A day in the life at Reykjavik

Thanks to my new friend and colleague, Soffia, I spent a "day in the life" of a local person with a few tourist moments.  We started the day at her downtown city center apartment for coffee and a traditional breakfast including cheese, salmon, brown flatfread, creamy butter and a fig pie. Everything was so fresh and tasty. In Iceland, foods are natural....really natural, no meddling Monsanto and other food companies who sell poison disguised as food. No wonder Icelanders are so healthy, they eat REAL food.

We stopped at the city location where Soffia voted in a municipal election. The votes are recorded on paper ballots and hand-counted.

We stopped at the famous Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral, highest point in the city. In front of the Cathedral is a statue of Leif Erikson, however the figure you see in the photo is me, freezing.

Soffia's friend, Aegir, drove us out into the mountains to the Hellisheioi Geothermal Power Plant that produces electricity and hot water for Reykjavik and other cities using a fully clean production system. The technology is designed to take advantage of the abounding geothermal energy from ancient, and presently quiet, volcanos. The center is a scale model of the plant in midst of mountains.

Coffee is everywhere, even the power plant. Look at this lovely serving.

Many thanks to Aegir, a capable snowy road driver, who is also a poet. Here is his poetry book:

All together, a delightful day with new friends. Soffia and Aegir and gracious hosts. Driving back to my apartment, I saw the Peace Light which Yoko Ono built to honor John Lennon. She obviously had to travel far to find a peaceful location and Iceland is indeed the right spot.

Blue Lagoon - an Icelandic Wonder

The Blue Lagoon at night is an other-worldly experience. Walking down a trail between black volcanic rocks looks like hiking on the surface of the moon. Once inside, you must shower, then put on swim suits before entering the lagoon. One small detail - - - when I arrived there it was 31 degrees so leaving the warm locker room to walk outside was a shock. From chilly walk to the hot mineral waters, the Blue Lagoon makes the temporary pain worthwhile.

The Blue Lagoon is shallow with silica underfoot. My group walked around the waters, talking and enjoying the experience. Steam rose from the waters into the frosty night sky which provided a mysterious backdrop. Since it was not practical to bring a camera, the photos were taken after finishing a long, luxurious soak.

After changing clothes, my group went to dinner in the restaurant that overlooks the lagoon. I am determined to eat Icelandic foods, so I chose the Smoked Salmon Sandwich. This delicious sandwich had lettuce, salmon and thin slices of boiled egg on dark bread - - its a recipe I plan to copy.

I highly recommend Reykjavik Excursions bus tours. Our group boarded the bus at Radisson Saga Hotel near campus, then transferred to a tour bus at BSI Bus terminal and returned same pattern. If you had time to do nothing but spend a few hours at Blue Lagoon and fly home, it would be worth the plane ticket.