The Eruption Giveth, The Eruption Taketh Away

It's hard to believe that barely two months ago a volcanic eruption in Fimmvörðuháls, in south Iceland, seemed like a goose dropping fat golden eggs. That's because the initial eruption was the pretty, Hollywood kind: lots of lava plumes, set against a stark, Nordic background, and relatively safe enough to walk right up to the thing and take photos and videos of it.

It's that last point, in fact, that gave many people here hope. And for good reason: in early April, some 200 tourists a day were heading up to the volcano. March was, in fact, a record-breaking month for tourism in Iceland. We were optimistic that this eruption could be a great boost to our economy.

And that's when Mother Earth decided to troll us.

When the photogenic Fimmvörðuháls was replaced by the decidedly unattractive ash eruption at Eyjafjallajökull, things took a turn for the worse. Apart from making life extremely difficult for people who live in the region, this ash cloud shut down plane traffic across Europe, resulting in multiple flight and hotel cancellations here at home. Matters weren't helped when the president told BBC that the real doom-and-gloom eruption was on its way. He would later add that this isn't likely to happen for decades, but by then, the damage had been done.

And that's basically where we're at now. Summer is almost here, and flights in and out of Iceland can be cancelled at the drop of a hat. Hardworking and dedicated volunteers are in the south, helping to clean up the farms that have had to put up with the heaviest ashfall, and that's heartwarming, certainly. But we're stuck with this ash machine that doesn't seem to be nearing a conclusion anytime soon.

I guess the lesson in all this is: don't expect unpredictable geological phenomenae to rescue your economy. I've also learned that volcanic ash mist apparently kicks my spring allergies into overdrive. Christ I hate this volcano.