Memories from summertime: Vestur coast :)

During winter nights, when it's snowy and -6°C outside it's nice to recall some memories from warm summertime. End of July and August were really sunny and we had some days with excellent weather in Rekjavik.

In the beginning of July I moved to my 3rd place in 101 Reykjavik, big apartment in Thingholt, modernized office suitable for 7 people living together. Enormous living room with a view of Vesturbaer hill and Catholic church. Just 5 minutes from Tjörnin lake and Frikirkja church. From living room's windows I could see the French ambassador’s residency house that I was working at in March and April. I had very small room (approx. 6 m2) with big window facing the north. Birds singing on the trees just next to my window were making the mornings more cheerful. 

One of my first guests were Iza and Tomek with newly born Nelia Eva.

Still I wasn't feeling at home in that place and it haven't changed for the next 5 months. I just couldn't find my own space there as all of the people were quite anonymous and not very much opened for the new friendships. We never cooked together, never went together downtown for a coffee or a beer. Just nice conversations during morning breakfast or simply 'hi'. It was quite exhausting for me, sometimes the atmosphere was too heavy and I stopped to be creative somehow.. I just needed more air and more space for myself.

On the night when my good friend Simone  (Italian photographer) was saying goodbye after one-month stay in Iceland, I met Jeroen. Awesome person, newly met colleague from the Netherlands who arrived to Iceland on the previous day. There was an immediate 'click' between us, we had so many interests and topics in common. Jeroen lives in a community house in Amsterdam, a teacher, quantum physicist, artist, very smart and open-minded, just multi-talented Renaissance personage. Spontaneous and crazy, with such a positive and cheerful way of being and radiating happiness all around. So we become very good friends since that day. I was his guide in Reykjavik, going for long walks together, rather spending more time in nature then in town. He liked to playing with his Italian host's kids everyday at the Nautholsvik geothermal beach and I was joining them to.  

I helped him to choose a beautiful lopapeysa (Icelandic woollen pullover) at Kolaport, the flea market. (It's visible on the last picture, although I didn't took that photograph is really great one). After 2 days his friend Merlin joined him in Reykjavik and soon they left for 2 weeks hiking trip in Iceland, equipped with a tent and some camping gear.

In a meanwhile I had a bike accident, was hit in a head badly and bleeding a lot. Helpful girls driving a car just behind me immediately took me to the hospital to emergency. Finally I didn't see a doctor and the wound cured itself quite quickly.

I was hosting Jeroen and Merlin at my place at Thingholt when they came back from the trip. It was a cheerful moment, Jeroen is an excellent cook and love vegetarian organic food. He prepared delicious 3-coursed dinner for me and Merlin. And then we had a dancing night in the kitchen. Unforgettable evening. After he left we had some conversations via skype, long night talks about life and soul issues. I really appreciate his friendship and I know that for him it was very important encounter as well.

 Iceland is great place to meet wonderful people from all around the world, it has very special energy and vivid atmosphere! As my Spanish friend like to say: 'Everything is possible in Iceland'. I fully agreeee :)))

One more memory fro this period. Floating candles on Tjörnin lake on August 6th. Icelanders are commemorating of Hiroshima and Nagasaki events in this beautiful way in Reykjavík.

Icelandic winter is so warm :)

Yesterday it was -7°C, today it's +5°C, weather is never so severe here for a longer time. Geothermal heat, Gulf-stream are working together to make our Icelandic winters more pleasant. I hope the snow will stay longer for the next months although it's not that obvious.  Huge amounts of snow are cumulated on the pavements in Vesturbaer and less centric areas. Downtown it's clean mostly, because of the geothermal water in the pipes laid under many sidewalks. My wonderful house has this luxury invention too, but on the backstairs that leads to my place there are mountains of snow, it is piling also in the cosy backyard. Changing into ice and compressing. Sometimes you need a pair of skates to go for a walk. Enjoyable winter time :)))))



Also aurora borealis, famous northern lights, is warming our dark nights, in sense that it's such a marvellous phenomena! I can stand outside for a long time even when it's really cold only to capture it on the photograph! :)

And above all, wonderful geothermal outdoor swimming pools with jacuzzi and hot pots, available in many places in Reykjavik. I am already addicted to this awesome activity, can swim even when it's -7°C outside! Water can be around 28-30°C and in the hot pots 38-44°C. A lot of steam in the air, nice sunset or a sunrise, blue sky... the life cannot be more beautiful!

In the picture you see my favourite Vesturbaer pool at sunset. Absolutely love to walk on ice bare foot between hot pots when it's -7°C :))))

Yesterday it was such a wonderful light in town. It started late in night: amazingly intense green ribbon of aurora dancing in the sky was visible almost everywhere in the city. Then, in the morning, the sunrise was so intensively orange that I couldn't believe my eyes. It seemed to be completely different planet, maybe Solaris? :) And then the sunset was so colourful with golden and red light that many people went for a walk with their cameras. I took mine too and went to Vesturbaer west coast. Even it was quite cold but the view was recompensing everything! Wonderfully beautiful day, all in one! :)

And I should highlight the fact, as my Icelandic-English friend explained me, that Icelandic day in wintertime is only sunrise and sunset, each of them last more then for 2 hours, so the sky is always colourful if it is not too much cloudy. And that's absolutely admirable to think about the day in this way! :))))

Today the day is cloudy and gloomy for a change, still some nice colours are visible in the sky. That's a magic of Iceland! :)))))

One more important thing. Winter Solstice was celebrated on 21th December in Reykjavik. Astronomically it had place exactly at 23:03. It means that the daylight is slightly increasing since this moment.
In Reykjavik we had 4h and 7 minutes of sunlight on that day. But 'On Iceland’s northernmost inhabited island Grímsey, which lies on the Arctic Circle, the sun doesn’t rise at all at this time of year. However, although islanders can’t see the sun, they do enjoy two hours and 15 minutes of daylight' 

I was eating ice-creams in that moment with my friends after coming back from the Laugardalslaug pool. Ice-creams are very popular in Iceland all the year round! I am still surprised seeing kids on the sleighs eating ice-creams. But I shouldn't be, as winters in Iceland are so warm :)))))

Gleðileg Jól & Merry Xmas :)

 Enjoying a lot winter and Icelandic Yule at my new place in Reykjavik! Many cute birds coming to sit at the terrace and singing by my widow. So happy to be here during this awesome time!!!!! :)

So peaceful, so quiet, so beautiful!

 Gleðileg Jól! Merry Christmas to All of you my Friends  :)))

Reykjavík in August: awesome colours and magic light :)

In August, just before the night came back to town, we were given some awesome days with amazing light!!!! I couldn't believe it was true!

One Sunday evening I finished work early and went to Harpa with my camera after 21:30.  There was unbelievable play of light in the sky. Just have a look!! :))) The next day there was huge double rainbow in the sky.. Welcome to the photographers' paradise!!! :))))

Few days later, once again I went with my friend Klaudia, amazing girl, so clever and knowledgeable, to see Icelandic Symphony Orchestra at Harpa. I got free tickets for the open rehearsal before performance at prestigious PROMS in London in Royal Albert Hall. It was great concert, they played also Icelandic composers, but I liked Schuman and Bethoveen most ;)

 And yes, Italian maestro was back to town and remembered about me. We had a nice meeting in Kaffibarinn and we coincided with my first Icelandic friend. I had an impression that Icelander was little bit jealous about me, even we didn't have opportunity to talk. I was amazed by the fact that after so many months we finally bumped into each other in so surprising and favourable circumstances. I felt I am winning this time.. and didn't expected that I will be let down very soon...

In middle of September maestro was back again and we met at Babbalu for a tea. Sitting on the terrace, the day was so warm and sunny. I was feeling happy, cheerful and trilled. One of the next days we went to Seltjarnarnes pool together on our bikes, excellent weather, completely like summertime, so sunny and bright, clear air and awesome colours. He already had a girlfriend in Italy, and seemed to be very much involved in that relationship but I thought naively it really doesn't matter to me..  in fact it hurt me a lot. Too much.

And I decided to stop seeing him at all. RIFF film festival was coming next days so I was going to have more opportunities to meet new people. And I met Vincent soon afterwards.. He was caring so much about me, always present, having a lot of time for me. It was such a good and positive change.. at least at the beginning :)
And that's not the end of the story. Iceland is always writing surprising scenarios and Reykjavík is such a small town.. :)

 

PROMS concert:

Haukur Tómasson, Magma
Jón Leifs, Geysir
Robert Schuman, Piano Concerto in A-minor
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony no. 5.