A Momento from Iceland

I contacted Sigurður Sævarsson after a few days about the song he wrote that we heard at the concert and he gave it to me for free and told me I could share it with Bruce Borton with the possibility of having the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton perform it.  Bruce also like the piece, so who  knows?  This is Sigurður Sævarsson in the previous post.

Sigurður Sævarsson

I contacted Sigurður Sævarsson after a few days about the song he wrote that we heard at the concert and he gave it to me for free and told me I could share it with Bruce Borton with the possibility of having the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton perform it.  Bruce also like the piece, so who  knows?  This is Sigurður Sævarsson.

Arriving at the Airport

We checked in, went through security, turned in our valued added tax refund forms and grabbed something to eat and a little food to take with us on the plane.  Our plane was on time and we were on our way back to JFK.  Of all the airport we've used, JFK seems to be one of the most organized.  But we ended up standing in as line unnecessarily because we could not see the sign that said US citizens should stay to the left, where there was almost no line at all.  After  claiming our luggage and going through customs, I exchanged the British currency that I still had on me and then we found the train though took us to the car rental.  Before long we were on the road.  But not so fast!  It took well over an hour to get to the George Washington Bridge, inching along on the Cross Bronx Expressway.  We stopped for a meal at the Perkins in Stroudsburg, PA.  The four hour difference and getting up at 5:00 am Icelandic time was getting to us.  But we arrived home safely and went right to bed.

Heading Home

Several days earlier I had walked to the Iceland Excursions office and purchased our tickets for the shuttle back to the airport in Keflavik, 45 minutes away.  So with everything packed the night before, Tuesday morning before 7:00 found us across the street in front of the Hotel Adam waiting to be picked up, and waiting, and waiting.  We were getting rather nervous because we had no way of verifying whether or not we were in the right place.  Finally the shuttle bus did arrive and we were soon on our way. 

Swimming

After Everett's nap I took him to the nearby swimming pool, one of those fed by hot springs, and did a little splashing around.  At this point we are packing up and cleaning up, getting ready to fly home tomorrow.

Lovers at Gullfoss

After Meisha did the favor for another couple, one of them took this picture of Meisha and Dave in front of Gullfoss.

Interesting Rock Formation

Meisha caught this interesting rock formation Sunday at Þingvelir during their tour of the Golden Circle.

Reykjavik 817±2

They had this image shining on the floor to represent the approximate time at that level.  This was only a few years after other Vikings had conquered York, or Yorvick.

Viking Settlement

The Viking Settlement Museum was very interactive.  There were buttons to push to highlight areas of the excavation, above, and Meisha was using a raised relief map of the excavation that you could touch as if it were a touch screen and information would appear.

Excavation

Outside the Viking Settlement Museum was this glass cover over an area of the ninth century Viking Settlement.

Volcanic Art

Not too far from the fabric store was this interesting mosaic, representing a volcano.  Without moving the individual tiles reflected moving patterns.

Fabric Store

Nancy and I also grabbed lunch at the Grillhúsið Tryggvogötu.  I had a delicious mushroom soup and a tasty lamb burger, with fires, of course.  Afterwards we caught up with Meisha and the others and while the boys napped, the three of us did a little more shopping and took in the Viking Settlement Museum.  We passed this fabric store, but we didn't pass it without stopping in.

Volcano House and Shopping for Important Things

After all were ready to go, we split into three groups, Dave and Aldon went their way to get souvenirs for family and friends, Meisha and Everett were on a mission to find the best lollipop, and Nancy and I went to the Volcano House, a small museum the showed films about the major 1973 and 2010 volcano eruptions.  The map shows where the fault lines are between the American and Eurasian plates.  Ev is delightfully displaying his confectionery find.

Magic Light

The sun was rising on the northeast side of the cathedral.  When I looked at the photo, there was a magical surprise coming from the light.

Cathedral Door

Since the cathedral was closed this early, I could get a picture of the door.

Protest

At the base of the statue, someone had left a sign protesting the terrorism in Ukraine, Palestine and Malaysia.

Climbing the Statue

When we reached the plaza in front of the cathedral, Everett decided to climb the statue of Leif Erikson.

On Our Morning Walk

During Monday morning's walk, Everett and I took pictures of the flower baskets on the lamp post outside our apartment.

Graffiti

We have seen quite a bit of graffiti in Reykjavik, but this specimen was a lot more artistic than the rest.

Cats

That evening, after Meisha and Dave had returned, Meisha and I went out for a walk.  We have seen several cats since we arrived in Reykjavik, one has even sneaked into the apartment twice.

Meeting up with Marilyn

Just by chance we ran into Marilyn on our way to buy Everett some ice cream.  She decided to walk along with us.  She was extremely complimentary about Meisha's presentation.

A Vibrant Annual

I've seen this annual back home but I don't know what it is.

And Back to the Garden

Then I headed back to the gardens in the park, this time with my camera.

Back to the Pond

While the boys slept--well, Everett was in bed and Aldon we in and out of bed--Nancy did a little shopping and bought a beautiful necklace.  When she got back, I went out, going first to the square and then to the city pond.

The Famous Bæjarins beztu pylsur

Before we went back to the apartment we stopped for the famous hot dog stand, Bæjarins beztu pylsur.  There are pictures all over of Bill Clinton eating one of these hot dogs.  Clinton only had mustard on his but we had the works. 

Harpa from the Water

Coming back into the harbor I couldn't resist one more shot of the Harpa.

On the Way Back

The trip was a perfect length for the boys.  Aldon slept through most of it and Everett was ready to go back.

Ship Leaving the Harbor

Puffins

Sure enough, we saw what we came for.  The male Puffin digs a very deep hole for a nest, with a side area used as a latrine.  Puffins mate for life and one lay one egg each year.  The male and female are siually indistinguishable.

On the Lookout

All eyes were on the lookout for puffin sightings.

Our Boat

All Aboard

Before long we were on the the boat and off to the islands where we would see the puffins.

Ship

We got all up close and personal with the ship from which the helicopter took off yesterday.  There was nothing other than a number and a two-pointed white flag with a red cross.  Iceland does not have any navy or military force.

Abstract Art or Oil Slick?

Waiting to Board

What We'll See

Everett is excited about seeing the puffins.

Arriving at the Wharf

On Sunday Meisha and Dave were off on their Golden Circle tour and we headed to the Old Harbor to catch our "Puffin Express."

Dancing in the Street

When I went back to the square, there were two DJs playing music on the stage and these people were dancing in a circle.  After that I wandered up the main shopping street just to look around before going back to the apartment.  Once Meisha was done with her final session, she and Dave went out for dinner and the same show we saw on Thursday.  After we ate, I took Aldon out for a walk in the park, looking at the gardens.  Then all four of us went out again to look around before putting the boys to bed.

Helicopter

As I was leaving the harbor, I noticed that a helicopter was about to take off from what looked like a navy ship, so I waited--like several others--for it to take off.  And waited.  Finally it did lift off and I caught two shots.  Look carefully at the first picture.  The helicopter is just above center.

Harpa from Where I Bought the Tickets

This shot of the Harpa is from the west side of the Old Harbor.  By the way, the architect of the Harpa was Danish, not Chinese.

Map

After we put the boys to bed, I headed out to made reservations for our shuttle back to the airport on Tuesday and for the boat excursion the the boys to see the puffins that we plan to do on Sunday while Meisha and Dave do their Golden Circle excursion.  This huge map of Iceland was on the wall at the shuttle terminal.  I put the arrows on it to indicate four of the places we stopped at on our Golden Circle trip.  Reykjavik is the large red area to the left.  The arrow in the upper center is Þingvelir.  The one in the upper right corner is Geysir.  The one farthest right is Gullfoss and the other is Faxi.

Concert in the Square

After lunch at the mall, we took the shuttle back to Reykjavik.  We caught a little of an outdoor concert in the square where the shuttle dropped us off.

At the Playground

It was interesting to watch Everett trying to interact with children who did not speak English.  Efforts were made on both sides but eventually they all just went off and did their own thing.

Everett at the Mall

I kept Everett busy with the little rides at the mall until the playground opened.

Our Charges

Rumor had it that the Kringlan Mall had a play area that would entertain a certain young man.  Nancy was hoping the prices in the outskirts would be better.