Nordic Sojourn

  Iceland has been a delight for the senses! The sights, from glaciers to volcanos and everything in between; the smells, from fresh breads to clear mountain air; the sounds, from church bells to bleating sheep; the tastes from hot lava soup to chocolate 😁; and finally the feel of sheep’s wool to glacier ice.  Today we are going to experience the largest flea market in Iceland before heading to the airport for a 3 hour flight to Oslo, Norway. We don’t arrive in Oslo until 11:30 tonight so other than a few photos from the flea market, there will be little posting today. Entrance to the flea market My only purchase was a printing press plate that I will use as a stamp.  This is the booth where I bought my stamp. The flea market didn’t open until 11:00 and we needed to leave for the airport about 3:30. We figured that would give us plenty of time to browse. As it turns out, we were there for 25 minutes. Clearly Icelanders don’t understand Texas sized flea markets. 🤣  ...

  It’s no secret that Iceland is one of the most volcanically active places on Earth. The country makes great use of all that energy just below the surface. Geothermal energy meets the needs of almost 90% of the nation’s hot water and heating requirements. It’s the same energy that creates the popular hot pools of the Blue Lagoon. Today's forecast Reykjavik remains one of the cloudiest and coolest capital cities in the world. In fact, the record temperature in Reykjavik is just 78.3 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in July 2008. There is not a single McDonald’s anywhere in Iceland. Fast-food fans shouldn’t worry though. Visitors to Reykjavik can enjoy Taco Bell, KFC, Dominos and Pizza Hut alongside the local offerings. No fast food breakfast for us though. We enjoyed the typical continental-style breakfast of cold cuts, fruit, cereals and breads. The croissant looks a bit better with Kim's yogurt today than the salami yesterday. They actually had gluten free bread too. Yay! We left...