Tree Cozies?

I'm not sure about this...

I have been listening to and watching the

wind whip the trees around in a frenzy.

And that made me think of these things I

saw in Iceland last June.  Reykjavik is a very

stylish, boutique-lovin', fashion conscious city

so perhaps it is natural that they should adorn

their trees...

...and poles.

Perhaps this could tell us something

but I don't have the app for that.

Reykjavik was windy and very cold in

June, (well, it is Iceland).   I wonder

what it's like at this time of year when

there is only 4 hours of sunlight.

Bbbbrrrrrrr.

Life in the Country ~ Iceland

Arbaejarsafn Museum

We took a local bus out to

the country to visit a living

history museum.

For the girl who likes old stuff

this was a perfect way to spend

an afternoon.

Houses were moved and

preserved to show the history

of Iceland.  The museum shows

a town square, a village and a farm.

These sod covered houses

offered protection from the

cold North Atlantic winds.

The interiors reflect the style

of the house.  This is the simple

furnishings of a farm family.

I'm sure the coffee and

mittens were very important

to this family.

This house showed wealthier

people.  Everything had to be

imported to Iceland, even the

coal for their stoves.

Even today many things

have to be imported.

The only things that grow

well in Iceland are rhubarb

and root vegetables.

Beautiful Icelandic horses.



The Land of the Midnight Sun

How Do They Sleep?

Okay, I admit it, I was wrong.

I knew there was going to be

a lot of sunlight in June in

Iceland but I thought it would

actually get dark.  No.  It never

got dark last night.

We went out walking after

midnight last night and it

felt like it was early evening.

As a person who feels there

aren't enough hours in a day ~ I

think this could be great.

But then I have to ask myself

what would it be like in the

winter when there is only 2 hours of

sun.  Would I hibernate like a bear?

We could tell that we were

on the dark side of the globe

but we could see the light on

the light side coming over

the North Pole.

We had hoped to be able

to see the Northern Lights

but without any darkness

I guess that can't happen.

We finally got to sleep

somewhere between 2am

& 3am and when we woke

up this morning the sun

was a bright as mid afternoon.

And Away We Go!

Reykjavik, Iceland

Last night we caught a night

flight out of JFK to begin our

 journey in Iceland.

On the approach into Iceland

from the air, the landscape looked

very brown and barren with small

two lanes roads that twisted

along like slithering snakes.

The design and decor in the

airport was very Scandinavian

and as we approached the doorway

and felt the cold wind we remembered

why they call it Iceland.  Once outside

we could see all the volcanic rock that

made the landscape appear so brown.

On closer inspection you could see

interesting lichens and mosses that

added some color.  Even the evergreens

look more brown than green, I don't

know if this is due to the rocks they

are growing near or due to the

thermal springs running beneath them.

On the airport bus into

Reykjavik I thought we were

entering a little village and then

discovered this is Reykjavik.

I didn't see any tall buildings, it

is all very small, a surprise since

this is the capital of the country.

There are many pretty old houses.

Some interesting stone buildings.

This is a church Kate had been

excited to see so she had us

hiking up the steep streets to

find it.  Honestly it became a

sanctuary for us, we were so cold

and we reached that moment

where we had "hit the wall" as

far as lack of sleep was concerned

and three of us ended up dozing

in the pews.

I love that an ordinary

residential street can offer

such spectacular views of

the harbour and the snow

capped mountains in the distance.

Do you think the residents

take this beauty for granted?