Sun sculpture over the entrance
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Reb
and
Stef
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We visited Iceland in October, 1994. When we left home, Stef did not know
we were going to Iceland. In fact, we took a train to Baltimore, MD and
flew Icelandair from there to Iceland.
Upon our arrival at Keflavik airport, we took a bus to the hotel Esja,
in Reykjavik. We checked in, cleaned ourselves up, and went out for a
stroll.
The main shopping street in Reykjavik is
Laugavegur. It has many interesting shops, restaurants, and cafes on it.
We stopped for a wonderful lunch at the Solón Islands cafe.
In the center of Reykjavik is Tjörnin Lake, with hundreds of ducks
and geese in it. Next to the lake is Raðhus, the city hall. In the
background of this picture, you can see Raðhus on the right.
There were always small planes flying over the city. No matter where you
looked, they were there. You can even see one at the top of this picture.
For reference, the ducks & geese are across the lake, at the extreme right
portion of this picture.
At one of the highest points in the city is Hallgrímskirkja
(Hallgrim's Church). It is a beautiful building, and it can be seen
from most everywhere in the city. The tower is 210 feet tall. The
building was completed in 1986, after 40 years of construction.
In front of Hallgrímskirkja is a statue of Leif Eiricsson,
discoverer of what he called “Vinland” and what we now know of
as America. The statue was a gift of the U.S. Government on
the one thousandth anniversary of the discovery.
The view from the tower of Hallgrímskirkja is quite magnificent.
There are windows on all four sides of the tower, just above the clock
face on each side. In this picture, out the front side, you can see
the Leif Erricson statue in the foreground.
Near the Reykjavik docks, we found Bæjarins Betzu, the most
famous Icelandic hot dog stand. While numerous locals told us of
other stands which had better prices, we followed the crowd and the
guidebooks to this one. We were not disappointed. The stand is
barely big enough for the salesperson inside, but it does quite a
brisk business. I have no idea what was in the special Icelandic hot
dog sauce, but it sure tasted good!
The docks are quite fascinating. We were lucky enough to see a fishing ship
unloading its cargo. In order to speed the catch on its way, the fish are
caught, packaged, and frozen right on the ship. What is unloaded are pallets
of boxes of fish, ready to be taken to the airport, or a larger ship for
export.
While walking down a side street in Reykjavik, we ran into a man who was
getting into a car with US (Virginia) license plates. We spoke with
him briefly, and told him of our plans to drive into the countryside
the following day. He suggested we register with the U.S. Embassy, and
since he was going there anyway we walked with him a blocks or so to it.
It was quite small, and the bullet-proof glass in front of the receptionist
seemed quite out of place.
Reykjavik has one shopping mall. It is quite small by U.S. standards, but
it has many interesting stores and it is very beautifully decorated. It has
wood floors and there were beautiful sculptures hanging from the ceiling.
It also has one of the only escalators in the country.
The town of Hveragerði is known for its roses. They are grown in
geothermically heated greenhouses. It's a sight to see, as this
facility is quite large.
Thingvellir is where the American and European continental plates
meet. It was an exciting place to be. It is also a place of
historical significance; the ancient parliment met here each
summer. The leader of the parliment would recite all of the laws
from memory.
No visit to Iceland is complete without a stop at the
Blue Lagoon.
Why not stop in yourself, we did. Besides, we even bought a ticket
for you!
Back to the Café
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