelandontrack.com/maps/On-Track-Golden-Circle.jpg
Though I will only be in the country for a short time I hope I will be able to live up to this parting quote. “You will have truly mastered the Icelandic language when you can sip "kaffi" from a saucer through a "molasykur" between your teeth while saying: ‘Það er gott að sjá þig.’"
Bless Bless!
