A bit of traveling to the north

We've hopped on a few buses and planes earlier this month and made it to Iceland and then to St. Petersburg, Russia. There was a wedding we went to in Russia and the rest was sightseeing.  I picked up an Iceland Folk Songbook so will learn songs from the country island in the far north.  I can't quite read or pronounce the titles but it will be fun to learn new songs.  Some stores has CDs with music played on the langspil.  The instrument is similar to the mountain dulcimer.  It is typically bowed.  We didn't actually see a 'live' one.  Meanwhile, the scenery of Iceland was fascinating.  I love waterfalls and there were plenty.  The rugged and surreal landscape plus the glaciers and geothermal activity made it all a very fine trip.   St. Petersburg had loads of people and many non-English speakers.  My favorite part were the street musicians along Nevsky Prospect - the main street in the city center.  A violin player here and guitarist there.  One street activity which drew a crowd was a basic bar and people tracked how long a person could hang from the bar.  No electricity.  No fancy lights.  Just a bar to hang from.  How long could you hang from a bar?  Ever tried it? 
I played the dulcimer at an assisted living center today on my lunch break.  I brought both the mountain and hammered dulcimer.  I said I could play for the next 10 hours if they'd like.  The people laughed.  Really, I could.   I still need to have some sort of outfit to wear as I play.  I'd love to play background music at more events.  Background music is a different feel then announcing each song, play it (or them) and then stop.  I'd rather just keep on playing.  I have a button maker machine and I've made assorted buttons with messages.   Keep on Learning.  Keep on Singing.  Keep on Playing.  It makes living a bit more special.