future librarian action figure

Actual email convo I just had w/ a co-worker: 

"Can you arrange to get a cake for the June Board Meeting?" 

"Definitely! Chocolate?" 

"...it's June, maybe something with strawberries would be delish..." 

"PIE!" 

Words of wisdom from the fantastic GDS:

What we learned

We learned that 19th century organisational models and 20th century technology were serious constraints to 21st century service demands.

We learned that transforming separate, siloed services one-by-one will never be good enough, or fast enough.

We learned that government needs to rethink how it works, and what sort of people it employs.

And we learned that in order to make this big change - to transform the relationship between citizen and state - we need to collaborate. Everyone in government needs to work together.

The Itinerary for Next Time Around (or for you, this time around)

Really, when I go back to Iceland, I want to make it a multi-week trip, and see much more of the country, including the Westfjords and Akureyri. Maybe I’ll take the ferryboat from Denmark, and make a stop in the Faroe Islands. While that is still in dream planning mode, I would definitely take advantage of a cheap fare to go back again for several days, and would visit again many of the same sights – they are just so breathtaking.

Flying from the West Coast is brutal – leaving at 5pm Pacific time with a 7 hour flight and a 7 hour time difference is like the worst red eye ever. I couldn’t sleep on the flight on the way over, and it screwed up my sleeping for the whole trip. As a result, I’d make my first day this:

Before you head down to arrivals and pick up your luggage, be sure to visit the main food hall if you are really hungry – there are almost no options after you clear customs. There is a Joe and the Juice both before and after, and I’d stop there to get a juice or smoothie as a pick me up.

After clearing customs, pick up a rental car (we had an excellent experience with Lagoon Car Rental). With three adults, it was cheaper to drive ourselves than to rely on the tour buses, which is otherwise how you are going to have to do everything in Iceland.

Head just down the road from Lagoon Car Rental to the charming little town of Reykjanesbær and go to Viking World. It’s a really cute little museum with a replica long ship and a cafe that serves surprisingly good food, and which is reasonably priced. I’d eat breakfast there and explore the museum a bit.

Near the museum is a Bonus supermarket – I would stop and stock up on food.

Next, I would head to the Blue Lagoon in my rental car, having made sure to buy my ticket online ahead of time, as in before I left home – pre-booking is required. I would get just the standard package and soak away that flight and relax and leave feeling refreshed. Eat lunch made up of items from your shopping trip at the Blue Lagoon, maybe supplementing with one of their admittedly delicious skyr drinks.

On my way into Reykjavik, stop to see the geothermal areas around Lake Kleifarvatn and in Krysuvik/Seltun.

Spend the night in Reykjavik, preferably downtown – depending on what time I arrived, I could perhaps fit in a  short nap before exploring some of Reykjavik; I’d eat dinner out in town at Icelandic Fish and Chips and run my hands through the ash and pumice samples from various volcanic eruptions at Volcano House, right next door.

Day Two: The Golden Circle! (directions)

Þingvellir

Almannagja Gorge

soak at Laugarvatn Fontana; possibly packed lunch at the cafe

Geysir; there is a good cafeteria here, if you would rather eat prepared food/depending on the time

Gullfoss waterfall

soak at the Secret Lagoon (possibly after the greenhouse, to avoid the tour buses that come between 3:30 and 5:30pm)

get to the Friðheimar greenhouse before 6pm for a delicious dinner of amazing tomato soup, homemade bread, and a Happy Mary (cafe open noon to 6pm)

stay out near Fluðir

Day Three: Southern Iceland (directions)

head from Fluðir to Hella

soak in the Hella public swimming pool (complete with slides!), stop at the supermarket if needed

drive to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, and hike up and behind it

even though I don’t think it is worth going into the water – it’s not warm enough – the hike to the Seljavallalaug Geothermal Pool takes you into a valley and through an area changed significantly by the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, and that’s pretty cool

drive to Skógar, and visit the Skogafoss waterfall and the Skógar Folk Museum; I would eat lunch at Local Fish and Chips, a food truck reported to have excellent fish and chips, but which I wouldn’t know because they were closed when I got there

after lunch and time in Skógar, I would drive to the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and Dyrholaey promontory. There are little cabins for rent at the black sand beach – I would stay there, and spend the afternoon exploring the area, including the nearest town of any size, Vík.

Day Four

This day might depend on the time of year I would be going; you could head out to Þórsmörk to go hiking, or farther out east to the Jökulsárlón glacial pool for a boat ride. Regardless, I would eat a packed lunch and then get to Hveragerði in time for dinner, in order to eat at the incomparable Restaurant Varma (I think it might be open until 10), and would spend the night in the village there.

Day Five  

Perhaps I would start the day by hiking to the hot spring river in Hveragerði; in any case, I would head back into Reykjavik and spend the day exploring the city. I would fit in a soak at one of the city’s public pools (see this article for options), and I would eat dinner at Matur og Drykkur. Then, I would drive back out to Reykjanesbær, return the car, and stay at Guesthouse 1x6 – I think you could probably walk from the car rental place to the guesthouse!

Day Six

Before flying out at 5pm, I would spend the day in charming Reykjanesbær. Soak in the guesthouse’s great hot pool in the backyard, visit Duushús and eat at the restaurant there, take a walk on the Gönguleiðir path along the coast (it starts right by Giganta’s House, behind Duushús), maybe visit the science center or the rock and roll museum. You can arrange with the guesthouse to bring you to the airport for your flight, where I would arrive at least three hours before your flight is due to leave in order to get through security, immigration, and, importantly, to leave time to shop. It has been my experience that much of what you find in the bigger tourist shops in town and in the gift shops at attractions is also available at the airport.

The Itinerary for Next Time Around (or for you, this time around)

Really, when I go back to Iceland, I want to make it a multi-week trip, and see much more of the country, including the Westfjords and Akureyri. Maybe I’ll take the ferryboat from Denmark, and make a stop in the Faroe Islands. While that is still in dream planning mode, I would definitely take advantage of a cheap fare to go back again for several days, and would visit again many of the same sights -- they are just so breathtaking.

Flying from the West Coast is brutal -- leaving at 5pm Pacific time with a 7 hour flight and a 7 hour time difference is like the worst red eye ever. I couldn’t sleep on the flight on the way over, and it screwed up my sleeping for the whole trip. As a result, I’d make my first day this:

Before you head down to arrivals and pick up your luggage, be sure to visit the main food hall if you are really hungry -- there are almost no options after you clear customs. There is a Joe and the Juice both before and after, and I’d stop there to get a juice or smoothie as a pick me up.

After clearing customs, pick up a rental car (we had an excellent experience with Lagoon Car Rental). With three adults, it was cheaper to drive ourselves than to rely on the tour buses, which is otherwise how you are going to have to do everything in Iceland.

Head just down the road from Lagoon Car Rental to the charming little town of Reykjanesbær and go to Viking World. It’s a really cute little museum with a replica long ship and a cafe that serves surprisingly good food, and which is reasonably priced. I’d eat breakfast there and explore the museum a bit.

Near the museum is a Bonus supermarket -- I would stop and stock up on food.

Next, I would head to the Blue Lagoon in my rental car, having made sure to buy my ticket online ahead of time, as in before I left home -- pre-booking is required. I would get just the standard package and soak away that flight and relax and leave feeling refreshed. Eat lunch made up of items from your shopping trip at the Blue Lagoon, maybe supplementing with one of their admittedly delicious skyr drinks.

On my way into Reykjavik, stop to see the geothermal areas around Lake Kleifarvatn and in Krysuvik/Seltun.

Spend the night in Reykjavik, preferably downtown -- depending on what time I arrived, I could perhaps fit in a  short nap before exploring some of Reykjavik; I’d eat dinner out in town at Icelandic Fish and Chips and run my hands through the ash and pumice samples from various volcanic eruptions at Volcano House, right next door.

Day Two: The Golden Circle! (directions)

Þingvellir

Almannagja Gorge

soak at Laugarvatn Fontana; possibly packed lunch at the cafe

Geysir; there is a good cafeteria here, if you would rather eat prepared food/depending on the time

Gullfoss waterfall

soak at the Secret Lagoon (possibly after the greenhouse, to avoid the tour buses that come between 3:30 and 5:30pm)

get to the Friðheimar greenhouse before 6pm for a delicious dinner of amazing tomato soup, homemade bread, and a Happy Mary (cafe open noon to 6pm)

stay out near Fluðir

Day Three: Southern Iceland (directions)

head from Fluðir to Hella

soak in the Hella public swimming pool (complete with slides!), stop at the supermarket if needed

drive to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, and hike up and behind it

even though I don’t think it is worth going into the water -- it’s not warm enough -- the hike to the Seljavallalaug Geothermal Pool takes you into a valley and through an area changed significantly by the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, and that’s pretty cool

drive to Skógar, and visit the Skogafoss waterfall and the Skógar Folk Museum; I would eat lunch at Local Fish and Chips, a food truck reported to have excellent fish and chips, but which I wouldn’t know because they were closed when I got there

after lunch and time in Skógar, I would drive to the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and Dyrholaey promontory. There are little cabins for rent at the black sand beach -- I would stay there, and spend the afternoon exploring the area, including the nearest town of any size, Vík.

Day Four

This day might depend on the time of year I would be going; you could head out to Þórsmörk to go hiking, or farther out east to the Jökulsárlón glacial pool for a boat ride. Regardless, I would eat a packed lunch and then get to Hveragerði in time for dinner, in order to eat at the incomparable Restaurant Varma (I think it might be open until 10), and would spend the night in the village there.

Day Five  

Perhaps I would start the day by hiking to the hot spring river in Hveragerði; in any case, I would head back into Reykjavik and spend the day exploring the city. I would fit in a soak at one of the city’s public pools (see this article for options), and I would eat dinner at Matur og Drykkur. Then, I would drive back out to Reykjanesbær, return the car, and stay at Guesthouse 1x6 -- I think you could probably walk from the car rental place to the guesthouse!

Day Six

Before flying out at 5pm, I would spend the day in charming Reykjanesbær. Soak in the guesthouse’s great hot pool in the backyard, visit Duushús and eat at the restaurant there, take a walk on the Gönguleiðir path along the coast (it starts right by Giganta’s House, behind Duushús), maybe visit the science center or the rock and roll museum. You can arrange with the guesthouse to bring you to the airport for your flight, where I would arrive at least three hours before your flight is due to leave in order to get through security, immigration, and, importantly, to leave time to shop. It has been my experience that much of what you find in the bigger tourist shops in town and in the gift shops at attractions is also available at the airport.

Tips on Traveling to Iceland

I’m immensely fortunate to have been to Iceland not once, but twice -- and both in the past six months. This country is so unbelievably beautiful with its extremes, and so friendly. I was surprised at how much less crowded Iceland seemed when I went last September than this time around, last week, in March.

On Icelandair

Icelandair is more like a nice domestic carrier than an international one. The planes are clean, and the space is akin to something like JetBlue. The flight crew is really rather hands off -- go ahead and ring your call bell or go back and ask them for what you need, and don’t miss the chance to put your trash in the bags when they come around!

The hardest thing about Icelandair is the very, very limited selection of food. From the West Coast, the flight to Iceland is just over 7 hours -- not than much longer than going to Boston -- but you will not get a meal, and there are not filling options to choose from. Everything is more like a snack. So try to eat a big meal ahead of time, and bring snacks for the plane.

On Packing

I’ve been in early and mid-September, when the temperature was 50 to 60 degrees and in March, when it was in the low 30s to the mid 40s. Both times, I really needed a scarf and hat -- it’s WINDY. I didn’t need my thickest winter jacket in March, and in September, I wore just a fleece jacket. I ended up not wearing the thick wool socks or my wool long underwear in March, but my fleece-lined leggings were lovely. I think for most of us from the Pacific Northwest, the changeable weather is not a big deal, but I can see how it would be more difficult for other folks.

The best thing I did the second time around was bring two bathing suits. Somehow, it seems easier and more pleasant to drag a dry bathing suit over your freshly showered body than a cold and damp one. Also pack your own travel towel.

I did appreciate my boots in March, though, because the cold seeped through the soles of my sneakers. I brought mittens and gloves, and usually was foolish and left them behind... don’t forget to put them in your pocket. It’s windy, and your fingers will thank you.

On Hot Springs

Go every day. Visit different ones.

On the Blue Lagoon

I’ve read blog posts suggesting skipping the Blue Lagoon, that it is expensive, etc. I have been three times now: once in the cold rain in September, once in the bright sunshine in September (after my flight back to Iceland had been delayed by more than twelve hours, causing me to miss my flight home, and needing something other than travel woes to end my trip), and once in the rain and hail and snow in March. Each time, it was a wonderful experience -- after all, it feels as though you are taking a warm bath in blue water on the moon. In September, they had only just started on the “improvements” to the Lagoon, which includes adding a luxury hotel and expanding the water area. I was shocked to see how different it was already only six months later. Gone was the sandy floor, the serve-yourself bucket of silica mud mask, the little bag of samples for Comfort level guests, and the fenced off area where hot water flowed in but which one could get close to for truly hot water (see the steam in the photo here). 

It feels terrible to say I was disappointed this time around, but I was a little -- while the Blue Lagoon has never been natural (the rocks and landscape is, but the water is the runoff from the geothermal plant next door), it looked as though it was. it seemed to me upon return to be more tamed, more like a built destination than a happy accident. I also remembered the water being much, much warmer.

That being said -- the Blue Lagoon is a can’t miss for the experience alone. Everyone else I was with, visiting for the first time, loved it. Bring your own towel and get the cheapest package.

On Showering at Hot Springs

You have to shower before you get in, and you have to do it naked. There are always little holders for swimsuits near the showers -- put your suit in the holder, and go clean up. Do not be a gross American. Everyone is naked, and no one is looking at you, and everyone feels foolish putting on a swimsuit over a wet body. Just do it.

On Eating in Iceland

It’s expensive, and you may be hard pressed to find a place where you can eat. We would sometimes stumble on these cute little cafes, hoping to eat dinner, only to find they had closed at 5 or 6pm. One night, we had popcorn for dinner. You really need to plan ahead -- go to the supermarket (here’s a list and map courtesy the I Heart Reykjavik blog) and buy items to make packed lunches or dinners. Try to go out to one meal a day, and make it a big meal. We had the most amazing lunch at Restaurant Varma in Hveragerði; it was seriously one of the best meals of my life (and much, much better than the one I had at Grillmarkaðurinn a day later).

I would plan on stopping for lunch and having dinner on your own, because it was much easier to find things open at lunch time -- and the meals may be less expensive, too. 

On Hotels

Last time, I had an apartment through AirBnB; this time, we had a hotel. I’d choose the apartment over the hotel every time (see the part about expensive food, above, and think about how much better it would be to have a stove and fridge), but our hotel was part of our package. 

Remember, this is Europe, and your hotel room is likely to be MINISCULE. Remember, too, if your hotel is reasonably priced, you are likely to have young people (who may be loud coming home after a night on the town) or students (who will be loud all the time they are around, and who will probably also slam doors repeatedly, like they did on our floor on this trip).

Public necessities, by contrast, are not awesome; they’re essential. Roads, health care, education: These are not the kinds of things that go viral and raise $2 million in less than a week. But if crowdfunding for the public good is allowed to continue unchecked, it’s not hard to imagine a future in which everyone votes on public works with their dollars—distorting priorities and giving those with deeper pockets more of a say.

“Libraries are not in the library business, they’re in the community business. Libraries are all about ensuring that their communities are healthy and successful.”

Anne Aretz, as highlighted in Dark Matter 057

The Unwanted Day Forty: Back in Iceland

You know what's not fun? Having your flight delayed in dribs and drabs for 12 hours. Know what's even worse? Being up for 26 hours straight. I don't know how people do it.

With an extra day in Iceland, I split it between sleeping and taking another trip to the Blue Lagoon. I actually liked it much more in the rain -- it was mysterious, and quiet, and it was much easier to stay in for a long time with the rain cooling you off. In the sunshine, the water also looks muddy from the silica, as opposed to milky or blue.

Days Thirty-Eight and Thirty-Nine: Copenhagen

Following the NEXT Conference, Ned and I had a bit of time to explore Copenhagen -- and that we did, mainly with our stomachs, as I had three of the best meals I've probably ever had in rapid succession: Danish meatballs at Cafe Lindevang, smørrebrød at Aamanns, and a three course prix fixe menu at Giggles that included marrow gravy.

We also walked, and walked, and visited the Rosenberg Slot, where the Crown Jewels are held, and the National Museum, where we explored the excellent prehistory display and the very well-curated and extremely moving exhibit on the Red Cross white busses from WWII. We explored the harbor shoreline and of course went to see the (rather disappointing) Little Mermaid statue.