Kolaportið

Kolaportið ......... ah the flea market in Reykjavík. seriously such a great time. imagine a large warehouse divided into to isles and many table/stalls and then add huge amounts of people swarming and trying on sweaters/hats/etc. it's a crazy mix from folks with established tables full of vinyl and band tees, handknit sweaters (lopapeysa), beautiful dishes, to artists selling their work, and many just clearing out their closet. oh and the fish market of course! where we bought the rotten shark and dried fish


what we came away with:
jewelery - directly from the artist - stunning lava and silver pieces
salt licorice (just a couple pieces as i bought a MASSIVE bag at the airport - i still have loads)
a sparkly topshop tank - barely worn
a cowl top (again a group of friends selling items from their closets)
willa almost bought a sweater dress - but ended up with a great sweater at another shop

icelandic foods: love, like, and not so much

easter eggs that come with fortunes. love cool article here


Bæjarins beztu pylsur (translates to The best best hot dog in town) and yep pretty good! they had a huge amount of toppings: ketchup, sweet mustard, fried onions, raw onions and remolaði, a mayonnaise-based sauce with sweet relish (oh and gravy too i think!) somewhere between like and love



haroifiskur or hardfiskur wind dried fish you eat with butter. it is alright. made a pretty good lunch. although not a quick eat.... lots of chewing. like



Hákari or kæstur hákarl (Icelandic for "fermented shark") yes rotten shark ... why rotten? well shark is poisonous when fresh due to a high content of uric acid and other toxins but may be consumed after it is 'cured' - ie buried in gravel for 2-3 months. It has a particular ammonia smell ... and is umm an acquired taste. Willa didn't mind it .... me? not so much



Skyr (pronounced skeer) is similar to a thick yoghurt, though technically skyr is a very soft cheese. and oh my it is really really good! it is actually made from skim milk which for yoghurt usually means well pretty crap but skyr is very creamy and rich. we ate skyr everyday and even during our layover on our way home! love oooooh and check out colbert eating skyr

April 4 - Reykjavik - Weekend Flea Market

Reykjavik - Weekend Flea Market, originally uploaded by girl from finito.

We were supposed to go to the museums today but spent the day shopping. We cruised the flea market which is not to be missed. from the stalls you can buy all sorts of things, from locally designed jewelry to junk jewels; icelandic sweaters, delicacies such as dried fish and shark. We ate lunch in the small cafe area and listened to a group of friends playing Beatles tunes on their guitars.

April 3 - Reykjavik and Around

Reyjkavik -, originally uploaded by girl from finito.

I was shocked when my sister didn't put up a fight when I suggested this activity. Mary is not a fan or horses but Saying the magic word PONIES! many many times somehow convinced her. We couldn't have picked a worse day for it.. blowing sleet for half the ride. Thankfully the riding company we went with had snow suits and rain gear for us. The rain stopped as we crossed over some low mountains and it was a pleasant ride from there on but both mary and my butts are sore an I think I will be trying to make up for this excursion for a little while.

Reyjkavik - the Perlan, originally uploaded by girl from finito.

Back in town we decided to go for a walk around town and found our way up to the Perlan. The Perlan is the storehouse for a lot of the geothermically heated water supplied to reykjavik. Actually almost 90% of houses in the capital are heated geothermically. The Perlan is also a museum and a cafe that sits on the top of a mountain overlooking all of Reykjavik. There was some lovely views and some bunnies spotted. The bunnies apparently survive the winter by snuggling up the the hot water pipes. After all the riding and walking we opted for a relaxing swim at one of the 7 swimming pools in the city. All the pools are minimally chlorinated (so you have to shower before you enter) and geothermcally heated.

April 2: Reykjavik

Reykjavik - The Grey Cat, originally uploaded by girl from finito.

What do you do after not sleeping on a red eye from Toronto to Reykjavik? I mean besides wondering what the smell is (sulphur) and stopping in the duty free to impulse buy vodka and salted licorice (and then put the super salty thing in your mouth and reel back).. no, after all that you eat breakfast. yummy yummy breakfast at the Grei Kotturinn (Grey Cat) my new favorite little cafe. it was a big breakfast in the oddest little relaxed shop.

Reykjavik - Sun Craft, originally uploaded by girl from finito.

So we have arrived. and have the pictures to prove it. We did a little walking tour that ended at the suncraft sculpture down near the harbour.

Iceland & Denmark

Reykjavik - Leif Eríkson, originally uploaded by girl from finito.

If you came for posts on our trip.. they are coming... My computer ran into a little power problem in Reykjavik and we have no wifi in Copenhagen so I have been forced to shun the internet. But I have been keeping a little bit of a diary and taking a ton of pictures so I'll have a lot show you all very soon.
Back in Canada on Sunday.

no photos ..... but trust me it is pretty

Copenhagen is a pretty city .... lots of flowers which is the best. We wandered around shopping today as all the shops will be shut for Easter starting tomorrow(yes including Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday). The big fashion item here are big scarfs - loud bright triangle ones with tassles are hot..... so guess what both willa and i bought today? oh yes mine is almost neon with fantastic embroidery and pom-poms and willas? massive black and white woven square with the biggest tassles ever in yellow, pink, and purple. so great. is it bad i want another one? saw this russian style one ...... good thing those shops are shut for a couple days hey!
tomorrow we are hitting museums. looking forward to that.
oh and to explain the lack of photos: we have to internet cafe now as our hostel doesn't have wifi and we are still having computer power issues (our power converter blew up - it was quite dramatic .. smoke and everything). so yes this a brief note ..... but we have lots more icelandic and now danish photos to post. you can check out some of our iceland photos at willa's flickr site