Day 7 - Reykjavik

Since this was a Sunday, we had the day off to do as we wished. The group broke off to do their own things. Some went horseback riding, some went to the Blue Lagoon. I took the morning to sleep, then went out and walked the city in the afternoon with Nico. We stopped first at Hallgrímskirkja, an iconic church that resembles an organ.

Hallgrímskirkja was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson in 1937. However, construction didn't begin until 1945 and took until 1986 to complete. The church tower underwent significant restoration from 2008 - 2009 so we saw the church in excellent condition.

The pervasive concrete continues on to the interior, whose starkness reflects the harsh, even barren landscape of rural Iceland.

I found a nice detail in the pews. The pew backs can be tilted to reverse the orientation of the sitter to face the front of the back of the church. A little block is wedged in between two joining seats to lock the pew back in place and can be removed easily to tilt the back.

The most rewarding part of the visit was the elevator ride to the observation deck in the tower, which looks out over the entire city of Reykjavik. As a side note, the observation deck is situated directly below the bell chimes, separated only by a wooden deck.

The day was stunning and the views of the city and surrounding mountains equally so. The following view is of Tjörnin Lake. City Hall is on the right hand edge of the lake. I believe this view is to the west.

Here's a view of Perlan, a museum/restaurant/cultural building. The large cylinders are water storage tanks, although one of the was recommissioned to be an art gallery.

We headed to the flea market next, which seemed to draw a big crowd. The building (nothing to speak of) was packed with various vendors of secondhand clothing, antique jewelry, cheap plastic childrens' toys, inexpensive DVDs, old books, and more. There was a small fish market in the back of the store, but I had smoked shark a few days prior and I wasn't feeling so adventurous anymore. I did buy a watch, since my cell phone could not be used for the time, and managed to get a good deal on one of the few watches that had a working battery. I tried to haggle, but the language barrier was evident, although he knew how to say "Very good price!" with near-authentic accuracy.

We did our best to see as much of the city as possible, and I regret that I spent too much time looking and not nearly enough time recording. At this point, I was used to seeing much of it and didn't think to photograph. The photos I do have are from an earlier day when I wasn't sure why I was taking the picture, but just wanted to record "typical" Reykjavik/Icelandic architecture.

One thing popped out at me about the buildings as a collective: there is a startling lack of ornament. Windows and doors are hardly defined and you wouldn't even know they were there if it weren't for the hole in the wall. Also, there's a consistency in style that I find difficult to define. There isn't much new construction going on because of the economy, but all of these buildings weren't built at the same time. So why do they all look the same? There are a variety of answers and none is the sole explanation. Availability of materials, building convention and climate all play a part to explain why Reykjavik looks as it does.

I saw this sign near an intersection. Not entirely sure what it means, but it involves 30km/hr.

For dinner, a few more of us joined up and went out for a special Icelandic culinary experience: puffin meat. Puffin are plentiful on some of the islands near Reykjavik and serve as exotic fare for the locals and tourists. The meat is a deep beet red, more red than beef. According to science, sea birds have red meat, as opposed chicken or turkey on land. The meal was exquisite and the restaurant was so appreciative of our patronage (or took pity on us, or thought all of the girls looked attractive) that our waiter brought out a sample platter of whale meat, which was also delicious. It was a very fitting way to end our week in this beautiful country.

So concluded our stay in Iceland. Stay tuned for scenes from Helsinki and Finland.