First day in Reykjavik

I arrived aat 6.15 this morning, after a 6 hour flight departing directly from Denver at 5.15p. It would probably be an overestimation to say I got 3 hours of sleep. It was probably closer to two. Though not for lack of trying.

Jennifer and I had made a plan to meet in the duty free shop in the airport - but which one? We figured it out eventually.

The day started with passport control, a little shoping, a trip on the flybus, finding our air b&b, dropping luggage, breakfast, and an extensive walking tour of the city. A few items of culture shock. There's not really any crime to speak of. The jail is in a building hundreds of years old. It has a mere 14 cells. Along the same lines, it is believed very healthy for babies to take their naps outside down to -2 degrees C. Consequently, it is common practice for adults to tuck their little ones into prams and park them on the sidewalks outside cafes where the parents go in. When you see a pram parked on the sidewalk, it's polite to be quiet nearby, and let the baby get her sleep.

We saw many sites of street art and graphitti. However, this is merely juvenile amusement, and unassociated with gangs. One of the tactics of the city, and various homeowners, is to paint their walls with a mural, as a mural will always be respected, and not tampered with. Murals are everywhere throughout the city. Additionally, someone has been attaching little toy men onto various street signs and markers. To very amusing effect.

Politically, I'm not very familiar with Iceland. So I was a bit surprised to hear them refer to the "state archictect," and "state sculptur." I did, however, enjoy their work. Hallgrimskirkja is a massive concrete lutheran church, designed by Gudjon Samuelssson, is made to represent basalt columns. It certainly does, and is one of the most unique church structures I have ever seen. The state sculptor, Einar Jonsson, has his sculptures all over the city, and housed in an outdoor sculpture garden across from the church. His work feels at once dark, tortured, and spiritual.

In regard to food, the coffee is strong. I breakfasted on a cauliflower quiche, and lunched on a lamb pizza.

The air bnb is pleasant. Our room is complete with red robes and hot tea. One fun fact, all of the hot water is actually sourced from the hot springs beneath the city.. So the shower smells a bit sulfury, and you never run out of very very hot water.Read more