Unfortunately someone tagged just about every building in the city.
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. Its latitude, at 64°08' N, makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of the Faxaflói Bay. With a population of around 120,000 (and over 200,000 in the Greater Reykjavík Area), it is the heart of Iceland's cultural, economic and governmental activity.
Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have established around AD 870. Until the 18th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and grew steadily over the next decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.
Everything I read before we left spoke of how clean and safe the city is. I never saw a police officer with the exception of one when we were on our tour. The tour driver pointed out that the police officer was escorting a truck with a wide load. I certainly felt safe. But the graffiti was out of control. It was like West Valley. I didn't see a lot of painting over graffiti. Usually you can see where cities are fighting the war on graffiti by painting over it as fast as it goes up. I didn't see anything that looked like an attempt to fight. I was sad that their was graffiti on the clock tower inside the steeple at the church. There was no litter on the streets. I never saw any one that looked like they had any gang affiliations. I'm not sure who is out spray painting. I saw very few teenagers. I didn't see too many kids for that matter. When we were at the church there was a group of preschoolers on a field trip and we saw a grade school where the kids were outside playing for recess. Sean was the only child I saw in the hotel. He was the only child on any of the tours or in any of the restaurants we visited.
The other downside was smoking. It seemed like everyone smoked.
An impressive positive is everyone and I mean EVERYONE we met spoke English. I asked a waitress how many languages she spoke. She thought a minute and said four. She said English, Dutch, French and one other. Don said "don't you speak Icelandic?" She said "of course, we all do. Really she spoke five language. She said almost everyone speaks at least three. They start learning in grade school. That is just amazing. We are so far behind in the United States when it comes to being bilingual.
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