A Saturday In Reykjavik:
We awoke after a good bit of sleep and had some coffee in the room before breakfast. We like the breakfast here at Center Hotel Plaza, a nice selection of offerings. Glad we got their early as it became rather busy. Back to the room to get some phone and computer updates done. We also did some laundry. Looking forward to having laundry done for us on the ship.
Weather today is overcast and cool with rain expected much later today. Today's plan is to keep it simple, a walkabout of Reykjavik and a swim. So hang on and off we go.
Leaving our lodging and making a right turn we pass the Oldest House in Reykjavik. The street in front of our hotel is the original Main Street of Reykjavik.
Up the hill and to the left we find the Elf Stone. Here is about Elf Stones and the Huldufolk.
The Elf Stone and Huldufólk
According to a 2007 study by the University of Iceland, an estimated 62% of the nation believe that the existence of these beings is more than a fairy tale. However, this statistic covers both sincere believers and agnostics who lean toward the ‘why not’ end of the spectrum.
The Icelandic elves, however, are their own species. Commonly referred to as Huldufólk (hidden people), the elves of Iceland live in enchanted rocks and cliffs where they lead lives that are very similar to those led by humans; they keep livestock, cut hay, row fishing boats, pick berries and go to church on Sundays.
One must consult with the elves before moving an elf stone. There have been many reports of calamity surrounding the attempted removal of an elf stone. Machines break down, water pipes and utilities are broken, and one construction worker reported having bad luck after moving an elf stone.
Huldufolk translates to hidden people, and they usually live inside of rocks and in a parallel world invisible to our eyes. However, legend has it that children can see them right away. The Huldufolk have the ability or power to appear to whom they deem appropriate; that is why some adults declared having had encounters with them.
The origin of these folk creatures can be traced back to Viking Times. However, it is interesting to note that the tradition of the Huldufolk as such exists only in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and few wonder why.
Decisions have been made to stop road construction, change the layout of roads, or move stones based on elves’ existence. But as the Road Administration of Iceland manager has expressed, the decision was made based on the respect of our tradition and culture, not on the belief of elves itself.
There are areas where, for some reason, machines always stop working, batteries run out, and phenomena that could be classified as paranormal occur. That is where many believe that it is an area inhabited by elves. A person is then authorized to speak with them, ask for permission, make agreements, or change plans. There is a street in Kopavogur, a municipality adjacent to Reykjavik, with a street called Álfavegur or “Road of the elves” in English.
On the side of this road, there is an immense stone that was removed from the road after tough negotiations with the elves. The stone has its own street number. Now, if the elves still live there or not is something that we cannot confirm.
Yes I am one that believes.
The typical residential houses in Reykjavik made with corrugated metal.
CATS in REYKJAVIK:
Many people ponder over the number of cats roaming the streets of Reykjavík. These furry friends often behave like they own the place, taking no notice of passing people or cars. Most of them are well-behaved and friendly, many might be considered a bit arrogant and rather aloof.
These cats are not wild, but in fact, the majority of them call one of those colorful houses their home. If the cat is registered with the city's Department of Environment, it can wander around the city freely. In Iceland, people often say that cats choose their owners, but not vice versa (as one might think). This has quite often led to cats simply migrating to a neighboring house, with no regard for their previous owner's feelings.
Next we walked past Ráðhús Reykjavíkur or City Hall Reykjavik. Inside you will find a very large 3D map of Iceland. This is a great reference for visits outside of the city.
Next we walked by Tjörnin or the city lake. Interesting to us was there was work being done on a small island. Usually there are various species of waterfowl there and next to the sidewalk.
Next we make our way to Laugavegur street the main shopping street in Reykjavik. Off of this street you find the Rainbow street with leads to Hallgrímskirkja the iconic landmark of Reykjavik. It is always worth a stop to pause and reflect as well as simply admire the building. One can also take a lift to the top for a great view of the city.
One hidden gem of Reykjavik for me is the Einar Jonsson Sculpture Garden. It is located to the northwest of Hallgrimskirka, across the street.
Einar Jonsson is responsible for many of the sculptures you see around Reykjavik. It is always a nice place to visit and admire his work. It was time to feel very Icelandic and have a coffee.
Being close to Cafe Loki, that is where we stopped. Lynn had their hot chocolate and it was very good. We took a different route back, walking past Braud. This is an excellent bakery well worth a stop. We were still full from our breakfast and did not stop.
We headed back to our bus stop past Reykjavik Ink. I should advise that one should check the bus schedules as weekend service varies and is less frequent.
We hop on Straeto Bus #14 as it is time for a swim, back to our favorite city pool.
Most enjoyable are the city pools. One plus to the Laugardalslaug Pool is there is a hot dog stand very near the pool and bus stop. After our swim we had our daily hot dog. YES THEY ARE THAT GOOD.
We got off the bus at the Bíó Paradís stop to walk down to the sea. There we find SOLFAR.
SOLFAR or Sun Voyager is a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, located on the the Sæbraut road in Reykjavík. Sun Voyager/ SOLFAR is described as a dreamboat, or an ode to the Sun. The artist intended it to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom. Yes this inspired us to name our camper SOLFAR.
Walking west towards the Harpa, which is the Reykjavik Opera House which was built during their financial crash. The construction was completed to give the nation hope that all would work out.
Past Harpa is the port for many of the smaller cruise/expedition ships. Recently it was fitted with high voltage electrical power stations. This allows the small expedition cruise ships to run off of electrical power rather than run their diesel generators. This makes for cleaner air in the down town area. (Electric utilities in Iceland are very inexpensive as they are run off of geothermal resources.)
The HX Expedition ship MS Fridtjof Nansen was in port. We had noticed many folks wandering about with HX Expedition Jackets on.
Our new warm sweaters :)
On weekends in Reykjavik one must visit Kolaportið which is the biggest flea market in Reykjavik and is very popular among the locals. Here you can find all kinds of items from t-shirts, knick knacks, food items, jewelry and hand knitted Icelandic Wool sweaters. Yes, we fell victim to purchasing a couple sweaters. They were hand knitted by the lady we purchased them from. There are several folks selling sweaters at Kolaportið but I felt hers were the best. Many of the sweaters found here and in other shops are not always hand knitted. Some come from shops over seas. I felt these sweaters were of quality local yarn and are of a unique design. The price was vary fair. We walked past the famous Hot Dog Stand where there was a pretty good line. One can go to the 10-11 store and get the same product if you don’t want to wait in line.
I hear a band playing and I thought there might be a concert taking place in Austurvöllur Square. Austurvöllur Square is the park across from the parliament building where one finds the statue of Jón Sigurðsson the leader of Iceland’s independence movement. Yes it was a marching band playing for a wedding. The wedding had been held at the Reykjavík Cathedral next to the Parliament Building. This is a small church one usually finds closed. We found it open one winter and it is worth a visit if open. The marching band played as the wedding party made their way through Austurvöllur Square to the reception. I was good and did not crash the reception. This was a very nice experience.
We then went to the English Pub. It was a nice warm pub. Yes I would return but The Rabbit has much more of a vibe to my liking. Back to the hotel to get this written and call it a day of 13,196 steps. Working on getting used to this time zone. Thanks for ready and following along. I hope you find it interesting and do feel free to share.
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