Iceland is geography

I went to Iceland a month ago, and was agog looking at the landscape. Iceland is a living geography lesson, with amazing landforms all over.

So, a game of spot-the-landform - Geysir hot spring, a hill (don't know its name), Gullfoss waterfall and Faxi waterfall.

And some more - Kerið crater, Strokkur geyser, Hvítá gorge and another hill (don't know its name either)

I made my photos black and white because the weather was mainly grey during my visit - except for Sunday, when the sun came out, and colour emerged: blue waters at the Blue Lagoon, and Reykjavik harbour

UK Eurovision Preview Party

Last night's Eurovision Preview Party was a great success. There was a real fun, friendly, positive and enjoyable atmosphere. Here's a run-down:

Great vintage performances from previous entrants Nicki French, Friðrik Ómar, Jessica Garlick and Imaani.

Imaani is 8 months' pregnant, well done to her for coming along to perform! Jessica Garlick still sounds stunning, and Friðrik is a great fun performer giving us an acapella This is My Life which happily became disco-dance-tastic in the final chorus. (Jade Ewan - take note).

Nicki French is a national treasure, and should be preserved in aspic.

Polish singer Lidia sung well with two nice songs. Bulgarian Krassimir seemed like a nice, sweet guy, but a little uncomfortable on stage.

Romanian Elena really sells her song well and she spins around a lot. Awesome hair extensions from her. A troupe of dancing Balkan girls strutting around stage on Moscow will be a treat from her.

Icelandic Johanna was great - very strong singer and she delivers her song well.

Cypriot Christina proved she can sing - and sing well. Her Eurovision song is a little too big for her, as she seems quite timid and nervous. Hopefully the supportive and excellent reaction she received will help boost her confidence.

Ireland were great - they performed their song with great energy and enthusiasm. They just played one song, which I felt was a shame as the crowd were really loving them. Watch:




And then: Ukraine

Svetlana Loboda came on stage aloft on the shoulders of one of her 4 very hunky, very fit dancers. They all then proceeded to give a performance which beggared belief - muscular, powerful, dynamic, energetic and frenetic.

The dancers - chests and arms bared - were a surreal mix of rabid thuggish soldiers and gay boy harlequin marionettes. They performed Be My Valentine with such gusto, it will surely figure high in the placings in Moscow. They then performed another song with Soviet-style marching and flags depicted the mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

And then the dancers donned t-shirts and then took them off again. And then I got one (a t-shirt, that is). And then they proceeded to climb about the stage. And then writhed about. And then flexed their muscles. And then started to take bits of clothing off. And then we all fainted...

Watch for yourself - this is Svetlana's encore performance of Be My Valentine

Eurovision 2008

Welcome to Eurovision Week! 

Bloggers and news site are agog with the idea that the 2008 top 3 may well be the same as the 2007 top 3: namely, Serbia, Ukraine and Russia. 

So, let's look at last year, and see what we can learn for this year...

• The name Maria - or variants of - is a success symbol with Marija Serivofic winning, and Greece's Yassou Maria in the Top 10.

So, for 2008, step forward this year's only Maria from Norway!

• Turkey came in 4th with a song all about having candy.

Step up Greece's Kalomira who's come as a Quality Street.

• Both Russia and Serbia swathed their stages in red last year - will red be the colour to watch this year?
• Bulgaria came fifth with some dated dance music - good news for this year's lovely Icelandic entry.

• And lastly, 2007 was the year of baco-foil clad drag queen Verka Serduchka. Who will take on that mantle this year? Step forward one Charlotte Perrelli!

Enjoy Eurovision!

Icelandic map by Thor

I've collected Iceland for my 'Globe' Project. This is Iceland, as drawn by Thor, a Retro Bar Douze Points regular.

Realising Thor was Icelandic - I don't meet many Icelandic people - I grabbed my chance.

It's also made me realise - I'm unlikely to meet many people from Vanautu, Tonga, and a huge wealth of nations... So I'm going to change this project to be a collection of European countries maps. It will henceforth be EuroRevision.

London Eurovision Party

Last night's UK Eurovision Party was an amazing night - how could it not be with that line-up? My highlights:

• Passing Ani Lorak on the stairs as I went in.
• Seeing Malta's Morena on the VIP balcony bopping along to Eurovision hits
• Seeing Nanne Gronvall on the VIP balcony finger-clicking and singing Making Your Mind Up
• Cheryl Baker - Queen of Advertising - advertising Bucks Fizz's Greatest Hits
• Malta's Morena bouncing up and down to perform Vodka
• Iceland's Euroband doing a medley of Eurovision hits, and then the fantastic This is my life
• Nanne Gronvall bringing on backing dancers.
• The Armenians that showed up to support Sirusho

• The sheer bonkers-ness of Bosnia's Laka
• Ani Lorak performing Shady Lady
• Ani Lorak's topless buff dancers - she knows her audience.
• Dancing to Hero again and again and again

Here's Ani Lorak performing Shady Lady

And here is Nanne doing Hall Om Mig. Brilliant!

More of this, please

These are some things I'm currently enjoying, liking and loving:

• This is Spanish Eurovision winner Massiel (she won in 1968!) presenting a song at the Spanish preselection. Massiel won't be singing Busco Un Hombre in the final, she was just presenting it. That's a crying shame as it's a wonder to behold.
  
  I particularly like her swinging her coat above her head and her exuberant bouncing. She's a game old bird.
  
  



• From one game old bird to another. It's Carola, in full strut formation, arms aloft stomping her way through Invincible, again, at the Spanish preselections. I like how the floaty blue top she's wearing never really fits until her arms are aloft in the flag-carrying position.
  
  
  
  
• And finally, according to tabloid tittle-tattle, Jude Law is dating the presenter of Iceland's X-Factor show. Her name is Halla Vilhjalmsdottir. What a fantastic name. I want more celebrities dating random foreign celebrities with ace names.

Banking on Iceland

As a relatively recent migrant to the UK, I have a pretty low credit score. I've never been in debt, nor have ever had any problems with my accounts and I moved flats a few times. This all means that banks don't trust me for credit (I won't rant about this but, frankly, it's ridiculous!). I spoke recently with someone who works for a bank. She advised me to open savings accounts as these help with the credit score.

I read yesterday about a new bank in the UK - a bank from Iceland. Landsbanki, Iceland's first and longest running financial institution, are breaking into the UK market with a savings account which offers a very healthy interest rate. A bank, from Iceland? How ace! The website is evocative - pictures of volcanic activity and blue lagoons.

So I applied. Everything was going well until I read that I would need a UK passport to confirm my identity (I didn't). I called to confirm. As I was awaiting a response, I hoped I'd talk to someone with a name like Gudmunsdottir, someone just like Björk, Selma, or Silvia Night.

These hopes were dashed when Nikki answered the phone with a thick Geordie accent, sounding for all the world like Ant + Dec's younger sister. So my exotic Icelander hopes were dashed.

Still, I can at least hope she was Cheryl Tweedy's cousin.