We say goodbye to the UK this week. In less than seven days we will return to Canadian soil. Excited to see everyone but sad to see such an amazing adventure come to an end.
But we still have one whole week in Reykjavik, Iceland. Totally outside the box for us but something we have been looking forward to with much anticipation.
Our flight was only three hours from Heathrow airport in England. We only needed to set our watches back one hour...so we gained heading North-West. As the plane banked to preparing for landing, I couldn't believe my eyes. From the air, Iceland is exquisite. You can SEE the volcanos!!
For the first day we toured around the capital city of Reykjavik where we are booked into an Air.bnb. A beautiful apartment overlooking the main thoroughfare right downtown.
The views at the harbour are amazing. What we have seen so far is that the mountains are numerous and surround us here in Reykjavik, but the coastal highway is quite flat amongst miles of volcanic rock? Are we ok here? Not sure if I heard a rumble?
Below is the 'Andrea' touring vessel that we are boarding for a Whale Watching expedition. Can't wait.
Looking at the views....I can't believe we are here.
A statue of fisherman at the harbour. Beautiful scenery but very challenging and dangerous seas all around. Many tributes to lost fisherman throughout the years are commemorated at the harbour. We lie between the North Atlantic Sea and the Arctic Ocean. We are seriously far away from everything!
Debbie making friends with the polar bear next door. I actually did ask if there were polar bears here. Our tour guide explained that the only time a polar bear would appear in Iceland, is if it came across from Greenland on a random ice flow. Unfortunately for the polar bear, it is shot immediately as they are incredibly dangerous. Not sure if that made me feel better (no bears) or worse (poor polar bears).
This is not a rocket ship, it is a church in Reykjavik. Hallgrimskirkja, in Icelandic means Church of Hallgrimur. It is the largest church in Iceland. It has been designed to resemble basalt lava columns (same volcanic formations we saw at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland). It took 38 years to build this church?
It is over 73 meters high. Eight stories tall with an observation tower at the top. You know we are going up.
This Lutheran Church is in a word: caverness. It is simple and white. No gold or ornate objects. The baptismal basin looks like a block of clear ice. Beautiful and serene.
We arrived at the church when they were practicing on the organ. Oh my gosh...the sound resonated throughout the entire building. Incredible.
An elevator takes you up to the eighth floor but you have about 30 more steps to get to the top. The views are of Reykjavik and the surrounding towns and mountains as far as you can see. Below is the city of Reykjavik, population of about 122,000 people.
Reykjavik means 'Cove of Smoke' aptly named for the geothermal steam rising from the earth all around Iceland. We have seen it on our bus trips in this area.
Very colourful houses all around Iceland. Feels and looks very Norwegian. Reykjavik is the capital and largest city in Iceland. Believed to be the location of the first settlements here in about 870 AD. Interesting enough, fast track about 1500 years into the future, the Royal Regiment of Canada formed a garrison in Iceland during WWII. Iceland was neutral during the war but was occupied by the British, then the US and finally Canada during the war. Positive events happened for Reykjavik because of this. Their Keflavik Airport was built by the Americans, and the city of Reykjavik Airport was built by the British and economically Iceland began to prosper. Unfortunately, today, Iceland is economically in crash mode. Their dollar is plummeting. 10,000 Krona equals about $100. Canadian dollars. The eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 was devastating to air traffic. 100 million air travellers were stranded worldwide when the ash from the volcano was pushed into the busiest airspace. Visitors were afraid to travel to Iceland. The country suffered greatly.
Iceland is working very, very hard to increase tourism since that time. But be prepared if you visit, they have increased costs of tourism. For example, two subs from Subway (yes they have one here) costs the equivalent of $40. Canadian dollars? Many tours begin at $100. per person.
Still, renting an apartment like us and making meals in, is the affordable way to enjoy Iceland. So much to see. You could also rent a car, they drive on the same side as us....lol. There is one highway that goes all around Iceland....little over 1000 kms long. Signs are in Icelandic so a little research needed before you get here would be beneficial.
"Reykjavik is one of the cleanest, greenest and safest cities in the world."
The landscape of Iceland has been shaped by glaciers and volcanic eruptions. On the flip side, the volcanic activity has provided Iceland with a geothermal heating system. No one pays for hot water? All the homes are heated with natural hot water systems. You can have a hot shower for as long as you like because no one pays a penny for it. There are three main geothermal power plants in Iceland and we have already visited one. Incredible how they have harnessed the energy from the volcanos. Below is one of the power plants, the Reykjavik Power Station.
All pavements, roads, sidewalks and driveways, are heated up. No need to shovel if you live within miles of the power stations.
Views of the harbour in the city.
Iceland began with the Vikings explorers from Norway and the British Isles settling here. Iceland is very proud of its Viking heritage. Before 1944 Iceland was a part of Denmark. When Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, Iceland declared itself an independent state and the Republic of Iceland was formed.
Leif Eriksson was believed to be born in Iceland. He was a viking explorer. It is generally believed here that he discovered North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus. He was born to Erik the Red in about 970 AD. He founded the first settlement on what is now called Greenland.
This statue is prominently situated at the entrance of the Hallgrimskirkja church.
The movies 'Star Trek: Into Darkness', 'Game of Thrones' and a rumoured an upcoming seventh episode of 'Star Wars' was filmed here in Iceland.
Below is the Reykjavik Ingolfsgardhi yellow iron tower lighthouse located at the harbour's south breakwater wall. It stands out against the sea and mountain landscape.
Incredible shades of blue mountains in the waters surrounding Reykjavik.
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