Iceland Sends Ash, Britain Shakes Fist
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!
