In Iceland
7 June 1998
Reykjavik, N 64º08.484', W 21º55.033'.
We've all made it safely to Iceland and are together as a team. Our journeys have gone well so far - a slight delay at Heathrow and a wise taxi driver in Edinburgh.
Simon -
Leaving Edinburgh we took a 9.30 taxi to Waverly, and got our last taste of the world cup for a month. "Scotland will beat Brazil and lose to the likes of Morroco. England should never have raised Gazza's hopes there was never a chance he'd play and they should send Sheringham home." We were also advised to take care -- and caught our train with plenty of time.
Last night, after a 40 minute bus journey from the airport and a taxi ride to our guest house, we wandered into town. After a look round the old city and the docks we ended up in a small restaurant with a good selection of local fish dishes. This was, in fact, the oldest building in Reykjavik and the food wasn't as expensive as we had feared. Alcohol though, wasn't cheap - £4.50 for a glass of wine. Sean and Mark had been tempted by another place up the road that was offering "Farm-Smoked Puffin" as a starter.
Reykjavik is a strange place. Everything is high-contrast. The light is very unusual - disturbing almost. Shadows look like they are painted onto the walls. The cars range from classic Cadilacs and Lincolns to monster trucks with desert tyres and they either stop for you while you're waiting on the pavement or screech round the corner at full speed.
After eating, we visited a couple of concrete churches on the hills above the old city. These looked stunning in the evening sunlight. By midnight, the sun was getting close to the horizon and we headed home. It didn't get dark all night. I don't suppose it will now until we're back in Britain.
Ruth hasn't wasted any time getting to know the locals - yes, that's her in the middle.
Today we mooched around and took in a bit of the culture, visiting the Town Hall, the National Museum and the Flea Market. The latter is a large covered market and seems to be the only busy part of the city. Simon and Ruth also visited an open-air hot pool - 45 degrees in the steam room!
Tomorrow we are hiring a car heading inland for a couple of days.