The Settlement Exhibition

At about 1:30 PM, it started snowing, and it didn't stop. As of 6:20, I'd estimate we've received at least 6 inches of snow - maybe more. It's the perfect kind with huge, wet flakes that fall straight down and land in your hair and eyelashes and make you feel as though you're on a Christmas movie set. I have no doubt that Iceland is a big faker and this weather is NOT normal, but I'll still take it over most Kansas snowstorms.

McKelvie and I decided to visit Reykjavik's Settlement Exhibition today at Aðalstræti 16. It's basically Reyjavik's city museum. We started with the oldest part of Reykjavik's history, which is actually the newest part of the museum. From their website (https://reykjavikcitymuseum.is): "Discovered during building work in 2001, these archaeological remains turned out to be the earliest evidence of human settlement in the city, with some dating to before AD 871±2. Careful excavation revealed a 10th century hall or longhouse, which is now preserved in its original location as the focal point of the exhibition." I've always found it interesting when ancient ruins are discovered beneath modern buildings, and this was no different. McKelvie even showed me where other ruins are believed to exist, near the museum (literally, a parking lot right across the street), but her professors say archaeologists are waiting until the completion of the new Alþingi parliament building before completing the permits required to open a new dig site in the middle of downtown Reykjavik.

The highlight of the museum is the longhouse exhibit, which is excellent, but we also enjoyed learning about the rest of Reykjavik's settlement history (lots of Norse men and Celtic women) through the Middle Ages and into the present (gyrfalcons, tax-free trade, and military Quonset huts were huge - who knew?)Read more