Dost Thou Protest in Vain, Again?

Oh my! We've had so much muck expose itself in the past two weeks that it's like we're punch-drunk, reeling from being hit with some new scandal or exposed lie every single day. So many pointing fingers, so much name-calling, so many promises rescinded on. And now this Ukraine mess, with even more lies from both sides of the issue! 

Peace

A flower representing hope for peace for my readers in Ukraine. Our thoughts are with you...

What a Huge Greenhouse Looks Like When You Just Leave it Sitting There

I'm never very inspired in February (who is! Well, maybe people in the southern hemisphere, where it's still summer...) but I did go on a really nice day trip with Óðinn recently "east of the mountain" or austur fyrir fjall. I'll wager to say that all of you who have been here have taken the same drive, as it's the southern part of the Golden Circle loop that takes you out to Gullfoss and Geysir, as well as the only road getting you to the south and east coasts.

A Glacier in the Fog

GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER: Vincent Briglia

Vincent writes:

This picture was taken at Sólheimajökull when a few friends came over to Iceland to celebrate a stag party. I organized a trip for them and took them sightseeing on a Sunday. 'Eerie Sólheimajökull' is what I call this picture. Everyone was quiet; there was a solid sense of awe from the guys who had never seen it and they thanked me for taking them there, since this isn't exactly a tourist-trap.

Smoke

Like I mentioned yesterday on the Facebook page I've decided to dig a little bit into the story of tobacco in Iceland, specifically because this photo is of the display window of our local smoke shop, Tóbaksverslunin Björk on Bankastræti. I'm going to guess that all of you who've visited Reykjavik have passed by this store, which is just a few houses up the street from the restaurant I wrote about in November. It's been there for as long as I can remember, with the same friendly and slightly eccentric man behind the counter, Sölvi Óskarsson.

A Bright and Happy New Year to Us All

It's that time of year again to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

It's been a busy and super enjoyable holiday season, ending with tonight's rack of lamb dinner at my parent's house just a few blocks away from where we live. While my daughter Valentina and I were poking around on our iPhones (don't judge, please!) Óðinn, my 7 year old son, called his best friend Þórir, who lives just a few houses away, and invited him over to eat with us without asking his grandmother first.