It's Capital!

Getting in Holiday Mood!

We arrived in Reykjavik, the world's most northerly capital city, after an almost three hour flight. The Fly Bus took us from the airport about 50k to our hotel driving through an alien landscape of lava flows and barren land dampened by low lying cloud and drizzle. Apparently, the only timber found in Iceland is driftwood that washes up on the beaches from Siberia! Hence all the corrugated iron houses. After a hearty meal in the hotel restaurant we had a stroll along the main street where there seems to be a lively cafe culture and some lovely wool shops selling Sarah Lund style sweaters, and some interesting art galleries and jewellery shops. I may have to go back there when the shops are actually open. Later we made for The Red Rock Cinema to see the Volcano Show.

Waiting for the show to erupt

Housed in a quirky converted paint and enamel shed, the owner, an ageing vulcanologist and film producer with a dry wit and a passion for his homeland, showed us films he'd made covering the last 50 years of Iceland's volcanic heritage. For two hours we sat with just a couple of Germans watching footage of a town being swallowed up by molten lava and the island of Surtsey bubbling out of the sea. In fact there was so much lava shown spouting and erupting all over the island that I began to wonder if we are actually safe here! Everyone seems very calm though and the Icelanders we've spoken to have been very friendly and helpful.
Tomorrow we go exploring.