Iceland vs. Andorra

On May 29th I experienced my first international football match and while it was only a friendly it was still very exciting. While Iceland may not have a strong football squad their opponent lacked the necessary skills to be taken seriously.  The game that I saw was Iceland vs. Andorra.  While it may not sound exciting, to me I found it quite so due to the fact that it was 2 national teams against each other on a pitch.   The game itself was very slow with not many shots on goal in the first half and while the stands were not full those that spectated the match seemed to be very much behind the home team Iceland.  The passion that the fans had for the national team really was impressive and it was great to be a part of that.  However, the vuvuzelas could have been done away with.  The game ended with Iceland winning 4-0 and while it sounds high scoring there was nothing really so special about the match.  It was great however to have witnessed my first live International football match.

A New Year…

As we enter a new year we tend to look back at how the last one treated us.  We weigh the positives and the negatives, we look at the people that had an impact on our lives and those that just disappeared, we look at where we have come and where we have gone. 

2009 might have been a promising year for some but for others not even close.  The best we can do is to look at the positives and build on that in the new year. 

Looking over last year I can say that my life took a major step forward.  For years I have wanted to comeback to Europe I almost always saw myself back in Wales.  However I never saw myself back in Iceland, yet here I am.  In many ways I am glad I am back in the city of Reykjavik which has grown considerably since my last visit. I can only hope to build off of this and hopefully not get stuck in a city which has been a pattern in the past.  While I am not in the continent of Europe that is he next step, hopefully by taking advantage of all the opportunities that are available. 

A good thing about this year is that its a new semester at the University of Reykjavik a semester in which I have decided to major in not just computer science but in business as well.  While this year does prove to be challenging it is also full of exciting opportunities.

European Football

Well being here for 3 years one of the great experience I have found for myself is European Football.  While the sport is slowly starting to become recognized by the American audience back home, here in Iceland it is well cemented as the sport to watch (when it is not handball season).

I did follow European Football back home and am a proud supporter of Arsenal even though they have been hit by misfortune these past few years, but what has been great is living in a guesthouse with Europeans and arguing, debating, and bantering about which team is better (sadly Arsenal doesn't make the top 5) to see the passion people have for their home clubs is something that cannot be related too back home.

While a person might support a club that is top of the table winning the league is one thing but winning Champions League is everything.  With the current situation in America in regards to the NBA it would be great to see a champions league for basketball.  America is dominant when 5 of the best players are on one team representing the country but what about the championship team representing the country?  Personally that would be so much better.

So while American Football rules Sundays, Saturday belongs to European Football.

Gulfoss Geysir

The trip to Gulfoss Geysir was a surreal experience. Never before have I seen something like this, just walking to the geysir was an experience. Walking through a dirt path with pot holes on either side of me filled with boiling water just bubbling was nerve racking, and then reaching the main attraction the Gulfoss Geysir. While spectators have to be patient as it takes 20 minutes to witness the geysir spit water into the air leaving behind a cloud of steam is truly a breathtaking experience.

Independence Day

June 17 Iceland became its own, no longer a part of Denmark, an independent country. Independence day in Iceland was honestly a lot better than expected. Living within walking distance of the city it was interesting to see as soon as stepping outside the amount of people that were heading to the city. Men, women, children were nothing but smiles. The streets were covered with balloons and banners.

Reykjavik (Capital) is in fact a small city especially when compared to cities in the U.S. however with the small shops the different things that people could do and the livleyness of the people the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic.

While walking through the parks downtown there were alot of attractions always something to do whether it be : go to the many pubs, enjoy the different music that is played on the streets in the town square, different rides for children, the art museum putting up an exhibition of Icelandic art there was plenty of things to keep people busy.

One thing that was really surprising were the cars that were on display. It was surprising mainly because they were all American muscle cars, it does seem that when it comes to vintage cars Icelandic people prefer those from the United States.

Celebrating independence day in Iceland was really a great experience, what made it so worthwhile was the atmosphere created by the people here.

Introduction

The main point of this blog is to keep those that want to be, informed about my stay in Iceland. I mainly want people who read this blog to know about how Iceland is and the different things that this country has to offer.

While people outside of Iceland see this country as a wreck due to the current economic crisis, there is alot of upside to this country; the people, the city, the culture.