I wish our internal flights back home were as easy as the one we had this morning between Akureyri and Reykjavik. We checked in and headed to the one gate. No security. Nothing. They didn’t care if we were carrying big bottles of water or nail files….We just breezed through right to the gate. I had forgotten what doing that felt like. However, when we fly to Greenland, it will be a horse of a different color. That is an international flight so we will have to go through security.
We didn’t have to wait too long. I had just enough time to get involved in my book before it was time to load the plane. I was happy to have a 40 minute flight of reading time. I always miss reading on trips. There just never is enough hours in the day.
On the plane we found out from our flight attendant that she knew Neil. They had gone to tourist school together. She greeted him with a big hug and kiss. Obviously she remembered him fondly. We, of course, gave Neil a hard time :-). I buried my nose in my kindle for the flight and was just getting to a good part when we landed. Sigh…. Isn’t that always the way.
On the ground we gathered our bags, we had had to check our carryon, and found Jón waiting outside for us with our bus. I was happy to see him. Graham had been fine but Jón was our friend. It was good to have him back. Of course he said he had missed us. He probably did. He had to drive/guide 50+ people yesterday. A bunch of them didn’t speak English or Icelandic. Oy vey! He had my sympathy.
To kick off our exploration of Reykjavik, we started at the Perlan or Pearl in English. The Perlan is a signature landmark in Reykjavik. This quirky museum is actually located in a cluster of hot water tanks. In 1939 one water tank was built up on Öskjuhlíð hill to supply hot water to the town. Over the years five more water tanks were added. Once geothermal power became the standard, the tanks weren’t needed any more. The question then was what to do with the water tanks. The mayor at the time thought the idea to turn it into the landmark of Reykjavik with a place for city activities to take place was an excellent idea so he pushed it through. On 1991 June 21st, the building was inaugurated and opened to the public. The old tanks were now crowned with a glass dome with a viewing platform so the people of Iceland could see the view of the city. Four of the tanks are still in use, one hosts a real ice cave, and one has been turned into a planetarium.
In 2015 about all there was to the Perlan was the view up at the dome. Down in the building below they would hold concerts and have temporary exhibits. Today it is the biggest nature museum in Iceland. Not only can you watch a volcano erupt but see the northern lights and visit an ice cave!
We didn’t have time to explore all of Perlan but we hit a good bit of it. We started out with the video of the Geldingadalir volcanic eruption, which started on March 19, 2021, in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. It was the first eruption in the area in over 800 years. The footage was phenomenal. You felt like you were right there in the action. Some of the people in the video watching the eruption seemed awfully close and casual.
We hustled from that video to the planetarium for the Aurora program. This was a 360 degree film about the northern lights as told by the old Norse goddess Aurora. It was interesting and the photos of the northern lights were stunning. I have to admit that with the lights out and the soft music and voices, I was struggling to stay awake in this one. It was no knock on the content, that’s just me in a dark room with a video of this type. No matter how much I want to watch it, I end up falling asleep :-).
We went from beautiful lights in the night sky to the cold. The line was not bad at all for the ice cave so we beat feet for there next. It wasn’t quite as interesting as I thought it would be. Granted, it was constructed out of real glacier ice—350 tons of snow from the Blue Mountains. So it was very real in that sense. I’m not sure really what I was expecting. It was cool (literally) to walk through the 100 meters long tunnel. There were side branches you could take to look down a crevasse. There was also an ice throne that you could pose on. You were free to touch the ice and interact with it tactically. It gave you a sense of what an ice cave may be like.
By now we were running a bit short on time. We still had the Látrabjarg cliff model to check out as well as the view. We decided to do the view next and then spend the time we had left at the bird cliff and whatever exhibits were left. There was still a good portion of museum we hadn’t seen.
We look the elevator to the 4th floor and stepped outside onto the viewing platform that continued all around the glass dome. We stared out at the view and it was smashing. The sun was out and the cloud were in abeyance. The day was clear and the mountains stood out in sharp relief in the background. It was windy but the view captured your imagination and you forgot about any discomfort. I just stood there and drank it in, knowing that it could be the last time I ever saw that view. I am no where near ready to leave. Thank goodness I still have a few more days.
Doug enjoyed looking out to see the landmarks he could recognize. They had diagrams posted every few feet showing you what was out there which was nice. Doug was quick to point out that it was a bit off. He was absolutely correct. It wasn’t that important though.
Downstairs we went into the nature exhibit with the recreation of the largest seabird cliff in Europe. It very much reminded me of the cliffs we had scoured with our eyes for puffins in the Westman Islands. Here, however, the birds were labeled so you knew what they were. Nature isn’t that considerate. We saw huge eagles, my cute puffins, kittiwakes, fulmars, etc. It was a cliff side of our feathered friends.
Along with the bird cliff there was a tiny room that was all about Lake Myvatn. We learned more about the midges and the algae balls that grow in the lake. I was glad to see this section as it brought a clearer understanding to what I had seen at Myvatn.
There were a few exhibits we missed but I think we did a good job hitting the highlights of the natural museum. They did a wonderful job putting it together. It was a great way to repurpose those huge water tanks and bring new life to them and this area of the city.
All onboard our bus, our next stop was the hotel downtown. Last time I had stayed at the Hilton which was a bus ride away from the action in Reykjavik. The Marina was right down on the water. The location was perfect. We could walk to all of the places we wanted to see in the city. Today that was a good thing as well as a bad thing.
Today the city was holding its annual marathon which was downtown. Jón was a few minutes late picking us up from the airport because of traffic and closed roads. If the marathon wasn’t enough, today was also a culture day festival which was also being held downtown. We were going to be staying right in the middle of the action. I think sleep is going to be difficult. All of the young people are out having a good time tonight.
We had to make a few detours because of closed streets but we finally made it to the hotel. However, we weren’t able to check in yet. And we were on the clock for lunch so we tossed our carry-ons into a room and then made a mad dash to the food court where we were having lunch. Now this food court was darn posh, nothing like ours in the malls. It was definitely upscale. Neil ushered us to the proper location and as he had pre-ordered our meals, we were served quickly. Doug had gone with the fish choice while I had gone with a burger. His fish was a fusion dish while my burger was just a cheeseburger which was perfect for me. I really enjoyed my burger. It hit the spot and was cooked perfectly. I was nicely filled after eating.
From lunch we launched into a walking tour of the downtown area. We weren’t letting grass grow under our feet. We fought our way through the first truly large crowds of the trip. I have to admit, it was a bit disconcerting. I had gotten so use to the quiet of Iceland, I wasn’t use to being amidst so many people. I didn’t like it. But I tried to ignore my discomfort and marshaled on.
We saw a small green train engine on display. Neil informed us that it was the engine to the only train they’ve had in Iceland. When they were building up the harbor, they needed to haul in lots and lots of rock. They built a small train train and used it to carry the rock from the quarry to the harbor. They saved the engine as a reminder of that nugget of history.
Next up was the statue in honor of their “George Washington.” He was never president nor Prime Minister but people feel he did help Iceland achieve independence from Denmark. This remarkable man was Jón Sigurðsson. He was well liked by both Icelanders and Danes. He encouraged the young people at the university to demand independence. He lived to see the Danish king give Iceland their constitution in 1874 but died five years later, never seeing the true independence they gained in 1944.
Many Icelanders these days are calling for a new constitution. It is one of their controversies. The one they currently have hasn’t really changed since 1874. Many people feel that it’s time to have one they actually wrote instead of the one given them by a king from Denmark. I can’t say that I blame them but I know how much trouble Chile is having writing a new constitution. It is not an easy thing.
The Parliament building was a gray rock building, austere and forbidding. The four symbols on it are the eagle, the bull, a giant, and an eagle. Why are they on the Parliament? Well, there is a story about that. After King Harold of Denmark united all of the tribes in Denmark, he sent a wizard to Iceland to conquer it for him. The wizard tried to enter the country from the west coast but a giant chased him away. Then he tried the east coast. A dragon breathed fire and kept him from that coast. In the south a bull charged him and he fled. His last shot was the north but a fierce eagle defended that border from him. He went home and told King Harold that it was impossible to conquer Iceland. Ever since then the four have become the protectors of Iceland and therefore guard the Parliament building.
One quick word about King Harold. He is the one that bluetooth is named for. His full name was King Harold Bluetooth. The two runes making up his name were put together to create the bluetooth icon. A Scandinavian IT engineer thought this was appropriate since bluetooth joins devices together and King Harold joined the tribes of Denmark together. And now you. Know the rest of the story.
One more thing about the Parliament. Iceland is way ahead of the rest of the world in gender equality. A full 25% of the parliament members are women. That’s pretty darn good.
We were stopped at one point in our wandering right in front of the building that houses the office of the Prime Minister. It was an old-fashioned white building. Ironically it had been the prison back in the mid 1700s. It not only houses the PM’s office today but all of his staff. Cabinet meetings are held there as well.
Directly in front of this building was the marathon route. We had to wait for a break between the runners before we could cross the street. It wasn’t that difficult as there weren’t many runners at this point. Two statues stood out front on either side of the building. One was King Christian handing over the new constitution in 1874. The other statue is of Hannes Hafstein who was an Icelandic poet and politician. In 1904 he became the first Icelander to be appointed to the Danish Cabinet as the minister for Iceland.
As we stood waiting to cross the road, Neil happened to spot two young ladies who were dressed in traditional Icelandic clothing. It was the first time we had seen regular people wearing it. The girls looked very nice in their long dresses. They had a German feel to them, at least to me.
As we made our way up to the true icon of Reykjavik, we passed by Hotel Borg. It was built for the 1000 year celebration of the Althing being in Thingvellir in 1930. The city needed a grand hotel for all of the dignitaries to stay in so they built this hotel. During the war it held many a dance and big band music drifted through its hallways. It also served as the Officers’ Club. One disturbing story is how the first woman police chief would stand outside the building after dances. She would write down the names of the Icelandic women who were consorting with the American soldiers. Some she had forcibly removed to perform virginity checks on. Some were detained in open air prisons outside of the city. The government really had a thing about their women having anything to do with our soldiers.
It was interesting to find out that the main street in the city started out as a cart path. The women would take their dirty clothes to a hot spring to wash them. Every wash day they would go up and down the same path until they created a “street.” Eventually it did become a true street.
By now we had reached the Hallgrimkirkja which is a Lutheran church design by Samuelsson. I believe the church is the tallest building in the city. It truly does stand out and it is an impressive sight. It, too, uses the motif of basalt columns that Samuelsson was so fond of utilizing. It took a mere 41 years to build the church. Construction was completed in 1986. It’s named for the Icelandic poet and cleric Hallgrímur Pétursson, author of the Passion Hymns.
Inside of the church it was stark. We didn’t get to walk around at all as a concert was beginning. We found seats in the pews and listened for probably thirty minutes. The first performer was an organist. She was quite good and the pipes on the organ tremendous. I have never seen an organ where some of the pipes are horizontal rather than vertical. After she finished, we had the pleasure of listening to a choir that Neil told us was one of the best in the country. After hearing them, I believe it. Their voices were pure and clear. It was beautiful. I was sorry when Neil signaled that we needed to go. I could have listened them them for much longer.
In the church you can take an elevator up to a viewing area where you get a bird’s eye view of the city. Joyce, Mabel, and I had done that last time. However, today with our schedule and the festivities going on at the church, we just couldn’t do it which was a shame. I was sorry that Doug missed out.
Out in front of the church we spotted a statue of Leif the Lucky, Erik the Red’s son. Leif is credited with sailing from Greenland to the New World where he built a settlement. It didn’t work out and he went back to Greenland. Because of that connection with Leif and our country, the U.S. commissioned a statue of Leif the Lucky. It was to be placed in front of the new church. Then a squabble broke out between the U.S.and the authorities for the city. They wanted a pond to be constructed with the statue. They thought that was needed because he had sailed over the ocean to start the settlement in America. The U.S. said “No!” No pond was ever constructed.
While we were standing there, we got a lesson on Erik the Red as well. He was Leif’s father. Now Erik was a troubled man. He had an argument with his neighbors in Norway and ended up killing somebody. He had to flee then to Iceland. In Iceland he killed a neighbor’s slaves so he was banished for three years. He had heard tell of a huge land to the west of Iceland so he decided to go there. He knew he needed settlers so he managed to convince enough people that 25 ships set sail for Greenland. Only 14 ships made it. He did, however, successfully start a settlement.
On the way back to the hotel we made a detour through a small park behind the studio/residence of Einstein Jónsson. He was the artist who created the Outlaw sculpture we had seen in Akureyri. He was the national sculptor. The country didn’t have a great deal of artists so it wanted to encourage the artists they had. They specifically built this studio/home for Jónsson. In return he created artwork for the government. In the garden in the rear of the house, several pieces of his work have been displayed.
The pieces were interesting but a bit strange for me. All of the pieces were abstract. The one piece titled “Grief” hit too close to home for one of our travelers. She had lost her daughter in December. She couldn’t do more than glance at the piece as it dredged up feelings she didn’t want dredged up. I do have to say that the artistry was amazing and his artwork did evoke emotions. I love his Outlaw piece although it is incredibly sad.
We called it a day after the garden and Neil led us like the pied piper back to the hotel where we had to collect our carry-on bags and then unpack. As we have traveled, our rooms have gotten smaller and smaller. I believe this is the smallest one yet. Can’t wait till we get to Greenland :-). At least we have plenty of outlets, a coffee maker that I can make my tea in, and we have night stands albeit tiny ones, we can put our stuff on. It’s not my favorite room but the location is absolutely perfect.
After getting unpacked, we headed out to the Dubliner Pub that we had found while doing research on eating in Reykjavik. We should have researched better. They only served alcohol. Sheesh! We didn’t feel like wandering all over Reykjavik looking for an empty table in the packed downtown area so I stayed there and saved our table while Doug ran to the hot dog stand that Clinton made famous by eating one of their hot dogs. It’s the most famous hot dog stand in Iceland and always has a long line. Fortunately they are quick and he was back soon with our dogs. We downed them with a Guinness. We are becoming Icelanders. When faced with a problem, just work it out.
We are treading some new ground for me tomorrow. We are going to visit a geothermal plant which I have done but we are also visiting an open air museum. I have not been there. Then we have most of the afternoon off for free time. So it should be an interesting day.
Tales from the Trail 