Fundarsalir í Víkingaheimar

One of the spaces in Víkingaheimar was designed to be a fundarsalir, but I had always understood it to be more of a lecture hall than meeting room. It can fit chairs for about 80 people, and has outfittings for a screen and projector (we have not yet had the money to actually buy those things yet though).

I made the decision a while back not to leave this room sit empty when not in use as a lecture hall or meeting room, so it currently houses our discussion of the Viking raids: there the case with a selection of Viking Age weapons we borrowed from Sweden, as well as a large mural depicting the raid at Lindisfarne monastery done for the original Smithsonian exhibition. There is also a discussion of how raiding and trading went hand in hand in the Viking Age.

These things will not be removed for the meeting of the Ríkisstjórn tomorrow, but they are safely against the wall and rather out of everyone's way, I hope. It is of course a setting that brings to mind the exploits of the original útrásavíkingar, and I suppose that is in some ways fitting.

None of the current ráðherra have ever been to Víkingaheimar, so obviously I am very glad they will be holding a meeting there tomorrow. Although I do not so much as imagine that I will get to give them a tour of the museum, I hope they will nevertheless get the impression that in building Víkingaheimar, Reykjanesbær was very much trying to do something culturally enhancing for the township and school kids, as well as something to show our foreign visitors a very interesting story about Iceland's past.

Comments

William said…
I'm thinking "Congratulations" are in order here!!
November 8, 2010 at 9:02 PM
Lissy said…
Haha, not so fast Dad. You know your daughter could still do something smooooottth like spill coffee all over the Prime Minister.
November 8, 2010 at 9:18 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dett í, ofan á, úr, út

I´m not sure if someone had dett í (gotten drunk), or if það bara dett ofan á (it just sort of happened), or if some dett úr (forgot), but at any rate, my household goods dett út (have disappeared). Let's review the chronology here. Early August packers from the shipping company arrive at the apartment in Moraga. They load my 4 large plastic containers and 8 cardboard boxes, plus one baby crib, into their truck. I watch my things depart. In September, I ask the friendly girl (Magie is her name) if she happens to know when I might expect my stuff. Late September she tells me. I am most impressed. Extremely so. Mid October rolls around, and I have not gotten a call. And it occurs to me that I am going to be traveling through November. Hmm. So I call again. Well, yes, she tells me, looks like your shipment should arrive on the 31st of October. Now here I admit that maybe I was a little lacks. I had a lot to do before my trip, and so when they did not call me, I did not follow
Read more

Twitterverse

Although this is a function of the specific feeds I have chosen to follow, I have observed that Icelanders are much funnier on Twitter than Americans are. Americans tweet their opinions on political matters in categorical, condemnatory terms, or they use Twitter to bolster their professional expertise, a la LinkedIn. So kudos to the Icelanders for understanding the potential of the medium and maximizing it.
Read more

The sky weeps

For the last few days, the sky here in the San Francisco Bay has been filled with smoke, blown this way from a fire 100 miles away. At least 40 people died in that fire, a whole town destroyed, and many others missing. One reporter described the sky over the town as raining down ash. On this day, the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I, the news in the US is filled with stories of the man who calls himself President, unwilling to step out into the rain to lay a wreath. Unwilling to partake in our communal, world wide weep. And I'm thinking about my trip to Iceland on Thursday, of the carbon dioxide the plane will be spewing into the sky. My third round trip from SF to Iceland this year, and I don't have anyway to make up for my carbon footprint. But in all honesty, I'm also wondering how bad the weather will be, if I'll have to be out braving wind and snow for the shot the documentary film maker wants, of me walking around outside. Will the landscape reme
Read more