i really am just killing time now until my plane leaves (nice airport). there was one more thing to see/do and i did that yesterday. you could come to iceland and think the Blue Lagoon (www.bluelagoon.is) was nothing but a tourist trap and not go. but that would be like going to paris and not visiting the eiffel tower. and what could be so bad about relaxing in warm thermal waters, steam, sauna, and getting massaged by a waterfall, having a little snack in the cafe next to the lagoon, and taking a walk in the surrounding moss covered lava field, and all in a very beautiful setting. it was a good way to spend a sunday, and a sunny sunday at that!
saturday was another cold, bendover blowing, rainy day. before i left reykjavik i wanted to visit the weekend flea market, but that didn't get going until 11:00. so chose a coffee shop to wait. this is how i managed to see most of the quirky, funky reykjavik coffee shops - dodging the rain and killing time all last week during the miserable weather. after all the museums and galleries it became a sprint between two bookshops, the library and the cafes. saturday morning i chose Kaffitar. two french girls sitting at the bench with me left and two others soon sat next to me. i looked up and said hey! it was Mareia and Jose, the spanish couple who saved me from the rain in the middle of nowhere. they were flying home in a couple of hours. they made it around the entire circle route! it meant most of the time they were driving, but they did it.
i had my last hot dog last night (8 total, not bad, including one at the famous hot-doggery in reykjavik where Clinton also had a weiner) at the video store/diner. it was a cool diner - black and white tile, shiny chrome, red chairs, well done. it seemed to be the place to be for the young beautiful people in keflavik. not much else to do here on a sunday night (or any night?). and it is just 250m from Motel Alex where i was paying only 2000Ikr for a place to lay my sleeping bag, a place which would have been much appreciated in skogar, but now just felt depressing. Keflavik is referred to in the airline guide as 'city of get me out of here,' population: rapidly decreasing. Alex/Keflavik is just 2 minutes from the airport.
i had icelandic stew at the reykjavik bus station cafe (recommended for traditional icelandic dishes), but i didn't have the courage to try sheeps head. it literally was that - a profile on a plate, served singed with teeth still in the jaw, next to a scoop of mashed potatoes and turnips. watched somebody else eat it, he said it was good.
nor did i try eating puffin or reindeer. seemed wrong. i sure wanted to see puffins... but they all got together and left about august 11. you may have been lucky to spot the odd one after that, but they were gone. i missed seeing them in both scotland and iceland.
come to iceland in july - warmer, less rain and thousands of puffins. and bring a tent, cuz you just never know. altho it should be a strong tent. a french couple had their tent broken by viscious winds the first night of their camping experience, which they decided to start in iceland.
they say iceland is a place of 'nowhere' where 'anything can happen.' Stephano was saying a similar thing as he happily hitched around iceland 'brenda, anything is possible in iceland!' and he was always saying 'i'm a lucky person,' which reminded me that i used to say that.
Hlynur (don't ask how you say that) is the character in 101 Reykjavik (also an award winning film). this novel is a struggle. while it is laugh-out-loud funny, i also wonder how long i should bother to continue reading it. he is early thirty-something, lives with mommy and her lesbian lover, is unemployed, and wakes up every day in time to watch some pornos and CNN, before heading out for nightlife in reykjavik. he says people only live here because they were born here.
probably not exactly true. the scenery is spectacular and tons of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. and if you are a photographer, the lighting is dreamy. but while i always say i like clouds and rain, there is a gloominess here that i need to try to escape.
so i am outta here.
saturday was another cold, bendover blowing, rainy day. before i left reykjavik i wanted to visit the weekend flea market, but that didn't get going until 11:00. so chose a coffee shop to wait. this is how i managed to see most of the quirky, funky reykjavik coffee shops - dodging the rain and killing time all last week during the miserable weather. after all the museums and galleries it became a sprint between two bookshops, the library and the cafes. saturday morning i chose Kaffitar. two french girls sitting at the bench with me left and two others soon sat next to me. i looked up and said hey! it was Mareia and Jose, the spanish couple who saved me from the rain in the middle of nowhere. they were flying home in a couple of hours. they made it around the entire circle route! it meant most of the time they were driving, but they did it.
i had my last hot dog last night (8 total, not bad, including one at the famous hot-doggery in reykjavik where Clinton also had a weiner) at the video store/diner. it was a cool diner - black and white tile, shiny chrome, red chairs, well done. it seemed to be the place to be for the young beautiful people in keflavik. not much else to do here on a sunday night (or any night?). and it is just 250m from Motel Alex where i was paying only 2000Ikr for a place to lay my sleeping bag, a place which would have been much appreciated in skogar, but now just felt depressing. Keflavik is referred to in the airline guide as 'city of get me out of here,' population: rapidly decreasing. Alex/Keflavik is just 2 minutes from the airport.
i had icelandic stew at the reykjavik bus station cafe (recommended for traditional icelandic dishes), but i didn't have the courage to try sheeps head. it literally was that - a profile on a plate, served singed with teeth still in the jaw, next to a scoop of mashed potatoes and turnips. watched somebody else eat it, he said it was good.
nor did i try eating puffin or reindeer. seemed wrong. i sure wanted to see puffins... but they all got together and left about august 11. you may have been lucky to spot the odd one after that, but they were gone. i missed seeing them in both scotland and iceland.
come to iceland in july - warmer, less rain and thousands of puffins. and bring a tent, cuz you just never know. altho it should be a strong tent. a french couple had their tent broken by viscious winds the first night of their camping experience, which they decided to start in iceland.
they say iceland is a place of 'nowhere' where 'anything can happen.' Stephano was saying a similar thing as he happily hitched around iceland 'brenda, anything is possible in iceland!' and he was always saying 'i'm a lucky person,' which reminded me that i used to say that.
Hlynur (don't ask how you say that) is the character in 101 Reykjavik (also an award winning film). this novel is a struggle. while it is laugh-out-loud funny, i also wonder how long i should bother to continue reading it. he is early thirty-something, lives with mommy and her lesbian lover, is unemployed, and wakes up every day in time to watch some pornos and CNN, before heading out for nightlife in reykjavik. he says people only live here because they were born here.
probably not exactly true. the scenery is spectacular and tons of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. and if you are a photographer, the lighting is dreamy. but while i always say i like clouds and rain, there is a gloominess here that i need to try to escape.
so i am outta here.
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