Miscellaneous Stories

I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to share some of the interesting observations and stories that stick out in my mind from my time here thus far. So without further ado...

A Matter of Great Importance
Lets start off with arguably one of the most important topics in the world. "Our nation's addiction to oil and it's implications towards future energy security?" you may ask. No, I'm talking about something vastly more dire and pressing in my life today. The beer in Iceland is really terrible.

At first I thought it was because I picked the wrong brand, but after a trip to the liquor store which produced 6 kinds of local Icelandic beer, I felt confident that I would find at least one winner. Even considering the blurred judgment of having them all together, the last one still tasted as bad as the first. Then I thought perhaps they had more mature tastes for something else. A quick gander through their wine selection settled that idea when I found more than a few $20 bottles of Kentucky's best. Perhaps I'm spoiled from my time near California's vineyards but my honest reaction was "Oh that's cute - they grow grapes there."

I was later told that beer (although not all alcohol) was banned until 1989, so in effect their breweries are playing catch up. My opinion is that it certainly shows. Not all hope is lost, however because another oddity is that beer sales are taxed by alcohol content, not on its import or local status. This means the imported beer from Germany and the UK cost pretty much the exact same amount (about $3 a beer in stores, ~$10 to buy in a bar) as the stuff brewed next door. I stood in the beer aisle for at least a few minutes watching people come into the beer aisle, walk right past some of the best German imports I've ever had, and buy the local stuff for the same price. Very strange.

If the prices seem high, you'll like this even better. I went in for a haircut this past weekend to a place recommended by some of my male coworkers as a place which does good work for "relatively inexpensive" prices. The total (they include tip for you) was $56!

Going to the Movies
Not all items are this disproportionately expensive. A cinema ticket goes for $10, which I'd say is on par with US prices. But even an experience as simple as going to the movies has a story. Most of the movies are subtitled in Icelandic, which is no surprise. But they also have this other strange tradition of stopping movies half way through for an intermission so you can go purchase more popcorn and soda. This might not seem so bad, but the projectionist must have had a sense of humor because he/she stopped it at an absolutely critical point in the movie. I'm on the edge of my seat, the hero has just said "well then I guess you'd better shoot me," and the screen turns off and the lights come on...I was not pleased.

Finding My Way Around Reykjavik
Another humorous topic...I've never learned how to drive stick shift. Okay that's not funny in itself, but it turns out none of my current roommates knows how to either. Yet our company car that we all share (as you might guess) is not an automatic. Sprinkle on the weird street names and a completely unfamiliar city, and you get some embarrassing situations. So far I'm the only one who has stopped fast moving cross traffic by stalling in an intersection, but I doubt I'll be the last. And the really sad thing is that I might be our best driver right now.

"How bad can the street names be?" you ask. Here is a shortened list of how I get to work; I promise all street names sound like this...
-Left from Þrastarlundur
-Left onto Hoffstaðabraut
-Left onto Karlabraut
-Left onto Vifilsstaðavegur
-Merge onto Reykjanesbraut
...and you get the idea. And of course there's no way to get online directions with google maps or mapquest...neither have anything for Iceland.

Celebrating American Independence...in Iceland
I also had an interesting 4th of July experience. To start off, I was shocked on my way into work when two separate coworkers wished me "Happy Independence Day". At the third greeting I stopped and asked why on Earth they knew it. They laughed and replied "Oh it's in so many of your American movies that everyone knows"!

But the celebrations didn't stop there. Our company chef decided to make ribs in honor of having their first American summer interns. And believe it or not, they were some of the best ribs I've had in years. In case you're skeptical, I'd like to remind you of my Texas upbringing and the strict meat-heavy diet that accompanied it. It was kind of funny because many of the Icelandic folks had never eaten them before and were trying to cut it with their utensils. They laughed when I threw out my best Texan accent and declared "ya'll don't be shy 'bout using your hands for those!"

And to cap off the whole day we had one final late-night experience. We began a road trip right after work which lasted until the wee hours of the morning. We stopped and checked into a hotel in a very small town (population ~1200) along the way called Olafsvik, which was having some sort of celebration by coincidence in the city square. Here's a shot walking down the main drag.
We decided to walk towards the festivities after we dropped off our stuff and were shocked to find a live band playing oldies music. I don't think the celebrations were aimed at American independence, but hearing "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Brown Eyed Girl" in a village out in the middle of nowhere, Iceland with the locals cheering was truly a cool experience. Here's a picture of the band.