Thursday Ramble - The Reentry

The French refer to returning to work after a vacation / holiday /break as reentry.  I can only describe my reentry as brutal. That first week back work was 50+ hours, including a couple of hours on Saturday morning.  Lots of looming deadlines, people changing their minds, and a little great news, my department budget is within 7% of being fully funded through the date that I could retire. And we are making progress on that.  A couple of new projects in the next few months, and I can pass the funding and budget work off to the next generation.  

Summer is settling in, the trees are so green they are almost black.  Local strawberries that taste like the strawberries we raised on the farm when I was a kid are in season.  Heavenly! 

In the center of Reykjavik, on top of a hill, is a brutalist masterpiece church.  I understand it is cast in place concrete. There is an elevator that goes to the clock level, and a couple of flights from there to the belfry, with openings to the air just below the top.  Well worth the 1,200 krona per person to go up (about $8.70 US.)  They don't take American Express. The bells chime every 15 minutes.  

Credit cards in Iceland.  Iceland is a nearly cashless society.  I think I only saw one sign that had a minimum sale for a credit or debit card.  They use mostly touchless cards.  The European standard is a pin and chip card.  Those are rare in the USA.  I have two of them.  Gas stations are often unattended, and only take pin and chip cards, so if you are renting a car, it really helps to have one.  One of mine worked, the other one didn't.  I called both of them before we left to verify that they would work and to let them know when and where I was traveling.  

Iceland has a national effort to reduce waste, including waste paper.  You are asked if you need a receipt for a purchase. If you don't ask for it, it is not printed.  A little thing but it will save a few hundred trees a year, and be little less will go into the landfills or incinerators.  In places like Italy, merchants are obligated to give you a receipt for even the most mundane of purchases.  The Fiscal Police (Tax police) watch for receipts in small merchants and will fine the merchant for failure to provide a receipt.  Tax avoidance is a national pastime in Italy, and unthinkable for people in Iceland. 

Something that struck me was the honesty and sincerity of the people.  I felt safe, I didn't count my change, I didn't worry about where my wallet and passport were.  I left my computer in the hotel room (it wouldn't fit in the in room safe.)