To see the country’s major highlights we booked a “Golden Circle Tour” with the first stop, Thingvellir National Park. Although it was a blinding snowstorm that April day, our trilingual guide (he spoke French, English and Icelandic) pointed out the valley rift where the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart from each other, adding 2 centimeters to the landmass every year. Because of its precarious geologic position on a major fault line, Iceland is literally seething with constant volcanic activity. That’s not all bad news since the resulting geothermal activity provides 96 % of the country’s energy needs. From the National Park we visited Gullfoss, a spectacular, 2-tiered waterfall. Next up was a warm drenching from Geysir hot spring, as we hadn’t timed its eruption to our casual stroll around the area.

The following day we headed off to the Blue Lagoon—a geothermal spa set in a bleak, lava-strewn landscape. We whiled away the grey afternoon happily floating in the powder blue, 99 degree saltwater. We also popped in and out of saunas, and got our backs massaged by the force of the spa’s waterfall. For good measure we slathered on the white mud lining the pool— It’s a concoction of minerals that are great for your skin, although you look a little odd while it dries to a bright pastiness.

Even though Icelanders speak perfect English you may want to try your hand at Icelandic—a language that resembles the Old Norse spoken by the Viking immigrants over 1100 years ago. Try Teach Yourself Icelandic.

Curious as to why that modest looking lunch costs so much? You might be interested in Michael Lewis’s latest book Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World. The first chapter describes what led up to Iceland’s banking collapse in 2008.

Where should you stay? Start with the Icelandair website for special package deals. Or get a few ideas from  Frommer’s Iceland 2011. We stayed at the Hilton Nordica, a 4 star hotel of sleek design with a complimentary full breakfast buffet that included all manner of smoked fish and meats that you wash down with shots of fish oil for good health.

Iceland is intriguing on so many levels—for one thing, its people are all related. Descended from Vikings and their Celtic slaves, this isolated and homogenous population is lately the subject of several genetic studies. Then there is their unflappable belief in “Hidden People”—elves, dwarves, gnomes who inhabit deserted regions—which means that they are pretty much everywhere.

And according to author Eric Weiner in The Geography of Bliss it is one of the happiest places on earth. “There’s no one on the island telling them they’re not good enough, so they just go ahead and sing and paint and write.”  If only we all had their confident yet playful perspective on life. Spend a few days on this unusual island and that quality may rub off on you.

Mary O.

The front door of the main branch will be closed on Tuesday, February 7th from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm as we complete a renovation project.  Please enter and exit the building using the children’s room entrance on the Concord Street side of the building.  Thank you for your cooperation and your patience as we work to maintian this beautiful, historic building.

Please bring your own empty bags, and fill them with the many possible treasures that you may find in the Winchell Room, located on the lower floor of the library.  As you leave the Winchell Room, you will pay $5 for each bag that has materials from the sale.  If you have any questions, please contact Eileen A. Reddy at ereddy@manchesternh.gov or by phone at 624-6550 ext. 320 (Information Desk).

 Basically, the system allows libraries to group books about a similar topic together, based on a “call number.”  Books are first grouped into one of ten main categories, then each category is divided into smaller sections as your topic gets more specific.  Each book has a number assigned to it based on its specific topic and the books can then be shelved in numerical order.

 For a great, easy-to-understand explanation of the Dewey Decimal Classification, check out http://library.thinkquest.org/5002/Basic/basic.htm for a fun website created by sixth-graders in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

 In addition to his classification system, Melvil Dewey established the world’s first library school, in 1887, at Columbia University; co-founded the American Library Association, which is the oldest library association in the world; and first published Library Journal, read by public librarians to help them keep current with what is going on in the library world, as well as providing them with reviews of books and other library-related products.

Is it any wonder that Melvil Dewey is referred to as the “Father of Modern Librarianship”?

That wistful feeling came back to me the other day while reading Tom Ryan’s Following Atticus: 48 High Peaks, One Little Dog and an Extraordinary Friendship. Tom and his miniature schnauzer, Atticus M. Finch, had a goal like my father—only theirs was to hike those 48 mountains not once, but twice in one winter to raise money for charity. Together they experience the mountains in all types of forbidding weather and in varying states of health and spirit. They scramble up windswept, icy trails, reach isolated summits and often sit and contemplate the silent beauty in front of them.

Following Atticus covers a lot of ground and often evokes a range of emotions in the reader. For me, it is ultimately a story about finding your way in the world—generally not the easiest way but always the most rewarding and authentic—as Tom explains: “In the mountains Atticus became more of what he’d always been, and I became less—less frantic, less stressed, less worried, and less harried.” The book reminded me of the sort of peace that I also felt on the high peaks, a long time ago. Thanks Tom and Atticus for inspiring me. Any day now, I’ll be dusting off my old Limmer boots and heading north once again.

Mary O