How I spent my Canada day

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While all of you were lighting fireworks and writing your name with sparklers and eating barbecued hot dogs and cursing black flies, I was celebrating Canada Day my own way, by crashing a cocktail party at City Hall and rubbing elbows with Canadian Ambassador Alan Bones. He's quite a swell guy, by the way, a very friendly person who kindly invited me to swing past the Canadian Embassy tomorrow morning for coffee.
It was pure buzzard luck that I stumbled on the party. I just happened to be at City Hall - more on that later, and saw people setting up little Canadian flags in a reception area. The building is quite impressive, very modern and fronts onto a large pond. So I had a couple of glasses of wine and some delicious gravlox topped with dill and a splat of creme frais. I talked sushi with the guy from the Japanese embassy and tuna with a woman from the Iceland fisheries minister and met a hilarious lawyer who used to work in the Star building! He had an office there for his business importing lava rocks for Canadian barbecues. If there's one thing Iceland has a bumper crop of, it's lava rocks. But they're all gone and now we use flavour bars. They're no good, he told me. You need lava rocks. Something to think about.
Earlier yesterday I spent a couple of hours at one of the city's famous outdoor geo-thermal pools. This one was part of a huge spa complex called Laugur, World's Best. It was amazing. Six saunas, gorgeous whirlpool, two steam rooms, a lounge area with a fireplace - so relaxing I fell asleep! I spent three hours in there and could easily of lounged the day away. It was a terrific experience. I took a cab there and a city bus back - the driver was like Steve McQueen in Bullitt, except he was also yammering to somebody on his cellphone the whole way! Gotta love the Icelanders. My SATC gal pals are picked me up at 8 for a last dinner together and then it's home tomorrow via the Blue Lagoon for a last spa soak. I'll miss this place! We had a delicious Italian meal - pizza in a wood-burning oven that was excellent - and then a final walk downtown. I was sad to say bye-bye to Osk, Bjork and Maggie, but I have a feeling we'll all see each other again one fine day.

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Photos

Canadian Ambassador and me
And how did you spent your Canada Day?

Odd logo
Is it just me or does the spa logo look like a gigantic wiggler?

coffee break
So good!

Bjork and Maggie learn the fine art of napkin chicken making
They actually got quite good

SATC, Iceland bureau
Bjork, Maggie, me and Osk.

They eat puffins?
Yes, and whale. The special at the Sea Baron is called Moby Dick on a Stick.

Comments

[Maggie]

The Sperm
It's not you Linda - it is a sperm, when I'm there I take it as a reminder of all the stuff that's in the hot tubs..

[Maggie]

Beautiful Linda! Thanks for a great time last night, have a safe trip home. The sun decided to shine so you could enjoy your second trip to the blue lagoon even more ;) I love how you enjoy life and see the humor in all things around you - promise me to never stop. Take care and have a safe trip home. Maggie. Note to self: Get to know the reindeer we saw last night.