"In the vegetable garden of music," noted Icelandic singer-songwriter and storyteller Svavar Knutur, "I am broccoli." In his efforts to encourage us to sing along with him, he was trying to make a point about the positive effects of singing on brain health. "Singing is one of the most challenging activities for the brain. Almost as difficult as talking while playing guitar," he said while playing guitar.
While some may not like broccoli, everyone in the audience at the old fish factory on the small island of Flatey loved Svavar Knutur. His hilarious stories and beautiful songs about childhood crushes, facing life's hardships, and celebrating local heritage were made even more endearing by his two adorable children clinging lovingly to their Papa's legs throughout the concert. It was an intimate performance in a unique setting that will surely be long remembered by all in attendance.
Mr. Knutur also let it be known how much he appreciated the invitation to perform for the voyagers of the National Geographic Orion, something he had never been asked to do before by any of the numerous cruise ships that have inundated Iceland in recent years. "There's a difference between tourists and travelers," noted Knutur. "Tourists just show up, take a few pictures and leave. Travelers take the time to get to know the local people and learn about their country and culture. You, my friends, are travelers."
And travelers we are, having spent the day exploring Iceland's Westfjords, enjoying the scenery, history, culture, and natural beauty of the region. Our day began with a visit to Flatey, a picturesque island with a year round population of just two families, totaling less then eight people (rumor has it the families are feuding and don't speak to each other). We explored the small village with its colorful vacation homes, stopped in for a peek at the unique mural on the walls of the local church (one in which Christ is pictured wearing an Icelandic sweater), and attempted to spot any remaining puffins that hadn't already migrated to other locales for the season. Our morning on Flatey ended with the aforementioned concert by Svavar Knutur, a famous Icelandic musician whose grandmother was from the island.
We sailed the rest of the afternoon and early evening, were treated to an informative lecture on Icelandic geology by resident Icelandic staff member Dagny Ivarsdóttir. In the evening our recap covered the recent revival of rímur, an ancient form of Icelandic sung poetry; the history of Irish monks in Iceland; and details on the killer whales we spotted the day before off the coast of the Westmann Islands.
But our day did not end there. The denouement was an after dinner visit to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland, if not the world. Named Dynjandi, which means "thundering noise" in Icelandic, the deep blue water poured majestically down multiple strata of volcanic rock before trickling gently into the fjord below. It is truly a spectacular place, and one that is difficult to reach, so we mostly had it to ourselves. Standing by the edge of the falls as night fell, one could enjoy a different type of music: the song of Mother Nature as her waters babbled symphonically over the stones. It was the perfect lullaby to sing us to sleep after magical, musical day.
