I’m writing this post from back in Nova Scotia, where it is pretty misty and grey out. It’s been kind of weird having it be so humid and warm, since I left right around the time that actual summer weather was starting and came from a place that was definitely not as warm! My flight yesterday didn’t leave until the afternoon, so I had the morning to do whatever I wanted to. And what I wanted first was baked goods. I actually hadn’t wandered down Laugavegur (the main shopping street of Reykjavik) when I was in town before, so I was interested in doing that because the weather was so good. When I first went by, it was 9am so most of the shops weren’t open yet, but the bakery I wanted to go to (Sandholt) opened early so that worked out perfectly! I couldn’t pick just one thing, so I got a lemon tart with a meringue on top, and a molleux, both to go. I planned to take them down to Harpa (Reykjavik’s concert hall) and eat them there, but… I got too intrigued on the way and stopped on a bench and ate the lemon tart. The meringue was SO GOOD, it was the most light and fluffy thing with the perfect amount of moisture inside. And the lemon tart was great too, there was some other subtle flavour going on in it but I couldn’t put my finger on it. After this pit stop, I was ready to actually walk to Harpa.
Harpa is such a beautiful building! If you’ve been reading along with my trip, you might have noticed that the glass facade is similar to something else you’ve already seen photos of – the basalt columns! That’s what inspired these unusually shaped windows. The building design was a collaboration between the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects and Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. I really would’ve liked to see the inside of the halls inside, but I didn’t want to get into going on a guided tour so I wasn’t able to. C’est la vie! Harpa is right down on the waterfront, so I checked out the inside of the building and then sat on the nearby stone wall in the sun to eat my chocolatey treat. (Which was also just as perfect as the lemon tart.)
After basking in the sun for a bit, I headed back up to Laugavegur. I stopped at a few shops to browse along the way, although I didn’t buy much. I did buy a record at Lucky Records. This is kind of an Icelandic cliché, but I’m a huge fan of Björk and I loved loved loved her album Vulnicura as well as the subsequent stripped down version she released, Vulcinura Strings, and I was hoping to get one of those on vinyl. And they had Vulnicura Strings! Which is the one I was more hoping for anyway. Vulnicura is an amazing melding of strings and electronics and vocals, and after it was released Björk went back to the original string takes and selected new ones and took out all the electronics and released Strings. I’ve been listening to it this morning and it’s so raw and wonderful and emotional. If you haven’t heard either record, I highly recommend checking them out. Both are great in completely different ways.
After that, I was kind of at a loose end and was going to head back to where my car was parked and head toward the sights around the Reykjanes Peninsula on my way to the airport, except I turned the corner from the record shop and found…The Icelandic Phallological Museum (also NSFW, for obvious reasons – no scandalous photos below though). It was such a strangely hilarious place. I chipped in the extra ~$4 for the audio tour because I figured why not go all out on this strange experience. This was an excellent decision, because the audio tour is narrated by none other than the original owner and (now ex-) curator of the collection. His commentary featured a number of gems, including a recollection of hand-carving wooden phallus-shaped handles for a cutlery set which he noted that he used frequently while he was curator of the museum. The museum itself is mostly a collection of animal specimens, but there is also a decent amount of phallus-inspired(?) art including wood carvings and paintings. As well, there are photographs (below) of a pagan WEDDING that took place at the museum in the early 2000s. I especially like in the caption of the photos that it notes “First Pagan Wedding at the Museum”, as though there have been many more since then. The gift shop included t-shirts with slogans like the one below, “I’m NOT a donor” – important information for everyone to have. I think my favourite part of the whole experience was overhearing an interaction another visitor was having at the front desk. I couldn’t see anything, but could could hear quite clearly a woman saying to someone with her (the other person was not audible), “Come in with me! Come ON! You’re really not going to come? You just missed the last fun thing we did! Do this for your grandma!” And the granddaughter did indeed give in and came in with her grandmother.
After that whole experience, I started my drive to the airport. I stopped by Brimketill, a naturally formed pool. I also intended to go see the Reykjanes lighthouse, and this is going to sound stupid, but on the walk up the road from where I parked there were SO MANY GULLS. Like a swarm of them. All those specks in the photo below? Birds. Swarming around and squawking and DIVEBOMBING ME. They were flying so close to my head and swooping by and making loud sounds and I was huddled down while walking with my hood up and got weirdly freaked out and just went back to the car. I know, I’m a chicken. We have lighthouses at home though, I felt like I could live without having the experience.
My final stop before the airport was the Bridge Between Continents, which is another example of the divide between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The bridge spans the fissure, which was intended as a symbol of connection between Europe and North America when it was built (I think).
And that’s it for my trip! I honestly could’ve gone for another week or two in Iceland, I feel like there’s so much to see and do and hike! I especially want to go up to the northern parts, and maybe even a bit more inland (although I think I might feel less stressed in a slightly larger car next time). Now, back to bridesmaids’ dresses and sewing and hopefully some baking in the next little while!