Misty Reykjavik

A misty day makes a good excuse to explore museums. First stop, the Kjarvalsstaoir Art Museum. (Honestly, I doubt I'd ever have gotten out of grade school if I'd had to spell these words!) It houses the works of Iceland's most famous artist, Kjarvak (pronounced nothing like you might think). His work helped Icelanders appreciate their lava terrain. One of my favorites is this one of a lava field this time of year when the low vegetation is starting to turn color...

Then a brief stop to see the church and, of course, good old Leifur Eiriksson. He was a gift from the U.S. to Iceland in 1930 on the 1,000 year anniversary of their Parliament, 930 AD. (Do you think Leifur might have been inspiration for one of the heroic poses the men in our lives are so fond of striking?)

Trivia question... Who came first? The statue or the church? The statue was installed in 1932 (apparently there was a big "to do" about where it would go, quite interesting to read about). The church was built in 1945.

This one's especially for the library Susans in our lives. It's the reading room at the Cultural Center where the national library and archives are housed. They use the old card catalog as a guest book. You sign a card with your name, where you're from, the date, then file it alphabetically in the appropriate drawer. (It did make me wonder if they even teach alphabetizing any longer. The cards in my "section" did follow "GRO" but from there it was a mess!)

Just for fun... The slide in front of the elementary school across the street from where we're staying. (Ignore the spiral stairs in the background. They're on the building, not the slide.) Beyond the slide you can see some logs propped up on rocks for the kids to climb on. No need for fancy playground equipment here!