We saved Reykjavik for last and I’m glad we did as the drive from Selfoss here (only about 65km) was pretty testy with winds at 65km/h and whiteouts with blowing snow at times. We checked in to our lovely hotel Eyja Guldsmeden early and spent the rest of the day in the cosy ambiance of our room and the general seating areas.
We jumped on a bus to ride part of the way to the city centre and then joined one of our beloved Free Walking Tours. Erik (for short) was, as usual, a fabulous guide who took us to some of the interesting spots while informing us of the history and sharing many other anecdotes.
Homes and buildings in the very village-like old part of town. Structures built of wood in the 19th century, but many of them now sided with aluminum to protect against the harsh weather.
Shop windows and other street scenes
A statue of the first Icelander – Ingolfer Arnason who immigrated from Norway in 874. Over a relatively short period of time during the 10th century there were 20,000 settlers who arrived and claimed farmland in Iceland and it is said that every Icelander today is a descendant of one of those 20,000.
The harbor and lake
Hallgrimskirkja (Hallgrims Church) commissioned in 1937 and designed by Guðjón Samúelsson who is said to have designed it to resemble the trap rocks, mountains and glaciers of Iceland’s landscape. It took 41 years to build with construction starting in 1945 and one of the main features is the huge pipe organ by German organ builder Johannes Klais.
We’ve had amazing food during this trip – mostly locally produced. The traditional lamb soup/stew with hearty root vegetables, cod, Arctic char, salmon, herring, rhubarb cake, beet salads, hamburgers with bernaise sauce, skyr (Icelandic yogurt), different breads and crisp breads – to name some. All of it very good.