Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/720648
Work by Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir at Hverfisgallerí I celand is nothing if not a lesson in the beauty of contradictions: gla- ciers meet volcanoes; vibrant street art meets minimalist architecture. Dur- ing seven glorious, night-less summer days, gallery owner Erin Cluley and her film exec husband, Tearlach Hutcheson, go Nordic. When I have trouble sleeping, I don't count sheep. Instead, I imagine the next destination I will explore and plot the details in my mind. FYI: Studies show anticipation of travel can stir positive emotion and release stress. Naturally, my dreaming of faraway places puts me into a dream state. I highly advise trying this the next time you're having a sleepless night. So, why Iceland? Since my return, I've been asked this — a lot. The short of it is, my husband, Tearlach, saw a promotion that piqued our interest. After some research (and a few trips to REI), we were prepared to spend six nights in Reykjavík. An overnight flight out of New York landed us in Iceland's capital city early on a Monday morning. On our way to the hotel, we were immediately engrossed by the Icelandic landscape and light that everyone talks about. Volcanic rock was ev- erywhere; there wasn't a tree in sight. Had we landed on the moon? After freshening up in our room at CenterHotel Thingholt, we took to the streets. Reykjavík is a small city, and we got our bearings quickly, identi- fying the most obvious, way-finding spot: Hallgrím- MOON skirkja Cathedral. The monumental architecture is inspired by the country's basalt lava flows, which we would later see in abundance. We rode the elevator to the top of Hallgrímskirkja and took in stunning 360-degree views — a picturesque city of brightly painted buildings with mountains and volcanoes in the distance. Dinner was traditional Icelandic fare at the Icelandic Bar. We asked for local beer, and the waitress told us we were in luck. Local beer, she said, is the only kind they serve. This would soon become a theme of our trip: locally sourced everything. Day two was reserved for the Golden Circle tour — a tourist route that leads east inland to a place of otherworldly landscapes. We walked the circumference of a volcanic crater, felt the mist of two massive waterfalls on our faces, witnessed active geysers, and walked along the mid-Atlantic ridge, where tectonic plates protrude from the earth. It was a reminder of the beauty of our planet. Mother Nature at its grandest. For dinner, we had a late reservation at Ko- labrautin, a restaurant inside the magnificent Olafur Eliasson–designed Harpa building and performing arts center. As we walked back to our hotel at nearly midnight, we fully realized the visual impact of summer in Iceland. The sun truly never sets. Physical darkness is not some- thing I often think about, but the lack of it made me appreciate how it works for our mental and physical well-being. At the same time, having no shortage of sunlight made us feel unstoppable. The following day, we explored the city's growing arts scene. The Reykjavík Art Museum had a retrospective of the artist Erró, one of Iceland's best-known artists. Gallery i8 had a beautiful exhibition of minimalist works by Thor Vigfússon. At Hverfisgallerí, pieces made of hair and woven fur by Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir topped my list of favorites. We traipsed across the city, gallery guide in hand, and observed the abun- dance of murals and street art, which provide a lively burst of color in a city where most days are painted gray. Our longest excursion was planned for day four. A young Icelandic man served as our guide; while showing us the sights, he also enlightened us about Viking folklore. We were blown away by what we accomplished: We hiked the Sól- heimajökull glacier, walked the black-sand LANDING PHOTOGRAPHY ERIN CLULEY, TEARLACH HUTCHESON Reykjavík as viewed from Hallgrím- skirkja Cathedral 146