Light fixtures in the stairwell of the old Gamli Gaukurinn bar in Reykjavik.
ByGD
High Seat Posts
Reading the sagas, I always wondered what “high seat posts” looked like. This replica was at the Saga Museum in Reykjavik’s Perlan. Now that I’ve seen them, I wonder why Vikings bothered carrying them across the ocean when they moved to Iceland.
ByGD
Moss Wall
In a country with no true forest, where volcanic activity has only recently allowed plants to begin to colonize many parts of the country, moss takes on special importance. Perhaps that explains this wall of Reykjavik’s City Hall building, where, on the day I visited, the dripping fibers of the moss had frozen overnight for the first time that fall.
ByGD
Bringing Reykjavik! Home
Not the city, the band. They were one of the best surprises of my Airwaves, and I later realized they shared the same joyful vibe as the old band Black Happy. I took a break from metal night at Amsterdam to cross the street to Gamli Gaukurinn and check out Reykjavík! on the strength of their video “Hellbound Heart,” which documents the flight from Reykjavík to the band’s home town Ísafjörður. (Unsurprisingly, this is the work of Bowen Staines.) Read More