Moors

It seems fair to warn you, dear reader, friend of Iceland, and/or potential visitor that on your travels out to the countryside you will be seeing quite a bit of this: stark moors, plus barren arctic deserts capped by grey skies. And it may very well be windy to boot. A huge swath of land between Fljótsdalshérað in the east and Akureryi in the north is, frankly, discouraging and mind-numbing tundra-scape. Some people love it, and some pretend to, but I'm pretty sure the majority of us find ourselves wondering how long we'd survive if our cars died and no one ever passed by that way again (sometimes you can go a good fifteen, twenty minutes without seeing another car, even in high traffic summer.) 

So be warned: always let your hotel/guesthouse/the internet in general (tweets! fb!) know where you're going and when while you are traveling the countryside here, bring some good happy tunes with you (an iPod jack or CDs for your rental car is a must: there's no-to-poor radio reception for great stretches of the main highway!) and plenty of chocolate, snacks and water. Anything to keep you alert, awake and  in a good traveling mood. The sameness of the landscape can mesmerize and you want to be sure to stay focused and on the road! Your destination is most probably an amazing natural wonder, well worth journeying to. Just be prepared for lots of "nothing" in between.

Or you can just do like Jon Bon Jovi * just did yesterday, and rent a helicopter to take you about ; ) 

*This link shows you just how "imperfect" google Translate still is with Icelandic. We're working on it!

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Dogs

GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER: Christian Henkel

Yes, you can go on a dogsledding adventure here in Iceland! On a glacier in the summer time! I haven't done it myself, but I have been to the top of Langjökull glacier on a snowmobile and what you get from there are stunning views out over southwest Iceland, into the highlands interior and out to the Atlantic beyond. The sledding companies also offer dog trolley excursions to places like Surtshellir, which is a fantastic and cave/lava tube that has been used and written about and visited since the first settlement era in the 9th century. You can still see remnants of very old encampments up on the ledges lining the tube, as well as little ice elves that populate the cave floor. Here's a sweet song by our internationally acclaimed sigur rós from the stunningly beautiful documentary Heima played on a marimba made out of slate/scree in Surtshellir.   

Christian, a resident of Berlin, has been sharing his photos of Iceland on our facebook page wall (which you are all welcome, and encouraged to do : ) and so I asked if I could use one them. It was difficult choosing one from among his many excellent shots but this one seemed most in tune with the Iceland Eyes vibe.  

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The juggler

What does a 9-6 job, five days a week do to me?
It makes me too tired to do anything afer that because:
- The feet hurts from standing too much. So all I wanna do is sit.
- After all the dispensing and mind boggling problems to solve, I just want to be brainless after work.
- I couldn't be bothered about what I have been eating. So, adding more kg.
- Question myself when I get home: Did I give the correct drug to the patient? I hope so *prays*

On my days off, I just want to rot at home and do minimal walking.

Thats why there seems to be a lack of photos.
I haven't brought out my camera once to take pictures of this place eventhough I have been here for a month already.

On a brighter note,
Pictures will start popping real soon...like in two weeks time....
The job needs stamina, but its really like being in heaven, working with angels to shoot arrows at the earthlings to give them life... well, at least a longer life to live XD

Im only a student. Looking at the real pharmacist working, time will never be enough to finish everything daily because the pharmacist is needed at the front counter, the dispensary, the admin work, the shop floor, the private consultations, the services, CD reg, stock check.... n so on...

In conclusion, the right answer to this question will be:
Why do you want to be a pharmacist?

Because I am a professional multitasker :)

Perspective

A little bit of comic relief: I looked out my living room window this morning and this is what I saw. Momentarily boggling, for sure ~.^

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Done

Some things take time to finish, like the new building at corner of Lækjargata and Austurstræti (right there on this amazing interactive map of our pretty city.) It replicates the one that burned down in 2007, which was one of the oldest in our city. (From the picture in the last link you can see that the new building was raised up a whole level, which actually suites the sightline just fine.) We're all happy to see this corner, which anyone who has visited Reykjavík will have passed by at least once, looking fine and shiny again.

In my response to a reader's comment in the last post, I put myself in the awkward position of having to back my words up with action and find something slightly unique relating to Iceland to present to visitors. And here it is: just about as random and bizarre a connection as you could imagine between Iceland and California. Thanks to a local woman, another FBI manhunt is done.

On an artistic note, please treat yourself to some true beauty by watching part 1 of the latest Weird Girls Project video, this time set to the evocative Love the Earth score by Imogen Heap. Producer, Concept Artist and Artistic Director Kitty Von-Sometime has once again created a work of art (be sure to view it full screen and then watch more of her work offered in the Vimeo menu, with soundtracks by some of Iceland's best musicians.)

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Baby me

I was always the fat one AND chubby, with sugarcane arms.

Also the first to get bitten by mosquitoes... up till now.

Good thing is: I haven't lost the smile :D

Nesstofa

Seltjarnarnes is one of my favorite spots to go for an easy seaside stroll (or midnight golf) as well as for an almost guaranteed great photo or two. This shot, taken at midnight on a lovely June evening, is of Nesstofa, a 1760's fusion of Danish architectural expertise and Icelandic esthetics. It currently houses the Medical History Museum of Iceland and has recently been the focus of an archeological investigation.

For anyone coming here I highly recommend you pick up a copy of the very popular 25 Beautiful Walks of the Greater Reykjavik Area, which I had the pleasure to translate into English, and which includes a wonderful and detailed description of the nature and history of this area (and the website selling it online, nammi.is, is pretty cool itself, though of course you can also find it in all bookstores here on the island.)

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