Volume 40, Number 1
Colorado Chess Informant
would be sometime
before passing here
again. It was hard
saying goodbye.
card!” Interestingly, different from our
system of the black and white sneeze on
someone, penalty now, no appeal. The
game is always moving, with no commercials! When occasionally a player breaks
into the open field for say a 30 meter
gain, one must often give up the ball,
otherwise a hurt locker, tis the rules. Rugby players actually look tough and fit,
bigger than soccer players, but obviously
made of hard wood. I will enjoy a three
hours Bronco game, but a four to five
hour baseball game? Please, and they say
chess is slow!
My second day in Selfoss was easier and
sublime. The multitude of horses greeting
me, especially my two brown friends.
They were all rewarded by a discreet supply of sugar cubes but next time, would
be apples! Surprisingly, the bonnie lass
attending the horses permitted a photograph, she actually smiled. It was good
practice taking pictures in wind and rain
while also striving to keep the camera
dry. Leaving the cemetery one day it was
raining but because of the subtle wind
direction, my shoes became soggy sponges and my pants totally soaked. This was
fun. I was in a good mood. I was excited
to be in Iceland. In my spontaneous exuberance I threw up my arms and yelled to
the Nordic God, Freyr in jest… “How
dare you soak me, I’m an American for
crying out loud!” It was a good day I will
never forget.
Hotel Selfoss has a 4-Star restaurant
worth every Krona. The food is perfect,
the service top rate, and the prices reasonable. I enjoyed dining there every evening. My last day, slightly blue because it
Page 48
The Flybus from
Selfoss to Reykjavik
was a spooky scene
of thick green mass
covering everything,
a most uneven surface ripe for twisted
ankles, black rocky
soil, with of course
no trees except for
the homes and towns
where trees are planted. The old Vikings
survived in a hard strange place but they
did cut down many a tree. Many plumes
of volcanic activity abound making Wyoming’s Old Faithful by comparison a
children’s exhibit. All in all, very beautiful, just alien to me. The 60 Kilometer
ride, clean, comfortable and yet only
1500 Krona (about $12). Of course, I had
to stay at the Borg Hotel which is where
Fischer stayed in 1960, however, the location was perfect walking distance to
everything except the Laudardarshollin. I
would not partake of their 4-Star restaurant but they got their payback due to my
daily room service and extensive draft
beer tab, trust me.
Inevitably venturing out with my OCD
maps, got lost twice but eventually deduced that if one can see the
Hallgrymskirkya Landmark Church then
one is never lost. The main drag is
Lagavegeur, the usual array of touristy
shops that like business. Off that the usual
seedy looking taverns
with ruffian bar dudes
outside smoking cigarettes, looking at me as
if it would behoove me
to actually venture forth
into the dark, dank,
smoky catacombs. I did
however patronize the
J&S Watch Company
located at Laugavegur
62 advertised as the
world’s smallest watch
company. It is the first
and only watch manufacturer in Iceland.
They are assembled by
hand in Iceland and
www.colorado-chess.com
January 2013
only the highest quality Swiss movements
and European materials are used to produce them. I immediately fell in love with
the displayed time pieces. Had seen the
shop advertised with, of course, a movie
star portraying himself as the owner, but
upon arriving I was greeted by the owner,
Gilbert Gudjonsson. He was apparently
not a movie star, but appreciated my folly, relaying this to his son in the shop
with some enjoyment. I gave him a short
pitch on who I was, and why I was there.
He, in turn, gave me some excellent espresso along with a tour of the company.
Gilbert does most of the technical work
with his son in charge of the IT work in
addition to watch crafting also. I was
touched that some Father/Son enterprises
still exist and my emotions were a part of
admiration and a sense of loss for any
man not able to work with his father.
Since my own father appreciated fine
works of craftsmanship and art, I knew he
would approve of my purchase of one of
these beautifully made, precise, timepieces. Besides, how often in life are we allowed to purchase something exquisite
whilst also enjoying the total experience?
Thanks Gilbert, now I have two reasons
to go back to Iceland.
Bobby Fischer’s favorite restaurant is
called the Fria Frakkar and was located
at last after waffling in confusion in
Odinsgata in a state of irritation and tiredness. I then brazenly took a photo while
people were eating - from the middle of
the street. The place was packed. I felt
wanting to go in, but was not hungry at
all. How about this, I go in, find “the
spot”, then proceed to ask the patrons…