So, I had my layover in Reykjavik en route to Paris for research. I am really glad I decided to stop in Iceland for a few days and have a look around. Reykjavik is such a wonderful city with a rich arts and music culture and very friendly people. Nearly everyone speaks perfect English so it's quite easy to get around on your own and just explore...
On my first day there (after I settled in at my apartment), I went off to see one of the major tourist attractions in the city - Hallgrímskirkja church - which took something like 80 years to complete because they stopped midway through construction and basically had to start all over again several times. Typically, you can take an elevator to the top and get a great view of Reykjavik, but the elevator was broken the day I visited.
After visiting the church, I set off for the center of town and some window shopping. Almost immediately, I passed by several shops selling Icelandic wool, fish leather, and lava beads -- the key touristy goods that people tend to buy while in Iceland.
One of the coolest things about Iceland, is their amazingly complex and beautiful sounding language (or, at least, I found it pleasant to the ear). Whenever there was an announcement on the bus in Icelandic, I was super excited. And in the tourist shops there are all these t-shirts with seemingly complex sentences written on them in Icelandic (those sentences read, "I don't speak Icelandic"). The written word is just so fascinating (and long)...check out these signs...
On my adventures around Rekyjavik, I also stumbled across a charming lake area where there were some fancy houses, art galleries, and wild life...and numerous other charming neighborhoods.
The Old Port is also a sight to see with its quaint little cottages and multi-colored boats:
One of my favorite places to visit was HARPA - the Reykjavik music hall. The hall was set to open just before the major economic crash hit Iceland. The company went bankrupt, and the Icelandic people decided to pitch in and build this stunning music hall. While in Iceland, I was able to attend two free concerts at HARPA. One was in honor of Europe Day and featured classical music by Greek Composers. The other concert was a "coffee concert" featuring two of Iceland's most renowned opera stars. The music was breathtaking - I swear I was listening to angels sing!
Another thing I noted on my adventures around Reykjavik was the commissioned and non-commissioned graffiti. There were a lot of "tags," but there were also really stunning murals as well.
On my first day there (after I settled in at my apartment), I went off to see one of the major tourist attractions in the city - Hallgrímskirkja church - which took something like 80 years to complete because they stopped midway through construction and basically had to start all over again several times. Typically, you can take an elevator to the top and get a great view of Reykjavik, but the elevator was broken the day I visited.
After visiting the church, I set off for the center of town and some window shopping. Almost immediately, I passed by several shops selling Icelandic wool, fish leather, and lava beads -- the key touristy goods that people tend to buy while in Iceland.
One of the coolest things about Iceland, is their amazingly complex and beautiful sounding language (or, at least, I found it pleasant to the ear). Whenever there was an announcement on the bus in Icelandic, I was super excited. And in the tourist shops there are all these t-shirts with seemingly complex sentences written on them in Icelandic (those sentences read, "I don't speak Icelandic"). The written word is just so fascinating (and long)...check out these signs...
On my adventures around Rekyjavik, I also stumbled across a charming lake area where there were some fancy houses, art galleries, and wild life...and numerous other charming neighborhoods.
The Old Port is also a sight to see with its quaint little cottages and multi-colored boats:
One of my favorite places to visit was HARPA - the Reykjavik music hall. The hall was set to open just before the major economic crash hit Iceland. The company went bankrupt, and the Icelandic people decided to pitch in and build this stunning music hall. While in Iceland, I was able to attend two free concerts at HARPA. One was in honor of Europe Day and featured classical music by Greek Composers. The other concert was a "coffee concert" featuring two of Iceland's most renowned opera stars. The music was breathtaking - I swear I was listening to angels sing!
Another thing I noted on my adventures around Reykjavik was the commissioned and non-commissioned graffiti. There were a lot of "tags," but there were also really stunning murals as well.
dont be fooled by icelandic polar bears!!
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