Where Atheists are Proven Wrong

The continent of Europe stretches from the frozen shores of the Artic ocean in the north east to the waves beating on the Cape of St. Vincent in the south west, from the war ravaged Caucasus in the south east to the peaceful, if weather beaten West Fjords of Iceland in the north west. But even here, the population has had its share of tragedy. In the mid 90's, two towns were decimated by avalances, killing dozens out of a tiny population. The town of Súðavík was rebuilt just a stones' throw from where the original dwellings stood, whereas the town of Flateyri was abandoned all together, the empty houses serving as testament to the occasional harshness of the beautiful scenery.

Reykjavik has increasingly become a part of the global village, thanks partly to the international success of artists like Björk and Sigurrós, whose reputation draws people to Reykjavik every year. But now a new generation of young artists from Ísafjörður, the capital of the West Fjords, led by musician Mugison and writer Eiríkur Norðdahl are increasingly making their mark. Will Ísafjörður be the new Reykjavík?

What do Mick Jagger, the Queen of Denmark and Hitler's girlfriend have in common?

In Ísafjörður, (population, roughly 4,000), foreign dignitaries are still a rare sight.

A few years ago, a local woman, recovering from a night out looked out the window to see Mick Jagger speeding by on a bicycle, and decided there it was time to give up the drink. But the drink, for once, was innocent. Jagger had indeed been cycling around town that morning as his transport, a yacht owned by an Australian millionare, docked in the harbour. The year before, in 1998, Queen Margret of Denmark visited the town, and was the only person so far permitted to smoke inside the otherwise smoke free Tjöruhús (Tar House), a protected site and currently a restaurant.

Until then, Ísafjörður had remained mostly outside the stomping grounds of international celebrities since 1939, when Eva Braun, Hitler's girlfriend and an enthusiastic amateur filmmaker, shot a home video here that still exists. Her hubby, no doubt busy plotting world conquest, stayed at home.

Born in Ísafjörður

And yet there is no shortage of notable Icelanders born here. Current president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson first saw the world from a big blue house that now houses a solarium on the first floor (one of two in town, as it's not easy getting a tan on in the long arctic winters). Hannes Hafstein, who became Iceland's first minister when the country recieved home rule from Denmark in 1904 was born here too, and is remembered by an obelisk with his name engraved on it. Finally, there's former foreign minister and current ambassador to Finland, Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, one of the few Icelanders to play an important part in world affairs when Iceland to become the first country to recognise the independence of the Baltic republics from the Soviet Union in 1990, contributing to the latters demise.



Mad Scientists and Napoleonic Cake

Despite this, the West Fjords remain Iceland's most remote area, Ísafjörður being closer to Greenland than it is to Reykjavík. Highway One, which circles the island, does not reach Ísafjörður. It is, however, easily accessible by plane from Reykjavík, and is the natural starting point for an exploration of the stunning landscape of the West Fjords.

The town itself relies largely on fishing, and one local, the towns' "mad scientist" as he is known to some, is busy inventing a new bait that he claims will revolutionise the fishing industry. The town has several restaurants, including one Thai, set up by immigrants, and a bakery, which has been awarded the honour of having Icelands' best cake. The President favours their Napoleonic cake, and always has a piece when he stops by the town of his birth.

Homemakers and musicmakers

Despite (or perhaps because of) its remoteness, the town has a thriving cultural life. The music school, situated in the old Homemaker school, intended to teach prospective wives the fine arts of cooking and cleaning when these were still considered the preserve of women (times have, of course, changed), has classes for all major instruments, and for those whom this is not enough, there are also private classes taught at the arts centre. The town also houses Iceland"s smallest art gallery, which frequently displays local talent as well as exhibitions from the capital. Easter, when the annual ski week is held, has traditionally been one of the towns busiest seasons,. The locals are unfazed even if the snow can not always be depended upon to make an appearance, as the event holds various other attractions, including a golf tournament, barbecues and balls as well as a ski museum. In the past few years they"ve also added something called "The Rock Festival of the Masses," organised by local artist Mugison and featuring the cream of Icelandic rock playing in an abandoned fishing factory.

Damn hippies

Musician Mugison was not born in Ísafjörður, but was taken with open arms there when coming back from a successful tour of Japan, and was even provided with a vacated church with a pump organ to work in. Still he says the population does not hold him in awe. "The poet Eiríkur Norðdal and I are more like the town idiots, strange characters in ugly clothes. But it's a good place for an artist, you can walk everywhere and you never have to take the bus. There's not much that disturbs you. There's a family feeling here. Everyone might not know everyone else, but everyone has at least seen everyone else at some point. The mayor invites you in for coffee and the old men down by the harbour call you a "damn hippy."" Mugison has recently scored films such as Little Trip to Heaven and Niceland. His most recent album, Mugimama Is This Monkey Music, won awards as the best Icelandic album of 2004. He is currently working on a follow up, for which he is building a studio in Ísafjörður.

God, Conservatives and the Icelandic Michael Moore

As well as town authorities tending to the inhabitants cultural needs, their spiritual life is also cared for. The town has three churches, one Lutheran, one Baptist and one Catholic. The Catholic priest is a Pole who only speaks his native language and tends to the increasing number of polish fish industry workers in the West Fjords

The poet Eiríkur Norðdal, who has published several volumes of poetry with the art group Nýhil and the novel Hugsjónadruslan as well as translating Michael Moore"s "Stupid White Men into Icelandic, claims to be resolutely atheist, although he sometimes has cause to doubt his conviction. "There between the cliffs," he says and points to a u-shaped valley between two peaks, "a man plunged to his death during an expedition a few years ago. The day after, a beautiful rainbow appeared between the cliffs where he had fallen. It"s one of those moments when an atheist feels he's been proved wrong, just as the leftist feels when the Conservative party wins yet another election."

- Valur Gunnarsson