Secrets

Fears
Troubles
Nobody knows
Keep coming back like a Boomerang

I just wish I didn't know

Dedicated

Note: technical difficulties! Some of our photos are dropping out, which makes me sad (I'll not point fingers, but it might be a Picasa issue...) I'm fixing it as we speak.
We'll leave our armchair-architectural opinions at the door and just note that many of you who have taken the trip to Geysir and Gullfoss (live webcam!) via Laugarvatn have passed by this church at Úthlíð. It was consecrated in 2006 in memory of Ágústa Ólafsdóttir by her husband Björn Sigurðsson and as such has charming sentimental value that may make up for its (for me) shockingly out of place appearance in the heart of Iceland's historical Saga territory.

I jumped out of our car to take a picture while Óðinn, being an inquisitive five year old, decided, against my strict council, to see if he could take a run around the interior (literally.) Before I knew it I had followed him in and was actually comforted by how warm and comfortable the church is, with a large portrait of Ágústa on the south wall and a colorful modern tableau of Mary, Baby Jesus and a content-looking cow above the altar (painted by the architect, Gísli Sigurðsson, former journalist and brother of Björn) all framed with that natural wood so common in summer houses around the countryside. Before my little klifurmús could climb the final ladder up the bell tower, I was able to snap a few more pictures, have a short moment of silence, and gather him back out into the car. I'm glad he dared to try the door and entreat me to join him inside. Now I have much more respect for a building I would have simply written off as a roadside oddity otherwise.

Macro

Once again, the secret world of our often very barren island shows through in macro. Here, an incredibly well-designed creature, only a centimeter in size, rests on a tiny bloom. This close to the arctic, far from the giant sequoias of California and the lush tropical flora of more southerly volcanic islands (which, beneath their foliage are surprisingly similar to ours) it's small things that hint at Nature's tenacity. Sit, while here, and let your eyes begin to decipher the seemingly endless expanses of low growth that just greens the hillsides of Iceland. You'll soon discover that, almost fractally, what you see is a microcosm of diversity, though sometimes mere millimeters in size.

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!

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out .

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.  

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out : )

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 ~.^

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out .