ICELAND NOIR---Again!

Jeff—Saturday

Let's start off with a confession. This is a remake of a post I wrote two years ago.  I have several reasons for doing so. None of which may be convincing, but let me take a crack at persuading you.

(1) I leave for Iceland in a few hours and have not yet finished packing. (2) I have not yet taken the photographs I wish to insert into the post, and the last time I wrote a blog in Reykjavik I couldn't upload photos...I don't wish to duplicate that experience, (3) I have been crazed over the last two weeks doing the final edits on Kaldis #10, and just sent the fully edited and approved manuscript off yesterday, leaving me the hours since to ready myself for the trip, and (4) my daughter, her husband and my five-year-old granddaughter are joining Barbara and me on the trip to Reykjavik so I may not have time to tinker with this post once there. Bottom line, pick the excuse that works best for you and please cut me some slack.

Bye for now....and on to the rewrite of Iceland Noirs past...

Four years ago [and again two years later], practically to the day, I wrote, “I just love it here… I’ve never been to Iceland before, but I will be back. And back to Iceland Noir if they’ll have me.”

Well, they did and I am [for the third time], to this festival of crime fiction set in Reykjavik organized by our own Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Quentin Bates, Ragnar Jonasson, Lilja Sigurdardottir, and Òskar Gudmundsson.

The town, the people, the ambiance, the nightlife, all create a sense of what legendary Berlin or Paris must have been like in their heydays, seasoned with a bit of old Amsterdam. Whatever it is, this place has all the right vibes, and it’s a joy to be back.

So, here are some photos I took this trip [Assuming I take any and can upload them prior to this going live on Saturday] Annamaria and Zoë were here two years ago, but didn't make it this time so I can't rely upon them as I did in 2016 to post their photos of the action.

And action there is, both in and out of the festival's new home at Idnó theater by Reykjavik pond, a beautiful traditional Rekjavik style 19th century building.   The nightlife is just as vibrant as I recalled, and once again, the festival is a delight, filled with interesting speakers putting on their “A game” for a knowledgeable, appreciative audience. 
 

Idnó Theater

Two years ago I wrote "Most surprising is that no one has yet asked me about the US Presidential Elections."  Any bets on whether I'll be able to made a similar statement this year?

Enjoy the photos...which will be inserted here just to prove I made it1

By the way, the only photo I was able to upload from my hotel two years ago was this one of me indulging at Reykjavik's most famous hot dog stand.  Why that is I have no idea. Perhaps it got through because it's where President Clinton diverted his Secret Service team so he could try one...or two.

Back to packing.

—Jeff