From Reykjavik, Iceland
Baseball Quiz: 30/30 Club. 1) Kenny Williams of the 1922 St. Louis Browns was the first to have 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in baseball history (39-37). Who was next in the American League? [Hint: Post-1950 and not a Hall of Famer] 2) Who was the first 30/30 in the N.L.? 3) Who are the only two National Leaguers in the 1960s? 4) Name the three to achieve the feat in the American League during this current decade. Answers below.
The Gull Is Tasty
Gull Beer, that is…the local brew. A fine one, as one of my new friends, Gordon, from Columbus, Ohio, agreed. But I have to admit, folks, I am way off schedule thus far and behind on stuff so just some rambling thoughts for now.
I was scheduled to leave JFK Airport in New York early Monday evening but thanks to some awful weather we were five hours delayed. However, we were actually lucky. My Icelandair plane was coming in from Reykjavik but was diverted to Hartford, though thankfully was released and allowed to continue to JFK so we could head to Iceland. In my terminal, a slew of planes heading to JFK were diverted to places like Toronto and then the announcement any traveler wouldn’t want to hear. “Unfortunately, our aircraft is staying in Toronto overnight and we don’t know when it will get here tomorrow morning. Come to the gate for meal vouchers.” Nothing about a hotel, anything, plus the restaurants were mostly closed at this point. So my five hours wasn’t the end of the world. At least I got to watch the entire Boston-Chicago NBA playoff game, a good one, sitting in the lounge and the bar.
Anyway, I didn’t eat much because I was expecting a nice dinner on Icelandair. Alas, I hadn’t flown this since 1982 and, suffice it to say, quite a bit has changed since then. For starters, the Dow bottomed that August when I made my first trip to Iceland at like 776, if I recall correctly. So my flight had only sandwiches you paid for, which I thought was kind of lousy for a transatlantic (almost) flight. But the barbecue sandwich wasn’t all bad and I slept most of the way.
You fly into Keflavik Airport, a 40-minute drive from Reykjavik, and to save money I took the bus, which cost about $15 as opposed to a cab that would have run close to $100. It was noon when I checked in and for once I didn’t need to immediately hit the sack so seeing it was sunny out (Iceland weather is like Ireland…changeable), I hit the streets and took a lovely walk in the 40-degree weather around a lake near my hotel. I also took in the National Art Gallery (so-so) and a terrific museum right underneath my hotel.
Back in 2001, when they were beginning to build my place, the Centrum, they discovered a significant archaeological find, relics from a human development in AD “871 +/- 2”…which is what they call the museum. Normally I’m not into this kind of museum, but it was very cool with little videos employing ghost characters to give you a sense of what life might have been like in those days before cable. Reykjavik officials showed incredible foresight in preserving the site as they did. I also had a long chat with the woman at the ticket counter on local politics and the financial crisis, but that’s for the other column I do. Suffice it to say a big reason why I’m here is to learn a bit more on how Iceland’s economy collapsed in a nano-second last fall. They are holding elections this Saturday (I was startled to hear this because I thought it was May 9) so we’ll see if there are any fireworks Saturday night when the results come in. I’m staying a block from parliament so it could be exciting.
After my museum hopping, I still wasn’t too tired so I hit the bar attached to the hotel and had my first Gull Beer and a great conversation with the bartender, Gail, from Thailand. How does a Thai girl get to Iceland? Her boyfriend is from Sweden, her sister lives there, married to a Swede, and Gail is dating her brother-in-law’s brother, and the two of them then ended up here.
Iceland is the size of Kentucky and has 320,000 people, 2/3s of whom live in Reykjavik and the suburbs. With the archaeological find under my hotel, they put the first settlement here at around AD 870 and in 930, the oldest parliament in the world was convened at the first stop on my all-day tour Wednesday…. Thingvellir [Pingvellir in Icelandic]. Notice how I went from the bar on Tuesday to the start of my tour, Wednesday. That’s a neat journalistic trick I learned long ago when you don’t want to tell your readers everything. Not that I did anything…I just ended up meeting Gordon, a lawyer, and his wife, Becky, on vacation, and we drank a lot of beer before going our separate ways for dinner.
So Wednesday morning, I joined six others on my tour; a mother and her two daughters from Ireland, a girl from Philly, a couple from England, and our driver, Steinmir.
And so we headed out of town and up into the mountains. You see, Reykjavik is ringed on two sides with snow-capped mountains this time of year but I just assumed it being spring, and temps in the 40s, that snow season was over.
Wrong. It began to snow as we climbed higher and Steinmir assured us the tiny road was safe. “I took this road because it’s more beautiful and the temperature is above 0 [Celsius].” Whatever you say, Steinmir, but I see ice on the road.
This was the start of the absolute worst weather day I have ever experienced in my life. We had everything, except sunshine. What was kind of bizarre, though, was as soon as we crested the mountain, the snow changed to rain as we then descended into the valley for Thingvellir. It’s a beautiful spot. It’s also the place where on one side is the Atlantic tectonic plate, and the other the Eurasian plate, that literally divide the world in two and they are pulling apart a few inches a year. Kind of neat. In 930 AD, the people that had settled Iceland gathered here for the first parliament and it was the start of what’s called the Old Commonwealth, which lasted until 1262.
That’s all well and good, but Steinmir left us off at the top of the cliff and said he’d meet us on the other side of the valley, after we descended to there…a walk of about 20 minutes. In a driving rainstorm, with 50mph+ winds, and with no rain gear.
Oh sure, I had an umbrella (which I soon learned why you seldom see Icelanders carrying one…mine collapsed in 1.4 seconds), and I had layers of clothing on, and my golf rain jacket, but no rain pants. I thought about packing them, but didn’t, and thus I’m a candidate for “Idiot of the Year.”
Well, it was hard to enjoy this beautiful valley, ringed by the snow-capped mountains, when you’ve lost your companions (I was rushing ahead…the better to get to the vehicle quicker), and then Steinmir comes running after me (on the other side) because I was taking the wrong path, away from where he had just parked the van, which was hidden in the rocks. “Where were you going?” asked Steinmir. “Beats me,” I replied.
Oh, by the way, I did stop along the path long enough at this beautiful lagoon to read of how drownings were a popular punishment in the old days. In the spot where I was they had a plaque with tons of victims’ names. Icelanders keep good records, you see. Maybe my name would have been on a plaque some day. [“The last known place of the editor of Bar Chat, who drifted off on April 22, 2009, according to legend.”]
So we hopped back in the van, soaked, and headed to Gulfoss falls. Understand that 27 years ago I had taken a similar tour but it was August, and while chilly, the weather was otherwise alright. Not today. There is a restaurant at Gulfoss for the tour buses and when we arrived Steinmir said, let’s have some lunch and see if the weather clears. After downing my delicious lamb soup, I saw an opening…it had stopped raining…and ran out for the climb down the hill. Steinmir had warned us of the people who die here and I was going to be careful.
Folks, trust me on this….the wind was so fierce, I was blown off the walkway a few times. The rain had stopped but the steps were obviously wet and I got to near the cliff area and thought, ‘If I hold my jacket out like a parachute, I’d get blown right into the falls,’ so I snapped a few pictures and was then blown back up the hill to the restaurant. I’m guessing the wind was gusting 90mph+ because the few times I’ve been in tropical force winds, like in Ireland, it was not nearly as bad as this. I get to the top and the rain returned, sheets of it, just as the other six were heading down. Troopers, they, and wearing better rain gear for the most part, Steinmir and I stayed in the lodge (I had a Viking Beer) and prayed we wouldn’t lose them. The workers at the place said the wind was the worst it had been all winter. Welcome to Iceland.
After a while, Steinmir drove the van down to a spot near the bottom and we picked our group up before they became casualties. 3 of them were totally disoriented, which is kind of dangerous at a place like this.
Back on the road, we headed to the Geysirs. Iceland is known for geothermal energy and part of what makes this place so fascinating is the mountains, the lunar-like landscape in other parts, and the hot springs. Some of the rivers, for example, have water temps in the 80s. The wind at the Geysirs was only blowing about 50mph, though still raining, and as one geysir, Stratfor, erupted every few minutes (spectacular), you had to make sure you were on the right side or you would have been pelted as it blew into you.
Back on the road, and still drenched, we went to a cool church where I noticed a Bible from 1545 had been donated by a doctor from Minnesota in 2000 (Orn Anarsson…in case you know him), and then a real treat for me, we hit a large geothermal plant (I have a decent-sized investment in a geothermal company back home…it’s Canadian with U.S. operations). The plant here has had financing issues with the collapse in the economy, but it’s surviving and upon completion will be capable of providing all of Reykjavik hot water and much of its electricity.
It’s here I learned Iceland has 10,000 earthquakes a year! While most are very small, just last year there was a 6.3 one whose epicenter was near the plant. The buildings are so well constructed there were only minor cracks in a few of them in the village and the plant itself was offline for all of 30 minutes. This facility also had some great interactive displays for us tourists, including an earthquake simulator where you could listen to the sounds of quakes from 5.3-6.6. So after our formal tour, the seven of us played with the buttons like a bunch of little kids.
Bottom line, I was gone from 8:30-5:00, Wednesday, and thus fell hopelessly behind in some of my work as, of course, I had to immediately hit the bar to share stories with Gordon and Becky who were on a different tour. Then off to a Mexican joint (yes, Mexican in Iceland…quite tasty) and on to bed. I’m writing this at 4:00 a.m. local and about to collapse. In fact, I just did…..
And we’re back…after a little breakfast time to resume our tale. I forgot to mention that Gulfoss falls (it’s two waterfalls), due to the enormous pressure they generate, has been the subject of various hydroelectric proposals. So, true story, in one instance the farmer who owned much of the surrounding land was prepared to sell out but his daughter, who loved the falls, committed suicide by jumping in. The resultant publicity led to the shelving of the project, many believe, and her picture is there in memory.
Then there are the little people…this is Middle Earth, after all, not New Zealand. Lots of trolls about. And, according to folk legends, at one time a dangerous giantess lived in the mountain Blafell. The Kjolur route became impassable, as travelers (like your editor) either got lost on the way or went insane. Large numbers of farmers’ sheep also disappeared.
The giantess in fact proved to be an Elven woman under a spell. I hate when that happens. You meet someone at a bar and she proves to be Elven. That makes for an uncomfortable conversation. “Why didn’t you tell me you were Elven before?” “I thought you knew.”
Anyway, to be released, a male human would have to call her by name. The man who finally managed to do so was called Olafur, and the last that was known of him was that he deserted the world of humans to live with the hidden people. And now you know…the rest of the story.
Here’s another…In 1780 two young brothers from the farm Reynistaour in Skagafjordur were sent to the south of Iceland to purchase sheep. Three other men accompanied them on their return journey northwards over Kjolur later that autumn. They set out with their flock from a farming district in southern Iceland near the end of October. The weather was rainy in the south, with snowstorms in the more northerly areas of Iceland.
The following summer tents belonging to the two brothers were found, along with the remains of two of their companions and a large number of skeletons of sheep and horses. The bodies of the brothers themselves and their third companion were never found and according to the legends which grew out of the incident, the two whose bodies were found were robbed and killed by the brothers, with their third companion acting as accomplice to the crime. The event did much to spread fear in people’s minds, and the route fell into almost total disuse for nearly a century afterwards.
True story, our guide, Steinmir, pointed out a famous cave where as recently as 80 years ago a couple raised three daughters, the last of whom recently died. They managed just fine, so it seems.
Not a lot of wildlife, aside from lots of geese, ducks and swans. The sturdy Icelandic horse is very cool, and some reindeer were imported at one point, but few other mammals. Some mink escaped from their cages in the 1930s and wreak havoc on the fish population, but no grizzly bears or woolly mammoths. Just a lot of trolls, dwarves and elves.
Back in 1000, incidentally, the parliament at Thingvellir had to decide between the two religions; Christianity and Paganism. It was decreed that Christianity would be the religion in order to keep the peace, thus making Odin (God of Gods), Thor, and Freya (goddess of fertility) kind of ticked off. Odin, by the way, is not related to Portland center Greg Oden, in case you were wondering, or former pitcher Johnny Blue Moon Odom, for that matter.
Iceland achieved its independence from Denmark in 1944.
There have been three major volcanic eruptions here the past 10,000 years, but none in the last 4,000, or so they say.
And today, April 23, is a national holiday. The First Day of Summer! Yup, it seems a bit incongruous, but the government decreed a while back that the first Thursday after April 20 would be the start of summer, even though it makes little actual sense. The temps rise into the 50s, on average, in June-August, so April is hardly summer, but, no matter. Depression is a big deal here (and obviously more so with everyone having just lost their savings), so they came up with the holiday simply to lift spirits and everyone tells me it works. I haven’t been outside yet to gauge sentiment today, but I’ll report back to you next time. One thing I do know…it’s sunny as I write.
Lastly, a few baseball bits. You know how a geyser can smell of sulfur and rotten eggs? After checking out the baseball scores the past few days while I’ve been away, it’s not sulfur, it’s the smell of the Mets. They can not stink enough these days, and it’s noticeable all the way here.
This day in baseball…1952…Giants rookie reliever Hoyt Wilhelm gained his first victory and hit a home run in his first major league at bat…the only one in his 21-year career. Wilhelm finished up 38-432, .088, at the plate. In ’52, he also finished runner-up in the rookie of the year vote to Joe Black of Brooklyn. But Hoyt was 15-3 and Black 15-4. Both had stellar ERAs.
And in 1964, Houston’s Ken Johnson became the first major league hurler to lose a 9-inning no-hitter when second baseman Nellie Fox booted Vada Pinson’s grounder, allowing the Reds to score the game’s only run.
Finally, I see there are a slew of articles back home on how the Mets and Yankees can’t sell those expensive seats behind home plate. What an embarrassment to have that in the television picture. And it’s not like they can slash the ticket prices for these prime locations without totally pissing off those who already purchased them. And you certainly can’t allow Joe Schlepper, who purchased a bleacher seat, to then move into a seat costing upwards of $2,600 (in the case of the Yankees).
Top 3 songs for the week 4/21/79: #1 “Knock On Wood” (Amii Stewart…dreadful) #2 “I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor…eh) #3 “Heart Of Glass” (Blondie…any tune of hers makes me want to commit hari-kari)…and…#4 “Music Box Dancer” (Frank Mills…what were we thinking this year?) #5 “What A Fool Believes” (The Doobie Brothers…better) #6 “Reunited” (Peaches & Herb…not bad) #7 “Stumblin’ In” (Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman…should have peaked at #55) #8 “Tragedy” (Bee Gees…this was a tragedy) #9 “I Want Your Love” (Chic…blanking out on this one) #10 “Sultans Of Swing” (Dire Straits…just went on and on and on…)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Tommy Harper was first A.L. player to have 30/30 since Kenny Williams, as Harper had 31 homers and 38 stolen bases for Milwaukee in 1970. 2) Willie Mays was the first to go 30/30 in the N.L., 1956, 36-40. Hank Aaron, 1963, Milwaukee (44-31) and Bobby Bonds, 1969, S.F. (32-45) were the only two National Leaguers in the 1960s. 4) 2000s / A.L. 30/30 players are Jose Cruz Jr., Toronto, 2001 (34-32); Alfonso Soriano, three times [New York, 2002 (39-41), New York, 2003 (38-35), Texas, 2005 (36-30)]; and Grady Sizemore, Cleveland, 2008 (33-38). [Soriano also had a 30/30 in the N.L. with Washington, 2006 (46-41).]
Next Bar Chat, Monday. More from Iceland.
