We arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland (really, the airport is in Keflavik, Iceland) at about 6am. It turns out that most of the people sitting around us on that flight were people we would spend the next week with getting in and out of a coach to be tourists in Iceland. The drive to Reykjavik would take 45 minutes. A lot of it was over lava fields. McKenna warned us not to judge Iceland by this drive. We were going to encounter amazing scenery. We should just appreciate these lava fields as they are how Iceland get new land.
We were taken to the hotel that would be our home-away-from-home for the next two nights. We would stay in one other hotel this trip in Vik, Iceland. Let me state they were lovely hotels. However, they used a small space very efficiently. It felt very Danish modern and minimalist to me.
We could not check into our rooms at that early hour. However, they had a room in their basement where all our luggage could be stored safely until we could check into our rooms. We all used the very small elevator to get down to the basement with our luggage and then walked the flight of stairs back up to the lobby.
McKenna told us of a few places we could go and get something to eat for breakfast before we started our walking tour of Reykjavik. She gave us the schedule for the week and we were off to take a brief break while enjoying something to eat.
This is the things to know about a tour and a change in time zones. The best way to acclimate yourself to the new time zone is to stay awake and begin to live in the new time zone. Now, for Claude and me, we left Cincinnati in Eastern Standard Time. Then we went to Minneapolis which is in Central Standard Time. Then to Denver which is in Mountain Standard time. From Denver to Reykjavik which is
Greenwich Mean Time or Western European Time. They are four hours ahead of Kentucky. When we left Kentucky it was about 6:30am Monday morning. We got to Reykjavik after flying about 7 hours from Denver at 6:00am Tuesday morning or 2am Tuesday Kentucky time. Geez!! Really, it is hard on the body but it is truly the best for McKenna to keep us going for the remainder of this day. She assured us we would hate her by afternoon and definitely by evening. But she was doing it for our own good!!
Claude and I took McKenna suggestion and went to a bakery across from the hotel. I enjoyed a wonderful croissant. It was a welcome break before we began walking over Reykjavik.
We walked down to the end of the block where our hotel was located and turned left. We walked past this interesting building. I noted a Masonic symbol over the front entrance. However, the lower level of windows we clear Star of David in design. Apparently, neither of these entities use this building now. It serves an entirely different purpose. Cool.
When we got to the end of this block, we turned left and about a block away was the shoreline. This is the Atlantic Ocean. I am a fan of cairns (rocks stacked on top of each other). Not sure why they speak to me but I do love them. We would pass many another the shore. We also saw a sculpture made out of lava rocks.
We passed what looks for all it is worth like a Viking ship skeleton. McKenna assured us the artist did not intend it to be a Viking ship. However, EVERYONE see a Viking ship in it so it is called a Viking ship. Love getting pictures of my great Viking by a Viking ship.
Outside the Harpa Concert Hall, was a field of lava cairns. One the rock wall surround it were more cairns. Oh, be still my heart!!
The Harpa Concert Hall is a stunning piece of architecture. It was made to resemble the landscape of Iceland. Remember this on our last full day in Iceland. The building is made of six-sided shapes. We were allowed to go in and photograph the lobby area where you could see that construction continue inside. At night, there are lights in the panes of glass. It is truly a beautiful and unique building.
Outside the Harpa Concert Hall, I found this sign that made perfect sense to me because of its great picture.
We passed the White House of Iceland. This is the building where the President of Iceland works. He pulls up in his car in a space out front on the street and enters through the front door. You can walk right up there. No big security issues. This is where Claude realized we were not seeing any police cars or men in police uniforms. They are there but are not really needed. They have an extremely low crime rate. All their government buildings are easily accessible.
We saw this in Ireland also. The street signs are posted on the corners of buildings.
We hiked to the City Hall of Reykjavik. There is a beautiful pond with lots of birds enjoying it. When the weather is warm, the people really enjoy coming out to eat around this pond.
This is City Hall. It is a bit more modern looking. McKenna wanted us to go inside to see a scale replica of Iceland. Outside was a statue to the Unknown Bureaucrat. Where's Claudo?
We couldn't use the entrance McKenna was heading for because they were actually filming a movie there. I took these two pictures for Hayden, our grandmonster, who is attending film school at DePaul University.
Once inside, we went down one level to view the scale model of Iceland. The big blob of whitish color is a huge glacial area and is just north of Vik where we would head in a couple of days.
From City Hall we walked to their Parliament Building. Again, very accessible. Then past a white building that was a university building where students study sciences. Then past an ice cream shop. It was another place to get a view of English on the left side with the Icelandic words on the right side.
Our goal was to hike this hill to Hallgrimskirkja. Skirkja means church. We started at the bottom of Rainbow Street and hiked our way to the top stopping in the shops that line this street to shop at will. We had a time to all meet McKenna at the top of the hill. Claude and I entered shops. Mostly we were looking for a Christmas ornament. I really had no specific souvenir I wanted from Iceland. I did not find an ornament here.
This is Hallgrimskirkja. It is a beautiful cathedral with the six-sided form of columns that will make perfect sense when you see the last full day's pictures. In front of the church is a monument to Leif Ericsson. We would take the elevator inside to those three windows you see in the tower. In the top of this area up a flight of stairs are the bells for the church. They ring every 15 minutes.
These are views from the windows at the top of Hallgrimskirkja of Reykjavik.
We visited the interior of the cathedra which is about finished with the work being done in it. The second picture is the pipes to the organ. So beautiful.
From here we made our way back to the Storm Hotel. It was now late enough to check in. We passed a building with this lovely mural painted on the exterior wall.
We had a little bit of time in our room to change into our swimming suits. The treat for this day was a visit to Sky Lagoon. It is set so it faces the Atlantic Ocean. The water is geothermal so it is like a warm bath. After a long time hanging in the air to get to Iceland, then a lot of hiking around and up and down in Reykjavik, we were all so very happy our day ended with a couple of hours in this warm, soothing Lagoon. The minerals in the water are therapeutic. I would suggest to anyone planning their trip to Iceland to begin and end their trip with a visit to a Lagoon. When we left on Sunday, our last tourist activity was a visit to the Blue Lagoon. Sky Lagoon is only a couple of years old. There is a walk-up bar to get everything from water, to soda, to alcohol. It is and was truly the best end to this day.
I want to remember the beds in each hotel. We actually had a king-sized bed in each hotel. However, it was really two single beds pushed together. I had my own comforter in a duvet and Claude had his own comforter in a duvet. I found this delightful. I always want the room to be cool enough I need cover. Claude is like a heater and really doesn't want this cover to begin with. This was the perfect solution for us!
No comments:
Post a Comment