Day 3 - Around Reykjavik
Friday, January 9, 2015
We slept in a little (a luxury provided by the 11 am sunrise), had breakfast in the hotel, and still got out before sunrise (about 10 am) to spend the day exploring Reykjavik. It had snowed a couple of inches overnight and was still snowing pretty heavily, so we elected to drive a little closer to the main part of town rather than walk an extra half-mile or so. Driving in the snow was a little adventurous, but we did fine. Our first stop was Hallsgrimskirkja, a Lutheran church that's largest church in Iceland.
The church is made of concrete and is very stark and modern inside and out. A statue of Leif Erikson, the first European to visit North America, stands in front of the church. The sanctuary is surprisingly small given the scale of the exterior, and a giant pipe organ is nestled into the back of the church. There's an observation deck at the top of the tower, which affords some beautiful views of the snowy city.
Leaving the church, we strolled around downtown Reykjavik. We encountered a statue of Skuli Magunsson, who has an awesome name and is hailed as "the father of modern Reykjavik." The oldest tree in the city stands behind his statue – trees were few and far between in the small corner of Iceland that we explored. The Iceland Parliament building stands nearby, a much smaller and simpler building than I would have expected. There was a small garden behind the building covered in pristine snow. A small lake called Tjornin sits in the middle of town, and it was almost completely frozen over. We saw a few people walking across it (something I've never experienced before), but I was only willing to step a couple of feet out onto the ice. Instead, we walked around the lake, stopping to watch some cold ducks, geese, and swans in an unfrozen part of the lake with the Reykjavik City Hall in the background. The path around the lake is lined with a lot of sculptures, and Julie stopped to pose with one of them. We also saw the saddest sign ever, with a seagull (jerk!) stealing a baby duck.
Memory is fuzzy, but I believe we stopped into the National Gallery of Iceland for a bit to get out of the snow and warm up for a bit - I'm sure it was fine, but it didn't leave much of an impression. We also visited a museum called "Reykjavik 871±2," which is based on a archaeological excavation of one of the first houses in Iceland. The name is based on a layer of rock deposited by a volcanic eruption around the year 871, which helps archaeologists date their finds. Parts of the dig, including the remains of a 10th century hall and some surrounding walls, are preserved intact inside the museum.
When we walked outside again, the snow had stopped and the weather had cleared. We walked around Old Town, an area of colorful and cheery buildings with a lot of restaurants, shops, and museums. Some of the roads and sidewalks are clear of ice, because some areas are heated with geothermal hot water to keep them clear. We got lunch from a hot dog stand and ate at a snowy table that kept our drinks cool for us. The sort of Icelandic version of Americana continued as we walked around the city: Kilroy graffiti, a Coca-Cola Santa Claus, and something called "Texas Pizza Pie." We walked around the harbor area, which was a strange mix of tourist businesses and more industrial areas (like this boat up on blocks).
At some point in our wandering, we walked by the Icelandic Phallological Museum (yes, a penis museum), but despite the museum being tagged in Google as "good for kids," we decided to give it a miss. We eventually ended up at Harpa, a grand new concert hall overlooking the harbor. The walls of the building are made up of glass cells, which give it a very prismatic, geometric appearance. The inside featured mirrored ceilings and glass birds suspended overhead. At night, the walls are illuminated with moving patterns of light.
As the sun began to set in the mid-afternoon, we walked by some snowmen on Arnarholl, a hill overlooking the harbor. We picked out a restaurant for dinner that had lamb, whale, and horse on the menu, but we went with something more standard. By the time we finished eating, it was completely dark outside. Walking through the shopping district, we saw Icelandic Rambo, a chicken drinking coffee, and Chuck Norris (via a Norris-themed restaurant complete with fake Chuck Norris facts on the windows). On the way back to the car, we passed the Hotel Borg ("You will be assimilated…by our luxurious accommodations!"), a plain but pretty church and Christmas tree, and Old Town, still lit up with Christmas lights.
We went back to the hotel and got ready for our second attempt at the Northern Lights tour. The weather was clear when we left the city, but before we even got to the first viewing location, the guide exclaimed "oh my god, it's a snow storm!" The first stop was at a lighthouse where it was totally overcast and snowing. The second stop was at a quaint little church where we were pelted with snow and sleet, and after that, they called off the tour for the night.
Back at the hotel, I was happy to finally peel off a ridiculous pile of layered clothes. (It wasn't that it was all that cold (upper 20s and low 30s), but it was really windy and we were out walking around in the weather a lot.) We turned in for the evening, with one more shot at the Northern Lights tomorrow night.
