2023 Greenland Expedition - Day 1 Reykjavik

We’re off on another adventure - this time to the east coast of Greenland. But first things first. The only way to visit for commoners like us (not military, government, scientist, mining engineers, climatologist, etc) is to catch an expedition ship in Reykjavik. So here we are in Iceland. I wasn’t planning to start blogging this trip until we boarded for Greenland, but Reykjavik is so picturesque that I decided to write up a bit today just to share photos. 

Yesterday afternoon we drove to Baltimore where we met our friends and fellow travelers, Kathy and Charley, for our overnight flight to Reykjavik. It’s under a 6 hour flight, and a 4 hour time difference to Iceland. It was lovely today, high 50s and sunny. We were able to check into our respective hotels early, and, after a nap, hit the streets to explore.

I was first in Reykjavik twenty-four years ago, and the city had certainly modernized its look since then. It’s still quirky, walkable and delightful. But now its formerly unassuming and low-slung architecture includes an impressive concert hall, a soaring steeple, chic housing developments and art installations scattered throughout. 

Reykjavik City Hall was completed in 1992. In addition to housing the offices of the mayor and city government, there’s a a huge topographical map of Iceland. 

A few hundred feet from city is the Unknown Bureaucrat, a tongue-in-cheek monument to those poor souls who trudge daily through petty government procedures. (Hands down, my favorite art piece today).

We had lunch at Icelandic Street Food, which, besides an appealing name, featured a limited menu of simple, traditional sheep and fish soups. Fun fact: there are more sheep than people in Iceland (except, perhaps, when cruise ships descend.)

We all managed to pass on the special.

…opting instead of a variety of soups in bread bowls. I had a lamb soup, while others tried a fish soup and spicy tomato. 

Bustling, colorful Skolavordustigur Street (also, for obvious reasons, known as Reykjavik Rainbow Street) leads up to the highest point in the city. 

The pedestrian street is full of Icelandic craft shops and trendy restaurants. 

Hallgrimskirkja sits at the end of the street. The Lutheran church, completed in 1986, is the tallest in Iceland. (The leaders of the Church of Iceland wanted their church to tower over the nearby Catholic Church.)  Its design incorporates themes in Icelandic nature: glaciers, hexagonal basalt columns, waterfalls, etc. It reminded me of  a bank of organ pipes. 

The inside is austere, with little ornamentation. The seat backs of the benches can be adjusted, like in an old train, to face the altar in the front for Sunday services, or the organ in the back for the weekly concerts.

We took an elevator up 8 stories to the clock level, and climbed stairs to the bell tower for city views. 

A statue of Leif Erickson sits outside the church entrance. It was a gift from the United States in 1930, to commemorate the millennial anniversary of Iceland’s first parliament meeting in 930. 

A two lane bike path parallels a broad walkway along Reykjavik harbor. Along the waterfront, the stainless steel Sun Voyager commemorates Reyklavik’s 200th anniversary in 1986. 

Greg tried to be inconspicuous while finding a geocache.

Hundred of cairns line the harbor by Harpa. 

Harpa, the award winning performance and conference center opened in 2011. Its honeycombed multi-colored glass facade was, like the Hallgrimskirkja, inspired by Icelandic basalt formations. It’s gorgeous inside and out. 

From Harpa, a view to the man-made Puta - which we hope to visit tomorrow. We’re scheduled to board our ship at 6 pm tomorrow, so have several hours to continue enjoying Reykjavik. 

I may not be able to post each day from the ship - they’ve warned us WiFi will be sporadic  But I’ll write daily and post when I can.

An observation on Scandinavian design: screw tops of disposable bottles here remain attached to the bottles, so no loose bottle caps dropped along the road.