Climbing Keilir

Taking advantage of a brief spell (two hours!) of good weather, I accepted Ari Trausti Gudmundsson’s kind invitation to join him on a hike to climb Mt Keilir (a cone shaped volcano easily seen when traveling between Keflavik and Reykjavik)....

As is usual in hikes led by Ari Trausti, I learned a lot about the geological history of the area. The icing on the cake was the visit to a nearby hill that straddles a fissure that literally splits the mountain. The result is a spectacular path that cuts through the mountain. Many in Reykjavik don’t know about these gems nearby.

American support for Keilir’s programs

We welcomed James Gentry, an environmental scientist from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, who will be spending a few weeks at Keilir to assist in the development of collaborative relationships between Keilir and American universities and small businesses. The thrust of the initiative is to open doors of the American scientific community so that Keilir can expand its research activities in collaboration with U.S. counterparts. We are especially pleased to witness Keilir’s growth and to support its effort to strengthen its academic programs. We have a commitment to support the Reykjanes peninsula’s efforts to increase educational opportunities and employment

Iceland’s First Day of Summer at Asbru’s Open Days (Opinn dagur á Ásbrú)

Iceland takes the summer very seriously and celebrates its arrival with many celebrations all over the country on the third Thursday of April. Non-Icelandic readers may find the date a bit premature but I can assure them that it makes perfect sense to do it this early (the sun rose at 5:36 am and set at 9:17 pm). I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at Asbru (the old U.S. military base) near Keflavik where it has become a tradition to invite everyone to visit the area and to take part in games, shows, performances, and other fun events. This year, the organizers honored the United States by calling the event “America Day”. We were very pleased that several of the NASA scientists conducting global warming research from Iceland could spend a few hours explaining the research they are doing and showing some of the equipment used by its pilots. As my wife and I visited and enjoyed the booths, games, shows, exhibits, and other fun events and saw hundreds of families with their children, I could not help reflect on the deep bonds between Americans and Icelanders. The event itself is a shared tradition that was born out of Iceland’s celebration of the first day of summer and the American tradition at the base to celebrate Carnival with an open house. It was a fun day and a reminder of the ties that bind us.