Reykjavik: How Bright is it at 3: 30 am?

Reykjavik, Iceland

June 30, 2012

A Quebecois friend of mine introduced me to the phrase, "soleil, va te coucher".  Loosely translates to, "Sun, go lie down."  Sounds much better in French, don't you think?

We were in Iceland shortly after the longest day of the year.  At that time of year, the sun 'sets' around midnight and rises around the time I shot this image (~3:30 am local time).  In the hours between, it is so bright outdoors that one could easily read a book without any problems.

Our trip kept taking us further North, from Glasgow => Outer Hebrides => Iceland.  As we kept moving Northward, the sun kept setting later and later.  By the end of the trip, my brain was a little frazzled from all that daylight.  I am very glad I brought a sleeping mask with me!

Iceland: Keflavik International Airport Scooter

Keflavíkurflugvöllur

Keflavik, Iceland

July 1, 2012

It was odd to begin celebrating Canada Day in Iceland...2012 was that kind of summer. Luckily it was also the same day as the Euro 2012 final which gave us something to do as we killed time in Boston, waiting for our return flight to Nova Scotia.

While we queued up for the first leg of our flight home, I noticed this sleek piece of industrial design leaning up against the window. Had a child left it there by accident? No, this is an official scooter for IGS. They run the terminal's 'nordic deli' restaurants and bars as well as aircraft handling for the airport.

Sadly, I missed the opportunity to snap a shot of another IGS scooter that had the front of the scooter modified to carry trays of food . Next time....

Iceland: Hipsters

Reykjavik, Iceland

Kolaportið Flea Market

June 30, 2012

Hipsters, hipsters everywhere....

The global scourge of hipsters has not left Iceland untouched. Check out this greasy hair, indoor sunglasses wearing dude thumbing through a bin of vinyl. 

 No, Icelandic hipster, don't buy the Toto album!!!!

Iceland: Kolaportið Flea Market

Kolaportið Flea Market

Reykjavik, Iceland

June 30, 2012

Our last full day in Iceland started out with a trip to the local flea market. Rack upon rack of used clothing filled the space, with hordes of bargain shoppers bumping shoulders to find the next great deal.  Hipsters thumbed through boxes of vinyl and tourists like myself soaked it all in.

This woman was knitting away in her little corner of the market, blissfully unaware of your's truly taking her photo.

Stay tuned for more shots from the flea market!

Iceland: Hurrah for Hveragerði!

Hveragerði, Iceland

June 29, 2012

Just another gorgeous day in June, in the hot spring hills above Hveragerði.

You can see a small cloud of steam on the left.  It was puffing out stinky, sulfur/rotten egg smells the entire time we were there.  The amazing terrain and vistas more than made up for the smell(s). ^_^

Iceland: June 29, 11 pm

Reykjavik, Iceland

June 29, 2012

11 pm local time

This is what 11 pm looked like wayyyy up north in Iceland on June 29th.  Barely a week after the longest day of the year, sunset is a relative term.

Technically, the sun set ~midnight that day and rose at ~ 3 am.  In between those hours, there was enough daylight to read a paper outdoors!

A sleeping mask was a must, I noticed many apartments with tinfoil in the windows.  I'm assuming it was used to block out the daylight.  Perhaps there are some people trying to block HAARP  signals or mind control rays as well?  

I'm so glad we got to experience continuous daylight as a part of our trip.  By the end of our journey, it was starting to fry my brain a little bit.  Our first night back in Nova Scotia came with a welcome sunset and them beautiful stars in the sky.

Iceland: Hveragerði hot springs

Hveragerði, Iceland

June 29, 2012

Who are these masked marauders? Don't worry, they're not viking invaders, just a large group of tourists on a horseback tour of the excellent hot springs of Hveragerði!

The hot springs are an easy hike into the nearby hills. I'd recommend going on a guided tour on your first excursion, mostly so you know where to go (and step) and where to avoid. Take a wrong turn and you could find yourself scalded in the geothermal heated waters!

Our destination was not far from where this photo was taken. You can see the steam rising from the nearby geothermal stream. Upstream from this location, a glacial fed stream and a geothermal stream meet and flow downhill. As our guide suggested, if you find the temperature too hot, simply wander downstream until the water temperature cools to your liking. He estimated the water temp. at 42 C, pretty toasty! 

The area of Hveragerði was one of the first areas in Iceland to harness geothermal heat. Settlers built their homes nearby (and sometimes above) geothermal heated waters. I'm sure the appeal of using naturally heated water for warming their homes, washing, baking and cooking was hard to resist. There are many greenhouses in the area, which harness the natural abundance of heat, the first of which date back to 1929.

Visiting this area was one of the highlights of my trip to Iceland. If you find yourself in Iceland, do yourself a favour and check it out!

Iceland: Somewhere between Reykjavik and Hveragerði

Hwy. 1 to Hveragerði

Iceland

June 19, 2012

Have you ever wondered what Mars would look life during terraforming?  I have a feeling it will look something like this.

You are looking at Iceland, minus the ice and snow.  This is a vast, ancient lava field that is slowly being covered in a beige lichen...or moss, or something like that.

Not my best shot, but it was taken through the window of our tour group's van.

Late June in Iceland was spectacular, warm days but cool in the shadows.  I'm sure it's a much different experience in the depths of winter, with only ~3 hours of dusk every day!

Reykjavik: Skólavörðustígur

Skólavörðustígur Street

Reykjavik, Iceland

June 28, 2012

This street is one of the 'main drags' in Reykjavik. It features many art galleries and assorted shops as well as some neat cafes and restaurants.

It begins at Laugavegur, another main street and ends at the famous Hallgrímskirkja church, with its distinct and imposing concrete structure.

The colours on this street are fairly typical of what you see in Reykjavik. Many buildings are clad in coloured metal sheeting, similar to what Canadians would normally see used on a barn roof. Concrete is also a common building material, no doubt due to its resilience to the harsh Icelandic winters.

More shots from Iceland to follow, stay tuned!

Welcome to Flavour Country: Skyr

When in Iceland (or if you are lucky enough to find it in North America), you MUST try Skyr.  


Skyr is a delicious live culture milk product.  It is similar to yoghurt, technically it is a fresh acid-set cheese.  It is similar to Liberty's Méditerranée product, it is thick and chocked full of protein.


The packaging of this product was fun.  The spoon came nestled under the dome on the lid, folded in half. It clicked into place when unfolded.  The first, and not the last, of many design-y things I was to discover while in Iceland.


Skyr, a great start to the day...or any part of the day!

Even the garbage cans looked cool

Our first stop on our circumpolar tour, the Keflavik International airport in Iceland.  As you can see, this place is gorgeous.  As the title states, even the garbage cans looked cool.  You'll have to trust me on that one, somehow I didn't manage to snap a shot of one waste bin, for shame!

We finished our trip with a 5 hours stopover in Boston Logan airport.  Needless to say, Logan felt decidedly American and the contrast between the two reminded me that the Keflavik airport was very slick and 'design-y'.


More pics to follow in the days and weeks to come.