Reykjavik....Icelandic for "Canada East"

Today we commuted from the 'burbs into downtown Reykjavik. An easy 15 minute drive along an expressway that London(Ont) coulda/shoulda built 40 years ago. We found a place to park....not an easy task....and headed for probably the city's #1 attraction--a church. Not just any church mind you.....this one is recognizable the minute you see a photo of it so rest assured we attached one here for you!!

We proceeded to wander around the busy streets with their painted walls and found the main shopping street. Plenty of people...no shopping bags. That is a sure sign of trouble. As we have been saying all along, it is pricey to shop here. Regardless of that, the street is bustling with people, cafes, skateboarders and a "bride to be" in a onesie !!

We needed to return to the car to ante up some more $$ for the parking meter. As we headed back, we stopped at a bakery we had seen within minutes of leaving the church. It was lined up out the door so we promised ourselves we would return. And we did. OMG!! Two cinnamon buns and a coffee later, we make our way to the corner where there are platforms, not benches. We sit and inhale our treats alongside numerous others. When done, we cross the street to take a pic of some very colourful doors. Three fellows walk by and one heads to the backyard of these homes. As he does,his pal makes an aloof comment which in turn draws a response from me. His comeback is "but we're not Americans." That's OK, neither are we." And so the conversation begins. The 3 are here "working" for US....as in, you and I. They are with our Air Force and helping fulfill Canada's obligation to NATO. Seems we send planes and support to Iceland every 3years.We protect Iceland's air space. These fellas are support staff to the pilots and planes. They confirm that the planes we saw several days ago in Akureyri were indeed Canadian fighter jets. Amongst the funny revelations during our chat was that one fella was married (past tense) to a gal from Cath's original neck of the woods. Small world, eh?? Anyways, we gave them some tourist tips which was funny indeed considering these guys had been here a month and had another month to go . They returned the favour by telling us we could park at the church for free. Fair trade.

A short while later we encounter 2 young gals who are looking for a bank. Turns out they too are from Canada and ,along with about 10 other gals, are here for a bachelorette weekend !!!! From friggin' Nova Scotia to Reykjavik for a girls' weekend?? Kids today,eh!!! Anyways, banks here are closed Saturday and they were having trouble even finding an ATM. Catherine was able to help them solve their problem BUT wasn't invited to tag along for "the party."

Tonite we attended the comedy "Icelandic Sagas" at The Harpa, Reykjavik's beautiful concert hall at the harbour. Hey Port Stanley, maybe you should build one of these at our harbour!! Anyways, the show was very funny and Cath had a cameo at one point .

A very productive day. Tomorrow, Laundry and more cinnamon buns.

Pics...."bride to be", the church, the bakery, 3 painted wallsRead more