Ah, Iceland

Just a quick(ish)? note to tell you about Iceland! It is really spectacular. I am acclimating nicely right now after emerging from the Blue Lagoon--a natural geothermal pool that is milky white with natural silica mud. It's hard to put my mind around because it looks white, like shampoo, but it's mud. It dries lighter on your skin the way mud does, and it has a really pleasant, refreshing smell. It's amazing because the lava rocks get covered slowly, slowly by the silica, which fills in the cracks and pores of the rock and leaves it so smooth like glass. It's gorgeous, really.

I have been in Iceland now 2 days--I was 19 hours late (so total travel time = 36 hours from SFO-KEF) due to the curse-ed Volcanoashcloud. But it was actually a very enjoyable journey--I met an awesome Swedish girl named Malin (pronounced Maaal-n) and we became friends and hung out the whole time. And finally made it to Keflavik after a surprise layover in Glasgow, the motherland! I restrained myself from buying a kilted Loch Ness Monster that said Blair on it :). Or the scottie playing the bagpipes.

I've been staying with Kristy Kroeker's friend Hrönn in Reykjavik--she is a marine biologist here. She gave a seminar on Thursday morning at the Geology department, so I got to hear about her work. That was at the U of Iceland, and then we went to the state's Marine Institute, which was also interesting. A bit different from Hopkins--in a huge tall converted building, and she's the only grad student in the whole place. Cohort of 1.

I wandered around downtown by myself for the rest of the day, in only a sweater and windbreaker (not quite as freezing cold as I had anticipated, but probably will need the jackets in Sweden?--thanks again Kristin!). Saw the cathedral, the harbor (with the active whaling ships right next to the whale watching ships), and went to the National Gallery. Also went into the supermarket (Icelandic súkkulad∂i (chocolate) is delicious!!), the lake to see swans and puffins, and a few shops with viking and puffin memorabilia. And then home with Hrönn to eat pizza and to watch the Sigor Ros Iceland tour video (with amazing footage and history interspersed with music/scenes from the free concerts they gave all across the country)!

Today my friends from Boston arrived, and we are here at the Blue Lagoon, which is a lovely spa, and there are more locals than tourists here, which is nice. We're about to head out to dinner at Cascade's friends' house, and then tomorrow we'll go see the Geiser and waterfalls in the Golden Circle. We probably won't make the trek to see the volcano, but there is the webcam: http://eldgos.mila.is/eyjafjallajokull-fra-thorolfsfelli/. We'll then go to Hrönn's favorite pub which also has all of Iceland's traditional food (salted cod of course, but also reindeer, foal, and whale). And then, flight (Volcanoashcloud willing) to Oslo, train to Sweden for our course!