come on darkness. lay your body down next to mine.

i went to hallgrimskirkja this morning because the chimes were ringing incessantly. (the clock tower itself rings every 15 minutes from 9a-9p. it's been a very cool accompaniment.) alas, the chimes were prerecorded... the pipe organ was not in use. the sunday service didn't start for another 30 minutes and i didn't feel like waiting... a cat was wandering around inside the church. cats are fucking everywhere, as i've mentioned... it's almost unsettling. this cat did its thing and strolled outside. i followed it to one of the stones by the leifur ericsson statue, where it casually lapped water from a puddle.

i went back to the flea market. i shamelessly took photographs this time. i asked first if it was all right- smiling widely, mimicking the camera sign... people nodded resignedly.
"what is this?" i asked one merchant. answer: it is the head of some type of fish.

this looks fucking luscious, especially in comparison.

and the hakarl. apparently if you're a connoisseur (which i probably misspelled) of pungent cheese, you will not find hakarl too distasteful- the smell is worse than the flavor, by far. i wouldn't know. i'm a fucking wimp.

a group of women were passing around one of the cube-cups nearby, grimacing.
*
the rest of the place is made up of stalls much like this. this was one of the better ones.

the reykjavik art museum was a block away. they had an awesome exhibit of collages and not much else, but the building itself was gorgeous.

there are haunting, morose statues like this everywhere.

and absurdly excellent graffiti.

it's been misty and mild all day- my first day without a hat, coat unbuttoned, no wind. this is Laugavegur, reykjavik's main shopping street, several blocks from my hotel... i don't know how many times i've walked this road over the past few days.

a wet world assumes a delightful calibre of poetry.
sorry, that was fucking cheesy.
*
nothing opens before 11 on sunday. i suppose most folks are still cringing from their night's debauchery. i passed several people on the streets obviously decked out from the evening before. next time i am here i will actually participate, i promise.
near my nest, remnants of runtur.

it's bittersweet. i don't want to leave, but i do. i am already planning my return.
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being a nerd in the hallway of my hotel- i'm in the 'outbuilding' (see post prior), which has two rooms on each floor. "extra-special room" the guy on the first day told me.

the street where i've lived.

i'm returning to the blue lagoon, ha ha, on my way out of town tomorrow. it's completely worth another ~$100 (including ~$16 suit/towel rental). it'll be a very fucking nice final memory.
tonight, hallgrimskirkja is cauled in rain.

coming to iceland is one of the best decisions i've ever made.