Nightlife

The Icelanders are ready to party on the weekends. But partying is expensive, so they start at home with their own home made moonshine..which they can make but not sell! The pre-functioning continues in their cars and the sidewalks of oldtown on Laugevegur (street) where they carry their glasses, beer, and troll for the opposite (maybe) sex. Then they head to the swishy bars and fancy night clubs where the music and noise levels are high. Did we mention this starts at about 1 a.m.? By 2:30 a.m., the streets are full and the party is in motion. It doesn't stop until about 6 in the morning. This is not just the kids, but includes the old folks too! What we are impressed with is how the majority of people on the streets in the early hours are groups of men, far fewer women until about 3 in the morning..then the women come out. The women are dressed to the nines, with fancy shoes in multi colors and 4-5 inch sturdy thick heels (not your stiletto). They are also dressed for summer, sleevelss tank tops and short skirts. Many women are dressed in black, so the nylons and leggings are fancy colors and designs. The men, even the older groups, patrol in packs and by the later hours,the numbers of men and women balance out. Then it looks like fraternity row or the quad at Notre Dame after a night of partying, with the occasional reveler sleepingon a bench. Then, in the morning, the streets are quiet and these large golf carts with giant vacuum hoses drive down the streets and sidewalks sucking up all the debris, cups, cans etc. By 9 a.m. it is clean. Those brave souls who went to sleep early, or haven't gone to sleep yet, then gather at the bakeries to break their fast and drink coffee to get them through the day. By the way, it is light all night, even though the sun sets at midnight and rises at 3a.m.; it never drops far enough below the horizon to get fully dark. Also, the temperature is around the mid-50s all day and night, such as night is! No need for sunscreen as the sun is so low on the horizon all day, it filters through all the atmosphere...just like early morning or late aftrenoon for us. More later...