Act 2, in which Julia gets her skyr

In reality, the SIT program of 2011 is nearing its end. With only a week left of festivities and only three days left in the Westfjords, we are all immersed in a hovering state of denial, gloom, and giddiness. However that's possible.

In Blogotopia, however, the SIT program of 2011 is only just getting started! Thanks to the magic of internet/laziness, I'm a full 2 months behind my actual life! And through this logic, I am doomed/privileged to relive the past 7 weeks of my time in Iceland.

Join me, won't you!

The first place we visited with the students was the geothermal plant, Reykjanesvirkjun. This was a delight, as Reykjanesvirkjun had transformed an entire floor into a kid-friendly knowledge emporium. So, here's what science looks like!

In order to teach children (us) about the reality of living on a geologically active island, they had a nifty little earthquake simulator (though it'd probably be more accurate to describe it as a Jiggle Generator)

After we played with science we were given a short tour of the geothermal facilities

And were then taken to the effluent discharge location, where steamy water is pumped out into the ocean

Before heading to the Blue Lagoon, we checked out a geothermal field near Keflavík and got lost in the smoke

We had dinner at Duus Hús, a restaurant and museum which features an entire fleet of model ships, an exhibit on the old US Army Base in Keflavík, and a gallery of modern art

In the modern art gallery was this charming fellow. The image is Eyjafjallajökull. And he's quite snarky.

Outside of Duus Hús

Across the harbor was, what looked like, a small shack...but further exploration proved an inhabitance of a much more daunting scale. Within this large abode sat a lonely troll, breathing heavily and farting in the isolation of his home (the sound effects scared the bejesus out of us).

After our time in Keflavík, we did the obligatory Golden Circle tour. Here is an interrupted scenic photograph of Gullfoss.

Planking is the hottest new thing in Iceland (even respected news anchors and political figures are getting in on it). Here, one of the students, Cohen, does the first of what eventually becomes a very regular occurrence.

While Geysir gets a little old after the first visit, Gullfoss remains a mesmerizing asset to Iceland's natural splendor. It's hard not to get lost in the falling water.

When we reached Djúpalónssandur, it was necessary that I acquire the proper attire (rhyme!) for exploring the beach...that I had been to just one week before.

Here's a student, Edwin, proving his strength to all of Iceland

And surprise, yet another planking success

The bravest of our students, Andrew, rambles through the lava field behind the beach

Here's the view from our hostel in Ósar, where our old friend Hvítserkur resides

Reykjavík

We ended the Brenner Bonanza in Reykjavík, a convenient location for easing our relaxed rural mindset back into the hustle and bustle of sidewalks and 2-lane roads.

We visited the new concert hall in Reykjavík, Harpa, and took a small tour. Harpa's a gorgeous building, but was constructed amongst political/economic/social controversy. Nonetheless, the halls have wonderful acoustics, and we attended an AfroBeat concert featuring Tony Allen and an Icelandic funk/jazz band.

The windows are supposed to mimic the basalt columns found along Iceland's coast...There's also something about water? I don't totally remember...Buuut. It looks pretty enchanting when the light shines through.

The architect made the indoors very dark and bland so that visitors would be more inclined to look elsewhere, such as the ceiling or, more importantly, the city. The main goal of the architect was to highlight the city of Reykjavík itself. The windows are purposefully facing away from the ocean and towards the downtown area, in order to frame the city as the focal point.

We went to the Reykjavík Art Museum, which had some amazing exhibits featuring artists such as Erro, Tomi Ungerer, and, my favorite, Sigurður Guðmundsson.

There was also this.

Here's the apartment I got to inhabit during the winter!


Part of my time in Reykjavík was spent preparing for the approaching SIT program. During one excursion we went to the mall and treated ourselves to some tasty ice cream before beginning the grueling shopping process. Afterwards, as we were perusing the aisles of a pharmacy, I heard Felix calling out my name from around the corner. When I found the lil goober, I was greeted by this enchanting and befuddled face:

Minutes later the entire ice cream, cone and all, had mysteriously vanished. Because Felix, quite apparently, is not the most efficient of ice cream eaters, we could hardly fathom that he had consumed the whole thing himself, but could find no trace of the missing ice cream. The cone remains at large.