Street

If they're tearing up the streets, it must be spring!

Reflection

Al Gore is here today. Maybe he'll be able to convince the powers that be that creating an ultra-modern environment-loving model eco society in Iceland would be the thing to do. We have the technology, we have the opportunity, we have the reputation. No pussyfooting. We have a future to enter. Starting Now.

Copper

This past week's protests have had to do with the price of gas reaching as it has just under $9 a gallon (diesel's pricey too.) Truckers, taxi drivers, 4x4 tour operators and other professional drivers, plus a load of motor enthusiasts and supporters blocked roads, honked incessantly and made a general nuisance of things to let the state know that the near 50% tax added to fuel is, at this point, almost ridiculous. It costs a semi driver, who may be an independent contractor, just under a $1000 to fill a tank that lasts a day and a half of work-based driving. Maybe they should take up bicycle messengering instead. In this photo a cop is giving biker a hard time for revving up and starting to drive off from the protests in front of the parliament without his helmet on. I got the impression they knew each other well: it sounded like the cop used his name and he kind of hissed at him like "you know I have to bust you if you don't wear it so just put it on!" It killed the buzz of the biker's exit, but he got his mojo back in a flash and roared off to the next protest point in style.

Dinner

When the economy's wobbly and the future of the nation uncertain, sometimes its best to just go fishing.

Campers

Oh, the green hills and valleys of summertime!

Everything is wobbly here on the lava rock. Our economy's going the way of Zimbabwe's, we're protesting on the streets like the French and our downtown is looking a too ghetto-style USA.

Maybe its time to just lease a luxury camper and get away from it all...

Stuck

Today, the second of Easter (also a national holiday), snow is dusting our chilly city. No leaves on trees, but persistent tulips are making headway through the cold earth here and there. The economy is grinding through a serious downshifting of gears and there's wonder whether we'll all adjust. And in mid-city a deflated ball never drops back down from the spindly prison it's been caught in, to some child's chagrin.

Wildlife

In the interest of keeping with March's (unintended) animal theme, Iceland Eyes presents SuperCat, protector of Rvk's Lower West Side...

LIfe is wonderful, the sun shines, and either a general sense of peace wafts through the city or some of us aren't in the mindset to process anything else. The long Easter vacation has started and teachers across Iceland must be stoked to be in the profession and get the same extended breaks their students get.

Word has it every single flight out of the country is booked to the hilt. That makes living on a chilly island in the North Atlantic a little more interesting for the next week or so: those of us not heading for Tenerife are stuck here. No exit.

Or you could choose to look at the bright side: we've got the whole place to ourselves...

P.s. a special hello goes out to Pabbi and the Shadygrove crew. Miss you!