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| Goodbye, Minnesota |
I'm done with Day 2 of my visit already, and feel like I'm off to a good start. Yesterday I managed to push through an entire day without any significant naps in an effort to get myself right into a semi-normal sleep schedule here. I slept on the plane more than I ever have before (thank you, Melatonin and sleepy time playlist) and was actually feeling pretty fresh (in a gross 6 hours on an airplane in the middle of the night sort of way) when I rolled into Reykjavik around 8:30AM on Wednesday. Erin Jones immediately met me and made me a delicious breakfast, and then we walked to the pool in Vesturbær and had a good soak in the hot tubs. Washed the airplane germs right off. Following a late fish and chips lunch I wandered around for most of the afternoon in an attempt to stay awake before meeting Erin and her boyfriend for a late dinner. Snaps (the restaurant) may charge a ridiculous amount for a chicken caesar salad, but I can almost bet you it's the best dang chicken caesar salad you'll ever eat.
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| Wandering the slightly bizarre Einar Jónsson sculpture garden. |
I was feeling a little aimless as this trip began. Last summer I had such a solid reason to be here, with the internship and a schedule and everything. This time I didn't really line much up with people ahead of time, though there are lots of people I want to see while I'm here. I just wasn't sure how I was going to spend 3 days during the week while most of my friends here were at work, and there wasn't too much I had in mind to see/do. My enthusiasm was not turned up as high as it has been on other trips when I've felt like I had more of a purpose.
A full night of sleep brightened my perspective significantly, and I set out today with a single-minded, blinders on goal of going to Viðey, an island in/near the Reykjavik harbor. I was there briefly before in 2012, when I accompanied the Snorri Plus group to listen to Svavar Knútur give a little private concert for everyone. On that visit I hadn't been able to explore much, just for lack of time, and have wanted to head back and check it out ever since. This was my chance.
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| I did NOT know this...but even once I learned it, I don't know how big Monaco is, so I couldn't be like, "Oh, well, rah rah, it took me roughly two hours to explore Monaco, so I guess I'll plan for that on this island, which is approximately the same size." This trip reinforced something I already suspected about myself... I have absolutely no sense of scale, or of how long it will actually take to explore something. An hour in Mallory adventure estimates means closer to two and a half. |
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| Approaching the island |
Unfortunately, though I was pretty sure I was going to go on my little Viðey adventure when I got dressed this morning, I didn't do a great job (or even a mediocre job) dressing for the weather. In my defense, the forecast was wildly misleading... but I should know better by now. I boarded the ferry just as a mean, steady drizzle began, and it didn't let up for a good long while. I'd been on the island all of 5 minutes when I began to bemoan the fact that I had optimistically left my mittens safely tucked away in my room. I made up a little song to sing to myself that I think helped keep the cold away. It went a little something like this, and is admittedly inspired by a Pete the Cat book that one of my students was OBSESSED with this year:
Shoulda brought my mittens, my mittens, my mittens
Shoulda brought my mittens, my dang bleeping mittens::
Hindsight is 20/20.
You did this to yourself, you fool. It's what you wanted.
I checked out the southeast (??? directions are not really my thing) part of the island first, which includes the ruins of what used to be a little town. The drizzle was persistent, but my top notch rain jacket repelled the worst of it. That jacket was the beginning and end of my preparedness for this little excursion.
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| This used to be a house. Now it is not. |
I found myself profoundly jealous of the waterproof birds that cawed and chirped angrily at me as I walked up and down the soggy paths.
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| Snack time. |
During a little break to dry off and warm up in the small cafe on the island, the weather took a turn for the better. The drizzle let up and the mist lifted. I could actually see the mainland clearly again, which is comically close to the island. I had the second, larger part of the island left to explore, and I was going to get my 1500 ISK worth and investigate every inch, regardless of conditions.
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| Imagine Peace tower- Yoko Ono dedicated this to John Lennon. It sends a giant beam of light into the sky at certain times of the year. |
Though the rain had cleared, the damage had been done, and the grassy paths were more than a little damp. Within minutes my feet were soaked. At that point it was an "in for a penny, in for a pound" situation and I just decided to go for it. I trekked that water-logged chunk of land from stem to stern, and had a fantastic time.
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| The sun even came out for a few minutes. |
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| Life lesson: setting soaking wet tennis shoes in the cold breeze for a few minutes does not dry them enough to make a difference. It just makes them wet AND cold when you inevitably have to put them back on. Don't judge me until you're in a position where you're chilly and sore, and completely desperate to remember what dry, un-chafed feet feel like. |
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| Leaving Viðey |
This evening I was invited to a lovely dinner at the home of some friends, Halldor and Anna Björg. Halldor was the President of the Snorri Foundation during my program year. Erin (Snorri 2013), and Julie (Snorri 2012), along with Julie's boyfriend, attended the dinner as well. We had a great time visiting.
Tomorrow is another open day. I know I'll find plenty to keep me busy, one way or another, and then Saturday morning Erin Jones and are take off on a weekend road trip to the north, which will be very exciting.
