Dr.Gargoyle said:
Nice pics...
Thanks for sharing. I hope you find your way over here again soon. There are a lot of interesting aspects of europe a bit off the beaten track.
I so want to do Europe again! Or should I say more of Europe? My Reykjavik and London trip was the first out of the US since my parents brought me back from Germany at the age of 2 1/2.
The problem is that the US$ is so in the tank, it is hard for those that are being passed by the "great economic boom" that many talk of here in the US. In other threads I have joked about anything in Iceland costing a minimum of 200kr (about $3US), and in London the minimum being 1BP (about $1.75US).
I so enjoyed my trip that I am looking at cutting back on some of my US travel, in order to return to some part of Europe. "Self-catering" was my friend in my recent travels. Rolls, yogurt, and fruits were my friends - in order for me to enjoy some more pricier meals in the evening.
My stay in Iceland has given me a greater desire to spend sometime in the Nordic regions of Europe. The loving and welcoming nature of the people I met in Reykjavik, showed me much about myself.
More than once I was confused as not being "American" by the Icelanders I met. I did ask one fellow why he asked, since my accent should have been a dead give away. He said that he thought I was an ex-pat that was on holiday from the UK. I asked why he felt that way. He said it was that it was that I was understanding of the current events of the EU; and that I never made it seem that the world revolved around the US alone.
In many ways that hurt. As anyone, I am proud to be a citizen of my country. And as much as I like in knowing about the world around me, I don't think of myself as being "well read". I like to think that I can hold my own on most topics being discussed. It made me think of how my country, and its people, are truly looked upon.
Given the reverence that Icelanders place on "The Settlement" back around 1000AD; it gave me pause that we in the US (at least with my "formal" education in US history that ended in the 80's) look to the settlement of Plymouth, MA or Jamestown, VA as points of reference. Only passing reference was made to Lief Ericson. And only now are we looking at those that inhabited the US in our early history.
There was an editorial cartoon in the Washington Post today (wish I could find an image to post) that took many of the current comments about immigrants being voiced today, and turning it back to the time when European settlers came these shores.
Sorry for the rant and ramble. Your post just struck a nerve that my recent travels has caused me to question on how we should look at things here in the US.