Rock, Barnafoss
Burrowing Jó, Þingvellir
Jó and I, Haukadalur
Tourists and rainbow, Gullfoss
Sheep, IcelandTuesday, August 28, 2007
Golden circle snapshots
Rock, BarnafossBurrowing Jó, ÞingvellirJó and I, HaukadalurTourists and rainbow, GullfossSheep, Iceland
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Menningarnótt
Menningarnótt stands for "Culture night". What started as a day with some artsy events 10 or so years ago has turned into a day filled with all sorts of events (artsy stuff, concerts, random stuff, etc). The program for that one day takes up 4 pages or so, with up to 30 different events or so happening every hour (from the morning until 11pm). The events are spread all through downtown and a few neighboring spots.
We noticed some noise in the morning under our windows. It turns out we're on the path of the Reykjavík marathon which occurs on this day. Judging by the people we saw running it must've been the 5k event.
We then left the house and basically kept wandering around town until past 11pm. We had some free waffles (that were being offered at people's home), and we got sidetracked for a while in the 12 Tónar music store, which it turns out has an annual sale of about 50% on all CDs during that day (tip for next time: browse at the store a few days before menningarnótt, then on that day go in the morning and get all the CDs you want before they get sold out!).
Along the way I also got some free soup (well, it came with some environmentalist spiel) and had a sandwich at the Sandholt bakery (we had to wait 20 minutes to get the sandwiches because they insisted on giving them to us in a plate with a fork and knife, and they were out of clean plates..)
We even stopped by the national museum for a "Coffee tasting" by Kaffitár (rather underwhelming), a church with a classical music concert (including a harpsichord), and after 9pm went to Hressó to listen to a fun dixieland jazz band. Finally we went closer to the harbor by 11pm where a DJ was wrapping up his act, to look at the fireworks show.
Running by our window
Other mammals can participate, apparently
Yellow house, yellow car
In a house by Hallgrímskirkja where they were serving free waffles (mmm, waffles)
Bee
Jó enjoying some fox fur from the expensive Greenlandic store on Skólavörðustígur
People on Austurstræti
Somebody's idea for a Reykjavík metro, apparently
A slightly gloomy view from the pond
Two
Pseudo-sheep, by the Nordic house
A nice blue house on Tjarnargata
This is only funny if you've been in Iceland for the last couple of months
The city's best hot dog stand (that's what it's called)
Ein með öllu (one with everything). Unfortunately everything does not mean Dijon mustard, so that could be improved. But overall, gotta love the Icelandic lamb hot dogs.
The dixieland band
The red lights in Hressó's garden, with Eymundsson's coffee shop above
Some DJ towards the end
Fireworks
We noticed some noise in the morning under our windows. It turns out we're on the path of the Reykjavík marathon which occurs on this day. Judging by the people we saw running it must've been the 5k event.
We then left the house and basically kept wandering around town until past 11pm. We had some free waffles (that were being offered at people's home), and we got sidetracked for a while in the 12 Tónar music store, which it turns out has an annual sale of about 50% on all CDs during that day (tip for next time: browse at the store a few days before menningarnótt, then on that day go in the morning and get all the CDs you want before they get sold out!).
Along the way I also got some free soup (well, it came with some environmentalist spiel) and had a sandwich at the Sandholt bakery (we had to wait 20 minutes to get the sandwiches because they insisted on giving them to us in a plate with a fork and knife, and they were out of clean plates..)
We even stopped by the national museum for a "Coffee tasting" by Kaffitár (rather underwhelming), a church with a classical music concert (including a harpsichord), and after 9pm went to Hressó to listen to a fun dixieland jazz band. Finally we went closer to the harbor by 11pm where a DJ was wrapping up his act, to look at the fireworks show.
Running by our window
Other mammals can participate, apparently
Yellow house, yellow car
In a house by Hallgrímskirkja where they were serving free waffles (mmm, waffles)
Bee
Jó enjoying some fox fur from the expensive Greenlandic store on Skólavörðustígur
People on Austurstræti
Somebody's idea for a Reykjavík metro, apparently
A slightly gloomy view from the pond
Two
Pseudo-sheep, by the Nordic house
A nice blue house on Tjarnargata
This is only funny if you've been in Iceland for the last couple of months
The city's best hot dog stand (that's what it's called)
Ein með öllu (one with everything). Unfortunately everything does not mean Dijon mustard, so that could be improved. But overall, gotta love the Icelandic lamb hot dogs.
The dixieland band
The red lights in Hressó's garden, with Eymundsson's coffee shop above
Some DJ towards the end
FireworksSunday, August 12, 2007
Reykjavík gay pride
So, as it turns out, the gay pride parade is one of the biggest events of the year in our little city. 50,000 people were there yesterday on a beautiful summer day to watch it go through downtown! The parade was also followed by a concert with many artists.
You'll have to excuse the quality of the photos as they were taken from a sub-optimal spot (lighting-wise) and with a small camera. Also it's not always easy dodging the heads of the people in front of you.
Crowds!
The head of the parade
Interesting look
Arab costumes (there is a belly dancer behind them)
Woolen bikinis???
A lot of balloons
The omnipresent Páll Óskar, Iceland's biggest DJ and most famous gay personality
The Páll Óskar boys
Pro-gay rights dog
Freeing the balloons
The end of the concert, with the participants from the parade on stage
You'll have to excuse the quality of the photos as they were taken from a sub-optimal spot (lighting-wise) and with a small camera. Also it's not always easy dodging the heads of the people in front of you.
Crowds!
The head of the parade
Interesting look
Arab costumes (there is a belly dancer behind them)
Woolen bikinis???
A lot of balloons
The omnipresent Páll Óskar, Iceland's biggest DJ and most famous gay personality
The Páll Óskar boys
Pro-gay rights dog
Freeing the balloons
The end of the concert, with the participants from the parade on stageWhaling ship
An unused whaling ship is moored by the old harbor, and you can just get on it and look around. We went there recently and Jo took the following pictures.
Hvalur = whale
On the deck
There are several ships moored together, some have been repainted perhaps to be used again?
Looking up
And down
The steering wheel
Hvalur = whale
On the deck
There are several ships moored together, some have been repainted perhaps to be used again?
Looking up
And down
The steering wheelSunday, July 22, 2007
Masaman curry
It's been a while since the last recipe... Last time it was a Lebanese recipe, this time it's a Thai one (to celebrate Jó's half Thai-ness! :))
So, Masaman curry:
Ingredients (for four meals):
Also, I've added 1/2 tbsp of tamarind powder, 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon and some bay leaves, but you don't have to add those.
Heat up the coconut milk and curry paste over med/low heat for five minutes or so, and mix well. Add the meat, and some water (enough to cover up all the meat) and the spices / salt / sugar.
Stew for half an hour or so, then add the potatoes, onion and cashews. Cover and simmer for another half hour, adding water if necessary. When the potatoes are soft enough, you're done!
Note that the flavors in the meal take some time to come together, so you should cook this meal one day before serving it, and reheat a day later. Serve with rice, and enjoy!
There's a good recipe for a cucumber salad on that same page I linked to, you can look it up. Oh, and you should serve this with Rambutans and Longans for dessert, to complete the Thai experience :).
So, Masaman curry:
- It's tasty
- It's pretty easy to cook
- So try it!
Ingredients (for four meals):
- 2 tbsp Masaman curry paste (which you can buy from Mai Thai near Hlemmur, and store in a freezer)
- A cup of coconut milk
- One pound of meat cut into 1 inch cubes
- A couple of large potatoes, cut in 1 inch cubes
- An onion, cut in 8 chunks
- 1/2 cup of cashews (peanuts should work too)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
Also, I've added 1/2 tbsp of tamarind powder, 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon and some bay leaves, but you don't have to add those.
Heat up the coconut milk and curry paste over med/low heat for five minutes or so, and mix well. Add the meat, and some water (enough to cover up all the meat) and the spices / salt / sugar.
Stew for half an hour or so, then add the potatoes, onion and cashews. Cover and simmer for another half hour, adding water if necessary. When the potatoes are soft enough, you're done!
Note that the flavors in the meal take some time to come together, so you should cook this meal one day before serving it, and reheat a day later. Serve with rice, and enjoy!
There's a good recipe for a cucumber salad on that same page I linked to, you can look it up. Oh, and you should serve this with Rambutans and Longans for dessert, to complete the Thai experience :).
Móskarðshnúkar
Last weekend, Jó and I went for another hike on Esja in the lovely weather. We didn't take the main hike (from the bus stop) which we took last time, but rather decided to avoid the crowds and go on another spot in the moutains. We settled on a hike going up to Móskarðshnúkar, a set of 3 rhyolite peaks in the south-east of Esja. We hiked the middle peak (a bit under 800m of elevation).
The hike was quite interesting, especially towards the top where the slope is quite severe and where stepping through the rhyolite stones feels like getting trapped in glassy sand. Rhyolite is a light, almost glassy volcanic rock that can take on yellowish colors. Those three peaks are a typical example, the amazing Landmannalaugar is another.
Little flowers
Rhyolite!
So... there should be a mountain right in front of us!
Near the top
The peak
Summit self portrait
Jó and the tabletop mountains behind her (you can even see a glacier from that spot, though not in this picture)
A snack on the way down
A cute waterfall with basalt columns
The hike was quite interesting, especially towards the top where the slope is quite severe and where stepping through the rhyolite stones feels like getting trapped in glassy sand. Rhyolite is a light, almost glassy volcanic rock that can take on yellowish colors. Those three peaks are a typical example, the amazing Landmannalaugar is another.
Little flowers
Rhyolite!
So... there should be a mountain right in front of us!
Near the top
The peak
Summit self portrait
Jó and the tabletop mountains behind her (you can even see a glacier from that spot, though not in this picture)
A snack on the way down
A cute waterfall with basalt columns
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