Open Days in Keflavík – a wonderful welcome to the Icelandic summer

Mary and I joined a group of Embassy colleagues and friends who happily participated in Open Days at Ásbrú--a fine tradition of welcoming the Icelandic summer with an American twist. The event originated when our military base opened its doors to Icelanders to share a taste of America. Nowadays, the event brings thousands of Icelanders to a fun day of learning, eating, and plain having fun with rides, live music, exhibits, and even a haunted house.

Our Embassy organized a chili cook- off and a pie baking contest. I joined Árni Sigfússon (Mayor of Reykjanesbær), Jói Fel (a famous Icelandic Chef), and Friðrik Sigurðsson (Special judge from Food and Fun) in judging the entries. While it was quite difficult picking the winners after trying fifteen pie and seven chili entries, we were amazed at the range of tastes and textures of the participating entries. Congratulations to the winners and all the participants. We were also very pleased to see the line-up of participants who wanted to have their pictures taken with President Obama. Icelandic and American culture make a very nice match.