The truth about Iceland

Ice News reports today that members of the Icelandic travel industry believe that the spate of cancellations and the reluctance of visitors to confirm bookings due to the volcano could be turned to an advantage if the country plays it cards right and keeps the world up to date on what is really going on on the ground.

Fridrik Palsson, owner of a chain of hotels, which incluces Hotel Ranga near the eruption site told RUV’s (the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service) Kastljos current affairs programme that this summer need not be a total disaster if the industry pulls together and makes use of the effective free advertising that the volcano has provided. Many countries after all, would give their eye teeth for this amount of free publicity, and I for one believe that he makes a very valid point. Iceland has a lot to offer the traveller, whether they want to rent a car and stay in five star luxury or as I will be, use public busses and take a sleeping bag. Iceland is one big adventure playground for nature lovers of all ages, with hot springs, bird life and 24 hour daylight in which to enjoy it all.

To this end, the Icelandic government has invested some ISK 350 million (USD 2.7 million) in a global publicity campaign aimed at boosting the travel sector during this crucial year. As Palsson though said, the funds need to be used wisely, to keep the world updated as to truth about how the violcano affects day to day life and what the country is really like, after a frenzy of media attention amd many mistruths. Facebook in particular (I myself am a member of several Icelandic groups and pages) could be an important tool in getting the message across.

Where a volcanic eruption of this nature would spell disaster to some, the Icelanders have picked themselves up and literally dusted themselves down. Headlines such as "Volcanic dust cloud closes air space" may be more attention grabbing than "life as normal", but the latter is closer to the former in truth, and the world needs to know this. As Palsson quite rightly says, people will continue to visit the country if they are aware of the facts, and the facts are that no one has died, shops and other facilities are functioning as normal, and the travel chaos that was reported throughout Europe has for the most part, not affected Iceland itself. Both Icelandair and Iceland Express, the two airlines based in Reykjavik, continue to operate, finding ways around the recent closure of Keflavik airport, by diverting services to Akureyri in the north.

Of course there is no way to predict what the volcano may do next, or for long it may keep erupting, but that in a way is part of the fun - and for me at least makes my own forthcoming visit all the more appealing.

Keflavik airport closed today

With the lifting of air restrictions late on Wednesday night, things are slowy returning to normal here in Britain, for the first time since the eruption began, Iceland faces the prospect of air space closures of their own. A change in wind riection necessitates the temporary closure of Keflavik International and Reykjavik City airports in the south west of the country.

The volcano, which is situated beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, about 120km south-east of Reykjavik, has been erupting now for eight days. Tremors are continuing, with a thick cloud of ash and smoke pumping out into the surrounding air. The cloud may be lower, but it is still volatile, posing a potential health risk due to large amounts of flouride.

A statement from the Icelandic aviation authority last night said

"With a view to the ash distribution forecast for Friday April 23 it can be expected that the flight zone for Keflavik and Reykjavik Airports will be closed for a certain period of time."

They went on to say, "This is for the first time that the flight zone around the two Icelandic international airports has closed since the beginning of the eruption,"

Meterological forecaster was more circumspect, stating "The wind at low levels is an easterly wind and so that is blowing it (ash) across Reykjavik and Keflavik, but the wind at high levels is still westerly". It was the high level winds that spread the ash towards Europe.

Speculation is mounting with regard to the nature of this eruption, which continues to pump its deadly cloud into the atmosphere. Minor tremors have also been reported. Seismologist Bryndis Brandsdottir said these tremors could indicate a build up of lava, or molten rock, within the crater.

She said that if the lava found itt's way out, which eventually of course it will, it would most likely flow down the north side of the mountain, where the floods took place last week. Opinion though seems to be divided, as another seismologist indidated that things seemed to be quietening down. It is as always, pure speculation and no one knows for sure what will happen or when.

Travellers to the region can though breath a huge sigh of relief with the news that the ring road has now re-opened, and although Katla is being monitored, the two volcanoes are not connected, and there is no sign of any activity there.

The latest news releases on the evolving situation can be found here

The website for Keflavik International can be found here

A lesson in sustainability

It is incredible sometimes to watch my mind and see how it gets caught up in the drama of so many events - my sister and her problems, issues relating to work, and more recently of course, the Icelandic volcano, which seems to be affecting us all in one way or another.

Several of my acquaintances are stranded abroad - some in Portugal and some in Spain. One of my work colleagues husband's is stuck in Madrid, where he works (he spends his time commuting between London and Madrid as some sort of computer boffin for a city bank). She has only recently returned to work after suffering a slipped disc, and is missing him terribly, as I am sure he is her.

I have been racking my brain since this whole thing began as to what it could all be about, and quite what mother nature is trying to show us all. There has to be something with a crisis of this magnitude. One things for sure - whatever or whoever the lesson is for it is clearly not for the Icelanders, as the wind is blowing the cloud away from them, their international airport remains open, and life there, apart from in the immediate vicinity of the volcano, continues as normal.

Knowing that the universe works on an economy of the energy, and the amount of energy that clearly lies behind this blast, it is evidently a lesson of great magnitude for us all.

All sorts of scenarios are coming into play - the possibility of airlines and hotel companies going bankrupt, small business owners who are stuck abroad also going bankrupt, those affected raking up huge bills and getting into debt, food and other goods from overseas upon which we have learnt to depend, being unable to reach us and the suppliers consequently losing out. What this means is difficult to say, but it is clear that many things need to change.

The culture of cheap overseas travel and the way in which the industry has bloomed in the past 20 or so years clearly cannot be sustained environmentally. The idea that we should have access to fruit and veg from overseas outside of its season also cannot be sustained. It may be good (arguably) for the growers as it means more jobs, but would they not be better off growing the food to feed their own populations? I mean, potatoes being grown in the Egyptian desert, asparagus being flown in from Peru - what next?

Maybe we need to start thinking a little more in terms of self sufficiency, growing our own food and providing our own goods, and allow other countries to do the same. The lesson will differ for each individual that is affected by this - perhaps my friends husband needs to rethink his job in Madrid and start to put his wife first, perhaps my friends in Portugal, as they said in an email earlier, need to acknowledge the fact that they should be flying less and trying to reduce their carbon footprint. When I go to Iceland myself in 11 weeks time (and I will be going), it will the first time I have flown since March 2004, when I went to Egypt. The helicopter to Lundy isn't quite the same.

I have to say though that the Icelanders have found a very neat way to alleviate their own financial woes, as interest in the country has mushroomed because of this, and all that foreign currency that will be coming in as a result of this interest will help pay their debts in no time!

Go with flow - it's what volcanoes do

I have certainly chosen an interesting time to travel to Iceland, with the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull a few days ago. This was the second eruption in the area within the last month, the first being somewhat less volatile, the effects of which have been confined to Icelandic shores. The second eruption though was different, as the volcano erupted from deep within an ice cap resulting in a huge plume of ash containing minute particules of silica (volcanic glass) which then drifted on north westerly winds towards Britain and the rest of Europe. This has resulted in the closure of airports in 23 European countries, with thousands stranded at both ends. No one knows how long the disruption is likely to last, with the deadline extended half a dozen times already. According to some reports it could last well into next week or even beyond. It is something that is completely beyond our control, as nature always is.

Although I feel desperately sorry for those who are stranded, my own concerns are more long term. I am due to travel to Iceland myself in 11 weeks (4th July), and am unsure whether this will even be possible. I am telling myself to trust that it will be all alright, that the worst is over, as the cloud drifts off towards the continent, but it is not that simple. British air space may be re-opened making it theoretically possible to travel to Iceland, but what will I find when I get there? Will the roads be open enabling me to travel around the country. I have to travel through the affected zone in order to get to Skaftafell National Park, which I had hoped to visit. How will it affect the weather in that part of the country, what will happen if the seismic activity continues or starts up again while I am there? What if it spreards to other nearby volcanos and triggers them? So many questions with no answers.

It has left me somewhat in limbo, uncertain as to whether I should go ahead and book domestic flights and make other internal arrangements prior to my arrival in the country. The advice from the Embassy website is simply to keep up to date with the news, which really doesn't tell me much, as it difficult to get news from within Iceland itself to ascertain how things are there. Villages near the affected zone were said to have experienced prolonged darkness with a thick layer of ash, and there is also some damage to roads. The Icelanders I will imagine, will be keen to get these repaired as quickly as possible to get help to the affected areas in clearing away the debris, and also so that the local people, who were evacuated can return home.

For the moment at least it is really a waiting game - along with everyone else all i can do is wait and see. If the volcano has a message for us at all, it must surely be to go with the flow, for that is exactly what volcanic lava does !