BLUE SKIES OVER REYKJAVIK?

Today was 'Puffin Tour' day & we were over the moon to discover that the sky was blue & the sun was shining!  That didn't mean it was warm, but it did mean that everybody's mood was more cheerful.

We were going to go out onto the water in speedy RIB boats & had a whole new outfit to fit over what we were wearing. It definitely took some effort to get into. All that clothing meant that we waddled down to the boat & kind of rolled into it!

The first exciting thing we saw across the water was the beautiful Harpa Concert hall.  Our guide informed me that I was wrong about the influence of the glass shapes, it wasn't the landscape that inspired the architects, but fish scales!  The way the glass panels reflected the water. glimmered & shone...I could definitely see fish scales as being the inspiring muse.

It was fun being out on the water.  It wasn't too rough & we zipped along.  Looking back we had a magnificent view of Reykjavik & looking forward we could see the whole shape of the ice clad volcano that we had spent some time inside a few days ago.
Then before we knew it, we were in the midst of PUFFINS! Although, to be fair, they moved so quickly & were far enough away that they looked more like midges!
Jeff was in control of the camera & had a very hard time, partly because of their speed, & partly because he was standing on a moving boat floating on a sea that bobbed!

We did get to see them on the rocks as well, but no where near as many as we had seen on our early morning excursion a couple of weeks ago & we certainly didn't get as close.
Still, it was fun & we did see a couple of puffins flying with fish in their beaks, which led our guide, who is a marine biologist, to suspect that some of the pufflings have already hatched.

It was fascinating listening to her.  Puffins flap 400 times per minute, they can dive to a depth of 60 metres & those crazy wings can be wings one minute & flippers the next!

We had thoroughly enjoyed our trip & especially enjoyed being out in the fresh air without getting wet!
The next stop was The Saga Museum.  This was a fascinating walk through the history of Iceland & some of it's colourful characters.  Made up of life like displays & figures, an audio guide took us from one port to the next, giving us just the right dose of information.  For people who learn better with visual aids, this was brilliant.
We met a couple of our old friends, including Ingolfur Aronson (shown here with his wife Hallveig), who decided to settle in Reykjavik because his wooden Chieftains staffs had washed up here.  Seeing what he took to be smoke coming up from the ground ( it was actually steam from the geothermal activity) he named the place Reykjavik, which means' Smokey Bay'.

We also met our old friend Snorri, & when we went through the gift shop, were very amused to see that a brand of beer has been named after him!!

Our amusement didn't stop there, as in a lane between venues, we came across what appeared to be a bus shelter, but then realised that it was a designated smoking spot.  We loved the sign, especially after having been reminded of Ingolfur's naming of the city!

One of the aspects of life in Iceland (& Norway) which we weren't going to experience were the spectacular Aurora Borealis displays.  Therefore we felt that the next best thing was to explore these phenomenon at the Northern Lights Centre.
Our first introduction was to the beliefs & myths of the various peoples who live in the northern part of the northern hemisphere.  This was fascinating.  My favourite was from the Inuit of North America, who believe that the Northern Lights are the shadows of relatives & friends who have passed.  The dancing lights are thought to be the spirits of the deceased dancing, reminding those they left behind to remember them.  Such a lovely connection.

There were interactive displays as well as scientific facts to read & try to absorb, and then there was something particularly special.

We went into a darkened room, where we could sit on chairs or  lie on cushions to watch the most spectacular film footage on a large screen. Auroras seen from sites  all over Iceland  were shown one after another.  It was as if we were there.  What we found profoundly moving was that we had been to some of the places where footage was filmed. I think we both felt we could have stayed there all day watching those colours dance across the sky & identifying which were arcs, or rays, or ribbons.....but.... the sun was shining & we needed to keep moving!

The last thing we got to do was put the goggles on for a virtual reality experience of seeing an Aurora Borealis. Very cool!

After being inside for the time it took to visit 2 museums, we wanted to just walk!  So we wandered through the streets of Reykjavik, meandering our way around until we found one of Europe's loveliest Cemeteries, Holavallagardur. It was a gentle forest of trees, with grave sites  crowned in moss in amidst them.  One of the first things we noticed was the birdsong. How peaceful & with the sun streaming down through the leaves, it was exquisite. Tulips and pansies brought flashes of bright colour to the green & stone palette & it was a very serene experience to just wander through, looking at the very old & the not so old tombstones.
We were here to see a very specific grave of a woman I am hoping to produce an art piece about.  Her name was Gudrun Oddsdottir & she was the first person to be buried here, on 23 November 1838.  Tradition has it that the first person to be buried in a cemetery doesn't actually decay & 'move on', instead they remain as a Guardian to watch over the graveyard, receive those who are buried here & guide them  on to the afterlife.  Gudrun is this cemetery's Guardian & this is her grave.

On we walked &  were amused to see locals out, stretching in the sun.  We even came across one young woman reading on a rug in the park, along with her 2 cats, who were quietly curled up beside her.  I guess they needed a dose of vitamin D too!!!!! Heading towards our apartment, we came across Tjornin Pond in the middle of the city.
It was a fabulous day. Yes...another one!!