EVEN IN THE RAIN....

So far, the weatherman in Iceland has been spot on.  It was BUCKETING down today!  No sun, no blue sky, just rain .....one consistent wet drop after another!
This meant that it was a good day for;
1- staying in bed a bit longer
2-getting pragmatic stuff done, like posting excess luggage home
3- drinking coffee in cafés &
4- visiting museums.

After we had worked out how to do things in the Post Office, we really did need caffeine, so went to a café that has been on our list.  Of the few cats that we've seen in Iceland, the majority have been grey,  & as we have been missing our open little grey Madame, it seemed appropriate that we check this café out.  Stepping out of the rain into this basement café, where the walls were lined with shelves of books & eccentric art pieces, and the dominant smells were coffee & bacon... we immediately felt relaxed & comfy!

Service in Iceland is quite slow we've noticed, but the good thing about that, is that it does give one time to dry off!

 

With umbrellas up we danced around puddles, vision impaired by the raincoat hoods & water on glasses.  Never the less.... we still noticed things that made us laugh!

On seeing this sign, I know where I'll drop Jeff off tomorrow when I want to visit that craft & design stores!!!!!!!



With having seen the Saga Museum yesterday, were we wise to see the Settlement Museum today?  Would it be a rehashing of what we had already become aware of?

No, it wouldn't!

The Saga Museum  had been about the stories; the fine line between truth & myth & the essential drama of the telling.

The settlement Museum was about fact; the evidence & the scientific interpretations of those glimpses into the past.

Since living in England, where we became devotees of the TV series Time Team, we have been interested in archaeology.

The main part of this museum was about revealing  & interpreting what has been discovered by the unearthing of this pile of rocks & compacted soil beneath modern Reykjavik's streets.

Fabulous film techniques & large interactive information panels, took us through Iceland's history in a completely different way than the Saga Museum had.  They complimented each other brilliantly.

In an exhibition focussed on the role of animals in early Icelandic life, Jeff had the chance to live the dream.  If he'd been born in the Northern hemisphere, he most probably would have pursued a career in archaeology. Instead... he had to make do with this experience, but he brushed the volcanic sand away like a pro!

We were interested to learn that cats played a part in early Icelandic belief systems & superstition.  At that time they followed Odin, Thor & those of Asgard.  The goddess Freya had her chariot pulled by cats (probably Maine Coons, but we can't be sure!) Consequently, cats were believed to have supernatural connections & were sometimes found in burials.  This cat skull was found in an early Icelandic burial.

Admission to the Settlement Museum, gave us the added bonus of admission to the Reykjavik City Museum, which happened to be housed in the city's oldest building.  Judging by the interior, it has had significant renovation recently though!!
This was about the people, namely, those who lived here in this city.  There were two displays & both fascinating & emotionally moving.
The first was about the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, when a third of the population was wiped out. Such a tragic loss.  Even more tragic when we read that Iceland has had a few significant epidemics sweep through the land over the years with devastating results.
The second exhibition was about the end of the 'Turf house' era here in Reykjavik & the beginning of the use of new materials for house building , like corrugated iron, which is still very popular today.
On a day like today... those turf house would have been a nightmare to live & work in!

Suitably sombre after going through those exhibits, as we left & began puddle jumping again, we were very amused by the sight of an outdoor screen & some weather hardened devotees watching it. Knowing that Iceland isn't playing today & panicking that we may have the days wrong & have less of our holiday left than we thought..... we stopped to take a look... and it was Australia playing!

We sent telepathic messages of good luck & went drippingly on our way.

The National Museum of Iceland is a rather austere building on the outside.  The sort of building that makes me turn up my nose & question whether we are in the right place!
Inside though, was a whole different story... and another way of expressing Iceland's history.  Mixing archaeological finds, with examples of outstanding craftsmanship, the Museum took us chronologically through it's past.
This incredible door from Valpjofsstadur date back to 1130AD, & many Icelandic Churches of that time were decorated in this way.  Sadly, this is the only surviving one & may have survived because it was in use until 1851.

It is believed that the door would originally have had 3 panels, instead of the two. We were gripped by the storytelling-by-carving , the movement & the way the animals were shaped. Such a treasure.

Not all the carving we saw examples of was as finely detailed as the Valpjofsstadur Door. 
This rather simple style amused us, because at the time it was carved, Satan was illustrated as being a bald man!!!!

Nowadays the Book Of Icelanders is online & has a app.  Back in 1130AD it was begun by Ari the Wise & understandably, as the nation grew it was added to after his death.  This copy dates from 1681 & it was quite special to see it, even if I couldn't recognise or understand a word of that beautiful script.

We were quite taken aback by a whole gallery space dedicated to the value of horses & the decorative ways they were.... um... bedecked! Practical for farm use & travel, the adornment of horses also seemed to be a means of neighbourly one upmanship, wealth & fashion.
There were the most exquisitely embroidered saddleblankets, beautifully carved bridles & belts & these small exquisite embossed panels of gold.

Those horses must have looked amazing, especially on a clear & sunny day!

Wet & bedraggled we made our way back to a bottle of Rioja & some crackers & cheese.  Felines had appeared in one way or another throughout the day, & sure enough, just as we turned into our street, there was a cat looking up at us.  She wasn't grey, but we didn't mind!!