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broodings from the burrow

November 19, 2011


more reykjavik ramblings: iceland, day 5
posted by soe 10:59 pm

Just a quick note with a few highlights from Friday in Reykjavik.

First thing: I found yarn. A few skeins may have jumped into a bag for me.

Yarn!

Then we headed out for a bite to eat. The cookie was quite good, as were our sandwiches.

It's Good Enough for Rudi

We took in some more modern art at National Gallery and then crossed the street to look at the birds at the Tjornin. We had a bit of a challenge finding the Althingishusid (Parliament House) because, honestly, it’s a little unassuming (although we had unknowingly admired its gardens our first night in town). No guards, no security (outside), no ostentation. It was refreshing, particularly because if anyone had a reason to boast about its parliament, it would be Iceland, who has the world’s oldest. (It was founded in roughly 930 A.D. and has been in this building since 1881.)

Rudi in front of the Althing

We then went to the Culture House to see the nation’s medieval manuscripts, “borrowed” for many years by Denmark. No photos were allowed of the ancient documents (understandably), so I contented myself with capturing these giant illustrations from a children’s adaptation of some of the stories.

Basement of the Culture House

Rudi and I returned to our hotel to spend an hour in its spa, where we soaked in a hot tub and got neck rubs (more luxury built into our package). It would be nice to be doted on like this regularly!

We headed back downtown for a fancy dinner at The Fish Company. Rudi was ultra-excited about this meal and I admit that I may have been less exuberant about it than I had been about some other aspects of the trip (apparently I am more in favor of fancy baths than fancy food). However, that said, it was a fantastic meal and I enjoyed every aspect of the the restaurant and our experience there — from my amuse-bouche to the skyr (an Icelandic yogurt-like cheese usually eaten at breakfast)-based dessert and pot of tea we split.

We ended up walking back to the hotel as the night was comfortable and so were we. En route, we passed several street performers (including a gifted singer) and Reykjavik’s food truck scene, three of which can (barely) be seen in the plaza below.

Reykjavik Food Truck Scene


Check out a few more shots of the day here.

Category: travel. There is/are 1 Comment.



Wow – 930 AD? That’s impressive.

Comment by Jenn 11.20.11 @ 10:37 am