Junk

...or you can spend your hard earned kronur on this.

Three-master

This beauty has been anchored in the Reykjavík harbor for the past few days. She's flying a Ukranian flag, which is kind of funny since the annual Eurovision Song Contest was held in Kiev this weekend; we had a representative there and they have one here! (By the way, our representative, Selma Björnsdóttir, didn't make it into the top 24 - - she was cut on Thursday night in the semi-finals along with fifteen other countries. We've simply decided not to talk about it, collectively, as a nation.)

But about this lovely vessel: it's definitely one of the advantages of living by the sea at a safe port that you get the chance to see marvels like these every so often. A real joy...

Growth

Iceland has a burgeoning hothouse culture that usually comes as a surprise to newcomers who imagine that the country is comprised of only desolate lava fields and lonely tundra. There is, of course, plenty of that to be had here, but perched on top of all that non-arable land are thousands of hothouses, large and small, that cater to Icelanders' taste for fresh tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers, as well as our ever-present need to brighten up our urban landscapes as much as possible.

Each June, hundreds of thousands of marigold, zinnia and other annuals are planted in eye-candy color combinations, turning Reykjavik into the floral wonder of the north. Hothouses, like this one in Mossfellsdalur where I went to get the rose petals for Toggi's opening last week, are getting ready for the start of the flower season by nuturing row after row of geothermally-encouraged Icelandic summer blossoms.

Hothouse Roses

Roses as far as the eye can see..

Guest of Honor

The following series of photos are from Toggi's gallery opening which took place yesterday. As I mentioned in this post, the show was dedicated to Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland from 1980 to 1996. Toggi, or Thorgeir Frímann Óðinsson, had the great honor of welcoming Vigdís when she arrived to show her support. They, the artist and president, stand center, flanked by Harry and Stef (of gusgus) who run the small outdoor Bananananas gallery. Look at the smiles on the boys' faces: they look like nervous gradeschoolers shining with pride, don't they?

Full House

Greeting

If you look closely at Toggi's stomach region, you'll see an orb centered at his solar plexus. I know how excited, and maybe a little nervous, he was during this opening, so I'm wondering if someone was with him, guarding his energy spot, while he shook hands with his guests... or maybe I just caught on camera his own strong force flowing from core...


or maybe it's just a trick of the light, right?... (wink wink!)