I put up my photos of the first few days, now that I finally have an internet connection. I'll post something soon-ish, possibly this evening after dinner.
To follow: Icelandic internet bureaucracy, a geothermal swimming pool, and the mystery of hjartasalt.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Day 1
The first thing I noticed when we were flying into Keflavik Airport was the village on the coast. It looked exactly like the introduction in Father Ted, where they fly over the island and there is nothing but green grass, little stone walls, and a few isolated houses. I decided that this was a good omen.
The Keflavik airport is unmistakably Scandinavian - large glass windows, wood paneling, clean, uncluttered decor - and was completely deserted except for the people arriving from my flight. After passing through customs, and nearly picking up someone else's bag that looked identical to mine, I was greeted by a pink-faced, middle-aged man with a sign - he helped me load my baggage into the car and we sped off, through the fields of lupine, towards Reykjavik. He explained some of the landmarks and sites as we traveled along, telling me that the whole Reykjanes peninsula was 7 million, 4 thousand, or 100 thousand years old, depending on which time he told me. He was very nice, though - I wish I could remember what his name was.
When we arrived at the student housing, I opened the door of the apartment assigned to me and noticed that there was a pair of shoes next to the door, and food in the kitchen. Someone was clearly living here. But, luckily, the man had the keys for all four of us, so we tried another apartment. Also occupied. Clearly, people here are pretty deep sleepers if they didn't hear someone unlock the door, poke about inside, have a quick discussion, and leave. All through this, a very fat cat had been following me and rubbing against my legs so that I would nearly trip over it every time I tried to move. Finally, we unlocked an apartment that was clearly unoccupied, and I moved my stuff inside, moved the cat out, and thanked the man for his help.
It was at this point that I noticed that the apartment was bare. No linens on the bed, no pillow, no towel, no pots and pans, only some assorted silverware and dishes. At least there was a roll of toilet paper still on the dispenser. I spent a few minutes cursing myself for not bringing the sleeping bag, and then set about making a list of things that I would need, and, feeling a bit overwhelmed and sweaty, decided to take a shower. The hot water smelled vaguely of sulfur, not surprising, as they get it from geothermal springs. Luckily, I had my backpacking towel (aka cheap automotive towel) and my hair dryer, so the shower wasn't too inconvenient. I realized that at 8am on a holiday, I'd be unlikely to find any open stores, so I took a nap, hoping to wake up in a few hours when the shops might be open.
I woke up at 2:30 PM, with the sun shining brightly through the window. The sky had cleared and it was beatiful outside. I packed up my backpack and headed out. For Independence day, every man, woman and child must have descended on the town center. There were children's carnival rides, cotton candy booths, and what looked like a little house-building contest. It took ages for me to make it past the lake to the city center, and at the northern end was a concert pavillion with a singing comedian, or a childrens show on stage, I couldn't tell which. And now, I find myself in a little cafe, enjoying a sandwich, a cappucino, and free wireless internet. Later, I'll go out again and see the carnival, and I'll probably post pictures tomorrow after I get an ethernet cable (the apartment has no wireless, argh!).
The Keflavik airport is unmistakably Scandinavian - large glass windows, wood paneling, clean, uncluttered decor - and was completely deserted except for the people arriving from my flight. After passing through customs, and nearly picking up someone else's bag that looked identical to mine, I was greeted by a pink-faced, middle-aged man with a sign - he helped me load my baggage into the car and we sped off, through the fields of lupine, towards Reykjavik. He explained some of the landmarks and sites as we traveled along, telling me that the whole Reykjanes peninsula was 7 million, 4 thousand, or 100 thousand years old, depending on which time he told me. He was very nice, though - I wish I could remember what his name was.
When we arrived at the student housing, I opened the door of the apartment assigned to me and noticed that there was a pair of shoes next to the door, and food in the kitchen. Someone was clearly living here. But, luckily, the man had the keys for all four of us, so we tried another apartment. Also occupied. Clearly, people here are pretty deep sleepers if they didn't hear someone unlock the door, poke about inside, have a quick discussion, and leave. All through this, a very fat cat had been following me and rubbing against my legs so that I would nearly trip over it every time I tried to move. Finally, we unlocked an apartment that was clearly unoccupied, and I moved my stuff inside, moved the cat out, and thanked the man for his help.
It was at this point that I noticed that the apartment was bare. No linens on the bed, no pillow, no towel, no pots and pans, only some assorted silverware and dishes. At least there was a roll of toilet paper still on the dispenser. I spent a few minutes cursing myself for not bringing the sleeping bag, and then set about making a list of things that I would need, and, feeling a bit overwhelmed and sweaty, decided to take a shower. The hot water smelled vaguely of sulfur, not surprising, as they get it from geothermal springs. Luckily, I had my backpacking towel (aka cheap automotive towel) and my hair dryer, so the shower wasn't too inconvenient. I realized that at 8am on a holiday, I'd be unlikely to find any open stores, so I took a nap, hoping to wake up in a few hours when the shops might be open.
I woke up at 2:30 PM, with the sun shining brightly through the window. The sky had cleared and it was beatiful outside. I packed up my backpack and headed out. For Independence day, every man, woman and child must have descended on the town center. There were children's carnival rides, cotton candy booths, and what looked like a little house-building contest. It took ages for me to make it past the lake to the city center, and at the northern end was a concert pavillion with a singing comedian, or a childrens show on stage, I couldn't tell which. And now, I find myself in a little cafe, enjoying a sandwich, a cappucino, and free wireless internet. Later, I'll go out again and see the carnival, and I'll probably post pictures tomorrow after I get an ethernet cable (the apartment has no wireless, argh!).
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