Yesterday turned out to be quite windy and rainy. It continued to blow through the night though the rain ceased. Early this morning the Arctic Princess from Nuuk, Greenland, arrived, a frequent visitor.

I went to bed shortly before midnight last night and noticed that it wasn’t quite 100% dark, sign of brighter days…nights…to come.

Some friends in Boston sent an article about an Icelandic architect who remodeled an old house in Cambridge. These good folks have always had a keen interest in Scandinavian architecture and furniture, even at one point having had a furniture store specializing in that stuff. They retain an idealized view of Scandinavia but never visited. When I asked why, they said that seeing the reality would destroy the idealized vision. I thought of that observation frequently when going about my business here and can see the pluses and minuses of what they mean. While technically part of Scandinavia, Iceland is very different, chiefly due to the Celtic influence. Furthermore, Icelanders always had a rebellious, independent spirit about them reflected both in older and newer architecture. “Hodge-podge,” as a friend here observed accurately. In the final analysis, the genius of Iceland remains hidden from most visitors, that is, the language and the keen interest in things literary which applies equally to other cultures.

Taco Bell opened a place in Garðabǽ recently, first one in Iceland, which joins the ranks of Domino’s, MacDonald, Burger King and Pizza Hut. Spring flyers are coming in about summer sales of clothing, grills, garden equipment and all the rest associated with the season.