Reykjavik

To Whale or Not to Whale

Today, as I was searching the Internet for things Icelandic, I found this link to Greenpeace, who--love them or hate them--have been working relentlessly on various environmental for years and years. Last September the Rainbow Warrior visited Reykjavik in response to Iceland's return to whaling.

Still in Iceland

Dear blog readers, sometime ago I promised you a guest post--and here is the first of, I hope, many. Kristen and I spent several amazing days in Reykjavik. Not surprisingly, she captures the mood--and our mood--far more profoundly and succinctly than I ever could. Visit Kristen at her two wonderful blogs, Sigh Club and Sound Check.

My love for Iceland is a brutal, suspect love. I often find myself there in that stream-of-consciousness sort of way. Anything from teal high heel pumps to a building painted red will take me back to the streets of Reykjavik. Sometimes I am still at the top of Hallgrimskirkja, overlooking the bright city of Reykjavik.

Big yellow Hummers do that, too. Range Rovers. Any big vehicle that can handle the Icelandic terrain make me think of small, cramped streets and abandoned bulldozers at the ends of the Earth. When the Spirit Rover landed on the moon, I thought of Iceland, because when I arrived at Keflavik airport I was faced with a planet whose existence I had dreamt about but never before laid eyes on.

I wasn't prepared for my feeling the first day--of worry that we had made the wrong choice, that September was a little too late to visit Iceland and now it was too late to go home. What were we going to do for five days in the bitter cold? And I hadn't expected that by the end of the trip I would leave my heart with the Tower Guesthouse. I hadn't expected the small greatness that is Reykjavik. A tiny capital alive with creativity, youth, pride. We encountered a haughtiness about most Icelanders, but forgave them, for they had a right to feel superior. They are not so far from the North Pole and yet have managed to create a world for themselves full of knowledge, music, culture, and are blessed with a country whose natural beauty matches that of the only other natural formation that I have truly been in awe of: the Rocky Mountains.

Where to next?

Some Things

I know, I know, I still haven't made any effort to keep this blog filled with fresh material. I will say that a couple of people are working on guest entries, so that's something to look forward to. Also, if you haven't been to the "A Woman Needs a Man..." blog recently, she has a new look. Check it out.

I'm still plotting ways to get back to Iceland as soon as possible; unfortunately most of them involve winning the lottery--and to this point that plan hasn't been working. Maybe tonight. I'll let you know.

A Few of My Favorite Things

When I think back to our few days in Reykjavik, these are the things I'm remembering most fondly right now:

Our room at the Tower Guesthouse.

Sitting in the Cafe Paris, drinking coffees, smoking cigarettes, and those tasty olive and sun dried tomato spreads.

Taking photographs of cats.

Taking photographs of smokers from our guesthouse window. We have a lot of these but haven't published them because, well, would you want pictures of your breaktime all over the Internet?

Going to the Blue Lagoon right before we flew home.

The metal band and their audience at the Grand Rokk.

Where Have I Been?

To all my regular readers, I apologize for the infrequent updating lately. I offer up all the usual excuses.

But, anyway, here is where I would like to be right now. While I'm dreaming of tasty coffees and cigarettes, I'd like to offer all of you, my dear readers, the opportunity to write a blog entry about Reykjavik. Whether you live there, have visited, or just like writing about places you've never been, I'd love to be able to post your thoughts on Reykjavik here on my blog.

So, if you are interested, email me or leave a comment below. Thanks.