Reykjavik Wanderings

 We have come full circle around the island and we are back in Reykjavik for our final two days before going to Greenland. As much as I love the natural world with its waterfalls and fjords and glaciers and farms and horses--as much as I enjoy all that, I really love cities and urban wandering. Reykjavik is quirky and artsy and fascinating. All afternoon we wandered the city then ended up at Cafe Loki where we tried two unusual things: rye bread ice cream (quite tasty) and fermented shark (not as bad as it sounds although I won't try it again.) Fermented shark was once an Icelandic food that is now mostly eaten by curious tourists.

So here is a camera dump from our afternoon wanderings.

View from the tower in Hallgrimskirja
Hallgrimskirkja





Monument to strong women -- Ingebjorg Bjarnson, the first woman member of parliament in 1922

The Black Cone: a monument to civil disobedience



Was James Bond Icelandic?


Ron trying the fermented shark.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Road Trip

Image
Before we get to Iceland, we're driving to Seattle. Gilda Radner-Tortuga is going with us, riding in her tank on the back seat. Gilda will become a Seattle resident for the next phase of her life. The car ride raised her anxiety level a little and she tried to crawl under her water bowl. The view of Mt. Shasta is always worth noting, no matter how many times we've seen it. Our California landscape has so many amazing variations. From the volcanic remnants of home, we're off to see the volcanic landscape of Iceland. 
Read more

Tromso 2 -- Our Last Day

Image
Doug got up last night at midnight, hoping to see the midnight sun. It was daylight, but the sun was hiding behind the clouds. I didnt get up. He managed to take some pics to show the light. One more library, the Tromso Library and Archives. Talked to a librarian about local writers and enjoyed a few quiet moments. A museum of culture and history explored Sami culture, an Indigenous group spanning 4 countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Rounded out the day with an art museum and a troll museum -- a look at folklore and trolls in Norse culture and literature. A forest troll: Some other troll: And this is my final post. Tomorrow,  we fly back to Oslo, to spend a night near the airport before flying home Thursday. It will be good to see Barbara's smiling face Thursday night to welcome us back to Fresno.
Read more

Last Day in Oslo -- and Lilacs

Image
It was such a beautiful spring day here in Oslo, our last day here. We spent it all outdoors at two different amazing parks: the Vigeland Sculpture Park and Ekeberg Park. As we walked in other parts of the city, there were many lilacs blooming, in numerous colors. The path to the palace was lined with them. Lilacs and their scent always make me happy.  Vigeland Park is home to 200 sculptures, all by Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). He didn't change his style at all over the years, but his sculptures certainly weren't boring. His most famous piece is The Angry Boy. It is rumored that he gave a child candy, then took it away, and created his sculpture from the kid's reaction. I was intrigued by the way he captured the movement of people. After looking at these sculptures, the rest of the day we both found ourselves hyper-aware of the way children on the sidewalks around us moved -- pulling, reaching, jumping, running, turning somersaults, etc. ...
Read more