The Icelandic Phallological Museum
Reykjavik Art Museums
National Museum of Iceland
Ms. Hen is a hen who likes museums. She enjoys the quiet and
beauty of places where she can learn new things and be inspired. Before she
went to Iceland, she read about the different museums that are in Reykjavik
that she wanted to visit. She didn’t go to all of them, but she went to a few.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum
Ms. Hen read about this museum, and learned that it is the
largest collection of penises in the world. Ms. Hen is not a perverse hen, but
she loves things that are weird and freaky, so she decided she had to go. She stumbled
upon the museum during her first day in Iceland while she was taking a walk in
the rain looking for a coffee shop. The museum is a small room, full of jars of
animal penises, which are very strange looking. There are huge whale penises
sticking out of the wall, a polar bear penis, a killer what penis. There are
also very small ones that are just a speck, like a house mouse penis.
This museum was full of Americans, which disturbed Ms. Hen.
She thought it was because Americans are all perverts, or perhaps because there
would NEVER be such a museum in the United States. Either way, Ms. Hen spent
enough time there, took some pictures, and bought a shot glass. The museum is
expensive, it costs about fifteen dollars, which Ms. Hen thought was too dear,
but she considers it a once in a lifetime experience.
A variety of penises in jars |
Reykjavik Art Museum
Ms. Hen went to two of the Reykjavik Art Museums,
Kjavasstadir, and Hafnerhus. She didn’t go to all three museums because she
didn’t have a car in Iceland, and it was a rainy day, and she didn’t want
to walk too far. The Kjavassatir was right near where she was staying. It is a
small museum with only a couple of galleries, but it was lovely. There was an
exhibit of things from Ikea, which Ms. Hen thought was strange, but other
exhibits of paintings and videos interested her more.
The Hafnerhus is situated near the center of town. It houses
paintings from the Erro Collection, who is one of Iceland’s best-known pop
artists. Ms. Hen was impressed by the breadth and color and urgency of his
work. She even found a hen in one of his paintings.
Can you find the hen? |
The National Museum of Iceland
Ms. Hen loves history and things that are old. It was quite
an ordeal for her to get to this museum, because she had to walk a long way, but she loved it. She enjoyed looking
at artifacts from the time of the Vikings to modern times. Her favorite things were the cones that the Vikings drank out of; she didn’t get a picture of them,
but they were beautifully decorated horns that were used for everyday use and
also for ceremonies.
She took some pictures in an area of the museum where nobody
was hanging out. She liked the replica of the farmhouse where a family would live together in one room. And she thought the little boat was charming. Ms. Hen admires a
culture that can hold on to the past without resentment.
Ms. Hen thinks Iceland is a perfect place to visit museums
because most of the time it is raining, and it’s a good time to be inside. The
outdoors are beautiful, too, and Ms. Hen can enjoy nature, but there are lots of
things to enjoy in the world, like penises in jars, pop art, and Nordic
history.
Outside the art museum on a sunny day |
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