Lest you think all Mari and I did in the exotic land of Naddodd, Ingolfur Arnarson, and Leifur Eiríksson was knick-knack shop at the flea, do laundry, and eat burgers, I wanted to share another favorite photo. Mari and I spent a fantastically full Saturday touring the South Coast with an expert guide who filled in a lot of history and local information between locations.
When our airport shuttle bus left Keflavik International and began the 30-mile trip to Reykjavik, we began seeing acres and beautiful acres of these remind-me-of-Texas-bluebonnets wildflowers. We later learned from Sergei that these purple wildflowers were called nootka or lupine. When we sighted this abundantly lush field of nootka waving us over for a private photo shoot during our Saturday tour, we asked Sergei to pull over.
The fact that you can also see the brilliant white glimmer of an icy waterfall with volcano and glacier also in the distance will alert you to the fact that the Icelandic landscape is alive and ancient yet constantly changing.
Over the hundreds of miles we traveled in the capable hands of our Russian transplant tour guide that Saturday, we were treated to a lush and colorful kaleidoscope that no single photo could possibly capture, but our striking floral selfie comes pretty darn close.
Once again (Paris, episode 10), I successfully relied on the Viator site to search for and book an international tour.
Although we were initially wary of a private tour and of spending the entire day in the hands of a stranger, our confidence in TripAdvisor's reliable listings and the glowingly positive (all 5-star) reviews for Sergei's (owner of Top Iceland Tours) knowledge and friendly customer service, gave us the confidence to take a chance.
For more details on our tour and to book your own personal tour, visit the site.
Before I get too far along in my prismatic memory landscape, let me return to our Kolaportið fleamarket adventure one final (maybe) time. Among the local craftsmen displaying their creative talents was the proprietor of this booth where Mari and I were awed by the commemorated spiritual beauty of these delicately carved walrus tusks. (I should have known better, but) I asked the talented artisan and very convivial vendor the cost of the grinning figure at left (I especially love the charming Chiclet smile), desperately wanting to add the folkloric figure to a bubblewrap pouch and ultimately my own eclectic souvenir collection at home.
Even without currency exchange translations, there were still too many zeroes for my budget.
With the promise of a return visit and a hearty shake of the hand, I was on my way to browse the rest of the market.
May Chiclet Warrior stand stoutheartedly until my return!
Another souvenir item I was unfortunately unable to knock off my list was an Icelandic dictionary.
A creature and collector of habit, I cannot get away from my love for language (nor for books) even when traveling. You may have noticed quite a few used books on display (or simply stacked and inviting precarious perusal) throughout my souvenir market photos. While I would typically enjoy browsing (or unstacking and re-stacking Jenga-style in this case) for a bargain, I was sticker-shocked to find most used books going for $25-50.
That's 5,000 króna!
(or a dozen Nutella donuts)
Among the select souvenirs we are currently enjoying are a few remaining sticks of "Midnight Sun" scented incense I plan on reordering from the Hidden People Iceland website. Be sure to stop at the colorful and wonderfully-scented booth to view and learn about all the natural and artisan-crafted products on display (even the packaging and wrap is beautiful).
hidden.is
If you do have a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and want to meet some wonderful locals (from parts near and far), if you are still looking for the perfect souvenir for yourself and relatively inexpensive gifts and treats for friends and relatives, or if you are in need of a place to warm up and perhaps walk off your Friday night burger or fish fry, then you will want to ink Kolaportið fleamarket onto your itinerary.
The fleamarket building is steps from colorful Reykjavik Harbour and surrounded by enough shops, restaurants, and pubs to keep you fueled and frolicked all day.
More on our fabulous (non-fermented) fish fry next time.
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