Alcohol is not a necessity when travelling…but it does help. It helps when the cold is so fierce your phone screen cracks. It helps when your housemates visit the local fish factory and realise, too late, that the stench of fish guts stays embedded in clothes for days. It helps when the avalanche sirens make you jump, when you step into a snowdrift and sink to your thighs, and when the lack of fresh fruit makes you google ‘what are the signs of scurvy?’

The Eyes of a Bird by Rijn Collins

I studied Icelandic at university and fell in love with this magical, magnificent land and language. It’s claimed that half the population believe in elves and trolls and that being charmed by Iceland is a result of their spells. If so, then I am willingly spellbound. My memories of my trips there are some of the happiest of my life.

Rijn Collins is an award-winning writer with over 100 published short stories. She writes for ABC Radio National and won the inaugural Sarah Awards for Audio Fiction in New York.

You can find Rijn on his website, Twitter, and Instagram.  

Acknowledgements:

Memoria is written,  produced, edited and presented by Nat V.

Rijn Collin's short story, The Eyes of a Bird, is written and performed by Rijn. The story is edited by Jen Farrow.

Music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions,   "When in the West" and "The Envelope".

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.