Places – Iceland - Day 1

We visited Iceland this month. How about that? I’m writing about something I actually did recently. Welcome to the first of four posts on this adventure.

The trip was a bargain that Beck jumped on last summer. It included three nights lodging and non-stop flights out of Baltimore, an airport not known for its international connections. We chose March dates because that is the month when you have the best chance to see the northern lights. In fact, the tour package included a trip to a remote area where we could see the aurora. I packed my big boy tripod and planned to get some quality shots of one of Nature’s splendid displays. As Lee Corso says on that football pre-game show, “Not so fast, my friend.”

Being a couple of hours closer than the European hubs, we landed in Reykjavik at 0530. After stashing our luggage at a downtown hotel which, of course, had no rooms ready at that hour, we hit the streets. It was quite overcast and chilly with occasional rain and snow showers. Little did we know that this would be the best weather day of the trip.

Government House, Reykjavik (11 March 2016)

Built in 1765 and once used as a prison, it was here that the Danish government granted Iceland home rule in 1904. Today it holds the offices of the Prime Minister. The statue is of Hannes Hafstein, who became the first minister of the country that year. We walked through the quiet downtown in the hours after dawn, found a funky, book-filled place for breakfast and enjoyed getting acquainted with the cozy capital city where two thirds of the country’s 330,000 people live.

City Hall Swans (11 March 2016)

Reykjavik’s modern City Hall sits on the shore of Lake Tjörnin. The waterfowl congregate there because there is open water and plenty of visitors who feed them.

How Cold was it? (11 March 2016)

On the way to the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church, we visited a tidy sculpture garden. Of course, we were alone there, crunching through the snow between modern sculptures by Icelandic artists. I had to snap this one because it was so cold, even the statues had snot drops.

Hallgrímskirkja (11 March 2016)

The church with the unpronounceable name is one of the iconic sights in Iceland. The concrete construction mimics the basalt columns found in the volcanic areas. I’m sorry there wasn’t more sun to better illuminate the building and the heroic stature of Leif Erikson proudly positioned on the plaza.

Inside Hallgrímskirkja (11 March 2016)

The large interior space of the church is simple, modern and spare. It is a Lutheran church after all. What more than made up for the simplicity of the interior was the sound made by a fine musician on a grand organ. Only 24 years old, the organ has 5275 pipes and it filled the building with glorious music.

Reykjavik from Hallgrímskirkja (11 March 2016)

One can take a lift up the steeple and get fantastic views of the city. After that, the pace slowed down as the effects of an overnight flight settled in on people who don’t sleep well on airplanes. We settled into our modest hotel room, found something to eat nearby and retired after hearing that the next day’s tour into the countryside would potentially be cancelled due to snow and near hurricane-force winds. Welcome to winter vacations in the North Country.