Reykjavík Street Art

There is lots of street art in Reykjavík. Some is evident in the form of murals.

There is also graffiti...

...and interesting social commentary.

Reykjavík City Library

The other day I walked over to the main branch of the Reykjavík City Library (Borgarbókasafn Reykjavíkur).

It's an attractive place with an exhibition space and cafe downstairs and most of the books, audio books, CDs, DVDs, and periodicals upstairs. I was especially impressed by the room of foreign language books.

There were lots, perhaps thousands, of English-language books, along with those in other languages.

Membership costs 1600 ISK ($13.26 at today's exchange rate) per year. Definitely worth it!

Velkomin til Íslands (Welcome to Iceland)

We're settling into our new post, Reykjavík, Iceland. Best thing so far: our view. Here is the sunset on Aug. 21, taken from our living room.

On the far right, you can catch a glimpse of the luxurious yacht, Octopus, owned by billionaire Paul Allen. It went away for a few days, but now it's back. Perhaps it took a trip over to the West fjords? Or Greenland? Another great thing: festivals galore! We skipped the Bacon Festival yesterday in favor of the Melodica Acoustic Festival. Saw some great performers, including Rob Maddison of Spaceships are Cool and Hjalti Þorkelsson of Múgsefjun. The Melodica Festival continues today. Maybe we'll get a chance to hear some more good live music.

Photo a day - Stairmaster

Walk up these stairs to get from the Corniglia train station up to the town, and consider your workout done for the day! Train commuters here must have thighs of steel. Photo from April 2010.

Photo a day - A weight on his shoulders

Look beyond and above the fisherman to see the 1910 sculpture of Neptune in Monterosso, another of the Cinque Terre (five lands). The sculpture was partially damaged in World War II (the trident is gone), but it's still impressive at 14 meters high. Photo taken in April 2010.

Photo a day - Manarola harbor

Manarola is another of the Cinque Terre (five lands). It seems to have the same colorful house painting customs as the other four. Photo from April 2010.

Photo a day - Colorful harbor

Vernazza is another one of the Cinque Terre (five lands). It has a very pretty little harbor. Photo taken in April 2010.