Sunset

sunset, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

Oh, poor little island...so many things are exposing in this, the twilight, of our millennial glory. It's all we can do to keep the love lights shining in the face of so much freshly raked muck. If it's more disaster/recession/meltdown content you're looking for, search other sites. Iceland Eyes stays neutral and seeks, as always, to find the shine of beauty in our world, made all too common, all too often, by the squabbles and pettiness of men.

Find something beautiful today and give it your love.

Lopi

This photo is an homage to the person who created the very nifty kids pink wool one-piece that we saw hanging in the Red Cross charity shop on Laugavegur.

It's one of a kind, or at least I've never seen this particular design before. Someone knit this with dedication and a loving hand for a child who outgrew it and has moved on. Maybe it even passed through a family, a klatch of sisters and cousins who inherited it for a winter or two, snuggled or itched in it, loved it or suffered it, until their arms poked too far out the sleeves and their ankles got too exposed, and then it was conveyed on. Decidedly unfashionable, it was finally relegated to the second-hand heap, stuffed into a plastic bag, donated to a good cause, and delivered to the storefront for a chance at a new life where it has maybe already found itself a small winter body to warm.

Calm

Today a new Prime Minister takes over, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (definitely check out the link about her...very cool stuff!)

The Pots and Pans revolution (protestors banged on kitchenware incessantly for days outside the House of Parliament) that took place over the past two weeks was a resounding success in that the sitting two party coalition collapsed under its own weight, making room for a politcal shuffling. Not everyone is happy with the new government (hi Dad!) but the fact that the old *regime* folded so easily must say something about how tenuous the parties' collaboration had become.

Iceland is still in a muddle, and it seems that every day some news of corruption or of ethically unsound business practice is floating to the surface like so much pond scum. The Guardian revealed this week that Iceland may be fast-tracked into the EU which is cool, but a fairly humbling kind of continental triage.

The good news is, though, that Iceland is really inexpensive now, as this LA Times article nicely describes. Pack your bags and we'll see you all soon!

Day Two

For more about the current tensions here in Reykjavik, please go to IcelandReview Online. I, frankly, don't know what to say...

Damage

Police in riot gear block the entrance to the Parliament while protestors toss what they can, including paint, milk, yogurt, eggs and cans at the house. Iceland is in full on protest against the sitting government, demanding they step down, or at least admit some measure of culpability in Iceland's recent economic meltdown.

Glow

Glow, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

We've been dusted again with a light snow though the threatened super-cold snap has yet to show. These grasses in front of the Government House on Lækjargata have got it made, gathered as they are around the heat of a flood lamp. Even in the coldest dark, they seem to suggest, a warming glow can be found.

Thanks to all who took part in the voting. We doubled my tally in just under forty eight hours, and now the polls are about closed. We didn't win, but we showed strength and hope. That's democracy in action!

Iceland!

Iceland !, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

Iceland Eyes is a finalist in the 2008 Weblog Awards in the Best European Blog category! I just found out today and voting ends tomorrow, so cast your vote HERE for your favorite Icelandic Photo blog, Iceland Eyes!!

And thanks to whoever nominated me...what an amazing compliment! Of course, it's all about you, faithful readers...big thanks for all the support you've given me over the past four years!!

On a more important note, my prayers are with those suffering in the Gaza region. This blog has stayed intentionally politically neutral over the years, but in this case I think it's important to keep in perspective that there are innumerable events and situations the world over that need to have the light of global awareness shined upon them. A blog contest may seem frivolous in comparison, but the fact of blogs is that they have given voice to millions, and have helped to engage the shift of consciousness that we are all, as world citizens, now experiencing.

We are all in this together...there is no separation.