Yesterday we biked to the coast (20 minutes or so) and took a ferry to Viðey, an island right off the coast of Reykjavík in Kollafjörður Bay. We took the earliest ferry (at 1:15 pm) and hiked around for a few hours and took the last ferry back at 4:30. It was an overcast day, but it was quite pleasant out. Judging by the wind and snow today, we made a good decision to do our adventure yesterday instead of today. So this morning I (Kirsten) am sitting at Stofan cafe, a cute coffee shop that has the feel of a grandmother's living room, complete with a bookshelf with old board games on it. They make nice coffee, the lighting is warm and cozy, and they play great music. What is not to love about that?
I'd like to share some of the photos we took yesterday. So, here goes.
Viðey is home to Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower. It is an enormous beam of light that shines up like a tower in John Lennon's honor. Since it's installation and dedication on the anniversary of John Lennon's birthday in 2007, it has been lit every October 9th (his birthday) through December 8th (his death day), December 12th though 31st (Winter equinox to New Year's Eve), February 18th (Yoko's birthday), and March 21st through March 28th (John & Yoko's honeymoon & Spring equinox). The tower of light is visible in the sky from almost anywhere in Reykjavik, like a searchlight pointing to the heavens. You can see more about the Imagine Peace Tower here.
After imagining peace for a bit, we explored the shores. I simply love the colors and textures I found among the rocks there, so I took a lot of detail shots.
This next little strange spherical nugget Chris discovered where the land formed cliffs over the rocks of the shore. He called me over to show it to me. I couldn't help but wonder if Andy Goldsworthy had been here. And the same thought crossed my mind when the rocks were arranged in a perfect gradient. Thank you, nature, for never ceasing to amaze and entertain me.
As we walked back to the dock to board our ferry for the ride back, the setting sun silhouetted Hallgrímskirkja, the church that is the tallest structure in Reykjavík. Though my fingertips were chilled and feeling a bit numb (and therefore I wasn't looking forward to the bike ride back to our apartment and then the grocery store), it was a lovely time and another beautiful adventure in this amazing place!