I'm on Iceland!!!
Apr. 18th, 2009 09:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaSo, there's a math conference on Iceland in my field, and I had leftover conference-going money from last year, and, well. Who could resist a free trip to Iceland? Definitely not me.
Iceland = SO COOL. And considering I only capslock very rarely, you know it must be true. : ) The conference is at a hotel out in the countryside, and I just took a walk. There was a little brook with lukewarm water that I followed, and the water got hotter and hotter, and then I found the source--a little bubbling pool that smelled kind of like rotten eggs. And there were all kind of interesting mosses around it! I will spare you my moss-related squee, but I took samples to look at when I get home. Also, there's thyme growing everywhere, which is weird. Thyme doesn't grow at all like this at home. I wonder if it's a different species.
See, I have a thing for places which are similar to where I live, but still different enough that there are lots of new things to look at. It's so interesting to try to understand what the differences are and why. This also goes for the language, and not only the nature. I can't understand spoken Icelandic at all, but when it's written, I can pick out lots of words which are the same.
The spring birds seem to be getting here, and there's no snow left except for up on the peaks. I've seen swans, and snipe, and starlings. After the conference, I'm going to a small village on the coast, and I'll do some hiking and birdwatching and botanizing. Hopefully there will be some interesting sea-birds. Sadly, I probably won't get to see any puffin-birds, because it's too early. : (
Iceland = SO COOL. And considering I only capslock very rarely, you know it must be true. : ) The conference is at a hotel out in the countryside, and I just took a walk. There was a little brook with lukewarm water that I followed, and the water got hotter and hotter, and then I found the source--a little bubbling pool that smelled kind of like rotten eggs. And there were all kind of interesting mosses around it! I will spare you my moss-related squee, but I took samples to look at when I get home. Also, there's thyme growing everywhere, which is weird. Thyme doesn't grow at all like this at home. I wonder if it's a different species.
See, I have a thing for places which are similar to where I live, but still different enough that there are lots of new things to look at. It's so interesting to try to understand what the differences are and why. This also goes for the language, and not only the nature. I can't understand spoken Icelandic at all, but when it's written, I can pick out lots of words which are the same.
The spring birds seem to be getting here, and there's no snow left except for up on the peaks. I've seen swans, and snipe, and starlings. After the conference, I'm going to a small village on the coast, and I'll do some hiking and birdwatching and botanizing. Hopefully there will be some interesting sea-birds. Sadly, I probably won't get to see any puffin-birds, because it's too early. : (
