Tag Archives: Laugarnes District

The Road to Diamond, Day 287: Adjustments

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 10, 2025, Reykjavik- There was no trip to Akureyri, in northern Iceland. The taxi which was to pick me up at 8:15, and bring me to the bus terminal, was stuck in a traffic jam on the east side of town. Yes, even little Reykjavik has rush hours. The road system built during World War II has yet to upgrade and adjust to the doubling of the number of drivers in the Metro Area. There are now 249,000 people, in the Capital Region of Iceland, 138,000 of whom live within “Reyk”‘s city limits.

So, the flustered taxi driver showed up at 9:06. By then, the bus had left for Akureyri. The next one would have put me there at-11:45 p.m. I called and let them know I would not be coming. The energy is more for me to stay in the Capital Area-Reykjavik and Keflavik, on this visit. If this is the only change in plans during this journey, I will be fortunate. I then asked him to go to HI Loft, a hostel near downtown.

It was a lovely morning, with a break in the rain, and fair skies, in fact. I left my bags at HI Loft and headed to the waterfront. Reykjavik’s Baywalk covers areas east and west along the sea front. I walked as far as the ferry stop that takes people to Videy, a small islet between east Reykjavik and Esja, the capital’s “Neighbourhood Mountain”. While Esja itself is enticing, it is a focus for another time. There was much to captivate me along the Baywalk.

Here are some scenes from the downtown waterfront and the Laugarnes recreation area, in northeast Reyk. I started out at a government office building, just west of the park which honours Reykjavik’s founder.

National Government Office Building, downtown Reykjavik.

Random sculptures appear around town. This one is an abstract of a milk maid, near a very old Kaffehus. I stopped in there and got a cup of green tea, to counter a heavy dose of acidic foods and drinks, these past few days.

This is Ingolfr Arnarson, who led the first settlers in Reykjavik, in 874. He named the place (Reykjavik means “smoke cove”, in Old Norse), as the smoke from distant volcanoes was visible as the party approached. A dragon and the Norse god Odinn are included in the sculpture.

Reykjavik is, understandably, a major draw for cruise ships. Here is one that is given the old name for northern Norway’s Svalbard: Spitsbergen. Longyearbyen is that territory’s capital and only port. It is a name that befits both places.

Cruise ship, “Spitsbergen”, in Reykjavik Harbour

Sculptures continued to be placed, along the Baywalk. Here is one that replicates Solfario, a model of a Viking ship.

Yes, there was a bus parked here this morning. The scene was different in mid-afternoon.
Solfario, on a cloudy mid-afternoon in Reykjavik Harbor.

In between these two visits to Solfario (Sun Voyager), I spent time at two very different neighbouring properties: Recycled House and a small sculpture museum that celebrates the work of Sigurjon (Sih-GUR-yon) Olafsson and Soren West (pronounced Vest). I will discuss these attractions, and the sliver of trail that takes one to Videy ferry terminal, in the next post.

The Road to Diamond, Day 286: Recovery

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

September 9, 2025, Reykjavik- It turns out that my trusty laptop had had its screen light minimized. I walked about the north side of this bustling Icelandic capital and found the computer store that had been recommended to me by the manager of HI Dalur, where I am spending the night.

So, here we both are, giving you the skinny on the first night and day of Europe 2025. Let’s go back a bit:

Home Stretch- Yesterday morning, as I left HB 1, wearing my bush hat and sunscreen, the three neighbour kids lined up and greeted me from their yard. Dad was in the background, saying “Don’t bother him!” Those precious little ones will never be a bother.

After a short walk over to Yavapai College, I was picked up by the shuttle to Sky Harbor International Airport. Mentor: A gregarious gentleman from Saskatchewan was my seatmate, after joining the group at Hampton Inn. Turned out, he was also going to Calgary and had lived in Sweden, one of the cornerstones of my time on this side of the Atlantic. He corroborated my agenda in that country and in Denmark. He also saw me to the right counter for West Jet, a carrier well-known in Canada, but less so in the Southwest U.S. For good measure, he “talked me into” not using my TSA special access number; I wouldn’t have been able to use it,anyway, as we were there before the quick processing line opened-and few people were processing at that time.

Snags: The bugbear of modern travelers is the plethora of electrical outlets that don’t work. They are in airports and cheap motels, as well as ferry boats and some national parks (though not many people go to those for the WiFi). Trains tend not to have WiFi at all, at least in the United States (though that is supposed to change next year.) I will see, next week, how much progress European train stations and cars have made, in connectivity. We got that settled, as mentioned above.

Language: Everyone on the plane spoke English (They were Canadians, Captain O! ) Everyone here, so far, speaks English, also. Some of the hostel workers speak it better than I. All those who I encountered this afternoon, including a couple of very well-dressed ladies, took the time to corroborate the concierge’s route map.

Sights Seen: Here are a few small gems seen in the Dalur and Laugarnes precincts.

Airport sculpture
Keflavik International Airport (Okay, so not at the northern edge of Reykjavik). It was the first thing that caught my eye here.
Rainy day picnic?
Dalur’s Reykjavik Camp Ground.
Reindeer near a forest preserve, Laugardalur, Reykjavik
Seaside calm
Thermal healing venue, Nautholsvik, Reykjavik
Laughursdal Church
Laughursdal Lutheran Community

I leave you with the notion that this people, the increasingly diverse community that makes up Reykjavik is among the most dedicated to kindness and helpfulness found anywhere.