Island, part prir (3), the Bay of Smokes.

Combining the words "city" and "Iceland" is a bit of an exercise in, uhm, lying.  The only town of any size at all is Reykjavik and it is small by almost any measure.  Sure it's charming and picturesque and fun but it is just plain darn small.  Reykjavik (The Bay of Smokes) is known for a few things the most famous of them is that it's party (partay) central.  We saw evidence of this (lots of bars, piles of vomit, a fair number of gin-blossoms) but did not partake unless partake means "was kept up all night by drunken fools singing James Taylor songs in the cutest accent imaginable".


It is tough not to be charmed by this the capital of Iceland and it's one and only city (biggish town).  A full 2/3's of the country's peeps live here.  

Harpa Opera House, Reykjavik.

This building, the Harpa, is the jewel of downtown.  It was just about completed when we were there and they were scrambling to dot the t's as we explored it.  It was designed in collaboration with some sexy Scandinavian design/architecture firm and artist extraordinaire Olafur Eliasson.  I am a big fan of his installations (he was behind the waterfalls in NYC a couple years back)and as such I was taken with this building in a big way.  

Harpa from the water, Reykjavik.

It is designed to need no artificial lighting manipulating the incoming light to dazzle and illuminate, a noble goal, but one that seems to have not come to complete fruition.  Light does move in strange and interesting ways inside the building and makes the outside sparkle like, well, an Icelandic jewel (not an Icelandic Jewel, that's Bjork).  It is a success?  I think so.  I showed my appreciation by taking a ridiculous amount of photos of it never quite getting what it is I thought I wanted.  I shall return.

Finishing Touches, Harpa, Reykjavik.

The rest of urban Iceland can be summed up thusly:  there ain't no more.  The second city of the country is the quaint Akureyri (population 17,500).  Here is a picture from the downtown.

"Downtown" Akureyri.

There is a good amount of public art on the streets of Reykjavik and I'm sure I took many pics of many cool pieces of graffiti and modern sculptures but I can't seem to find them.  I will do so and address them in later entries.

Like I said, I have unfinished business in this compelling lil' country and I will be back.  

Nature Baths, Myvatn.

Any country that actively encourages soaking in hot water and drinking beer while shootin' the breeze with your friends, neighbors and countrymen(and countrywomen)is one that speaks my language.  Even if that language is almost 100% incomprehensible.