The Water's Clear And Innocent

Today was a Radiohead kind of day. So I put my headphones in, grabbed my camera, and walked down the street to the beautiful Hellisgerði park. Everything is starting to turn from earthy shades of brown to the most saturated color of green you can imagine (not that my photos are a good representation since I was feeling the lovely grays today). Ah, I am so happy to live here.

Please feel free to take your time viewing the photos while listening to this song:

I justified me getting this close to the spider by saying it was practice for when I move to Australia.

I liked this plant's face. 

I think this would be just magnificent as a large piece on textured paper.

Some more Australia practice.

The perks of living in a rainy climate.

And here's another good listen for your ears:

Bless bless.

An Evening Out

After a pleasant morning and afternoon playing with S, R, and their cousin, I decided to take the ol' camera out for a walk around town. The lighting was really flat and a little dark, so I checked out some streets I hadn't been before. Surprisingly, I learned shops and most restaurants aren't open at 5:00pm on Saturdays (what?), but I did find a little convenient store open with a great looking ginger ale I had to try. I made my way across the street to the harbor with my delicious beverage in hand and casually snapped a few long exposures (though I didn't have my tripod with me). Hafnarfjordur at night is pretty in the most simple and content of ways.

(I wasn't really planning on taking a panorama, but decided to throw one together after I got home. The composition is a little... unique, but I thought it was still worth showing.)

A view from the opposite side of the harbor from the side I live on. For some reason Hafnarjfordur reminds me of the city next to the city I grew up in (Springville, Utah). It's not at all the same in ANY way really, except the feel in size is sort of similar. It feels like (and is) a small town, but has many good resources and is quite close to bigger and more touristy areas.

As I made my way back, I couldn't help but maneuver down some slippery rocks and lay uncomfortably contorted while balancing my camera dangerously like a ninja just to snag this shot.

Anyway, it was a nice little evening out with a tasty ginger ale. And I had just the right timing to come home before the who city turned into a cold wind tunnel. Now I can listen to the howling wind from the comfort of my cozy room.

(PS, just a reminder: you can click on the images to make them bigger. The panoramas especially look much better when seen in more detail!)

(PPS, that's what she said?)

(PPPS, sorry...)

The First Thirty-Nine

I have been in Iceland for just about 39 (give or take a half hour or two). The question on everyone's mind (er... at least my parents, a sister, and a few friends here and there) is... how do I like it?

Coming to Iceland was like a first date. Leading up to it I was excited, yet reserved, and not wanting to read too much into things (though the prospects were promising). And just like my real dating life, I tried to play it coooool. But then I got here, and I quickly saw how much I was digging this metaphorical first date even though it wasn't quite what I expected. As in real life when unexpectedly good dates happen, I tried to shake it off, play it down, or somehow convince myself it's not quite as fantastic as it was. It didn't work.

I love it here. There, I said it. If it were a boy I would write his name all over my binder and secretly start planning the wedding.

I was expecting to feel just the lightest tinge of touristy culture shock which I knew would eventually fade once I learned the ropes of my new life. This didn't happen. I immediately felt comfortable and... well... unremarkably regular. H mentioned to me as I went to bed last night how normal it felt that I was here, that it almost felt as if I'd always been here and it was hard to think I had only arrived a half a day earlier. And I have to agree with her. I don't feel out of place... I feel like I'm home and always have been.

Curious things I have discovered about Iceland so far (subject to change):
- It smells like the ocean and sulfer, but in an oddly fresh way.
- The water smells, but doesn't taste, like sulfer.
- It's lighter for longer than I expected. It's "day" from around 10:00am to 6:00pm.
- There are A LOT of parks around here (today I passed through 4), and they are EXACTLY what I wish I would have had around as a kid growing up. I'm sure I'll post much more on that later.
- It's warmer than in Utah. It feels almost like the chilly beginnings of Spring!
- I can not phonetically read any street sign (or word for that matter).
- I'm pretty decent and rolling my Rs. However, many Icelandic words end with a rolled R, and I have found out I am NOT good at the timing of that mouth formation.
- They have an old Norse winter holiday called Thorri that runs from mid January through mid February, which just so happens to be this time of year. It's been really fun to hear about and see the different traditions.

Speaking of Thorri, yesterday was bollur day (englishly speaking of course, I don't know what it's properly called in Icelandic though I was told over and over and over again). Bollurs are much like cream puffs or eclairs (though Iceland is familier with neither I found out). H, S, and R made some for us to indulge in. They were very satisfying with a spot of tea (I feel like I can say things like "spot of tea" now because I'm not in America anymore).

Today, after I was done with the morning cleaning and while everyone was at school and work, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful sunny day and go for a walk around downtown Hafnarfjordur. It only takes a few minutes to stroll down to the stores, bank, library, etc, but instead of stopping in, I soon found myself on the footpath adjacent to the harbor. I walked about a mile along the coast, soaking up the crisp spring-like air, and stopping every so often to take a picture. I even stopped and talked with a very lovely old man, though he didn't speak very much english.

A view of the North-West side of Hafnarfjordur from the harbor (I live on that side).

 If you were to turn to your right from this picture, and walk about 5 minutes, that's where I live.

I will always love dark, brooding, seascapes.

 There were very few houses or apartments on this side of the harbor, though I didn't get to walk very far down. It's one of the next places I want to explore.

Oh the texture of Iceland! (PS, totally loving the camera insert I got for my Osprey bag. No more enormous and conspicuous camera backpack for casual walks!)

Anyway, that just about sums up my first couple of days here. Tomorrow is another Thorri tradition much like Halloween. I'm excited to see R and S's costumes! They couldn't stop talking about their excitement (though it's probably more to do with candy than costumes).

Bless bless.