I didn’t set an alarm today but I couldn’t sleep in anyway.
After breakfast, I headed to the main street nearby. My hotel is
close to the main downtown area, but not right in the thick of things which is
good. I wanted to check out some of the shops that had been closed in the
evening. One of them was a marvelous craft store where I found some unique
Icelandic rocks that have holes drilled through them. They will make a great
necklace!
I did a bit more browsing, then walked over to the meeting point
for a walking tour. The guide was a young entrepreneur who gives ‘free’
walking tours twice daily. If you like it, you pay. I hope everyone did as I
thought he was quite good.
The tour was about 75 minutes long and covered several important
buildings, statues and landmarks in the downtown area. Not only did the
guide know his history well, but he gave us an insight into the psyche of the
locals. He touched on many interesting topics including politics, finance, and
education. While we were in front of the government buildings he noticed that
something was going on. He kept an eye out as he was talking then pointed out
the Prime Minister of Iceland to us!
After the tour I grabbed another hotdog from Baejarins Beztu
Pylsur again. I wasn’t super hungry but needed something to tide me over.
Reykjavik has a Photography Museum which is located in the city library.
Admission was free – can’t beat that! I was really looking forward to seeing a
good photography exhibit but I was sorely disappointed. The show that was on
display was mostly photos of motorcycle dudes from the southern U.S. That’s not
what I expected to see in Iceland! Oh well, at least the price was right.
My next stop was an art museum. I was really hoping for some
more traditional type of art but I guess Icelandic artists are really ‘out there’.
I found the building quite interesting at any rate!
I found the graffiti more to my liking than the ‘art’ in the
museums.
At 3 PM I headed over to catch a free shuttle to Reykjavik’s
largest mall. I hadn’t had much chance for shopping and wanted to pick
something up for the house and cat sitter, lawn mower, etc. Unfortunately I got my times wrong and missed
the van to the mall I wanted to see. Instead I went to Smaralind Mall. It
wasn’t quite what I expected….more of a European version of West Edmonton Mall!
I wasn’t in the market for high fashion or ultra-stylish clunky footwear. After
scoping it out I bought chocolate soft-serve ice cream and took the shuttle
back downtown.
I went back to the hotel to do web check-in for tomorrow’s
flight and also for a change of footwear. The touristy shops nearby had more of
what I was looking for and I managed to spend the last of my kronas. When
window shopping, there was an interesting store window display that kept
drawing me but it was always closed. Finally I found it open and what a cool
place! I found some neat gift items and postcards. When I complimented the
owner on his store, he told me that some of the postcards were his own
photography and some of the card designs were his original art that he turned
into t-shirts. And yes, that cat sign is coming home with me!
All that leg work got me hungry as my famous hotdog wasn’t all
that substantial. Finding cheap and cheerful in Iceland can be a challenge but
it can be done. I found a nifty little Moroccan place called Kebab Grill and
enjoyed a lamb and veggie pita. It was a bit spicier than I usually go for, but
it was good.
I am back at the hotel early. I need to do postcards and get my
suitcase organized for the last time!
