Christina’s Journey Journal

Tag: Reykjavik

  • Around the town of Reykjavik🇮🇸

    Around the town of Reykjavik🇮🇸

    The last couple of days have been about exploring Reykjavík. Here are some of my favorites!

    Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran Church stands 74.5 meters tall (244 feet tall). Construction started in 1945 and it was consecrated in 1986. The outside of this Expressionist church is made of concrete to resemble Icelandic nature, especially the basalt columns around the Svartifoss waterfall. I read that it also was designed to resemble Thor’s hammer, with the handle facing up.
    The church was named after the Icelandic poet and cleric, Hallgrimur Petursson (1614–1674), who was the author of the Passion Hymns.
    The pipe organ was designed and constructed by Johannes Klais of Bonn and weighs over 25 tons and is 15 meters tall. It has four manuals and a pedal, 102 ranks, 72 stops and 5275 pipes.
    The statute of Leifur Eiríksson (Leif Erikson) was done by American sculptor, Alexander Stirling Calder, and a gift from the US to Iceland in 1930 to commemorate the millennial anniversary of Iceland’s legislative body, the Althing. Founded in Thingvellir in 930 AD, this was the world’s first democratically elected parliament. Leif was a Norse explorer who was thought to have stepped foot on North America 500 years prior to Columbus.
    1300 hours (1:00 pm). Up in the bell tower with an outstanding view of Reykjavík from all sides.

    Famous Icelandic Hotdogs from the hot dog stand called Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. I had the Bill Clinton (mustard only) and Mike had the Kardashian (ketchup only). Yes, these people actually had hot dogs here!

    Tjornin Pond, a small lagoon next to a barrier beach and home to 40+ water birds. In the winter this pond becomes an ice skating rink.
    A kitty cozies up on an Icelandic wool blanket in one of the local shops

    We have switched to The Edition. Both hotels are comfortable, conveniently located, and have unique amenities.

  • (Part 3) April 14, 2023 – Picture Perfect Day on Iceland’s🇮🇸 South Coast concludes…

    (Part 3) April 14, 2023 – Picture Perfect Day on Iceland’s🇮🇸 South Coast concludes…

    We then headed to Reynisdrangar to see the basalt sea stacks. The black sand on Reynisfjara Beach is almost always wet. This is one of the rainiest parts of Iceland but not today. The weather was perfect, the beach stunning, and the water = menacing! Be careful of sneaker waves. We experienced how sudden they can be! 🌊 ⚠️

    Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks. And, it was on the beach that we saw two Icelandic horses with their distinct gait called the tölt. It was like watching poetry in motion! Most horses have 3 gaits and the Icelandic horses have 5.
    Column rocks at Reynisfjara Beach on Iceland’s South Coast. Impressive!
    Selialandsfoss
    We hiked behind the waterfall at sunset.
    Ahhhhh!
    The Northern Lights (and a few stars) showed up!

    Northern Lights from the city (rooftop at the Canopy by Hilton) – not as good as what you’d see in the countryside.

    This was, and will always be, one of my favorite days ever ☀️🩵🌟

    Note – lots of people speak English here. In fact, when I said Tak Tak (thank you), the reply is usually You’re welcome (in English). Here are a few useful phrases I have been using: Hello = Hallo; Goodbye = Bless (or Bless Bless); Thank you = Takk (or Takk Takk); Good Morning = Góðan daginn (go-thah-n die-in)

  • Day 1 in the books 🇮🇸

    Day 1 in the books 🇮🇸

    I can barely keep my eyes open. No sleep last night and a quick hour nap today wasn’t enough.

    What a full day—we explored Reykjavik and went to 3 different museums: Maritime, Whales of Iceland, and Northern Lights Center. I learned so much about noise pollution and how it’s impacting and even killing our whales.

    We walked down Rainbow Street 🌈, which was painted by the citizens of Iceland in 2019 to represent “respect, inclusivity and love.”

    Me with my ❤️
  • Reykjavik, we’re here!🇮🇸

    Reykjavik, we’re here!🇮🇸

    And the power is out in the entire downtown Reykjavik area. So we are having breakfast at our lovely hotel and enjoying some of the famous Icelandic Skyr — yum!! (And we’re pretty tired from flying all night!)

    Blueberry Skyr for breakfast.
    The recipe for Skyr is over 1,000 years old!
    It’s like yogurt only different—and better for you. It has more protein than Greek yogurt and is lower in sugar and fat. It’s creamier and more nutrient rich!

    The flight was eventful as the Northern Lights guided us for about an hour. I have seen the Northern Lights one other time. Also from an airplane. And also while flying over northern Canada (on our way to Alaska). Let’s hope this is a foreshadowing of what’s to come in Iceland! Note to self—don’t book an aisle seat on a flight where Northern Lights are possible! I had to do a bit of gymnastics to get this photo, which doesn’t do it justice.

    Our driver from the airport was Arny. What a wealth of knowledge! Did you know that the Icelandic people don’t have a traditional last name? They follow a patronymic system, which mean that their last name is their father’s first name plus the words for “daughter of” or “son of”. So if Arny’s father’s name is Jon, Arny’s name is Arny Jonsdottir (daughter of Jon). If Arny has a brother named Gunnar, his name would be Gunnar Jónsson (son of Jon). Now you know!b

    We will be staying at the Canopy by Hilton for the first 5 nights and then switching over to The Edition for the final 4 nights. I would love to drive around the island but this time we will use Reykjavik as our home base and do day tours from here.