Pictures
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"According to surveys, 10 percent of Icelanders believe in elves. Another 80 percent will not say they exactly believe, but neither are they willing to totally rule out their existence."
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This boutique closed in November 2008, "due to financial difficulties".
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Formerly a goldsmith's shop.
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I recommend reading this Wikipedia article: Icelandic Financial Crisis, to help you understand a bit of what the Icelanders are going through.
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I suspect this historical marker in the harbor, with its reference to "two powerful financial institutions" established to help the fishermen, was installed prior to the crisis.
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I'm not sure many would agree with the sentiments of the inebriated youth walking down the street carrying a sign that the bankers—who destroyed the economy—should be viewed with greater sympathy. Perhaps there is irony there that I am missing.
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This little fellow kept appearing in different places. I named him Eyjafjallajökull, after the volcano that was acting up at the time.
You'll see him again.
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I found myself uninterested in nearly all the work in the art museums; the paintings on display by Iceland's most famous painters, Erró and Kjarval, only moved me to go someplace else.
The art school's graduation exhibition left me wondering if all such exhibitions are that bad, and we were just too young and ignorant to realize it then.
The graffiti, on the other hand, was vibrant, colorful, and a delight to encounter.
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Where are the people? Well, there aren't many—Iceland is the least populated country in Europe; the U.S. state of North Dakota has twice as many people.
The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull disrupted airline traffic, cutting off the flow of tourists. Since I was in the central core of the city, their absence was obvious. Perhaps the locals go to the mall, which I did not. And then there is the economic fallout, with closed businesses and unemployment.
Finally, I tend to avoid interactions with other people and prefer to observe what they have made, and done, and discarded. So, I most often do not put people in my pictures, although it has been said that, in many of my images, the viewer can sense that people are near by.
The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull disrupted airline traffic, cutting off the flow of tourists. Since I was in the central core of the city, their absence was obvious. Perhaps the locals go to the mall, which I did not. And then there is the economic fallout, with closed businesses and unemployment.
Finally, I tend to avoid interactions with other people and prefer to observe what they have made, and done, and discarded. So, I most often do not put people in my pictures, although it has been said that, in many of my images, the viewer can sense that people are near by.
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I looked that word up on Google and found it on an Icelandic bank's Web site. Google translated the text as "You can go to visit friends and shoots him there as many unexpected is happening."
The Icelandic language has been around for more than 900 years and Google still cannot translate it? Or maybe they did?
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Ingólfur Arnarson
and the solitary tourist
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