Summer Solstice

The world is a small, small place. Monday night, at Reykjavik's only microbrewery, I ran into a co-worker from a stint in 2010 with Duke TIP Summer Studies at Trinity University in San Antonio. Tuesday afternoon, while watching people gather in the city center to cheer on their team in the UEFA EURO Group stage we ran into someone from UVA. There were other little bits of serendipity throughout the day and I hope that is an indication of amazing things to come on this trip.

Wanderings around the capital in my first few days included a great walk through my neighborhood, an amazing spot near the old harbor, full of incredible watermarked boats, the most adorable children's playhouses (complete with crocheted curtains), and winding streets filled with quirky homes and small businesses. There are too many good coffee shops to count (not a problem from my perspective) and a wonderful mixture of tourists and locals, where camera-clad explorers can share a lunch of lobster soup alongside  local dock workers.

Taking advantage of the clear weather on the summer solstice, I went to the western edge of the harbor to capture the sunset, officially registered at 12:03am. There was constant twilight until the sunrise at 2:55am. 

160621_Reykjavik solstice sunset from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.