29 January 2007

downtown girl

This week I'm going to be changing my perspective on Reykjavik with a new apartment. After living for six months in a situation that I thought was going to be temporary, I'm going to finally have all my stuff in one place. The new apartment is a style that appears often in the area where I will be living. Built in the 1930s, it's kind of ordinary looking on the outside, but comfortable and cozy inside, and contains several of the odd original details like the super-short woodn railing in the stair hall, the wavy glass in the door to the kitchen, and bedroom cupboards with original handles. It's so typical of the area that I realized that it's the mirrored floor plan of a friend's place three streets away, and is even reminiscent of where I've been staying for the past six months. I guess it's a layout they like in Iceland.

I'm going to have a new local pool, new grocery stores, new church bells to listen to, and new views, and although it's downtown, I still have a front yard and back yard complete with clothesline. This is what I love about Reykjavík. I'm in the center of the capitol city and I can still have air-dried sheets.

Other than that, things have been rather Januaryish. I was in the country over the weekend, in a location that must be spectacular in clear weather, but yesterday was mostly just soggy. Still, there's magic in the mist, and the nice thing is that when the weather's warm like that, the air exudes that ultra-fresh smell that I have only experienced here. It's one of the things I miss most when I'm away- that alive, things-are-always-growing kind of fragrance that hits you the instant you step out the door at the airport. It's something people here seem to take for granted sometimes, knowing you can open the window and have the kind of air that, if it could be bottled and sold, would be on the shelves in stores next to the most exclusive designer-style imported waters. Drink up!

3 comments:

Djaddi said...

Cool, congrats on the move :). My wife and I have been looking at places downtown too, for when we move to Iceland in March. We'll probably rent a tiny place for a bit at first, then investigate the area to see where we really want to stay downtown.

ECS said...

jade- it's a bit of a thrill trying to find a place, isn't it? Finding an apartment in RVK is not a lot of fun but like any real estate, when you find the place that's "you", it's a great feeling. Now I just have to get everything from the far-flung corners of town where it's been stashed for the past few months...

Sarah- The new place is actually kind of near where you were staying when you came to visit, on the side of the hill across the street. It's happily still close enough to where I live now that I can be part of my same choir easily, and swim in the pool here if I want the change of perspective.

tsduff said...

Glad you found a spot that is suitable. It always feels good to have your own space.