Iceland is Green, Greenland is Ice

I have traveled to some interesting places in my lifetime, the most recent of which is Iceland.  It sits in the Atlantic Ocean just outside of the Arctic Circle between Greenland and Europe.  Most of the roughly 330,000 inhabitants live in and around the capital, Reykjavík.  The Gulf Stream helps moderate the winters here, and they aren’t as brutal as you’d expect. As a matter of fact, the coasts are ice-free all winter. The last ice incursion was way back in 1969…along the north coast. Greenland, on the other hand, is mostly covered in ice.

Speaking of winters, it is Iceland’s proximity to the North Pole that initially prompted my visit.  I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights (the Aurora Borealis), and Iceland is a great place to see them.  I talked Kathy and Imelda into going.  There was very little arm-twisting involved, as Iceland intrigued them both…and we had a blast.

 

WOW!

The economical alternative

First, let’s talk about getting to Iceland.  There’s a new airline in town:  WOW airlines.  We decided to try them on for size and booked our tickets.  In a collaborative effort with the Iceland tourism board, WOW airlines launched a brilliant marketing campaign to funnel visitors to the country.  They offer economical trans-Atlantic flights, with “free” lay-overs in Iceland.  So tack on a few days in Iceland on the front or back-end of your European trip (or trip to the Americas) for no additional airfare. The strategy worked.  In 2016, winter tourism doubled, practically equaling the number of summertime visitors of the previous year.

They have a sense of humor at WOW

WOW is IcelandAir’s regional airline.  Their version of easyJet, or Spirit Airlines, if you will.  Fuchsia is their signature color, so they really stand out on the runway.  It’s a young fleet, the oldest aircraft being born in 2010.  They gave each plane a name, too…like WOW, GPA (Grandpa), MOM, SIS, GAY, LUV, NEO, SON, etc.  We flew on JOY.  Their sense of humor also extends to the plane’s interior.  The call button labels say things like, “Honk if you’re hungry,” and “Ring my bell.”  The seat protectors offer a chuckle with sayings like, “Greetings traveler,” or “Hi, I’m your seat.”

Weigh that luggage!

WOW’s automated check in process keeps things moving.  But since everyone on our flight chose that route, it actually would have been faster to visit the person manning the check-in station.  Also, the check-in doesn’t open until 2 hours before take-off.  So if you get there earlier, you will just be standing around, waiting.  A word of caution, though:  they are very strict about luggage size and weight.  But if you can work within the guidelines – or even survive with just a carry on, the airfares can’t be beat.  I really like the retro uniforms, too.

 

Cue drum roll….

Hey…where’s the rooster?

We touched down in Reykjavík in the wee hours of the morning…even earlier than the rooster crows,

and Iceland made a great first impression.  The spotless airport bathrooms are like suites!  Amazing murals decorate the walls…just beware of the hand dryers.  They attached them like wings to the faucet, and motion activates them.  Imelda sprayed soap everywhere trying to wash her hands when she accidentally triggered them.  The cold water in Iceland comes from glacial run-off and is safe, and delicious to drink.  You will find a filling station just outside the bathroom in the airport, so bring an empty water bottle and save some money.  Some restaurants also have fountains where you can refill.

Pre-dawn Iceland is magical.  It’s quiet, the lingering snow on Mount Esja in the distance glistens in the moonlight, and the ripples on the water of the harbor complete the picture of serenity.  It’s too early to check in to our hotel, Hotel Frón,…so we take a walk.  As we wander it becomes clear we chose a prime location with Hotel Frón.  The rooms are reasonable, the rate includes breakfast, and the service proves to be on-point.  If I return to Iceland and this hotel is available, this is where I will stay.  It’s right on Laugavegur, and within walking distance of everything.

The early morning hang-out

Not far away is Sandholt Bakery, and it’s open, and just about every table is full when we enter.

Clearly they corner the early-bird market.  The fresh bread and pastries smell so good!  Each of us try something different, and everything is delicious.  Some of the other patrons chat with us for a while as we recharge our batteries.  Then we spend the rest of the morning walking about – absorbing everything around us until it’s time for check-in.

Be sure to sign the guestbook

I was a bit stir crazy after we checked in.  So before our Northern Lights tour, I wandered around a bit, instinctively heading toward the ethereal beauty of Mount Esja.  Eventually I end up along the waterfront by the old harbor standing in front of a huge building (for Iceland) covered with beautiful colored glass.  This is Harpa, the very modern looking concert hall that is home to the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera.  It also has smaller halls, meeting rooms, and even underground parking.  Mount Esja stands to the north, watching over the city from a short distance across the water.  She presents a majestic backdrop, and I’m told that if you hike to the top (just shy of 3,000 feet), there is a guestbook to sign and the views are magnificent.

Where will your dreams take you?

I walked from Harpa all the way down to Höfði house.  Along the way, I pass the stainless steel

Sólfar sculpture (translation: Sun Voyager).  This sculpture won the competition to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the City of Reykjavík.  It is not a Viking boat, as one might think…but a “dreamboat, an ode to the sun symbolizing light and hope.”  Although the artist intended for it to be in another location in the city, facing west…red tape eventually landed it at its present location, facing north.  Despite the fact it doesn’t face west over the open ocean, you still get the sense that it will carry you wherever you want to go.

Go Reagan! Go Reagan!

Höfði house is a bit of a distance from Harpa, This house is significant in that it served as the meeting place for Gorbachev and Reagan for their 1986 summit that marked the end of the cold war.  Aside from that it isn’t very interesting.  It sits all alone on it’s own “block” with nary a tree or bush to compliment it.  Snow blanketed Iceland just before we arrived, and it hasn’t melted yet.  So Höfði house looks very bleak.  Actually, the only color in the white backdrop is the water that lies between here and Mount Esja.

The hop-on hop-off bus stops at both Harpa and Höfði house.  But 4,000 krona (about $38 US) per person I found to be quite expensive.  Reykjavík is a rather small city, and we walked to most of the stops ourselves over the course of our stay.  At $114 for three people, it’s cheaper to take a cab to the furthest stops. (Perlan, Skarfabakki Harbor – a summer stop only, and Kringlan shopping center if you want to go there.)  You also don’t have to do it all in one day.  The bus pass is good for 24 hours, but it only runs from 8:30 til about 6pm.

I found the rooster!

Returning to the hotel, I chose to follow the main drag, Laugavegur.  I see a curious group of people huddled outside a window peering in.  They are standing in front of a museum:  The Icelandic Phallological Museum.  It’s name creates quite a stir, (no pun intended) so I felt compelled to return. It is the Year of the Rooster, after all.

When we did come back later in the week, we found preserved penile specimens of every mammal found in Iceland, including homo sapiens.  Over 200 examples in all!  Scattered among them are other penile oddities…like the penis walking stick, the lampshades made from bull scrotum, the penis coat hook, and a penis cork screw to name a few.  Definitely an eye-opening experience, and the only museum of its kind in the world.  The curator isn’t without a sense of humor, though.  The condom wrappers in the souvenir shop are pretty funny, for instance, as well as this piece of artwork…

 

Chasing the elusive Aurora

We book a tour to see the Northern Lights on our first night in Iceland.  That way we have several other nights to catch them if it is cloudy, or if they don’t appear.  (Most companies give you a second tour at no additional cost if you don’t see the lights on your first tour.)   The aurora is a million times dimmer than sunlight and not visible during the day, so all tours start in the evening. The tour companies contact your hotel in advance if they aren’t going out on a quest that night…and many of the excursions include direct pickup at your hotel.

Our tour went off as scheduled, and we head out of Reykjavik toward the interior of the country, where the sky is clear.  Our guide tells us some interesting facts about Iceland as we drive, and he mentions an open mic stand-up comedy night in English every Monday.  That sounds interesting to us, so we make a mental note to check it out.  Luck is on our side, and fifteen minutes later we pile out of the tour bus to watch in amazement.  The aurora starts as an arc, stretching from east to west across the sky. Then it turns into these rippling streamers…mesmerizing us.  The lights are very active tonight, but they fade in and out.  We saw them several different times over the course of our tour.  Simply amazing!

Get the app…

Truthfully, I am a bit disappointed, because to the naked eye the Northern Lights just look like white clouds dancing about.  To see the beautiful greens, purples, and reds; you have to capture them on film.  (I say film because I still have a 35mm film camera.)  But never fear, you can easily capture those beautiful images digitally.  For the best results, use a tripod.  According to our guide, you will get a good shot with ISO 800-1600 and the lowest F-stop.  For a smart phone, just download an app that will allow you to adjust your phone’s camera settings to capture the lights.

AHEAD of time!

It would have been VERY helpful to know about the app in advance, especially since I didn’t tote my 35mm camera with me this trip.  But we didn’t find out about it until half the tour was over…missing some really awesome photos from the activity at the beginning of the night.  Lucky for us the tour bus has free wi-fi.  Unlucky for us it disconnects before the app loads.  After what seems like an eternity of frustration, Imelda manages to load it on her phone.  So all my Northern Lights photos are courtesy of either Imelda, or the woman from Pennsylvania who was nice enough to share her pictures.

 

Free heat, clear skin, clean eating – gotta love Iceland!

But I think the most interesting thing about Iceland is their use of geothermal energy.  Glaciers cover 10% of Iceland, yet it has 200 volcanoes…31 of which are active.  Icelanders harness the Earth’s heat, using the hot water for indoor and outdoor geothermal baths, for heating their homes, and for keeping the streets clear of snow and ice.  The default water flow is hot, actually, and you temper it with cold.  The hot water contains sulfur, so it has a slight odor.  But you get used to it, and it’s good for the complexion.  I have yet to see a teenager here with blemished skin. What I would have given for an acne-free youth!

The sulfur will tarnish silver (not sure about gold) so I recommend taking off jewelry before you shower or bathe in the geothermal pools.  Aside from that, the sulfur content isn’t harmful.   We even discovered a soap made with Icelandic volcanic ash.  This soap worked wonders for my friend, who suffered from chronic eczema.  Her condition completely cleared up using it!  You can get a less expensive version of it stateside –  Halló sápa – for about $8 a bar.

Icelanders also don’t bother to turn down the heat if it’s too warm, since it’s practically free.  They just open the windows and doors.   I can just imagine the look on the face of a native Icelander, when they first move to NYC, don’t adjust the thermostat, and get that February heating bill!

The cold water here comes from glacial run-off.  It is delicious and safe to drink.  Carrying a bottle with you and refilling it everywhere can save you a lot of money, since food and drinks are relatively expensive in Iceland.

Dietary concerns?  No worries.

Because Iceland is such an active volcanic area, the soil doesn’t support many types of plants. There are virtually no trees, and they grow their vegetables in greenhouses.  Sheep are the predominant livestock, and restaurant menus also offer chicken and beef dishes.  But the general diet seems to lean more toward vegetarian and “clean” eating, with those dishes only offered to accommodate meat-eaters.  Regardless, you will always have options no matter your dietary concerns, and the food is freshly prepared, and tasty.

 

Reykjavík – an artist’s mecca

Icelanders are a creative bunch, and they made Reykjavík their canvas.  Everywhere I turn there seems to be a sculpture or a mural on the side of a building, adding to the personality of this vibrant city.  I also saw an excellent example of artistic camouflage.  Well, I almost didn’t see it and nearly tripped.  A simple bicycle painted stark white parked in the white snow.  What an ingenious way to avoid a parking ticket!

Closet Prozac addicts?

One tour guide said that Icelanders take the most anti-depressants per capita compared with the rest of the world.  Yet they don’t seem unhappy for a depressed society.  Some of the artwork is a bit dark, and a couple sculptures that come to mind invoke the feeling of being trapped.  But aside from that they seem rather content.  Depression, anger, or trauma of some sort often drives creativity, they say.  But I was surprised to learn that suicide ranks in the the top ten causes of death in Iceland.

I thought traffic accidents would rank higher than suicide.  A lot of the roads here are gravel, a lot of tourists don’t handle a car well on gravel, 50% of the population has a car, and the weather can change quickly here, and between extremes.  (The running joke in Iceland is if you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes.)  But it turns out death by road traffic accidents is all the way down at number 23 on the list!

Or maybe they’re just stuck…

“The Unknown Bureaucrat” is one of those sculptures that, for me, conjures up the feeling of being stuck in a situation.  I love this sculpture because it’s so simple, yet compelling.  A businessman walks along carrying a briefcase.  A rock serves as his upper body.   A description I read says the rock is a metaphor for the weight of daily life.  Another interpretation is that this man is the unknown civil servant…not thought of as a human being, but as just a cog in a wheel.  View it for yourself near City Hall by Tjörnin Pond.  Its location points more to the civil servant interpretation, I think.

The other sculpture that touches on the same theme I found on Bankastræti.  It is a man and woman, facing each other.  A box around each of their midriffs binds their hands to their sides…as if they are both powerless; bound in a relationship…or in a situation together…and unable to change it.

 

What’s a pylsur?

On Monday, we make our way to a bar called Gaukurinn for the open mic stand-up comedy night.  It’s a free event, and it starts at 9pm.  On our way we make a pit stop for a pylsur – the Icelandic hot dog.  While we wait for our turn to order, a musician belts his rendition of American Pie from across the street.  We sing along and eventually make it to the take-out window.  We each order a traditional pylsur to satisfy our hot dog curiosity.  Traditions means that you smother it with three sauces:  ketchup, hot-dog mustard (a special kind of mustard), and remoulade.  Then you top it with onions…raw and crunchy.

The dog “snaps” when you bite into it…and it’s rather messy, so grab extra napkins.  I imagine they put all that stuff on it to disguise the taste of the mostly lamb hot dog beneath. (There’s a little pork and beef thrown in.)  It’s an acquired taste for sure.  But apparently Icelanders eat them in droves…and at all hours of the day and night.  In a country where there are no McDonald’s, I guess the relatively inexpensive $4 hot dog reigns supreme in the fast food department.

Over the Top

A little further down the street some Scottish lads were having a bit of fun outside a bar, drinking and heckling passers-by.  One of them challenged me to an arm-wrestling contest, but he bit off a little more than he could chew.   I came armed with pylsur power, and he went down in the first round.  (You can call me Sly)  He put up a good fight, but America prevailed!  This astonished his mates and they fell silent.  But not for long…he tag teams his friend for round two.  But once is enough for me. He will just have to live with the fact that a woman beat him.

Vitameatavegamin – I mean Brennevin

We find our way to Gaukurinn, and go inside.  Rows of chairs cover a wooden floor in the bar, which is on the second floor.  I decide to try Iceland’s national drink, Brennevin – similar to a schnapps and flavored with caraway seeds.  The bottle had a skull and crossbones logo on it during prohibition times, when Brennevin got the knickname “black death.”  It has a distinctive flavor that reminds me a bit of anisette.  It also has a high alcohol content –  somewhere around 38 percent, so beware.  I only ate that one hot dog, so I felt the effects of the Brennevin immediately.  It made the comedy show more interesting, too.  And just try saying “vitameatavegamin” when you have a killer buzz.  That, my friend, is comedic.

Surprise, surprise!  The guide from our Northern Lights Tour took the mic about half-way through the night.    He’s clearly more at ease than some of the earlier acts, and his material is funnier.  It’s not often I get to hear what people in other countries think about Americans…but we are a hot topic tonight.  Trump causes a stir everywhere, it seems…and he gives them lots of ammunition.

Retracing our steps to the hotel room, those same Scottish lads – as animated as before – continue their heckling.  Will they recognize me?  I hope not…but drat!  Now I’m their best buddy…and they want a rematch.  Alcohol fuels their determination, and it’s all I can do to bow out gracefully and take my leave.

Love Connection?

Then we stumble across Reykjavík’s local dating site.  Move over, Match.com…they’ve got something better!  You might think it’s another dot.com site, but you’d be wrong.  The platform isn’t a computer at all, but an iron gate.  This gate, a traditional gate with pointed finials (the spikes on the top), stands at the entrance to a building on Laugavegur.  On each of these finials is a lone glove missing its mate.  There are all different kinds of gloves:  wool, leather, male, female, knit, large, small, pink, brown, etc.

Here’s how it works:  first you pick the glove.  (You decide you would like a person that wears that green Isotoner glove on the center spike.)  Then look inside the glove for that person’s contact information.  Make the arrangements to meet (don’t forget to bring the glove with you).  Finally, the person you meet produces the match to the glove you chose, and the rest is history.  I have no idea how successful this system is, but it certainly is intriguing.  It’s a bit limited in scope as you’d imagine…but a great way to meet people in your city.

 

The Golden Circle Tour

The Continents part ways at Þingvellir

In addition to chasing the Aurora Borealis, we also wrapped into our Iceland visit the Golden Circle Tour – including the Secret Lagoon.  This tour has four stops during the winter months.  The first stop on our tour is Þingvellir National Park.  Here the North American and European tectonic plates split, and are slowly drifting apart at a rate of about 4mm/year.  Iceland’s largest natural lake – and the Silfra fissure, one of the best diving spots in the world – lies between the plates.  Þingvellir literally translates as “Parliament Plains.” This is where the Icelandic Parliament, founded in 930, met for centuries.  Here they adopted Christianity, here they gave up their independence in 1262, and here they once again declared independence, from Denmark, seven centuries later.

An earthquake in 1789 submerged one of the original routes to Þingvellir, so they built another one along the western shore.  It took 76 years to complete (1831-1907), and a mere 60 years later the last car drove on it through the ravine.  As we walk alongside the North American plate…its walls loom above us.  It reminds me how powerful the forces of nature are, and how fleeting life is.  A lookout point affords us a view of the lake below, and the sun tries to peek out from behind the clouds in the distance.

Eruption!

Our second stop is the active Haukadalur geothermal area.  There are a bunch of geysers here, the most famous of which is Geysir – discovered and named in the late 13th century, and also the source of the English word “geyser.”  Someone had the bright idea of adding soap to Geysir, to make it erupt more often.  This had the opposite effect in the long run, and Geysir stopped erupting in 2010.  But every once in a while, it still makes itself known.  You can get as close as you’d like to the hole because there are no barriers around it, but you are responsible for your own safety, of course.

Geysers are usually near active volcanic areas.  Water seeps down into the ground, makes contact with the magma below, heats up to the point of boiling (which causes pressure), and ultimately erupts to the surface with a burst of water and steam.  Strokkur, Geysir’s more active neighbor, erupts every 5–10 minutes and is one of the most active geysers in the world.  It’s really interesting to watch the spout form…the blue water starts to billow out, and then – eruption!  It looks just like those condom wrappers I mentioned earlier.  There is also a restaurant here, including a buffet, so you can satisfy your hunger and slake your thirst before moving on to Gullfoss.

A narrow escape for Gullfoss

Gullfoss translates as Golden Falls.  Iceland’s melting glaciers fuel this thundering waterfall that drops over 100 feet.  The name comes from the golden hue you see on a sunny day as the water plunges down the 3 tiers and then down 2 more steps to the deep crevice.  Its height combined with its fast flows make Gullfoss Europe’s largest waterfall by volume.

Today we are lucky to view the falls in their natural state.  Tómas Tómasson owned the waterfall in the first half of the 20th century.  At the time, foreign investors wanted to build a hydroelectric powerplant, to harness the power of the mighty Gullfoss. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, his daughter, lived at a farm nearby and loved Gullfoss as no one else.  She protested intensely against these plans, even threatening to throw herself into Gullfoss, killing herself to defend her cause.  To prove she meant what she said, she went barefoot on a protest march from Gullfoss to Reykjavík.  The 120 kilometers of unpaved roads were not kind.  Her feet were bleeding and she was in very bad shape on arrival in Reykjavík.  Icelanders believed her threat then, and the powerplant at Gullfoss was never built. Today there is a memorial site dedicated to Sigríður at the top of the falls.

A different kind of phonebook

You may have noticed the last names of Tómas and Sigríður.  Icelanders don’t have surnames (family names).  Their last name is made up of the first name of the mother or father, followed by the suffices -dottir, or -son…meaning daughter of, or son of respectively.  So Tómas Tómasson is Thomas, son of Thomas.  Likewise, Sigríður Tómasdóttir is Sigurd, daughter of Thomas.  Consequently, women don’t change names when they marry.  (She would never become the ‘son’ of the husband’s father.)

People are also listed alphabetically by first name in the phone book, followed by their occupation.  You can decide to be whatever you want, so take this information with a grain of salt.  I could list myself as a brain surgeon having never attended medical school.  I could also choose to be a professional couch potato.  Icelanders also don’t use titles, such as Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc., and they address everyone by first name – including teachers, doctors, and even the President.

Secret Lagoon

The last stop on our tour is the Secret Lagoon in the small village of Fludir.  Before entering a man-made hot spring in Iceland, you shower naked in public showers (sex-segregated) before you put on your bathing suit and go in the water.  Whether it’s the Blue Lagoon, Laugarvatn Fontana, or the Secret Lagoon, there is usually someone monitoring you.  This is commonplace, so take it in stride.(On a side note, time slots fill up quickly for the Blue Lagoon, so make your reservation well in advance.)

Immersion in the Secret Lagoon gives you the true Icelandic feeling of communing with nature. Steam rises into the air from the 100-104 degree water, and a little geyser erupts every 5 minutes nearby. The scenery is calming, and your muscles relax.  You feel very grounded at the end of your time here.  They offer drinks – including wine and beer – and snacks for sale, and during the winter you might see the northern lights above you.  Just don’t forget to take off any silver jewelry!

 

Gastronomy and local customs

During our remaining time in Iceland, we concentrated on cultural immersion…basically getting to really know Reykjavík.  It’s easy to walk around to most things of interest in Reykjavík, but Iceland is not handicapped accessible by any means, so it is a challenging destination for wheelchairs.  It can also be challenging to find good food at a reasonable price.

One of our favorite restaurants is Gló on Laugevegur.  Most of the food there is organic and sourced from local farmers whenever possible.  In addition to your main course (choice of 4), you get two sides included in the price.  This is a decent amount of food, and we never went home hungry.  The Noodle Station, also on Laugevegur, is perfect if you’re in a hurry.  You wouldn’t think soup would be filling, but it is, and it’s perfect on a chilly winter evening.  They also have a water fountain…so fill up that bottle you’re toting around with you.

Don’t forget the Ziplocs

The little shop Pizza Pronto next to the Subway on Bankastræti offers excellent paninis, and if you’re lucky you’ll get serenaded by the guy outside with the accordion.  He even does requests – he sang “That’s Amore” for Imelda.  But maybe excellent paninis aren’t your style.  If you have a room with a kitchen, you can also opt to buy food and prepare your own meals…or some of them at least.  Bónus and Krónan are the least expensive grocery store options.  Ziploc bags and tin foil go a long way here folks – especially if you take a tour.  Most tours don’t include meals, and you won’t spend all your time standing in line for food instead of seeing the geyser, for example, if you’ve packed a sandwich and something to drink.

To tip, or not to tip?

This seems like a good time to talk a bit about tipping.  Just as there are no bears, no cockroaches, and no mosquitoes;  there is also no tipping.  Don’t tip the cab driver, the bar tender, the waiter, not even the tour guide.  Wages are much higher here for these types of jobs, and Icelanders do not expect tips for service.  It may even be viewed as an insult if you tip.  It is customary, however, to leave a tip for the maids once you check out of the hotel.  We deviated here and tipped our tour guides.  They seemed most appreciative.

What about those warm Icelandic sweaters you see everyone wearing?  There are several Red Cross stores where you can buy them and other “slightly loved” Icelandic wares at a fraction of the regular price.  Those sweaters alone will cost about $250 new, so if saving money is the name of the game…look for the big Red Cross on the sign out front.

 

Around town

Hard to miss…

Speaking of signs, Hallgrímskirkja rises above Reykjavik like a beacon.  This familiar landmark is a tall Lutheran church, visible from most of the city, and a great aid in navigation. You can more or less figure out where you are as long as you can see the church.  Actually it’s the largest church in the country, and the views from the tower make it the most visited tourist destination in Reykjavík.  It also has two organs.  The concert organ is the largest (as well as the largest in the country), has 5275 pipes and weighs in at 25 tons.  The longest pipes measure 10 meters!  You can hear the organ from June to mid-August during the evening concerts on Sundays, and lunchtime concerts on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Outside Hallgrímskirkja stands a statue of Leif Erikson – son of Eric the Red – and the first explorer to discover continental North America (in the year 1000).  The statue was a gift from the US to commemorate the 1000 year anniversary of Iceland’s parliament in 1930.  It weighs 50 tons, and believe it or not…the statue was there first.  They built the church behind it.  But you don’t have to travel to Iceland to see Mr. Erikson.  An identical statue made in 1939 from the original plaster casts sits in Newport, Virginia.

you can walk on water, too

We decide to spend some time one afternoon at Tjörnin Pond in front of City Hall.  It is frozen over, and the resident swans are all in one corner where the ice recedes enough for them to swim a little.  People enjoy feeding the swans and ducks here, and of course walking on water!  We get a chuckle watching a bicyclist tear back and forth across the pond.  The Reykjavik Free Church, with the green roof stands out in the landscape, and we trudge past it through the snow on our way to the Volcano House.  We think we’re on our way to the Volcano House…but we end up at the Volcano Show at Red Rock Cinema instead.

The First Three Victims – the newly discovered Alfred Hitchcock flick

Setting the scene

We walk into a little red garage-like building.  It seems deserted.  Minerals and lava rocks are on display in a case.  The only light streams in from a window to our left that hasn’t seen Windex in years.  Suddenly a door opens toward the back and a very tall man fills it.  He has to duck to get through.  This man is Villi Knudson, and he has a passion for volcanoes.   He and his father made a documentary that begins with all of the major eruptions since the1940’s in Iceland…which he and his father actually filmed on location.

Villi opens a door to our right and ushers us inside.   The very retro screening room – all in red – sets the scene, and it feels a bit like a horror movie…(blood won’t stain).  Their original filming equipment is on display, taking you back in time.  It is large, heavy, and cumbersome.  He pulls down a movie screen in the front, and we take stock of the place.  It seats about 50 people.  Photos from years past line the one wall, maps of Iceland hang on the one opposite…

Lulled into complacency…then…

The theater door closes behind Villi as he goes to load the reel in the projector himself.  A musty smell envelopes us, and the lights abruptly go out.  The grainy technicolor film of the documentary and the sound of the projector, together with the psychedelic soundtrack threaten to entrance you. It’s a bit eerie, bordering creepy, and my neck hairs stand on end.  Villi opens the door several times to peer in, but never enters.  Then this cat jumps up and scares the **** out of us!

Fin.

But we survived, and calm was restored once we made it outside.  It’s an experience we will never forget!  In the end, Villi warms his way into your heart.  I think he enjoyed sharing his life’s work with us.  He was a pioneer in his time, and I was privileged to join him in re-living his glory days.

Panorama, anyone?

One thing that’s a bit far to walk to is the Perlan building.  It’s built on water tanks that hold the city’s hot water supply, and the spectacular view over Reykjavik and its surroundings from the top is definitely worth the trouble to get there.  They are doing all sorts of construction in preparation for new exhibits…glaciers, and the ice cave.  Both seem really interesting, and they should complete the projects sometime this year.  On my return trip I hope to see them both.

Or maybe salsa and bachata instead…

We rounded out the entertainment on this trip with Latin night.  Gotta get our dance on!  Although the conference room-turned-dance hall at the host hotel was small, everyone made good use of the space.  A short lesson gets everyone warmed up, and then the music plays.  What an awesome group of dancers!    We dance a different style of salsa than they do here, but at one point we learn this style.  It’s just a matter of clearing out the cobwebs in the memory.   Imelda did a much better job at it than I did, but we had a great deal of fun!  I especially want to thank Einar Jóhannesson for being so patient.  I tried the local porter beer here, too.  Einstock.  It reminds me of Guinness stout, with a lighter finish.  Tasty.

 

I almost forgot…

I didn’t notice when I first landed in Iceland – probably because it was 4am and I was bleary-eyed, but Iceland’s airport has very little seating, and people sometimes end up sitting on the floor waiting for their flights.  Be sure to get to your gate early to grab a seat.

One final note:  you could get around with just your credit card, as everyone accepts them for payment…but I always like to have at least a little cash on hand. You can exchange money at the airport, or directly at a bank in Iceland.  Whatever you choose to do and see, I know you’ll love Iceland.  Don’t forget to mail your letter to Santa before you leave!!!