Travels and Musings: Thursday, 10- Not All Who Wander are Lost; Haunted Reykjavik

I had nothing planned for today and realized that, since I was on my own, I could just wander where I pleased for as long as I wanted. First, though, I had to go shopping. The Airbnb deal does not include a full supply of food. That's the guests' job.

Morning view from my living room. I may be done with hotels on long trips forever.

I headed out to a shopping area where the cheaper grocery store didn't open till 11 AM (which tells you something about the culture). The one across the street, however, was open and had everything I needed, coffee being my main priority. I loved being able to get out of bed, put the coffee on and have breakfast at the dining room table every morning.

I hadn't expected to encounter the Berenstain Bears in the grocery store!

It took me awhile to motivate myself but eventually I got out, and grinned from ear to ear as soon as I saw the mountains across the bay, down at the end of the street.

Once I knew where I was, I put the map away and just wandered.

Hmm. Wonder if this kids' bio of Martin Luther is available in English.

I ended up at the Hallgrimskirkja just before a concert by an organist and a double bass player. They were fantastic- a Handel piece that was so beautiful I got teary-eyed and then 20th-century pieces that were not to my taste but still interesting to watch. One was a solo for the double bass that really required him to go through a wide range of sounds. I'll always be grateful that I went to a university with a good conservatory, I learned a lot just by going to performances there.

Despite its impressive appearance, the Hallgrimskirkja is not a cathedral. It was named after Hallgrimur Petersson, who wrote an extensive collection of Icelandic hymns.

After lunch I went for a refreshing swim- the nearest geothermal pool was outdoor and I'd thought it might be a shock getting out of the water (air was about 55 degrees) but I was fine. I tried not to think about the fact that the source of the comfy warm water was the volcanic "hot spot" that lies under Iceland. These pools are popular even in winter, when people congregate in the hot tub while snow falls on their heads.

Finally, since I still hadn't had enough of Reykjavik, I went out at 8 PM for the "Haunted Reykjavik" walk. It wasn't particularly scary, especially since it was still light out by the time we were finished, but it was an interesting look into Iceland's culture.

This is the Elf Stone. It stood in the way of grading the road for a major highway and nothing could move it. Finally, the construction company, suspecting elves were the problem, consulted and expert who could communicate with "the hidden people". The elves would be happy to move if construction ceased for a week and they stone could be moved to a pleasant area. They complied, the stone moved easily, and the elves are apparently happy in their new location.