Iceland XVI: The End

This photo suggests the way Dave felt on August 26, 2022, at the end of our Iceland journey--very, very tired.  Every day and every sight was fabulous, but everything, altogether, was exhausting!  

We didn't leave for the airport until 4 p.m.  “Have you run out of things to see here?” Dave asked this morning.  “Never!” I exclaimed.  We visited the Arbaer Open Air Museum, on the outskirts of town.  Some 20 quaint old buildings were transported from their original sites.  Alongside 19th century homes were a turf-roofed church and various stables, domestic animals, smithies, barns, and boathouses.  Many of the buildings were furnished, with exhibits on everything from Icelandic textiles to photography in 19th century Reykyavik.  We visited several folk museums as we drove the Ring Road.  This museum supplemented what we had already learned about Icelandic history and culture.

One home housed a photographer's studio.  I posed as those early 20th century Icelanders would have done--very quietly, with potted palm, heavy velvet curtains, and oriental rug.

White lace curtains are standard decoration in traditional Icelandic homes.

We saw many rural farmhouses, as we drove around Iceland.  At Arbaer, we also got to see how the urban upper middle class lived.

It felt good to walk a mile or two to the far-flung homes and outbuildings.  There were a few costumed artisans and interpreters, but this seemed to be a quiet day at Arbaer.

After an hour or two checking out Icelandic architecture and culture at Arbaer, we took a taxi to the nearby Kjarvalsstadir branch of the Reykjavik Art Museum.  It was named for Kjarval (1885-1972), one of Iceland's most popular classical artists.  He was a fisherman until his crew paid for him to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.

David's attention span for museums is not as long as mine, so he often relaxes with a book in the lobby while I finish my explorations.

I especially enjoyed the "Stitches and Threads" exhibit of modern Icelandic needle art.  Needlework is clearly a living craft in Iceland, as I learned through buying a beautiful handknit sweater at the Reykyavik knitters cooperative, and also seeing the displays of handknit socks, mittens, hats, and sweaters all over Iceland.  This museum display was a very modern take on that classical art form.

There was also an interesting collection of portraits by the Icelandic artist, Kjarval.  He usually painted landscapes, but these paintings were of "builders of the nation" of Iceland--conservationists, bankers, philosophers.  Kjarval, the landscape artist, added backgrounds to the paintings that placed his subjects in the context of their contribution to Icelandic society.  I enjoy art not just for its beauty, but for how it conveys history and culture.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, with just a bit of wind, and we walked twenty minutes from the art museum to lunch at Snaps Bistro Bar, in our Laungevader neighborhood.  Soft jazz played in the background as we ate the “fish of the day” special—pan-fried place, served with shaved asparagus salad flavored with mustard and capers.  I do hope I can replicate these luscious Icelandic “New Nordic” meals.  We finished the meal with chocolate cake.  This fancy lunch finally brought a smile to David's face.

Despite my best efforts to fill our last day in Reykyavik with interesting adventures, by 2 p.m. I was sitting in the Hotel Fron lobby, reading old issues of Economist magazines and waiting for our 4 p.m. ride to the airport.  As Dave continued wandering the stores up and down Laungevedar Street, I sighed to myself, “I will just buy something if I go shopping, and I already have what I need.” It was finally time to go home.