Regards from Iceland

Regards from Iceland
15-07-2008

I have been a member of this website for 8-9 months now. Apologies for not introducing myself sooner, but I tend to be an inactive observer rather than active participant everywhere. Actually I used to contribute several items to IZES and Bartlett Society publications between circa 2000 and 2004, but nothing since I realised that my enthusiasm was greater than my actual knowledge or experience. English skills also had something to do with it, but after living for most of last year in Australia, that is no longer a problem. In Australia I visited 24 animal collections, including all the state capital zoos except those of Perth and Canberra, but primarily in North Queensland where I was working. Not in a zoo, a hotel, although it resembled a zoo at times!

My name is Baldur and at least those of you who collect guidebooks and have attended the collectors' fair in recent years might know me. I have never worked in a zoo, but they have been an interest of mine since childhood. It is somewhat strange that I became interested in zoos, in light of that Iceland, where I was born and raised, is not a zoo country. It had a small menagerie which closed in 1987, Reykjavik the capital has a small zoo with domestic animals and wild Icelandic ones, and a few minor aquariums are dotted here and there in villages around the country. Fortunately my interest was pillared by my parents, particularly my father, who always took me to at least one zoo when we were abroad. However, since I started travelling alone, I have more than doubled my visitor record, now 108 collections in 18 countries. Not much in the eyes of those who grew up in other countries, but then I just have more to look forward to in the future!

I am trying to become more active in zoo discussion circles, especially on this website, as it is probably the best that has happened since Peter Dickinson started his Yahoo groups in 2000 or around. I am finishing my honours degree next month (my dissertation subject is Australian wildlife tourism in part) and after that I will hopefully become as active as before 2004 or thereabout. It has been four years of slightly decreasing interest in zoos and animals, at least compared to that of my childhood, but as I get older (and a bit wiser?) I realise more and more what is good for me

15-07-2008

Hello Baldur, welcome to zoobeat, this is THE best zoo discussion group a lot of information is being shared here, and i have found it to be a great source of zoo news, a lot quicker than many zoo websites.
I have read your favourite 10 zoo exhibits in an old copy of zoo, good choices there!

15-07-2008

What were the exhibits?

By the way, welcome to the forum!

15-07-2008

Apologies to all especially Baldur, the article he actually wrote in that edition was the first review of the new Fuengirola zoo.

15-07-2008

Hello welcome on the forum Baldur! I like your name
I'm planning to go to Iceland coming years. I would like to see the island and go whale watching in Husavik .

15-07-2008

Welcome to zoobeat. I was recently on holiday in Iceland - what an amazing country. The scenery is awesome. We were going to visit Reykjavik zoo but didn't have the time. We did see lots of Icelandic horses and numerous species of birds on our travels though.

Thanks
15-07-2008

Marc, welcome to come to Iceland some day. I live far from Husavik, but very close to the country's only international airport, so we could meet up if we wanted to. You can go whale-watching from several towns, but Husavik is basically the only one where you are guaranteed to see Blue Whales, I even think they have a refund policy if you don't see one! Gigit, nice to know you were here, shame you missed the Reykjavik zoo. Now, it is not something you must see before you die, but a nice place anyway. And oh, the Fuengirola thing and the Top Ten list I wrote for IZES is something I am embarrassed for now, especially since I have visited so many more zoos since then. For sure I would nominate more sophisticated things now than the Copenhagen lions or the Frankfurt giraffe house!

15-07-2008

Welcome to ZooBeat Baldur!! 108 collections is an amazing number...

15-07-2008

Welcome to the Zoobeat forums Baldur, you maybe our only member from Iceland

16-07-2008

Welcome to Zoobeat Forums Baldur . My son introduced me to the music of Sigur Ros from Iceland which I think is wonderful - as well as being a zoo enthusiast I have always enjoyed music .

16-07-2008

I wouldn't be too astonished if I was People in less specific circles have found my nationality exotic, which makes me a bit embarrassed at times. Thank you all for welcoming me here. As I said, I have not been so active up to now, but it will change, and already has, I have made around 10 posts in the past 24 hours to other people's enquires

19-07-2008

Mmm Blue Whales, that's what I would like to see of course. I think it must be a very impressive experience! But of course you must have much luck but I think it's worth the money!

23-07-2008

Hi Baldur, nice to see you join. Don't worry about the number of zoos you've visited - I'm English and considering the amount of zoos we have, and the ready access to a huge number of others on the near continent, my list is embarrassingly small! Still, quality not quantity, right?

Oh and hehe, don't go around inviting people on such a forum to come meet you in Iceland - if you're not careful you'll have the entire forum turning up at your door!

23-07-2008

I totally agree with you, quantity instead of quality. I am however not afraid of inviting people to come and visit me because in the eight years or so since I found out that I wasn't the only zoo enthusiast in the world, I have only met one fellow enthusiast in Iceland, in 2004, when I had a chance to meet David Barnaby briefly and tour him around the small Reykjavik Zoo. But David was here for more than zoos (anyone who thinks Iceland is a zoo country has not done his homework!) and I guess that is why he was here. Anyone else who wants to come over (its not Mars or Venus, contrary to what some seem to think!) do so and I tell you when I give up on the crowd!

23-07-2008

I can vouch for that! Incredible, unique scenery - a geologist's dream! But you need more signs! We searched in vain for Gjain, which is supposed to have a geological exhibition, and ended up wandering round the geothermal plant at the Blue Lagoon! And we couldn't find the campsites or tourist offices at Grindavik and Hafnarfjordur. It seemed that things don't open until June 16? Minor complaints that didn't spoil our holiday and we'd definitely return. We stayed at Keflavik campsite for 2 nights .........if only we'd known aout your invitation