Meaning of the Icelandic Flag, and More

Despite the best efforts of the sun, which was still up at 10 and rose by 4, we both got a good night’s sleep, and were ready to get out and do a bit more today.  After a hearty breakfast (skyr, rye bread with cheese and/or meats, melon, juice, jams, coffee, orange or apple juice) here at Gistiheimilið Sunna (GIST-ee-Haim-i-lith SUN-nah), we set off.  First we went back to Icelandic Handknitting, as I got worried about running out of what I bought yesterday, and then to the grocery around the corner, where we stocked up on “lightly-carbonated” water (the local tap water is OK to drink, but is perhaps a bit too flavorful, unless you’re fond of sulphur).

Then, as we were blessed with a rare day of completely clear skies, we re-traced some of yesterday’s steps to get better photos of the new concert hall, with its 10,000 windows, the harbor, Tjörnin, and the Ráðhusíð (RAUTH-hoose-ith—City Hall).  A flock of children were feeding the birds on Tjörnin.

Note: clicking on pics gets bigger ones!

By this point, despite the sunshine and 10C we were a bit chilly due to the constant strong breeze off the harbor, so we went in search of coffee.  And a kleina (KLINE-uh), Iceland’s answer to the doughnut.  We were contemplating going to the Saga Museum, but it seemed a bit far to walk, and we suspect that taxi prices are high, and it would involve two buses….  Then an ad for Þjóðminjasafnið Íslands (THYODH-min-yah-sahf-nidh EES-lands—National Museum of Iceland) caught our eye.  It was just at the other end of Tjörnin.  Except Sheila’s map-reading skills apparently haven’t quite caught up to us, leading to a longish detour through part of the University.

The National Museum, once we got there, was a real delight.  Well-organized exhibits on the Settlement Period (800-1200), with very informative touch-screen displays that enabled one to easily and quickly learn as much or as little about any given topic as desired.  The current temporary exhibit was on the art of silver-smithing through the centuries…lots of pretty stuff to look at.  Sheila was disappointed that there were only a couple of examples of the folk-costumes, but otherwise it was a lovely visit, topped off by a tasty lunch at the café (chicken/guacamole wraps with sweet chili sauce….not exactly Icelandic, but tasty).  One unexpected thing we learned was the origin of the colors in Icelandic flag – the blue background represents the sky, the white is for the glaciers and the red is the red hot (over 1000C) molten lava volcanoes spew out.

Then, on advice from other guests at Sunna, we went to The Volcano Show, two one-hour films about Icelandic eruptions.  The host and film-maker, Villi Knudsen, is a real character.  His father filmed the 1947 eruption of Hekla, and in 1963, at age 19, Villi started going along to help film, and a life-long obsession was born.  The films are well-done, and mesmerizing.  Villi’s advice for would-be volcano-chasers—“The safest way to approach lava is to have another person with you and he goes first.”

We also learned about the round towers scattered around Reykjavik streets. Free public toilets. And, given Iceland’s fondness for high tech and personal hygiene, they open and close automatically, and then they disinfect themselves after each use.  So don’t worry if the floor looks wet!