Iceland: REYKJAVIK - HALLGRIMUR CHURCH and THE NEIGBORHOOD OF THE GODS

On the top of a downtown hill reigns a beautiful church.

Its steeple is 73 meters tall and it can be seen from 20 km away (when the rain stops).

Like so many other Icelandic churches it is elegantly simple in its design. 

It took almost 40 years to build but finally in the year 1986 the church  opened its doors.

The church was named after the 17th century Lutheran clergyman and a famous Icelandic poet Hallgrímur Pétursson.

The architectural design, however, is thoroughly modern and it is based on the natural phenomena of Iceland: the amazing basalt lava columns that can be found throughout the country.

The church's 15 meter pipe organ is something else to see! It is a feat of a German designer and organ builder Johanned Klais, weighs 25 tonnes and boasts 5275 pipes! It graces the church since 1996. and it is truly one of the most amazing pipe organs we have ever seen. Once again, its clean and simple lines reminded us of the tall and slim columns formed by the country's volcanoes.

It is possible to ascend the tower (by an elevator and a flight of stairs).

The view is rewarding! It is possible to see (and photograph) the city below from every direction. What a treat!

In front of the church stands another statue that predates the church itself. 
It was given is a gift to Iceland by the American people in 1930, way before the construction of the church behind it commenced. It is a statue of the great Icelandic explorer Leifr Ericsson who sailed to North America at the very end of the 9th century!

And while my 10 years old grandson would certainly be taken by the man's appearance I am just as intrigued by the plaque on the back of the pedestal. 

"Christopher Columbus who? Icelanders will happily explain that it was their own Leifur Eiríksson who discovered America some 600 years before Columbus. As a “thanks for finding us” present to Iceland, America gave the nation this heroic statue of the Leif the Lucky, who now perches on the highest hill in downtown Reykjavík."

 Sculptor: Alexander S. Calder
Source: Wikipedia



Vinland refers to North America. And Althing is actually Alþing in Icelandic - it means the National Assembly thant had been founded in 930 at the Parliament Planes in Þingvellir (our next stop).
It is the oldest parliamentary democracy in the world.




The streets surrounding the church are also interesting: their names salute the old Nordic gods. 
Nowadays, Iceland is mostly Christian; yet many people worship the old pagan gods as well. The 3 most powerful ones are Odin, Thor and Frey.
But do not forget Loki ....the trickster who could make your life miserable.
And because the streets bear the names of the old deities the entire neighbourhood is called Neighbourhood Of The Gods.
Now if that is not democratic, I don't know what is.









The wisdom seeker - one eyed Odin, the boss of all Norse pagan gods, who had to sacrifice one of his eyes in order to drink from the Well of Knowledge.
He is credited with passing his wisdom and a gift of poetry to man.

Thor was the god of storm and thunder and a great warrior.

Frey was a god of fertility, vegetation and sailing.

The god of all tricks and wickedness was Loki - the troublemaker amongst the gods.


There were many more - all of them glorified warriors - in many ways not too different from Greek or Roman gods. 

Tired after the day of walking we are quick to spot Cafe Loki - only a stone-throw away from the Hallgrimur church.

Talk about location. With 1 million tourists a year this Cafe could not sit in a better spot.

Am  I quick to remind everyone that we, the West Kootenay residents, have a Mt. Loki in our own  neighbourhood?

You bet!

Mt. Loki by Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada

But since everyone needs coffee and something else nobody listens. They just keep on walking. And that's when the trickster Loki makes up his mind to playa really nasty trick on us!

Stay tuned.

Iceland: REYKJAVIK - DOWNTOWN

About 50 km from Keflavik and its International Airport, easily accessible by a nice highway is the capitol of Iceland - Reykjavik. 

The Smoky Bay. That's what they named it in 800 AD, probably because there was nothing but the steaming ground and inhospitable gray lava fields.

Today, in 2014, there is a growing city (despite the crisis of 2008) with both, traditional AND the most modern architecture, old harbour and a stunning church overlooking the city from a centrally located hill.

Just as we arrived to Reykjavik the weather decided to cooperate. It was September 1st - back to school in most places - and the hundreds of thousands of the annual tourists were gone.

Also, the weekend crowds of the European neighbors have just cleared out as well. It is easy for the Europeans to visit Reykjavik, the western-most capital of Europe  for the weekend. 



Party, take a Gold Circle tour and soak up in Blue Lagoon. 
It is all there, all within hundred kilometer reach .... so why not pop in for just a couple of days?. 
Island lives by tourism - after 2009 it became the second largest industry in the country.

Number one is still the fishing.

The city is pedestrian-friendly. The streets are wide and, like everywhere in Iceland - CLEAN. Colorful, witty designs and artsy approach to life - that's what we took back with us. All over Iceland people seem to enjoy culture and order. Literacy is 100 % and if you happen to be a woman, Iceland is the best place in the world for you to live in. Add the world's first parliamentary democracy and the Icelander's way of dealing with crooks ..... wow, that is not a bad record at all.

Type "Gyllti Kotturinn" into the Google Translator and the "Golden Cat" will jump out on the English language side. 
The icelandic designs were amazing - though the prices were a bit high for someone dressed in a cheap T-shirt and ten-dollar slacks. 
But, as they say, the clothes make the man (and more likely so a woman).

There are many cafes and bistros throughout Reykjavik's downtown. 
Coffee is THE Icelandic drink followed by Coca-Cola. We have been told that the Icelanders hold the per-capita world record when it comes to the consumption of Coke. 

Hard to believe but ...

Reykjavik is also labeled as a party town where no prejudices take place. Having only one day and being well past he partying ages we missed on that.

No wonder this is a party town! 
Most of the 325 000 Icelanders live here leaving the rest of of its 103 000 square kilometers to about 3 persons, many sheep, horses and volcanoes / kilometer square each.
.

It works for us!

Our walkabout took us to what on the map reads Tjornin Pond - a relaxing place bordered by some important buildings such as City Hall and a Parliament building behind it. 

Its long side is dedicated to a a park and at the far end of the pond is a bridge  leading to the hill with Hallgrimur church on top. 

City hall.

I am hopeless when it comes to gull identification. But this one, with its dull yellow legs white head and slate gray back could be the Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fusscus. 

Just like many other gull species it has a large yellow bill with a red spot. The red spot is handy when the chicks are receiving food from the parent - it helps them to aim at a right place.

A couple of swans gracing the pond made my day!
A Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus, I offered, all proud of myself. 
It did have a yellow beak!
I had no idea that what I was looking at was the Whooper Swan, Cygnus cygnus. 
As a matter of fact until our trip to Reykjavik I had no idea that this larger cousin of Tundra Swan even existed!

Some naturalist!

As we traveled the Ring Road around Iceland we saw many of these birds, sometimes in large flocks. And, doing my further research at home, I found out that the Finnish 1 Euro coin bears an image of the Whooper Swan! 
( Ok -  just like the Canadian loonie coin, eh?).
 Now we know.



Some like to watch the birds. Others admire practicality and good design. 

A statue of Olafur Thors commemorates the long- time politician and a leader of Independence Party.
Iceland was under the Danish rule until 17 June 1944.

Olafur Thors  became five-time Iceland's prime minister.

Another interesting display is a atomic-bombed, peace pledging stone from Hiroshima. delivered on August 6th, 1991. (August 6th, 1945)

There is much to contemplate in the Park by this pond - Iceland's history and its love for poetry, literature and all things "art", 

Their creativity and resilience and their pride of being Icelandic.

A bridge at the end of the pond and it is up the hill from here.

A statue of a bear and a gentle reminder written on the pedestal:

Berlin is 2350 km away.

It looks like we might be walking the embassy section of town.

Every large or growing city has a mixture of small and large, remaining old against new and contemporary. The small houses on the street lined with mountain ash trees were a refreshing sight.

We are nearly on the top of the hill.