Day One

We flew all night Salt Lake time but when we arrived in Iceland it was morning so we had to hit the ground running. We checked into the hotel ate breakfast and then took the city bus downtown to explore. It is only light from 10 a.m. until around 5 so we didn't have day light to waste. This was when I first appreciated the stroller!

 We took the city bus and then set out of foot. The ground was covered in ice that looked like water. We aren't sure what this statue is. It just had a sign that said 2001-2004.

 I had seen this boat in picture books of Iceland. When we saw it I said I didn't think it was the right one. It looked to bright and shiny. Then when I saw the picture it looked like the right sculpture.

At this point Sean was not happy. He was ready to go back to the hotel and go to sleep.

 We got lucky in the chapel. There was a man playing the pipe organ. It was tremendous and Sean enjoyed listening.

 We took the elevator up to the top of the tower. You could see the inside of the clock and look out over the city.

 I took some pictures of backyards while we were walking back to the bus station. The houses and yards looked like what I imagined.

The temperature stayed in the low 30's most of the time. It was windy and the humidity was around 93%. Fortunately we learned about being cold in China and came prepared. Sean got cold and grumpy so the rest of the times we went out I gave him a couple of hand warmers and that kept him happy. We had layers, hats, neck warmers, gloves. We packed ski pants but never wore them.

 

 

Information about the church:

Presiding majestically over the capital area is Hallgrímskirkja - the crowning landmark and star attraction of Reykjavík city. Its iconic tower rises symmetrically and incrementally to a magnificent 74.5m peak and stands powerfully erect atop the rising heights of Skólavörðustígur – arguably one of the city’s most attractive locations. Not only a significant point of reference for visitors to Reykjavík, but also an exceptional observation tower offering incredible panoramic views across the whole of the city.
This magnificent construction was designed by the late Guðjón Samuel in 1937, who was often inspired in his endeavours by the fascinating shapes and forms created when lava cools into basalt rock.
Construction of the church began in 1945 and ended in 1986, with the tower completed long before the rest of the building. The crypt beneath the choir was consecrated in 1948, the steeple and wings completed in 1974 and the nave consecrated in 1986.
The church features, most notably, a gargantuan pipe organ designed and constructed by the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn. Standing tall at an impressive 15m and weighing a remarkable 25 tons, this mechanical action organ is driven by four manuals and a pedal, 102 ranks, 72 stops and 5275 pipes, all designed to reproduce powerful notes capable of filling the huge and holy space with a range of tones - from the dulcet to the dramatic. Its construction was completed in December 1992 and has since been utilized in a variety of recordings, including some by Christopher Herrick.
Standing guard and gracing the grounds in front of the church, which it predated by 15 years, is a fine statue of Leifur Eiriksson (c. 970 – c. 1020) – the first European to discover America. Records suggest that Leifur landed on the shores of the new world in the year 1,000 A.D., that's 500 years before Christopher Columbus. The statue, which was designed by Alexander Stirling Calder was a gift from the United States in honour of the 1930 Alþingi Millennial Festival, commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of the establishment of Iceland's parliament at Þingvellir in 930 AD.

The tour guide on one of our trips said Iceland was mostly Catholic but at some point they had a Lutheran king who kicked out the Catholics and beheaded the last Catholic priest.

Sean was really happy when we got back to our hotel room. We took a four hour nap and then headed back to town for dinner.