Reykjavík: Sunshine and Warmer Weather

On our first night in Reykjavík (Sunday, August 31), we luxuriated in inside warmth. With shore power, we were able to generate enough heat to get well above 70°F and finally things started to dry out! Duvets and extra fleece blankets were set aside with great relief, and it was wonderful to have clean bodies and clean sheets.

Early on Monday morning (September 1), Ula arrived after four flights and an hour-long bus ride from the international airport. We continued to do laundry. We even washed and dried the duvets and their covers. Enis came up with a novel way to put the cover back on. 

Ghost Enis assisted by Shalako

Enis and Shalako shaking the cover over the duvet

By late morning, we were ready to set off and explore more of the city. The skies were overcast, but Reykjavík was still warmer than Greenland, and we only needed a couple layers of clothing. We walked along the main shopping street, Laugavegur, and then veered off unto Skolavordustigur. The lower pedestrian part is painted in wide, bold stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and pink and is aptly called Rainbow Street. The lively street is lined with shops, restaurants, bars and galleries. 

Peter, Shalako, Enis and Ula in front of the Prime Minister's Office

Skolavordustigur

Hallgrímskirkja at the top of Skolavordustigur

Our first destination was Hallgrímskirkja, situated at the top of Skolavordustigur. The largest church in Iceland and the second tallest building in the country, it is one of the best-known landmarks. From the outside, it resembles organ pipes or an abstract representation of Iceland's rugged landscapes. Construction of the church began in 1945, and it was consecrated in 1986.

Hallgrímskirkja

Large organ inside Hallgrímskirkja

In the plaza in front of the church is a statue of Leif Erikson by Alexander Caulder. It was a gift from the United States in honor of the 1930 Althing Millennial Festival, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the convening of Iceland's parliament at Thingvellir in 930 AD. 

Leif Erikson statue

Hunger was beginning to gnaw at our stomachs as we were leaving the church, since it was 1:30 and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We found a cafe nearby, but after being seated and looking at the menu, we decided that the prices were high (more than $40 for a vegetarian lunch), got up and searched for a bakery. Along the way, Enis and Ula posed as Vikings. The sight of other people with small paper bags and our noses led us to a little bakery where we purchased pastries, including hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls and happy marriage cake or Hjónabandssæla, made with oats, butter and rhubarb. We ate them on benches at a street corner park.

Enis and Ula as Vikings

Nourished, we continued rambling in the city, noticing that many of the buildings were constructed of corrugated metal, usually in bright colors. Since Iceland has no forests with large trees that can be used for construction, the original settlers built with peat. During the 18th century, a few buildings were constructed with stone, including small cottages built with leftover rocks. Turf houses were still the most common type until the early 20th century,

Introduced in the late 1870s, metal facades became popular in the late 19th and early 20th century as a durable material effective against the harsh elements, particularly in Reykjavík. The iron was made weatherproof by dipping it in molten zinc. After a major fire in 1915, the government required corrugated siding for new houses built close together, leading to the large concentration of metal-clad buildings throughout the country. Originally utilitarian, it became an appealing architectural feature. In Icelandic, it is called bárujárn, which translates literally to "wave iron." 

Two wave iron clad houses

A wave iron house with Victorian decoration

Arctic fox mural on corrugated metal

While walking along Laugavegur, we stopped in a unique bar from which we had heard live music the previous evening. Bókabúd Máis og Menningar, which translates to Máis Bookstore and Culture. This multi-level bookstore and bar features live music every single night. We explored it and Ula and her band made a brief appearance on stage.

Instruments as decor at Bókabúd Máis og Menningar

Ula and her group

We love Reykjavík. Most of the city is not laid out in a grid pattern, and the lack of long or wide streets preserves a sense of neighborhoods next to each other. The scale of the buildings is small, with Hallgrímskirkja being the highest at 74.5 meters (244 feet). There are only four buildings between that height and 54 meters (177 feet), and the sixth tallest building is Harpa, at 43 meters (141 feet). There are little squares and parks scattered throughout the city. 

Although Reykjavík is believed to have been the site of the first Norse settlement in Iceland (870 AD), the area did not become urbanized until the mid-18th century. In 1752, the King of Denmark, Frederic V, donated the estate of Reykjavík to a private corporation led by Skúli Magnússon, the first sheriff, with the wool industry the basis of the economy. The corporation also developed fisheries, sulphur mining, agriculture and shipbuilding. Monopolies were abolished by the Danish Crown in 1786 and six communities, including Reykjavík, were grantd exclusive trading charters. 

In the 19th century, dense clusters of small houses and fishermen's huts formed most of the town. Buildings for government offices such as Parliament as well as a high school and other edifices were erected in the mid-19th century, but it wasn't until the end of that century that the city started to have denser housing, more commercial and government buildings and public parks.

One of these is Austurvöllur, a grassy square with flower borders. Around the perimeter of the square are cafes and restaurants and also Alþingishúsið (Parliament House) and Dómkirkjan, the city's oldest church building. In the center of the square it a bench set up for photo ops; we took advantage of the opportunity. Behind the Parliament Building is another lovely green space, ⁨Alþingisgarðurinn⁩.

Austurvöllur

Enis and Ula

Sherri and Peter

Ula, Shalako and Sherri

⁨Alþingisgarðurinn⁩

A short distance away is Tjörnin, or the Pond, originally a sea lagoon separated from the ocean around 800 AD by a natural gravel barrier. It was transformed into a freshwater body in 1911 when the Lækurinn River, which once flowed into the ocean, was channeled underground and diverted to Tjörnin. In the winter, it is a popular place for ice skating. It is also a bird sanctuary and a great diversity of avians. One is the whooper swan, a species we had not encountered before.

Tjörnin

Whooper swan

On the north side of Tjörnin is an eye-catching sculpture entitled Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat, created with bronze on the lower part and an unrefined block of Icelandic volcanic basalt. The artist, Magnús Tómasson, created the statue in 1994 as an alternative to a tribute to an unknown soldier found in other countries, as Iceland has no standing military. 

Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat

On our way back to the dock, we went inside Harpa, the music and convention center, where the architecture and style create a vision as unique and riveting as the exterior.

Looking up in Harpa

Windows and surrounding buildings

At 4 p.m., Magnús, a peer and friend of our good friend in London Liz Tanner, whom Peter has known since the 1970s, joined us on Mantra. We enjoyed tea and pleasant conversation with this native of Reykjavík before setting off for a restaurant where we had reservations at 6 p.m. Along the way, he provided us information about some of the things we were seeing, such as Arnarhóll, a hill near the city center named after Iceland's first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, which is surrounded by the buildings of many ministries as well as Þjóðleikhúsið, the National Theater of Iceland. 

Arnarhóll

We walked past his high school, the main one in the city, and strolled through Hallargarðurinn Park. Bindindishöllin, the gorgeous house on the property, was built in 1908 by entrepreneur Thor Jensen, Magnús' great-great-great-great grandfather. 

Bindindishöllin

Ula, Enis, Shalako and Magnús in Hallargarðurinn Park

Just in time after a nice stroll under sunny skies, we reached the restaurant, Þrír frakkar, the Three Overcoats. It's a pleasant place with a warm atmosphere and friendly servers. Featured on the menu are traditional Icelandic dishes such as fermented shark, raw or roasted whale, smoked puffin and horse along with local seafood such as plaice and cod, mussels, herring, salmon and halibut. The men had to try all the traditional dishes. 

Ula, Shalako, Sherri, Peter, Magnús and Enis

After dining for a couple hours, we walked with Magnús to the main shopping street and then meandered around, admiring the evening light on things we had seen earlier, and discovering striking murals. Some other tourists were posing for photos by Harpa, and we mimicked their pose and they took photos of us in the twilight. We returned to a boat that, for those of us suffering from heat deprivation, was beyond warm. 

Skolavordustigur after rain, near sunset

The Deacon of the Dark River mural

Ingólfr Arnarson, the first Scandinavian settler in Iceland, Arnarhóll

Peter, Enis, Shalako, Ula and Sherri in front of Harpa

Interior temperature!

Ula and I had already gone to bed when Shalako came back from a short walk to the restroom to announce the northern lights were visible. What a way to end a glorious day!

Northern lights over Reykjavík Harbor

Northern lights

I am still a few days behind on our adventures, but it is time for me to stop for now. More later.