Compliance
Friends
Friendly Words
I've gotten quite a few emails in the past few days, and I thought I'd share them with everyone. Enjoy!
Maria - As you indicated a few days you were wondering who is reading your blog. I just want to say that I read your blog every morning and look forward to the everyday pictures of Iceland. I found your blog when doing research for a trip to Iceland I might take the family on later this summer. I'm one of those people that watches, but doesn't participate as I should.
I've always want to go to Iceland every since I was a little boy in a small Texas town close to Austin. Coming from Texas where sometimes it's hell on earth in terms of the temperature it was always nice to see photo's of Iceland glaciers and mountains, which seems so cool and calming on hot Texas days. I've come close several times at 33,000 ft traveling to Europe to visit my wife's family in Germany and the Netherlands from Austin, but still haven't landed on the rock of ice and fire.
thanks again for your wonderful blog and the great photo's showing every day activities and events in Iceland.
Regards,
Christopher Markley
I seem to have a lot of readers in Texas...what's up with that? I'm wondering, Christopher, do you know digdug? He's one of the more important elements of Austin life, you know. (wink wink digdug!)
Kidding aside, thank you so much for writing and sharing your childhood dream with me. Some people are just drawn to this island. It's been said that old souls come here, that Iceland is a gathering spot of kinds for those who've learned the many many lessons of being alive. Others say that there's simply a tangible electromagnetic energy that the island exudes, an energy that is healing and positive. And some, like you, are simply mezmerized by the stark beauty they see in photos. I like that.
You'll be here, I know, sooner than later.
M
*********************
Hi Maria,
My name is Collin, a college student from the US. First of all, love your site!! I was ecstatic when I stumbled upon it, as my trip to Iceland last year has left me wanting to go back. I had a question for you, actually, if you don't mind? I'm finishing up my freshman year of college here, and my dream is to study at the University of Iceland for at least a year. Based on your knowledge of the university (you got a BA in Lit there?), and since you also went back there from the US, I was wondering if my plan sounds possible? I mean, how easy/difficult is it for a foreign student to arrange study there? My college does not have a program in Iceland, but I was hoping to be able to do it anyway...I'm sorry; I know it's a random question from a pretty random person, but I'm burning with curiousity!
Again, great site; thanks for maintaining it and putting up such
good photos and articles!
Best wishes,
Collin
Collin, the University of Iceland is waiting for your call! Getting in is not too difficult...I had to fill out a one page form and have my transcript sent to the Admissions Office. That's it. And that was to get into the Masters program in Comparative Lit! See, here there's an assumed right to higher education and few universities to choose from, so the competetivness of the US system is basically unknown. That's not to say the education is any less worthy, though. The schools here are good, and in my opinion are only getting better with an increase in foreign students like you!
Let me know how things go...M
*********************
Terrific weblog Maria, found you via a mention in 'WebUser'. Now that our puny English Winter is over, I especially enjoyed the snow scenes. I am relieved to see that there are still places in the world (New Zealand is another), where minor road accidents and car thefts are the worst thing that constitute front-page news. Long may it continue.
Best wishes, David.
Thanks, David. Did you know that if you stick a skewer through a globe starting in Iceland it'll come out through New Zealand? Fun fact for everyone!
*********************
And finally, Anne in Malta, who says she's a faithful reader and who is coming here for her honeymoon in June, asked me to please explain this island's anomolous weather. She's read in guide books that extreme foul weather gear is a must when travelling to Iceland, but sees bare arms and April sunshine in my photos. What, she wants to know, should she pack for her stay? Here's my official answer:
Thanks for writing and thanks for the complement about Iceland Eyes! I love the fact that my text and pictures are being read as far away as Malta...what a great thing! As far as clothing goes, the one thing you Must bring is a water-resistant coat or jacket, preferrably thin. Bring both an outdoors-y one for trips to the countryside and something more urban for walking around Reykjavik. You don't want to get caught in a summer shower in your new suede jacket, but you don't either want to look like you just came in from climbing a mountain when you go out for coffee or dinner!
The key here is layers...bring tank tops, short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts and a few sweaters...what you don't see in my photos is how often the weather can change in one day! And be sure to bring something other than just hiking/outdoors boots...Reykjavik is very trendy and, once again, it's nice to not look like you are fresh off the mountain. It's just never that cold here...if you are prepared! Strong winds and rain can make things a little less comfortable, but this isn't the Arctic ...on the other hand, it sure ain't Malta either, eh? Let me know if you need more info...
Bye for now,
M
>
Sun Traveller
I've spent many hours standing below the prow of this ship staring out over the bay towards Esja, tihinking, pondering, wondering, quieting my mind.
Once, in the middle of a long, bright summer night I stood long enough to witness what seemed to be water elves waltzing just below the surface of the still and glassy ocean. Tiny, perfect couples swayed and turned and flowed while I held my breath in awe. It seemed to last for hours, until a breeze blew in and ruffed the suface, blowing the vision away. I smiled, thanked them quietly, and turned, amazed, toward home.
Catholica
This place of Catholic worship was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson (the same man who did Hallgrímskirkju) in true Gothic style, and was built in 1929, though the tower was never fully completed. That same year the church was consecrated by Cardinal Vilhjálmur van Rossum, special ambassador to Pope Pius XI.
If you'd like to see what Landakotskirkja looked like 144 years ago, click here. Quite a change!
April Sunset
The Frist Day of Summer is a national holiday: schools are out, banks are closed and little mini-festivals are held all over the country. Sometimes Winter and Summer freeze together, but not this year: it was a balmy 12 degrees C here, overcast, but with beautiful sunset to ring in the start of a new, much awaited and always welcomed Summer season.
Blooms
On the entertainment end, Robert Plant is playing here in Reykjavik tonight, making this his second show on the lava rock...he came with Led Zeppelin (by the way, super cool web site) in June 1970, a trip that resulted in the that famous opening to Immigrant Song,
"Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming! "
But you knew that already, right? Zep is one of my absolute favorites, but alas, I am not able to make it to tonight's gig. Damn.
Also tonight in San Francisco Icelandic Glam Rock band Trabant will be heating up the Cafe du Nord on Market Street. Excellent stuff...recommended!
Spring
Evening Sun
After a walk along the seaside, I strolled into town where I saw Flosi and Sunna sitting in the sunshine in front of Kaffibrennslan, located on Austurvellir, the mid city park, and next door to Hotel Borg. As you can see, it was balmy enough for bare arms, and this at seven o'clock in the evening!
In high summer you can sit soaking up the sun in front of this coffee house, have a good meal, excellent coffee and quality beer til the sun sets behind the buildings opposite the park, usually around Midnight. No joke! This is sidewalk cafe culture, Icelandic style.
Trike
Danish Trike
But I'm sure that just as I was turning the corner out of sight some jam-faced little Danish boy or girl was running out after lunch to re-mount their glorious red tricycle, and set off on an afternoon of new and amazing toddler adventures!
Information
Life here is good...so good that there's pretty much nothing to write about. Or maybe I'm just still being a little lazy. Anyway, I'm posting an informative piece from Wikipedia about the economy of Iceland. It was probably written by Einar Kvaran, a 56 year-old Icelander living in Dixon, New Mexico who actively contributes to the very cool online encyclopedia (here's an article on Wikipedia from March's Wired magazine). So read on and be informed:
"Economy of Iceland
The economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides over 60% of export earnings and employs 8% of the work force. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant hydro-electric and geothermal power), Iceland's economy is vulnerable to changing world fish prices. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to drops in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Although the Icelandic economy is heavily dependant on fishing it is constantly becoming less important as the travel industry, the technology industry and various other industries grow.
The only natural resource conversion is the manufacture of cement. Most buildings are concrete with expensive imported wood used only sparingly and where necessary.
The center-right government plans to continue its policies of reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources.
Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale-watching. Growth slowed between 2000 and 2002, but the economy expanded by 4.3% in 2003 and grew by 5.2% in 2004. The unemployment-rate of 2.5% (4th quarter 2004) is the second lowest in the European Economic Area after Liechtenstein."
Oh, and by the way, according to Wikipedia Iceland is the 18th largest island in the world.
"Economy of Iceland
The economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides over 60% of export earnings and employs 8% of the work force. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant hydro-electric and geothermal power), Iceland's economy is vulnerable to changing world fish prices. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to drops in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Although the Icelandic economy is heavily dependant on fishing it is constantly becoming less important as the travel industry, the technology industry and various other industries grow.
The only natural resource conversion is the manufacture of cement. Most buildings are concrete with expensive imported wood used only sparingly and where necessary.
The center-right government plans to continue its policies of reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources.
Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale-watching. Growth slowed between 2000 and 2002, but the economy expanded by 4.3% in 2003 and grew by 5.2% in 2004. The unemployment-rate of 2.5% (4th quarter 2004) is the second lowest in the European Economic Area after Liechtenstein."
Oh, and by the way, according to Wikipedia Iceland is the 18th largest island in the world.
Olden Days
I culled this photo from the Þjóðminjasafn (National Museum of Iceland) web site. It is the oldest photo of Icelandic life in the museum's possession, dating back to 1858.
The structure in the backround is a connected pair of classic turf houses which were usually half-dug into the earth, built up on the sides with round stones and topped with turf-covered timber. These houses were two-storied, and anyone who's read Independent People (Sjálfstætt fólk) by Halldór Laxness with recall that a family's sheep were often housed in the basement in the winter, adding a methane-y warmth to the living quarters above. Smelly but ingenious...
There are quite a few preserved turf house farmsteads open to the public throughout Iceland. One of the best that I've been to is the Skógar Folk Museum near Skógafoss (pictured below) in the beautiful south of Iceland.
Skógafoss
Lonely Playgrounds
I don't know why kids don't use them, unless it's some kind of feng shui issue...bad chi and all that. What is it that makes a public area, no matter how big or small, attractive? Here's a wonderful article on the art of playgrounds that gives a few clues.
There's something about these empty benches and lonely swings that evokes a bittersweet nostalgia every time I walk past one. They make me sad, but at the same time, as long as they are set aside as playgrounds, no matter how poorly maintained by the city and the neighborhood, there exists some strange sense of hope.
Oceanic
