Insomnia Part II

2 AM


4 AM

Truculent's Big Day Out

Yesterday I was the envy of everyone as I got the important job of 'picker up of important person at the airport' person and spent most of the day out of The Valley driving through the mountains to Akureyri. Most Icelanders call it the Capital of the North but we prefer the name City of Tears, after several emotional outbursts which have taken place within the town boundaries.

A couple of people tried to escape The Valley with me but it was strictly a one-person job. I had Útvarp Kántrýbær to keep me company anyway. It always reminds me of the time we went to a (possible) Country Music Festival which consisted of one band who really really wanted to adopt us as their only groupies. We were the only other people at their hotel. Plus we were the only two foreigners for miles around which gave us celebrity status for the night. 'Swarmed' Annie always likes to say of that night, 'we were swarmed Truculent'.

So anyway, everyone was only dying to hear all the news when I got back. 'What was the weather like over there? Did you go to any shops? How was the drive? Who did you pick up? How is Akureyri?'

None of the answers will be interesting to anyone who lives in the outside world.


A Scene From Truculent's Big Day Out

The In Danger Species List

In view of my recovering vegetarianism (starting with a ham sandwich at a party last year - 'and hold the bread') I have decided to submit my own In Danger Species List to the WWF (that's the World Wildlife Fund and not the wrestling thing) so that they can update their Endangered Species List. Here goes:

HIGH RISK:
Ugly Chicken
Intelligent Pig
Little Lamb
Silly Sheep
Long-Eyelashed Cow

MEDIUM RISK:
Spirited Icelandic Horse

LOW RISK:
Majestic Elk
Bouncy Kangaroo
Fluffy Duckling

POSSIBLE FUTURE RISK:
Long Pig

Have I forgotten anyone?

The Back Garden ... At 2 AM

Yes, they are still leaving the lights on all night.

And yes, I have bags under my eyes like Al Pacino in the film he did about not sleeping in Alaska, Insomnia was it?

And yes, I have plenty of time to think about it as I lie awake in my bright white room with my bright white sheets, my bright white curtains and my bright white walls.

Just turn it off damnit!!

Abandoned

That's how we feel, the few who didn't leave for the weekend.

The place is deserted. I went to the pool. Deserted. The hotel. Deserted. I feel like someone who wakes up from a coma in a sci-fi movie only to find that the world has ended while they've been sleeping. Damn, why did I have to watch '28 Days Later' a few weeks ago. I imagine the steep mountainsides crawling with those extremely fit (and I don't mean good-looking) zombies. Jesus why didn't I keep up the running? You gotta run fast to get away from those zombies. I never lock my door here. Maybe I should start.

So three of us sat in The Lab last 'night' and half-heartedly opened a few beers. It was Friday after all. 'Oh my God, is it only 8.30?' someone asks.

Yeah, too early to go to bed, too late to go to Reykjavík.


28 years later

The Island of Drangey: Where I'll be safe if that zombie thing happens

Another Dinner Time Error

I just thought it was chewy beef.

Closing Time At The Lab

I'd forgotten what a little party place this is. Sometimes you can have the most fun in the middle of nowhere. There never needs to be much of an excuse. On Wednesday we had the whole Swedish Day thing, on Thursday it was Cheese and Wine Night and on Friday it was the Visitors Last Night so we had to give them a good send off. Someone's always arriving, someone's always leaving, any excuse.

And no, there is no bar at Hólar. So our 'lab', which is basically a massive garage, becomes an unofficial bar. You even have to smoke outside, just like back home. And just like back home, I end up hanging out with the cool smoking gang outside (smokers are cool. And that is that). Beers are borrowed, swapped, sold, given away but rarely nicked, out of the fridge and the place has even been known to attract locals from the nearby town, a good 30 minute drive away. In fact things have been known to get so out of hand that our boss announced, quite firmly, that this summer The Lab would close at 1 AM on Thursday nights, as she recollected the infamous Greek-Swedish-Irish Thursday night lets go MAD and stay up until 7 AM incident of two summers ago. I, for one, am relieved. 'Besides' she said 'if people stay up too late on Thursday then they are too tired for the Friday party'. I just can't believe it's taken six summers to come up with this ingenious rule.

So it was on Thursday night that we found ourselves in The Lab, wrecked tired by midnight, but insisting we stay until closing time.


View from The Lab's Smoking Area, where the cool kids hang out

The Great Sunday Expedition

Sundays can be a little slow around here.

And since I missed the only thing that would happen today (mass) I thought I may as well climb up Gvendarskál, as penance. It's not so high maybe about 400 metres but it would be better than nothing. It was great, except for the foggy overcast weather which made everything gloomy and grey, but kindof mysterious and creepy too. So there wasn't much to photograph, except for a lost bumblebee, a small beetle and a big plump sort of bird with a fetching red head-dress (looked very tasty). So in a rare moment of vanity I deemed myself to be the most interesting thing around and put the camera on self-timer. This photo will also act as proof that am actually young lady and not horse.

Just like a hotel, there was a guest book at the top. But no mini bar.

Truculent Horses

The Back Garden ... On Wednesday

Note Dinner Trying to Hide at Bottom Right

Excitement! It is Swedish National Day and someone's mother has arrived for a visit! So we are having a Swedish Norwegian Icelandic Irish 'fest!'. Which means drinking a beer with some people. I am very worried about being mugged for my beer on the way to the 'fest!'. Which is a two-minute walk away.

The Back Garden

If anything had happened today I would write it here.

In Which Truculent Horse Betrays Her Own Species

It was bound to happen. Being a recovering vegetarian and deciding to eat 'anything but horse'. Day One at Hólar, guess what's for lunch? And guess who thinks it's cow? And guess what it actually turns out to be? Yes, my own COUSIN!

It was too late by the time I found out. Okay so I'd only eaten one piece, but you know, I thought, well the line's been crossed now, I may as well go the whole hog (or horse?). So instead of throwing it in the bin and storming out ranting about the unique beauty of The Icelandic Horse (they are VERY cute) I kept eating. 'Well' I said to the others 'it was probably a bad horse, you know, one that bullied all the others'. And besides, it was really really nice. That's the worst of it, I might do it again.



Oh, Bad Horse, I am sorry!

HALLÓ Iceland!!!

I remember again why I love the place so much. Huge mountains sitting nonchalantly at the side of the road, truculent horses everywhere, that vivid long evening light that permeates the landscape, more truculent horses, a cold breeze in June. And silence. Ah it's good to be back.