Donna McLuskie
Certified travel blogger
It was Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík that first attracted me to Iceland in 2015. I had spent fifteen years detailing high rise, glass façade buildings as an architectural technician but none that I worked on were as superb as Harpa. The more I studied Harpa, the more I appreciated it. And I also became intrigued with Iceland and Icelanders. So I researched (a lot) and soon I was being commissioned around Cambridge to talk about Iceland and Icelanders- about the sagas, Icelandic sheep and knitting, the nation's keen interest in outdoor bathing and about how a building like Harpa can inspire someone to write a novel, which is what I am doing now. My modern saga, this novel-in-progress called Polishing Harpa, was longlisted for the 2015 Bridport Prize and 2016 First Story Teacher's Award. I won research funding to visit Iceland twice this year through the Artists International Development Fund. I share my huge enthusiasm for Iceland wherever and whenever possible so I am thrilled to be a Guide to Iceland contributor. Beware, I think my love of Iceland is contagious!
My blogs
Geldingadalir Volcano Memento
Here is an unusual memento of the 2021 volcanic eruption that first showed itself in Geldingadalir in Iceland. This limited-edition collaboration print features a photograph taken by Ægir Thor of Lífsbjörg ICE-SAR team, alongside a pareidolia drawing by Donna McLuskie of Hidden Creatures Art. Pareidolia drawings show faces and hidden creatures perceived by the artist in unusual places and inanimate objects. Donna perceived a cluster of human faces in the gas cloud and realised that these men resemble some of the crew of the WWII Liberator that crashed into the side of Fagradalsfjall mount
Wondrous Reykjavík Old Harbour
The Old Harbour in Reykjavík is a place for dreams. Host of departures and homecomings. Setting of the magnificent Harpa Concert Hall, Seasonal haven for harbour seals. Home base for Landsbjörg’s Search and Rescue training ship. Old Harbour attracts contrasts – of old against new. Simple, fast food- perhaps a quick bowl of lobster bisque at The Sea Baron: The Sea Baron’s famous lobster bisque Or a fine dining experience with multiple courses - such as a meal at Harpa’s Kolabrautin restaurant. Whale watching ships at port right next to whaling vessels. These two whaling vess
Hot Stuff Volcano Pareidolia Drawing Competition – Can you find Snoopy?
Can you spot Snoopy in the tongue of this lava? If so, add a pinch of wit, and you could win a limited-edition, signed fine art giclée print of this drawing by pareidolist Donna McLuskie. It comes with its own uniquely numbered Certificate of Authenticity and is a prize worth £40(GB). Just how much more it will be worth in a few years, well, who knows? There are two ways to enter: -Go here and use the competition contact form to send us a message describing where Snoopy is in the picture and to tell us what Snoopy is thinking. Wittiest answer wins! Then head over to our blog and subscribe us
An Invitation to Tour the Amazing omNom Chocolate Factory!
Whether you are visiting Reykjavík or are a resident, I highly recommend a tour of the omNom chocolate factory (at Hólmaslóð 4, near to the Old Harbour in the 101 district of Reykjavík). The factory has ample parking and is easily accessible by the number 14 bus. This fascinating tour is offered three times daily, year-round, regardless of weather. To book your spot, visit the omNom website at www.omnomchocolate.com In a cheerful, pristine setting you will discover the adventure of chocolate-making. omNom is a bean-to-bar manufacturer with its own range of exclusive chocolate produ
Gathering Sheep in Árneshreppur
This year I have been funded by Arts Council England and the British Council to make two 10-day research trips to Iceland. My first trip is chronicled in my post Nooks and Crannies from April 2016. This post is about my second trip, which was to help gather sheep in Árneshreppur during a week in September 2016. The wrapper from a bar of locally-marketed chocolate At some times of the year, flying in is the only way to access Árneshreppur as parts of the roads may be blocked by snow or dangerously icy Two friendly, highly-skilled pilots who fly into the small airport at Gjögur, wh
Icelandic Blues
Looking at my first pictures of Iceland from a research trip this past April, I see a lot of blue. Iceland is surrounded by the tones of sky and water and cast in bluey-hued shadows – except when it isn’t, but that’s another story. Right now, I’m in a blue mood. The Sun Voyager sculpture on Reykjavík shore For this post, I am using my own photos, apart from a few as noted, and I haven’t meddled with any of my pictures in any way, like using Photoshop or other enhancement tools. This is just how it looked at the moment when each picture was snapped : ) Football Blue The world has recently
Eliza and Guðni - Insights about Icelanders
Not being an Icelander myself, I don’t feel qualified to generalise. But I can offer insights about particular Icelanders whom I’ve meet, either in the flesh or over our amazing World Wide Web. I got to know Eliza through the Iceland Writers Retreat (IWR), an annual event in Reykjavík that she co-founded with Erica Green. Erica is on the left and Eliza is on the right, this photo courtesy of IWR and Roman Gerasymenko It took me a year to earn funding to attend IWR and, during that time, I became a friendly acquaintance by email with both Eliza and her husband Guðni, mostly
Nooks and Crannies
I’m just back home after my first visit to Iceland and what I miss most is the big, wide open. After ten days split between Hotel Natura on the city airport, facing Esjan from KEX hostel and then floating in a hot tub at Hraunsnef in Borgarfjörður, I can see no horizon from my British windows. I used to appreciate a little green between the houses in my village but now it seems cluttered out there. Yet I think I miss Iceland’s small spaces of seclusion and security even more. Yesterday, in town, I was remembering the shallow cuts that Jón Gauti Jónsson of Mountain Tours and I carefu
My blogs
Geldingadalir Volcano Memento
Here is an unusual memento of the 2021 volcanic eruption that first showed itself in Geldingadalir in Iceland. This limited-edition collaboration print features a photograph taken by Ægir Thor of Lífsbjörg ICE-SAR team, alongside a pareidolia drawing by Donna McLuskie of Hidden Creatures Art. Pareidolia drawings show faces and hidden creatures perceived by the artist in unusual places and inanimate objects. Donna perceived a cluster of human faces in the gas cloud and realised that these men resemble some of the crew of the WWII Liberator that crashed into the side of Fagradalsfjall mount
Wondrous Reykjavík Old Harbour
The Old Harbour in Reykjavík is a place for dreams. Host of departures and homecomings. Setting of the magnificent Harpa Concert Hall, Seasonal haven for harbour seals. Home base for Landsbjörg’s Search and Rescue training ship. Old Harbour attracts contrasts – of old against new. Simple, fast food- perhaps a quick bowl of lobster bisque at The Sea Baron: The Sea Baron’s famous lobster bisque Or a fine dining experience with multiple courses - such as a meal at Harpa’s Kolabrautin restaurant. Whale watching ships at port right next to whaling vessels. These two whaling vess
Hot Stuff Volcano Pareidolia Drawing Competition – Can you find Snoopy?
Can you spot Snoopy in the tongue of this lava? If so, add a pinch of wit, and you could win a limited-edition, signed fine art giclée print of this drawing by pareidolist Donna McLuskie. It comes with its own uniquely numbered Certificate of Authenticity and is a prize worth £40(GB). Just how much more it will be worth in a few years, well, who knows? There are two ways to enter: -Go here and use the competition contact form to send us a message describing where Snoopy is in the picture and to tell us what Snoopy is thinking. Wittiest answer wins! Then head over to our blog and subscribe us
An Invitation to Tour the Amazing omNom Chocolate Factory!
Whether you are visiting Reykjavík or are a resident, I highly recommend a tour of the omNom chocolate factory (at Hólmaslóð 4, near to the Old Harbour in the 101 district of Reykjavík). The factory has ample parking and is easily accessible by the number 14 bus. This fascinating tour is offered three times daily, year-round, regardless of weather. To book your spot, visit the omNom website at www.omnomchocolate.com In a cheerful, pristine setting you will discover the adventure of chocolate-making. omNom is a bean-to-bar manufacturer with its own range of exclusive chocolate produ
Gathering Sheep in Árneshreppur
This year I have been funded by Arts Council England and the British Council to make two 10-day research trips to Iceland. My first trip is chronicled in my post Nooks and Crannies from April 2016. This post is about my second trip, which was to help gather sheep in Árneshreppur during a week in September 2016. The wrapper from a bar of locally-marketed chocolate At some times of the year, flying in is the only way to access Árneshreppur as parts of the roads may be blocked by snow or dangerously icy Two friendly, highly-skilled pilots who fly into the small airport at Gjögur, wh
Icelandic Blues
Looking at my first pictures of Iceland from a research trip this past April, I see a lot of blue. Iceland is surrounded by the tones of sky and water and cast in bluey-hued shadows – except when it isn’t, but that’s another story. Right now, I’m in a blue mood. The Sun Voyager sculpture on Reykjavík shore For this post, I am using my own photos, apart from a few as noted, and I haven’t meddled with any of my pictures in any way, like using Photoshop or other enhancement tools. This is just how it looked at the moment when each picture was snapped : ) Football Blue The world has recently
Eliza and Guðni - Insights about Icelanders
Not being an Icelander myself, I don’t feel qualified to generalise. But I can offer insights about particular Icelanders whom I’ve meet, either in the flesh or over our amazing World Wide Web. I got to know Eliza through the Iceland Writers Retreat (IWR), an annual event in Reykjavík that she co-founded with Erica Green. Erica is on the left and Eliza is on the right, this photo courtesy of IWR and Roman Gerasymenko It took me a year to earn funding to attend IWR and, during that time, I became a friendly acquaintance by email with both Eliza and her husband Guðni, mostly
Nooks and Crannies
I’m just back home after my first visit to Iceland and what I miss most is the big, wide open. After ten days split between Hotel Natura on the city airport, facing Esjan from KEX hostel and then floating in a hot tub at Hraunsnef in Borgarfjörður, I can see no horizon from my British windows. I used to appreciate a little green between the houses in my village but now it seems cluttered out there. Yet I think I miss Iceland’s small spaces of seclusion and security even more. Yesterday, in town, I was remembering the shallow cuts that Jón Gauti Jónsson of Mountain Tours and I carefu
Photos by me
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