And on a lighter note, the afternoon revolves around a visit to the Phallological Museum…the only one on Earth!!! What are we talking about here you might ask? Well just as the name suggests, it is a collection of the phallus (or in local, yet still biologically correct terms, the penis), from all sorts of specimens…It’s run by this ex-school teacher who is a real character…not at all offensive, but entertaining and informative in a very zoological sort of way. Apparently the tradition in Iceland of using the preserved penis of bulls for whips piqued his attention and so today we have a gem of a museum here in Husavik that offers a broad spectrum for comparative value…of course this type of display may not be for everyone, and this entry in my blog may not be either…but as a responsible blogger, I thought it only fair to include this once in a lifetime experience as many of you may never have the same opportunity…and may never even want the same opportunity..
So the collection of Dr Sigurdur Hjartarson contains 257 specimens to be exact, the most striking of which is the donation from the sperm whale – it’s as tall as me…see the photo for yourself…he does all the preservation himself sometimes using formalin, sometimes various drying techniques…he’s quite the skilled scientist…the director relates that there are 4 humans who have promised, in fact, willed, their organs into the exhibit…the two most notable, in my mind, are the older (94) Icelandic gentleman who’s been a radical activist for this-and-that all his life as well as a local celebrity, and a 42 yr old American who seems a bit obsessed…his wish is to donate while he is still alive !!! so that he can witness himself as part of the display…I don’t wish to be judgemental but this strikes me as kind of odd perhaps?? Also included in the museum is phallic folklore, humor, and artwork…all very tasteful..after all it’s just another structure of the body I guess worth studying…and it’s accepted as a legitimate tourist attraction here in Husavik – Dr. Hjartarson says he’s never been criticized by locals regarding his collection…in fact when a whale washes up on shore, they call him…he’s well known, at least in Iceland….
Hungarian/Romanian, a shared story
- So many pictures...I've been downloading for two weeks!
Iceland Tour
- Our last two weeks we rented a car and drove around the entire country. We lucked out and had sunny weather most always and the scenery was spell-binding. You really don't see much of Iceland without a vehicle to tour in. Public transporation only runs in the summer and even then to limited locales. I've heard of folks touring on bikes, but we didn't see anyone and you'd have to be real strong and quite lucky not to get blown away...the wind rolled moving cars off the road while we were here. Of course, Icelanders traveled by horse for over a thousand years and there are "horse roads" right beside the paved roads most places where people still ride today.
Thorsmork, Iceland
- Karen and I spent our first two weeks in Iceland volunteering at Husadalur camp in a national park called Thorsmork. The area is wedged between two glaciers, Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull and is one of the most dramatically beautiful places in Iceland. It's impossible to get to without a serious high clearance 4-wheel drive and but the bus company, Reykjavik Excursions has specially designed monster buses to handle the many river crossings and bumpy ride through the riverbed which is the "road". While at Thorsmork we worked with 15 other delightful volunteers from ten countries. We played a lot of goofy games, worked hard, ate alot of good food and sloshed through the wet and windy weather which didn't let up for two weeks.
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