Hallgrímskirkja

 

Reaching Reykjavik, we visited the Hallgrimskirkja, a Lutheran church which is both a parish church and a national sanctuary in Iceland.    Its stepped concrete facade is an ode to modernism and a reminder of the Icelandic landscape. The church is named after the 17th-century clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson, author of Hymns of the Passion.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were able to take a few minutes to sit in the sanctuary and see the magnificent pipe organ there.  Visitors are able to take an elevator up into the steeple and experience the beautiful views of the city in all directions.  We loved hearing the chimes, but when they sounded with us inside the steeple they were LOUD!

The view from the steeple shows over the cityscape, the Hvalfjörður fiord flowing into the bay on the Reykjavik Harbor.  Hvalfjörður means "Whale Fiord" but the whales do not come into this harbor.  Our plans to see whales are in the north when we go to Husavik. 

After the church, we wandered around Reykjavik to do some shopping.  The streets were busy, but not crowed and we thought it was fun to find the IceWear shop where Annalise fell in love with the softness and beauty of the reindeer pelts on sale.  I told her we would see what we found on our travels before her making the decision on her special gift. 

 

With advice from a friend, we also found the best sandwich shop in Reykjavik and enjoyed watching the passers-by as we ate at a picnic table facing a little city square.  So what do they eat in Iceland?  They eat lamb roasted and sliced and served on freshly made long buns, with lettuce and tomato (raised in local greenhouses) with some kind of sweet mustard sauce.  It was delicious.  They were also fully prepared to provide a chilled Pepsi-Max (being a girl from New Bern, the home of Pepsi, this always makes me happy) but no cups of ice were available.  And it was warm enough to take your jacket off sitting in the glorious sunshine.