Iceland | culture creators

Tags: Art, Club Penguin, Dave Krysko, Disney, Founder, Iceland, Kelowna, Reykjavik

Posted : June 7th, 2012 by Dave Krysko

I think I have a crush on Iceland.

I’m sitting in the sunshine on a deck off the back of a bookstore in Reykjavik enjoying a latte, thinking about what it would be like to be stranded here for a while. Last year when I was here, one of the iconic Icelandic volcanos blew its top and shut down a few airports. Well, there are worse places to be, that’s for sure. But I think the best thing to do is to kick back and enjoy the place, what will be, will be.

So far, sunshine is a constant companion. It sort of goes away around 1am, although you can tell it’s not far away when you look at the sky. Then it comes back around 3 am, well before the music and the late night revelers quiet down.
I like this place, people are friendly, it is modern, good food and drink, and great coffee. More art per capital than anywhere. For a city of 120,000 (about the size of Kelowna), Reykjavik has more art, music and culture than Vancouver…

And I’m sure you have heard of Bjork and Sigur Ros, and more recently Of Monsters and Men, just three of hundreds of unique musicians that come from here. At last count I think there were something like 30 venues for live music in Reykjavik alone.

This place is not intimidating. The tallest buildings may be five stories, but most are two or three stories. Makes for a great vibe in the city with the sunshine equally accessible to everyone.

From the top of the steeple of the Leif Eriksson Church you can see the entire city, as well as the ocean and surrounding mountains. The houses come in every colour, but only in the brightest paint imaginable.

It looks like a miniature city.

The cultural intensity must have something to do with where Iceland is located. It’s in the middle of the North Atlantic with Greenland as it’s closest neighbour. It’s been pretty isolated from European and American culture for most of it’s history. I’m guessing this is what it looks like for a country to make it’s own culture without a lot of outside influence.

Impressive.

Dave Krysko is a TribeHouse supporter and co-founder of Disney’s Club Penguin. He lives and works in Kelowna.

 

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