USS The Sullivans visits Reykjavik

We were delighted to welcome USS The Sullivans and its crew during a brief stop to Reykjavik on the way to Europe.  The Sullivans is a United States naval ship named after five brothers who served together and were all killed in the battle for Guadalcanal during World War II.  It is always reassuring to meet and talk to our young men and women in uniform and to have the opportunity to offer them our hospitality in beautiful Iceland.  Every single one of them raved about Reykjavik, its people, and how welcomed they felt in the city.  We are deeply grateful to the Iceland Coast Guard and to the Port Authorities for facilitating this visit.

Thank to our Icelandic friends who joined us on the 4th of July

One of the many values we share with Icelanders is the deep love and respect each of us has for our respective countries.  I saw it in Iceland on June 17 when we were honored to participate in the celebrations of Iceland’s National Day.  So, on July 4th, we wanted to share the celebration of our independence with our Icelandic friends.  We hosted a reception at Kjarvalstaðir and tried to emulate what we do in the United States:  show deep respect to our nation and enjoy festive music, hot dogs and hamburgers, all mixed in a with a bit of nostalgia.  

We are grateful to the crew of USS The Sullivans and the Icelandic Coast Guard for presenting the American and Icelandic Flags and to our Helga Magnusdottir for singing beautifully our national anthems in a solemn ceremony.  We are also grateful to Maggi Kjartansson, the Icelandair Choir, Stefanía Svavarsdóttir and Geir Ólafsson for presenting a fantastic music program, to our corporate sponsors, and to our Icelandic friends who displayed an array of American Car Classics ranging from a 1914 Maxwell to a 2013 Chevy Volt and roaring Harley Davidsons.   We think our guests had a good bit of fun.