Day 13- Chill out in Husavik

Today was a very relaxed day for me. I slept many hours and woke up late feeling well rested. It was a cloudy with drizzle in the air all day. I decided to play it low key as a result. I went to the town bakery for a coffee and some lunch. Almost every town has a bakery and they are soo good! They never disappoint and always fill the air with a sweet smell of goodness.

Next I went for a little stroll and then decided to visit the Cultural Museum. The have 3 exhibitions up. One of a local painter who is inspired by the rocks, as all of his work uses pebble-like objects as well as actual pebbles. The main exhibit is about man and nature and our struggle with it. It show cases Husavik from the 1800s until the mid to late 1900s, which was so fascinating to see. They had tools, old photos, and stories, taxidermy animals and collected flora pressed on paper- really remarkable. The last exhibit is about the fishing culture in Husavik- the ships that have been used, maps and nets- everything the fisher needs to be out in sea and to have an abundant catch. It was really enlightening to see where these people have been and where they are going.

I decided to go to the town swimming pool after to enjoy their geothermal tubs and steam room. It is so relaxing and I always feel rejuvenated after my visit. It has been interesting to see the different forms it can take as it varies from town to town. A lot of it depends on how big the town is. For example, Akureyri had more options between the tubs and their temperatures. However, here in Husavik, the hottest tub, 36 Celsius, had bubbles! I have also noticed that the water is much higher in sulfur content than any other place I have been to. I am not sure where the water is coming from, since originally I thought it was sources from the plant nearby. We are on or very close to the ridge, the most volcanically active part of Iceland. Maybe it is coming from there.

I topped my evening off with a nice dinner in the harbor. I had some soup and a light sandwich, along with a beer and some tea to help digest. Icelandic beer is very good! (Don't know if I have mentioned it before). It is very crisp and light and very refreshing for beer.

The weather is suppose to improve a bit for tomorrow. I really hope so since it is my last day here. It is about 0030 and this is the darkest I have seen the sky. I have watching the clouds lower themselves and creep in on the city. Before, they were hovering the mountain tops, cutting them off and transforming them into the same size hills. Now, visibility is almost 0! This has made me realize that I might have forgotten what night time feels like- its a little trippy. Time for another long rest. Tomorrow more museums and whale watching!

Image 1: The Modern Turf Home- historically, farms were built using turf on their roofs, mostly for insulation. Today, it is not as common to see, but I found these homes in Husavik, part of a community which seemed like 6-8 different ones of this type clustered together, close to the museum.
Image 2: Cultural Museum- The painter's exhibition on the top floor
Image 3: Cultural Museum- The main exhibit, Man and Nature, view when first entering
Image 4: Cultural Museum- main exhibit, one of several smaller rooms on the right had side, some example of taxidermy animals, mostly birds. This room described how they captured them and would sometimes eat their eggs, especially Puffin.
Image 5: Cultural Museum- Fishing Exhibition, the major boat in the room