Kolaportid

Kolaportið is Reykjavík's answer to flea market culture. Located down by the harbor (actually just across the street from where the tall ship was berthed and just a few steps from Bæjarinns Bezta), this indoor marketplace is a good place to stroll through on weekends when you've got nothing else to do. Just like flea markets all across the globe, Kolaportið offers everything from treasures to trash. Fifteen years ago when flea market culture was new here, my sister Addy sold really cool goods from Africa at Kolaportið (in its old location). Her and her business partner did so well that they eventually opened up a store on Laugavegur, the main shopping street. During that time you could find absolutely fantastic antiques at Kolaportið, things that had been hauled out of attics where they'd been gathering dust for decades. Now the pickings are much slimmer, and classic Icelandic treasures have unfortunately been for the most part replaced by total junk imported from places far far away.

Sea Pearl

I have to mention that at booths like this one, the Sea Pearl in Kolaportið, you will find the absolute best prices for traditional Icelandic foods like dried cod, shark, flat bread and kleinur, Iceland's answer to the donut. Other booths flog local candy in quantity at reasonable cost. Do check it out!

Handicraft

Sometimes at Kolaportid you find true treasures like this four foot tall hand-crafted hook rug with a truly Icelandic seafaring scene. It's priced at 25,000 kronur, or $400. You can invest in a piece of folk-art like this or...(see next photo)

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..