No̱ 8 Fischersund 2019 Eau de Parfum

I've never been to Iceland. In fact, I wasn't necessarily born into traveling. I hardly ever traveled as a child and teenager. There was hardly any money for it and due to my sister's severe disability, the priorities in our family were understandably elsewhere. As a student, money was again a problem and today, having long since outgrown my student years, I'm still not one of those people who "jet" around the world several times a year. On the one hand, this is because I don't want to fly too often due to climate protection, but on the other hand, I also lack the ease with which other people simply set off. It's just not in my blood. Nevertheless, I have been able to visit some beautiful places in Europe in my life so far, sometimes by plane, often by train, especially in Germany's neighboring countries. And in Spain and Finland and Ireland and Great Britain. I spent some time studying in England. And a few years ago I even made it as far as Canada.

In all those years, Iceland was always at the top of my wish list. Yet I've never been there, something always came up, family, new jobs, pandemics. So I can't say what it smells like in Iceland. A few weeks ago, however, some fragrance samples from the Icelandic label Fischersund found their way to me. Fragrances developed and designed by Jón Þór Birgisson (singer and guitarist of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós); fragrances that combine two of my favorite themes - music and perfume. Naturally, I was immediately fascinated and when I arrived at fragrance N°8 and its rhubarb note, I was hooked. The rhubarb is in the foreground for me, but in a very soft way, accompanied by gentle citrus and accompanied by a slightly tart, green note. I can't smell the advertised motor oil directly; only a delicate, slightly chewing gum-like and slightly bitter note emerges over time.
The fragrance reminds me of my childhood, of the 80s, of a warm summer's day. The sun shimmers over the asphalt, somewhere further away a synthesizer sounds from a radio. I throw money into a chewing gum machine, turn the metal handle and get a small red ball of chewing gum. It tastes fruity and sour and my hands now smell of it, mixed with the metallic smell of the machine handle. A light summer breeze blows the scent of the grasses and trees in the nearby woods around my nose. It's the vacations and I still have time before I have to be home for dinner. Life is easy and free and carefree. Does childhood in Iceland feel similar? I think so. It's probably only the landscapes you look at that are different.

In summer 2026, I will be traveling to Iceland with some of my loved ones. We're going to see the beautiful nature and the solar eclipse that will take place there. And in Reykjavik, I will visit the small Fischersund perfumery. If everything works out. If the world is still standing. In my mind's eye, I can see the rugged Icelandic landscape, the sun is shining, the wind is cool and the air is clear. Not a single tree for miles around! I wonder what it smells like there? Does Fischersunds N°8 really capture the scent of the Icelandic summer? I don't know yet.
But I will report back!

You know you're always welcome to stay
You, you know at the end of, of the day
We all, we all die anyway
(Sigur Rós - Gold)