Evans to Iceland: Walkabout

Tuesday was our first day to explore the city. We did a loop around the core area. It was a beautiful fall day in Reykjavik, sunny, little wind and dry.

One of the first stops was a bookstore called Eymundsson, a chain that is not that dissimilar to Indigo in that it sells books, "lifestyle" items and has a small cafe inside (there are a number of bookstores in our area -- beside the hotel is an independent shop called Mal og Menning, which proudly proclaims its ranking as one of the best 12 bookstores in the world, courtesy die Berlinnske Tidende). While we were there, I saw a table with the collected works of Fridrik Thor Fridricksson and a copy of "Cold Fever" ("Á köldum klaka") is packed and ready to come home with us.

We walked up to the main church in Iceland, the Hallgrimskirkja. Although only completed in 1974, the church has become one of those iconic presences in a city -- the tower is visible from many locations in the city and is a focal point for visitors.

Hallgrimskirkja from the base of Skólavorðustigur

Side view of Hallgrimskirkja

Church tower (detail)

The scale of the place is massive and the interior carries very little ornamentation. Large windows flood the chapel with light, reflecting of the plain white walls. There is a gigantic pipe organ at the north end of the chapel -- we understand that there is a weekly organ recital on Fridays which we will try to attend to get a sense of what the room sounds like.

Church interior, looking toward the pipe organ

Church organ (detail)

A 74m church tower is accessible to visitors and provides a commanding view of the surrounding territory. The observation level is just below the church bells and the bells struck the time while we were up there. The sound was both exquisite and overwhelming.