Reykjavik

I have not visited here before, but my first impression of Reykjavik is of a city that stays up late and sleeps in the next day. The bus from the airport drops me off in the City Center and I walk a few blocks to my hotel, but it is 8:00am and I don't see another living person. Remember the Twilight Zone episodes with the end of the world and the one lonely survivor? 

I get to the hotel and am told that the room should be ready around 10:00, and I can certainly live with that - gives me time to look around a little. I go out walking on a spectacular, cool crisp day- I'm wearing a light sweatshirt and I'm comfortable until the wind blows.  I do see a few people eventually and they are universally dressed for heavier weather - parkas, hats, and wool scarfs and I wonder what they know that I don't. The weather is said to be extremely variable and I imagine that they assume the worst each time they get dressed.

The streets are interesting with a small town scale. More walkers than cars and parts of the city in the downtown area are a bit jumbled by construction and street repaving projects. There is a lot of street art - mostly official, but some that would be called graffiti. I am drawn towards the big blue Opera House that is not much to look at from a distance but up close and from the interior, it is a lot of fun. The play of light, shadows and reflections from the faceted glass skin is just wonderful. I could stay here all day - Oops - my only problem was forgetting to put a memory card in the camera so I am limited by internal memory. I better come back tomorrow.