Ms. Hen reviews some museums in Iceland

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