Here To Geneva

Get set for a few changes to you normal Here To Geneva service.

In light of the major spring clean that took place in my house yesterday, I’ve now moved my attention to my online home. As of now, there will be a few changes around here that I’d like to tell you about.

Changes To The Blog

There are two major changes to the blog. They are;

1. A new look - The white and red design was getting a bit old and tatty and didn’t work very well with Tumblr (where the blog lives) so I’ve introduced a new Tumblrtastic design with plenty of widgets and whizzbangs. The Swiss flag remains though in a nod to the blog’s roots.
2. A different approach to posts - To be honest, ever since moving to Tumblr, I haven’t really embraced the whole Tumblog style (in that I’ve continued posting long text posts). From now on, I’ll be posting shorter media-rich posts with much more frequency. I’ll still continue with the the long text posts where I see fit though, for instance, for hotel reviews and trip notes, so don’t panic.

In these early days of the new look, some of the older posts will look a bit scruffy. I’m working on this as you read. Unfortunately, as I edit the old posts, they may reappear to feed subscribers. All I can do is apologise and ask you to bear with me.

Changes To The Podcast

The few people subscribed to the podcast will have noticed a distinct lack of updates recently. Truth is, while I like recording audio, I find splicing it all together rather tedious (although I am very proud of the six editions I produced). In order to address the lack of updates, I’ll be posting the audio I record to the brilliant AudioBoo. There are already a few soundscapes uploaded for you to listen to with plenty more on the way.

If you are already a subscriber, you’ve already been flipped automatically to the AudioBoo feed.

If you’re not currently a subscriber, you have a few options. I’ll be posting the extra good “boos” to this blog, so you can continue visiting to hear them. If you want to listen to all of my boos, you can visit my page on AudioBoo and select one of the subscription options there.

Eyjafjallajökull causes travel disruption across Europe.

So, I guess since I’ve been posting a lot about my Iceland trip lately, it would be fitting to post something about the volcanic eruption that’s causing so much travel disruption in northern and mainland Europe.

According to news sources, right now, as I type this message, the sky above me is laced with volcanic ash being blown nearly 1500 miles from the eruption site in Eyjafjallajökull (ay-yah-fe-aht-la-yo-kuhl). As a result, for the first time in British aviation history, the skies have been empty. It’s absolutely unprecedented.

I live directly underneath a busy flight path. Planes taking off from nearby London airports fly directly over my house. Luckily, the planes are very high up by the time they reach us, but not so high that we can’t hear them. Those that follow my Flickr stream will attest I often upload photos of the contrails the planes leave behind. They are almost a landmark of the area.

Right now though, there’s nothing. It’s peaceful and the skies are completely clear.

There are some great expat sites I subscribe to that have been posting volcano updates from the source. I recommend you drop on by. Also, check out these other great posts.

The last time this particular volcano erupted was around 200 years ago. Back then, it erupted for two years straight, so there could be prolonged disruption. That’s without the added complication that history has shown that when this volcano blows, neighbouring, much larger volcanoes are stirred into action. Eeep!

You’ve heard of the saying, “When in Rome,” right? Well, when I was in Rome recently, I decided to eat like the Romans. When I say Rome of course, I mean Reykjavík and when I say Romans, I mean Icelandic people. It sounds odd I know, but it’s a metaphor, so you have to… ahhh, I can’t be bothered to explain it.

On my first night in Reykjavík, I decided to splash out on some fine-dining Icelandic cuisine. I couldn’t decide whether to go for the lamb, or the puffin, or the seafood, so I went for the whole lot, Tapas-style. My “Icelandic Feast” consisted of the following;

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Reykjavík is a great place to eat. Gone are the days when absolutely everything was ludicrously expensive. Now, you can sample Icelandic cuisine and world cuisine with an Icelandic twist without a second mortgage. Here’s where I chose to eat.

Saegreifinn - The Sea Baron

A great little place that’s full of character. To be found on the dock of the Old Harbour, Saegreifinn sells reasonably priced, fresh seafood. They’re best known for their Lobster Soup served with bread (around Kr1000 / £5.00) and their fish skewers (around Kr 1800 / £9.00) which you can select from the open fridges. Once you’ve ordered, take a seat on a barrel at one of the long communal tables, eavesdrop on the conversation and gaze around at the clutter of nautical decorations. Within a few minutes, your food will be brought to you. Saegreifinn is not only popular with tourists, but popular with locals who come in and buy large packs of dried fish fillets. This isn’t the best cuisine in town, but it’s fresh, tasty, reasonably priced and served in a very unique atmosphere. Its well worth a visit.

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