This morning around 11 I saw a large snow squall move off the ocean from the west and cover Reykjavik’s inner harbor of Sundahofn. From my vantage point, I was unable to see if it affected the city itself, but the view was quite impressive. The area north of Reykjavik stayed perfectly clear. The Arctic Princess, a ship bearing the Greenland flag, just made it into port before disappearing from my sight some 5 kilometers away. It was the same ship I first noticed about two months ago.

Yesterday afternoon a friend and I drove to nearby Breiőholt, suburb of Reykjavik, or as Icelanders say, “uppi í Breiőholti” or “up in Breiőholt,” dative case. It has a great location, highest around, with a commanding view of the city and harbor. That section has a less than desirable reputation, kind of low-life, yet the homes and apartments are just as fine as anywhere. However, there are a number of very large apartment complexes, Iceland’s equivalent to inner city living. There lives Olli, apparently semi-retarded and on disability, who has a special genius for reading old Icelandic manuscripts. The friend who brought me said Olli is a hidden treasure with his gift; rarely never leaves his apartment (quite nice, by the way).

When leaving work last evening around 10.15 pm I noticed the twilight which has come on real fast. Because the weather was so fine, not the slightest breeze and clear all around, the twilight gave the harbor a unique aquamarine color that was simply breathtaking. It’s light in the morning around 5.30, so that means about 7 hours of real darkness. I continue to amaze at how quickly we’re moving into summer light which means that soon I’ll have to draw blinds when going to bed.