A visit to the Game of Thrones set

We were very excited to learn that the producers of Games of Thrones intended to film part of the

second season in Iceland. The visit gave us the opportunity to highlight how the American television industry partners with the Icelandic film industry in producing very popular and successful shows. We drove up to the Höfðabrekka glacier to meet with the producer, director, and some of the actors during filming. It was a lot of fun to watch some of the scenes being filmed against spectacular, but very cold, Icelandic scenery. I nearly froze during the visit and I can’t figure out how the crew managed to stay warm throughout the entire day. Can’t wait until the second season of the program starts.

Mixing business and fun

One of the interesting aspects of being an Ambassador is that one gets to conduct serious business and occasionally have fun along the way. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the company 365, one of Iceland’s important media conglomerates. There was a real “electricity” to this hub of print, broadcast, and internet media. One learns a lot about a country by observing its media institutions. As I was given a tour, I met two of Iceland’s best known TV personalities, Sveppi and Auddi, as well as Hemmi Gunn. I also recognized many famous faces from Stöð 2 news and “Ísland í dag.” I really enjoyed this part of the visit.

The ties that bind

This weekend, I had the pleasure to join the Thanksgiving Dinner organized by the Fulbright Alumni Association at Nitjánda in Kópavogur.  It was a fun-filled evening of music, dance, camaraderie, and reflection.  We were all sharing that moment thanks to the vision of the late Senator William Fulbright, who established a program designed to increase the understanding between the people of the United States and the people from other nations.   In the Icelandic/U.S. context, over 1,300 grantees from Iceland and the United States have had the opportunity to study, teach, or carry out research in either the U.S. or Iceland.   At the event we had artists, journalists, musicians, lawyers, diplomats, engineers, psychologists and many other professions.   Seeing such an impressive group of Icelanders and Americans conversing, sharing a meal, and working together to strengthen the ties between our countries was an inspiring experience and one that reminded me how Icelandic and American societies share the core values that identify our nations.

Celebrating Thanksgiving in Iceland

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving by hosting a lunch for all of our embassy colleagues.  In a departure from most events hosted at the Residence, this was a more informal affair.  My American and Icelandic colleagues made this an event that truly honored the sharing spirit of Thanksgiving and the holiday season by bringing some of their favorite dishes to share with everyone else.  We all sat happily enjoying each other’s company and having a rather fulsome taste of traditional American cuisine mixed with some wonderful Icelandic dishes.  It was a lot of fun and a moment to reflect about how lucky we were to share that moment together.

A weekend of wonderful music

This weekend gave us the opportunity to attend two wonderful concerts.  On Saturday we heard the Reykjavik Opera Choir, under the direction of Garðar Cortes, perform “The Mass” by Robert Sund.  The solo performances were given by soprano Karin Björg Torbjörnsdóttir and tenor Aron Axel Cortes.  It was an uplifting performance by all.  On Sunday we attended a concert given by tenor Þórarinn Jóhannes Ólafsson and accompanied by Krystyna Cortes. We were particularly interested in Þórarinn´s performance because he sang the Icelandic national anthem at our Independence Day celebration on July 4th.  Þórarinn showed his range by performing several Icelandic and traditional opera songs (he even sang one piece from “The Godfather”).  We were grateful for his willingness to return to the stage several times to share his artistry. 

The thrill of space travel shared with Iceland

It was quite an honor to meet Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, an astronaut with the U.S. space program.  She came to Iceland to share her compelling life story growing up in rural Washington State and her journey that took her to space five times with the Shuttle Space program.  She shared her experiences with a mesmerized audience at the University of Iceland.  Dr. Dunbar’s story had a very interesting Icelandic twist.  While she was in high school, her school hosted an Icelandic exchange student named Árni Sigurðsson.  Árni and Bonnie remained lifelong friends; she became an astronaut and he became a pilot for Icelandair.  This visit was made possible by Icelandair, the University of Iceland, and the Icelandic-American Society – a wonderful group of Icelanders dedicated to strengthening ties between Iceland and the U.S. through educational exchanges.

Capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into a clean renewable fuel

A few days ago, I visited the Carbon Recycling International (CRI) plant near Grindavík.  The plant, designed in the U.S. and constructed with American materials, is the first of its kind in the world.  A CRI official explained that the plant captures, cleans, and transforms carbon dioxide emissions into methanol—a clean burning fuel.  In fact, local fuel distributor N1 is already selling gasoline mixed with ethanol produced by the plant.  I filled up a U.S. Embassy hybrid vehicle with this fuel blend today.  The CRI plant moves Iceland ever closer to achieving 100% reliance on renewable energy—it is already 80% there.  CRI hopes to build three more plants in Iceland and eventually export methanol to Europe.   CRI is also interested in expanding its operations in the U.S. and is working with several top research institutions there.