R E Y K J A V Í K

A statue of Ingólfur Arnarson near Reykjavík's harbor commemorates Iceland's first settler. Forced out of Norway due to a feud, Ingólfur tossed his high-seat pillars into the sea according to tradition. Landing in 874 where the pagan pillars came ashore, and seeing thermal steam, a common feature in this area of the country, Ingólfur named the area Reykjavík, or ``Bay of Smoke."

While the knoll here is empty, it was interesting to see it surrounded by Icelandic teen-agers and some adults to get a better of view of the harbor-edge stage, where Icelandic rock bands played in stinging rain to celebrate Iceland's Independence Day.