Ascension Thursday, a full holiday in Iceland which I didn´t know about in work until around 5pm, nice surprise. I´ve been experiencing more difficulties entering posts from my home computer, usually writing them on it and using the machine at work. Because of this, I´m not sure if Thursday´s entry will take...wrote this at work Wednesday evening. While the day off is nice, chances are that Friday will be busier than usual, making up for the day before.

We had some sprinkles Wednesday afternoon which turned the air a bit humid. The soft rain left a nice spring-like aroma but with an Icelandic twist: instead of the earthy smell as in New England, we get a kind of rock scent due to the volcanic material as well as dust...an interesting variety.

As for the Ascension itself, chances are virtually no one here has a clue as to its significance, just that it´s a holiday. As with major holidays...and I´m thinking of the more recent Easter, people do know its meaning but again, treat it as time off. Although we're familiar with this, even in the US and Europe, we're dealing with a new type of ignorance which will have long term ramifications. As for Iceland, I´ve noticed that in a fundamentally Lutheran environment commemoration of holy days, while acknowledged, are watered-down, kind of sad. Such is the legacy of Martin Luther.