future

A local feeds a bonfire with diesel fuel in northern Iceland.

Feed the flames

An idea persists that we’re standing at the edge of something, dipping our toes in the water, looking out into the river and wondering how far in we should wade. Look around. This is it: mid-stream, mid-current, mid-flow. This is the river. When we fixate on the future, we escape the now. And when it…

The Ísfélag fish-processing plant in Þórshöfn, Iceland.

Arctic Deeply on ‘Transportation, Not Tourism’

In this instalment, Arctic Deeply gives you a look into an Icelandic town vying for its place in the global market, not with tourism but with transport. Siggeir Stefánsson introduces us to Þórshöfn, his small Icelandic fishing town which he hopes to diversify in order to keep afloat. “If you live in Reykjavik, you can choose from 100 kinds of…

Tourists look on across a beautiful Icelandic river.

Post 2 of 2. Early morning at Godafoss. Blue rapids, tundra plants . . . and the buses are rolling in. It’s hard to resist the lure of this natural beauty, plus it’s darn close to the road. I can’t help wondering what this place looked like ten years ago and what it will look…

Haukur Orri poses in front of a shelf filled with skis.

Post 2 of 2. Haukur loves his town. “I’m not leaving,” he says, “When I got to Reykjavik I’m like a lunatic when I come home.” It’s too busy for him in Iceland’s big city. Many small towns here have to contend with young people leaving for an urban life, just like many countries around…