Iceland

Two days before I left, I ran into the Icelandic president here in LA. He told me to bring a heavy jacket. Gee, thanks for the advice. Though he did tell me Iceland didn't need Daylight Savings, so it's a 7 hour dif instead of 8.

It's 40 degrees--help me! And raining. . .

The biggest deal to hit the island in a while was the Imagine Peace Tower, which was actually on a smaller island in the harbor: A beam of light radiating from a wishing well bearing the words "imagine peace" in 24 languages. They told me I was the first professional photographer not at the unveiling to shoot it, so another thing to put on the application to the hall of fame. Seriously though, it's not at all different from the light at the top of Luxor in Las Vegas. It may stand for something special, but it doesn't look like such a big deal. Just goes to show why Yoko Ono's rep is well deserved. {No, I don’t have any idea what I mean by that either.}

Prices keep going up--last time the burger and fries combo at the Vitabar was about $4, now it's $7.50. . . though that's still less than at Mel's at Hollywood and Highland. They tried to get me to eat something they call a gleym-mer-ey (which translates to "forget-me-not"--guess it looks like the flower), which is a blue cheese and garlic burger. They really don't know me well. . . or if they do, were actually trying to kill me, since I’m allergic to garlic. So nice of them. . .

The most fun--to do, not to say--was the "Wonders of Snæfellsnes" tour--that's a glacier, which Jules Verne used as the portal into the center of the earth in his famous book. Luckily we didn't go downwards, but just in this small area there was black sand beaches, waterfalls, scenic coastlines, seals, and even a stop for lunch at an inn that did not serve fish, thankfully.

Back in town, I went to a handball game, which is a kinda cross between basketball and soccer, but much more exciting. Really wish I coulda played it in my athletic days, though of course not now; I think I could score a penalty, if my life depended on it, but that's a long field for running. . . Nah, I probably would have been a goalie here too. And I was happy to notice the female players used shorts much more akin to volleyball players, rather than basketball or soccer.

Also went to the Reykjavik museum of Photography, where I was talking to the doorman while we waited a few minutes for the place to open, and when I told him I was a professional photographer, and I was in Iceland to work, he let me in free! So if you go there, give them some monetary love for me. http://www.ljosmyndasafnreykjavikur.is/english/index.htm