Reykjavík--Party capital of the North

The sun sets in Iceland. Early, this time of year.Located as Reykjavík is at the 64th Parallel, it's the world's most northern national capital. This is particularly apparent this time of year, when the days grow short--the sun didn't rise until about 9:30 a.m. and never got more than about one-third of the way into the sky before it began setting again. By 4:30 p.m. or so, it was dark. Conversely, during the high summer, it can be 2 a.m., and it still looks like late afternoon or dusk, according to some of my colleagues who have experienced the effect.

Iceland observes Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), aligning its clocks with London, which is a several-hours-long plane trip to the east. The area has been settled since 874, when, according to legend, Norwegian chieftain Ingólfur Anarson followed two carved pillars he threw overboard from his boat until they landed. He named the place Reykjavík, which means Bay of Smoke--a reference to the rich geothermal activity in the area.

My digs at the Grand Hotel Reykjavík. Very comfy and modern room in a recently-added 14-story addition.I stayed at the Grand Hotel Reykjavík, located near the EVE Fanfest venue, a large indoor sports arena known as Laugardalshöll. While the hotel started life as a modest Holiday Inn, it's now the biggest hotel in Reykjavík, with a 14-story addition and rooms that look like they dropped out of an Ikea catalog. Getting to downtown Reykjavík required a five or ten-minute cab ride, depending on location.

The city is getting better about filtering its geothermally heated water, so there's no longer a rotten-eggs smell when you run the bath or the shower. I particularly appreciated the high toilets, apparently scaled for someone of Nordic stature--my shorter friends complained, repeatedly, about needing footstools to reach them, but I found the thrones to be perfectly comfortable.