Notice anything wrong with this picture?

Now before I go any further with this post, I want to say that this cup was a gift from a person who is very special to me. He probably picked it up at one of the many Icelandic tourist shops in down town Reykjavik or even as a last minute gift from the airport. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Also, I love this cup. I brought it with me to the United States and I use it often. After using this cup for a few years now, I happened to notice something the other day. Can you see it?

I will bet good money that many of my Icelandic friends noticed it right away.

Here take a closer look.

Now you get it. Iceland doesn’t have polar bears. In fact the last polar bear that happened to make his way over to the beautiful island was promptly shot (http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/ICELANDS-POLAR-BEAR-POLICY)!  It is true. In fact, until 2008, it had been decades since a polar bear had shown up on the Icelandic shores  (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1024243/First-polar-bear-swim-Iceland-15-years-shot-dead-police-sightseers.html). This poor beast was shot right in front of a group of tourists.

Now don’t let that put you off of Iceland and that isn’t the point of this post. First, Iceland is a beautiful and amazing country filled with beautiful, brilliant, and strong people. The point is that this cup was a tourist artifact schlepped off onto my unsuspecting friend. I have looked and looked to try and find out where the thing was made, but can find no indications other than “Drifa EHF Original Design.” The EHF denotes a legal business entity of some sort. So the thing was definitely designed in Iceland, if not made there. No doubt the artist had a good laugh as he or she added to polar bear to the cup’s many other significant Icelandic facts. All of which are correct just in case you are wondering. Did I also happen to mention that Icelanders have a great sense of humor?

The polar bear faux pa did get me wondering about how many other tourist trinkets we ignorant pilgrim want-to-be types get hooked for. I know I spent a small fortune on a Gucci bag for my daughter in Venice only to find out a year or so later it was a knock off! I also know that since I have been south of the border here I have done a lot of touristing and am hoping I haven’t been taken advantage of too badly in any of these events. In the end I guess it doesn’t really matter. As long as you enjoy the tourist experience you’ve had who care about the trinkets. Most are pure garbage that do little more than clutter up space anyway. However I will say that even after my little polar bear discovery, I still love my cup and use it almost every day!