Cultural pursuits

Today we went on a cultural hunt to discover Reykavik ‘s history but first we had to negotiate the local bus system. The road system is organised like a ring system so you have to know which direction on the ring your bus is going . We managed to leave the instructions at the Information centre but ,surprisingly , got to our destination anyway.

Saga museum is designed to lead you through the history of settlement of Reykavik and its development. Life size models are used to illustrate each phase. Following this we went to the A’rbaer Open Air Museum. This consists of types of housing used in Reykavik form early times including the traditional turf house that had its origins in Viking times.  Imagine sharing a small turf house with up a whole family,farm helpers , 5 cows,pigs,sheep,chickens etc for a whole northern winter. It puts the concept of tiny house living in a whole new perspective. The sleeping loft needed a door so you didn’t have to share with the animals!!!!

Settlement House is an archeological collection of an original Viking Long house and discussion of the origin of the original inhabitants of Iceland. This was found under a building in the centre of the city.

In our pursuit of true Iceland culture, we feasted on a traditional dish of fish mashed with potatoes ,served with a bernaise type of sauce and red spicy sauce on the side.(Plokkfiskur).This was served with hot and cold vegetables. It was delicious! We are working our way down the menu of food considered typical for the area. Herrings and smoked salmon on rye for breakfast. Bon appetite.