End of the Line?

Since starting this mess in April of 2004, it seems that I'm always saying goodbye. Bloggers just come and go- and blogging "relationships" have always been more like a pleasant chat with a stranger than a long-term commitment with a dear friend. That said, and although I had premonitions of its coming, the news of the recent decision of Alda Sigmundsdóttir to end her excellent blog The Iceland Weather Report was received here with sadness.

It may not be the end of the line as far as my interest in Icelandic bloggers goes, but it is truly the end of an era. Hers was the most informative, authoritative, and unquestionably the best blog from Iceland written in English. The site, along with its forum, will remain up, but her almost daily reports on a vast panorama of Icelandic topics will cease. This will be a big hole in my blog-world, while there are many good niche-sites about Iceland, and good personal ones, none of them (and indeed no blogs I read anywhere) could convey a person's life in its geo-socio-political contexts as well as Alda could.

I can understand why she's quit- she is an active professional, with family and other personal obligations, as well having to deal with the overall downturn in the Icelandic economy (as well as the comments of crack-pots!) It also seems pretty evident why she has kept it going as long as she did- she really loves Iceland, its people and culture, and that she thought that the rest of the world could appreciate it as well. It has been a rough couple of years for Iceland. Alda has been there through the worst of it, sparing nothing, she must be exhausted.

I certainly did appreciate her efforts; it was the only blog I've supported with monetary contributions, and it was always the first Icelandic blog I recommended to people interested in traveling to Iceland. It was also the only blog where I dropped my Professor Batty moniker and used my real name when commenting.

So. What else can I say? There is nothing, nothing except "thank you."