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Showing posts from January 20, 2013

Iceland Report Part II: The Hidden Things

The terrain in Iceland was like nothing I'd ever experienced before.  It truly feels like the ground is still forming in places (and it actually is: along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge for instance, the ground is moving apart and together by incremental but significant proportions every year).  I encountered dark, porous lava rock, snow-covered mountains, icy ponds, white-blue mineral rich hot pools, the glassy Atlantic ocean, a giant crevasse-like waterfall.  There are some trees in Reykjavik, but not many outside of it.  After scanning many long views of landscapes, it's hard to put your finger on what feels like is missing, and then you remember trees .  The trees you are so used to seeing are missing.   The very first thing I did upon venturing away from the airport when I arrived was to head to the Blue Lagoon.  My inherent suspicion of all things touristic created mid- to low-expectations for the place.  I arrived on the morning of my birthday, I couldn't check into my ho

The Iceland Report, Part One: Thank you, internet!

I'm back!  My trip was RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME ALL CAPS KIND OF FABULOUS!  Thus, it's going to take a few posts to cover just how great it all was.  But to start, I have some thanking to do.  In my last post I made a quiet, desperate plea for any potential connection with a local.  And I got one!  Granted, I met many fine people who were part of the tourism industry throughout my stay, but I was so pleased to have a conversation with someone who has a life outside hotels and tour buses (not that there's anything wrong with a life inside such things, and really, if you're going to work in tourism, what an incredible place to do so).  But man am I glad my friend Ryan was kind enough to drop me a line with an email for a friend he'd met long ago who happened to be from Reykjavík.   This is one of those "this is how the internet can be so great" kind of stories.  See, I know Ryan from Princeton Theological Seminary.  Ryan is an amazing person with the most ele