Iceland, a small Scandinavian country (population: 334,000 and 40 political parties) is in a tourism boom, welcoming nearly 1.8 million visitors last year alone. I will be falling under its spell, and flooding social media and blog with geyser, volcano, and glacier pics galore.
But not right now, ‘cos I’m a bit unhappy, about my suitcase not arriving with me this morning. After 35 hours dedicated effort to get here, you hope everything is aligned. Not so! Flight delayed by an hour at Heathrow; arrived 1 AM in Reykjavik; no suitcase; an hour to process paperwork; last bus 🚎 has left. Had to catch a VERY expensive taxi to Reykjavik – $250 AUS. And it’s 2 degrees, with me having no warm stuff to put on. Icelandair gives you a quaint ‘survival pack’ of toothpaste and brush, deodorant and t shirt. Great if you are stranded in Fiji!!
Spent a lot of time today in snow drift conditions, visiting different shopping centres to line up purchases in the event my bag didn’t turn up in time for photography tour. Good news. It’s arriving tonight at 22:00. Yay!!!
Drove past Sólfar this arvo just before the weather changed again…its a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, located close to the Harpa Centre in Reykjavík. Sun Voyager is described as an ode to the sun. The artist intended it to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, progress and freedom. It also represents how Norse people arrived in Iceland, with the hope of a better future.
A couple of pics from around the hotel precinct….a building over the road and a cafe patio.
Off to a comedy revue tonight by taxi 🚕…..too freezing cold to walk in current outfit 😤
https://www.harpa.is/dagskra/vidburdur/how-to-become-icelandic-in-60-minutes/
Unfortunately, WWII saw the high times come to an end and the city’s rich ethnic balance destroyed with the extermination of the Jewish population 
The famous film school founded in 1948 
Constructed in 1887-1888 the neo-renaissance Grand was originally the work of Ludwik Meyer, though the building saw sweeping renovations (including an extra floor) in 1913, courtesy of the architect Dawid Lande – a man whose designs deeply influenced the appearance of Piotrkowska. Functioning as a hotel for over 100 consecutive years, the building has in the past sheltered an A-Z of heroes and villains, including Isadora Duncan, Roman Polański, Tito and Himmler.
Oh and my last visit to ANY church in Poland, and Łódź’s largest church, the Cathedral. 
The history of Rzeszów begins in 1354, when it received city rights and privileges by Casimir the Great. Local trade routes connecting the European Continent with the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire resulted in the city’s early prosperity and development. In the 16th century, Rzeszów had a connection with Gdansk and the Baltic Sea. Following the Partitions of Poland, Rzeszów was annexed by the Austrian Empire and did not regain its position until it returned to Poland after WW1. During WW2, Rzeszów’s large Jewish community perished in the Holocaust. 
I visited the Synagogue’s art gallery to see the latest exhibition, a Pisarek family affair it seems -Krzysztof, Renata and Anna. Liked the portraits and the horse! Then onto Sandomierz….
It’s one of the oldest and historically most significant cities in Poland. Archeological finds around the city indicate that humans have inhabited the area since neolithic times.The city came into existence in the early Middle Ages, taking advantage of an excellent location at the junction of
Vistula and San rivers, and on the path of important trade routes. The first known historical mention of the city comes from the early 12thC, when the chronicler Gallus Anonymus ranked it together with Krakow and Wroclaw as one of the main cities of Poland.
In the middle of the 14thC, the city was burned again during a raid by the Lithuanians. It was rebuilt in the 14thC during the rule of king Casimir 111 of Poland.
The layout of the city has survived practically unchanged since that time until the present day.The Cathedral is Gothic, constructed in 1360. Renovated in the Baroque style in the 18thC. My favourite religious place in the country!!! Jan Dlugosz (House Museum)…Polish priest, diplomat, chronicler of historic events, soldier and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Olesnicki of Krakow. Wrote about the 1410 Battle of Grunwald. Young people today dressed in costumes of older decades. Such fun! Check out the mosaic….I will never have the patience to do such fine work! But can totally appreciate it.
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