Gloom and doom
Well Reykjavík has just been declared the third most expensive city in the world. This should come as no surprise to those who have visited this country in the last couple of years and may be blamed almost exclusively on the high rate of the Icelandic krona. Those of us who live here don't notice it so much as we earn correspondingly, but for the poor tourists who come it can be a bitch to have to pay ISK 600 [USD 10/GBP 5.50] for a pint of draft beer, or ISK 340 [USD 5.40/GBP 3] for a cappucino. Unless you come from Norway, that is. Or Tokyo, or London. Where prices are higher, or almost as high.
Oslo has managed to usurp the top seat from Tokyo this year and has the dubious honour of being the most expensive city in the world. A couple of years ago I was in Oslo on a course in December and proceeded to do all my Christmas shopping there, much to the amazement of course participants outside Scandinavia who could barely afford to buy lunch. By which I mean that coming from a country with a strong currency is pretty damn nice for us in the short-term [imagine feeling rich every time you walk off a plane] but in the long-term it means fewer exports from Iceland and thus a trade deficit and ultimately a recession. Call me a pessimist if you will if you shall if you must, but there you have it. Boo.
MEANWHILE, A TRIP TO THE MOOVIES LAST NIGHT
EPI and I went to see Brokeback Mountain and it made me so sad. So so sad. Not sad as in 'is it a one-hankie or a two-hankie film?' but rather it left me feeling despondent and hopeless. It was a beautiful film, wonderfully acted and directed and visually stunning, but completely devoid of anything resembling cheerfulness or joy. It didn't even evoke any anger in me, just a passive acceptance of how some people are really stupid and ignorant and that for some others there is no hope. And that is that.
Boy, this sure is a gloomy post. Reflecting the general gloom in the weather, probably. It's been raining more or less all day with overcast skies and blustery winds. Got all suited up for rain earlier and went out for a long walk out by the lighthouse to 'weather myself' as the Icelanders say, which lifted my spirits slightly but not very much. It's mild, currently 9°C, with the sun coming up at 10.08 and going down at 17.15. Here's hoping for something a wee bit more cheerful next time. Bleh.
Oslo has managed to usurp the top seat from Tokyo this year and has the dubious honour of being the most expensive city in the world. A couple of years ago I was in Oslo on a course in December and proceeded to do all my Christmas shopping there, much to the amazement of course participants outside Scandinavia who could barely afford to buy lunch. By which I mean that coming from a country with a strong currency is pretty damn nice for us in the short-term [imagine feeling rich every time you walk off a plane] but in the long-term it means fewer exports from Iceland and thus a trade deficit and ultimately a recession. Call me a pessimist if you will if you shall if you must, but there you have it. Boo.
MEANWHILE, A TRIP TO THE MOOVIES LAST NIGHT
EPI and I went to see Brokeback Mountain and it made me so sad. So so sad. Not sad as in 'is it a one-hankie or a two-hankie film?' but rather it left me feeling despondent and hopeless. It was a beautiful film, wonderfully acted and directed and visually stunning, but completely devoid of anything resembling cheerfulness or joy. It didn't even evoke any anger in me, just a passive acceptance of how some people are really stupid and ignorant and that for some others there is no hope. And that is that.
Boy, this sure is a gloomy post. Reflecting the general gloom in the weather, probably. It's been raining more or less all day with overcast skies and blustery winds. Got all suited up for rain earlier and went out for a long walk out by the lighthouse to 'weather myself' as the Icelanders say, which lifted my spirits slightly but not very much. It's mild, currently 9°C, with the sun coming up at 10.08 and going down at 17.15. Here's hoping for something a wee bit more cheerful next time. Bleh.
posted by Alda at 5:59 PM
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