How cool is it that my job takes me to Iceland every couple of months. This week was my second trip to Iceland. Just before coming to Norway I wrote a blog post about our Journey to the Center of The Earth. If you've read the book you'll remember that the volcano they enter on their journey was something like 100 km from Reykjavik. So in a sense our journey is not too far off from Jules Verne's adventure.
My Work in Iceland
I am the regional facility manager for Iceland, which is a small embassy that doesn't have a facility manager. Every quarter or so I go out there to work with post, inspect the building, and complete any outstanding reports. I provide oversight and guidance to help keep things moving forward. I serve as a liaison between Reykjavik and Washington to get the money and resources they need to keep the facility safe and operational.
Describing the Weather
The climate in Iceland doesn't get too hot or too cold. During the winter the lows are in the 20's and the in the summer the highs are in the 50's. Interestingly the weather this week was much cooler and wetter than at the beginning of April. At the beginning of April it was in the 50's and sunny, this week it was in the 30's and 40's with rain. Overall it is a rainy, windy place with very few sunny days. There is always a breeze coming off the North Atlantic.
Riding Around Reykjavik
On my second trip I took my bike with me so I could keep up my training schedule. The best part about riding my bike is that I was able to cover a lot of miles. I stuck to Reykjavik and really enjoyed being on flat land for a change. Rather than being a tourist, I prefer to be in a place and just explore. A bike is the perfect tool. Over the course of this week I got to explore much of Reykjavik and I now feel like I could get to where ever I wanted without a GPS. Here are some scenic highlights.
Pictures in Town
Here is a mix of pictures I took over my last two trips to Iceland.
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| These birds would hover over the water then dive down and catch whatever they were after. |
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| Off in the distance is the free church. |
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| I believe this is city hall. |
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| Iceland is still fighting for the green to come out. |
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| There is something cool about a boat out of water. |
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| This is an advertisement for the named brand. The beard is emblematic of the Icelandic look. Where the Norwegians are pretty clean cut, high tech and modern, the Icelanders feel more at one with nature. They love handwoven icelandic wool sweaters, gloves and the such. |
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| This is a view from the Ambassador's new house. Pretty amazing. |
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| The Icelanders take these trucks out onto the glaciers for some serious offroading. I think it is technically illegal to go offroad unless there is snow. That explains the big tire and studs. |
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| This is on the bus to the airport. These are lava fields. |
Midnight Sun
There is still a month until the summer solstice, and although I didn't stay up to verify I don't think it ever got entirely dark while I was there. Just to see I stayed up til midnight and caught the most amazing sunset. Sunset was at 11:00 pm and I took this picture at midnight. I think it stayed this way until sunrise at 3:50 am.
This picture was taken at 10:45 pm while was out on a ride on night.
Iceland is an interesting place. If I were to live there I'd probably have to get an arctic truck and do some serious exploring on the weekends. Also since I doubt I'll ever live there, it would be fun to have a couple of days where I didn't have to work and could go out on some tours.
