About a month ago, I left Alaska, and arrived at my new place on Earth. Iceland. It would have been too expensive to ship my boats here (it was quite a bit just to get my big chess sets here!), so I gave the boats to a friend in Alaska, and will be starting over – though I’m scheming how to at least have my favorite Greenland paddles sent here. I’ll be looking for someone–even if I have to import someone from Greenland–to help me get started with building my first skin-on-frame boat here in my new home country.
First however, I’ll be getting myself oriented with the local Baroque music performance community (already have a good start on this), and along with my friends spread around the rest of Europe, will be getting back to what I do as a primary life passion and vocation.
I’m sitting here looking over this beautiful bay out into open waters, and have a great view of Reykjavik across the bay to the south (it’s not a long drive around the bay and into town). We’re just beginning to come into Spring, and in this past month, have been experiencing the well-known “several different aspects of weather in a single day” phenomenon–including plenty of wind–pretty much every day. All kinds of beautiful waters all around this island nation to explore!
Until I have my own boat(s) sorted, friends have already pointed out some paddling clubs where I can at least have access to boats, so will be looking into these soon.
Excepting those couple of moments when life circumstances–not necessarily of my own preference–caused me to move to places not at the top of my list of places of particular interest, I tend to move to particular places with particular intention. Be it to study music with a particular teacher, to play concerts with particular people who happen to be located in a certain place, and/or to discover places on Earth that simply fascinate me. I’m not very much into “bucket list tourism” (frankly, not at all) – spending a few days or weeks checking off a list of “things I want to see/do”. No, if I’m moving to a place on Earth that somehow fascinates me, I want to fully immerse myself in the experience. Take my time to explore the area, learn the language, get to know the creatures (yes, even some of the human inhabitants), etc.
So why Iceland? I have several reasons for this move. I wanted to continue my musical life with people I want most to work with. Even while living in the states (where I was born and raised), it became clear to me at an early age that most of my musical colleagues (teachers, fellow students, performance partners) were from elsewhere – primarily scattered about Europe and Asia. Since I play mostly old European music on old European instruments, this makes perfect sense.
Also, I’ve lived in some of the world’s largest and busiest cities (by choices described above), and have also at times chosen to live in more remote areas of the planet. Frankly, at this point in my life, I wanted to find a particular balance between my forever fascination with remote, open, and dramatic landscapes/seascapes, which I find ever-inspiring, and proximity to and/or ease of movement to and from places where I can work with and perform with and for people in more populated areas of the world.
With the encouragement of a very dear friend of many decades who has lived in similar ways and for similar reasons, Iceland became a place of particular interest to me. So here I am. And in just being here a month so far, I’m feeling like a fine choice has been made. The language is a bit challenging, but I’ve always thrived on challenge. In addition to the friends already here, the people I’ve met are wonderful and creative, and as far as dealing with my own species goes, I’ve found that I prefer living in places with as much wide open space as possible and limited populations per area of land mass. That was an element of my decision to move to Alaska, and the human species per land mass ratio is even more to my liking in Iceland. At the same time offering a relatively cosmopolitan atmosphere in Reykjavik, where the majority of the population of the country resides, there’s plenty to do, and it’s still easy to “get away from it all” and explore the incredible and sparsely populated majority of the land mass.
Finally, though perhaps not my first and foremost reason for this move at this time, I am thoroughly disgusted with the political and social direction of the USA (have long had issues with it, and NOW is a special case indeed), and I’d rather contribute my energies–and even taxes–to places I feel are more in line with my personal sensibilities.
While this was a long answer to a short question, with no specific mention of paddling on this paddling forum, there is indeed lovely water here, and I intend to take full advantage of this aspect of living here as well.
Ahem…I shudder to think what would have occurred if I had used a complete sentence to ask the question and I was concerned that my two word inquiry was a imposition. I guess we can dispel that, correct me if I am wrong, but did this also serve as to clarify things to yourself and put a period behind it? From the start I would like to emphasize that it is of absolutely no importance whether I, or anyone else for that matter, understand why you moved to Iceland, which seems odd on the surface I guess, but that you have identified your passion and are following it, right or wrong and are not afraid to do it.
A few things did stick out however. As you said, you were born and raised in the United States, how in the world did you get immersed in Baroque Music which now defines you? I do agree that I have always found “Bucket Lists” to be rather unappealing.(to put it lightly), it seems to trivialize life. But to get down to the facts of the matter, you said the desire to have proximity to the Baroque scene in Europe and Asia was important, Iceland is an ISLAND. That being said, being in a new, beautiful , sparsely populated landscape, makes the encounters with people when they do occur more poignant, meaningful and memorable. With all of that though, without water to me it would not be worth it. Getting back on the water should be a pretty high priority. I did not know this, but there are NO indigenous people of Iceland, let alone Cajuns or Inuit. It must be a very unique place.
Since you have been away from Paddle.com for a while, watch out for @castoff who liked your post, he is rather pompous, he belongs to a Yacht Club.
Ever heard of air travel? I’m not planning on swimming, after all. Last night, a friend flew from Reykjavik to Basel – just over three hours. Pretty much the same to London, Paris, etc. Most of Europe is much closer to me from here than it was from Seward AK, Seattle, LA, or even NYC. Many Asian friends I would play with are also scattered about Europe. Now and then longer–even much longer–flights to somewhere, but that’s how it is from anywhere.
Well, I didn’t realize you were a jet setter after camping out in Alaska for a number of years in all frugality. Oh, I will be in CLOSE proximity, if I can fly all over the world…One day
When I took up making the NA flute I joined The Carolina Flute Circle. I met a man , Andy (I don’t remember his last name) there that was active on some of the European baroque flute forms. He was into all types of world flutes. What instruments do you play?
I’m a 'cellist – Since 1980 with a specialty in Baroque performance on period instruments. Still love Classical and some contemporary, but my heart and soul is deeply rooted in the Baroque. As a hobby, a bit of Baroque guitar and lute.
I hope you enjoy Iceland. I lived in Norway for a while and have visited all of the Scandinavian Countries. Iceland was one of my favorites. My oldest son paid for his family, my wife and I, and my youngest son and his fiance to spend two weeks seeing the country. We spent quite a while living in a farmhouse on the edge of a North Western Fjord where we were 30 miles from the nearest neighbor, and visited the larger cities and the vestmann islandsl as well as the famous tourist spots. I can read Islandisk and barely understand spoken language since it’s close to old Norse, but got along fine since most everyone speaks english. Only issue may be how expensive it is to live there and the obnoxious tourists. The fjord areas seem like great places to paddle. Coastal areas look pretty challenging and you’ll probably join a group for those adventures.
Congrats. Hope you get your SOF(s) soon enough. 
