Today’s port of call was the most northerly capital city in the world – Reykjavik. Although it was a little overcast as we sailed into the harbour it was dry and so it remained throughout the rest of our stay. A free shuttle bus was provided by the port and it dropped us off at Harpa, the large concert hall near the centre of the city. Sylvia and I have visited here on a couple of previous occasions and so just had a stroll around taking in the sights.
As we walked past the harbour we were able to take in the beautiful views of the boats with the mountains behind.
Just a little further on we came across a series of restaurants and cafes where we were decided to sit and have a mid-morning coffee and snack.
Resisting the temptation of some typical Icelandic fare such as the variety offered on this board…
…..we settled for coffee (hot chocolate for Sylvia) and cake. I had an apple and almond slice while Sylvia went for a plum cake. Both were delicious (I did try both!!).
Reykjavik appears to be a very young vibrant city where culture abounds, from modern sculptures in the street……
…to murals painted on the sides of municipal buildings.
There is also an abundance of museums catering for all tastes from the Icelandic folklore museum to a museum of Icelandic Punk Music.
There is also a museum that suggests that James Bond was from Iceland.
For those with a more specialist taste there is always the Icelandic Phallological Museum that contains more than 200 penises representing almost all Icelandic land and sea mammals. I have no photos I’m afraid but if you are interested Poppy and Oliver visited and have plenty.
One of the highlights of the city is the magnificent Lutheran church known as Hallgrimskirkja which is the largest church in Iceland.You can see the top of its 244 feet tall tower from many parts of the city but perhaps the best view is from Rainbow Street.
After visiting several of the souvenir shops and taking a few more snaps, we took the shuttle back to the ship.
This evening we were treated to a local folkloric show telling us tales of the Icelandic Sagas in a light comedic way, a sort of Icelandic Horrible Histories. The tales were related with school boy humour which suited me down to the ground, a very enjoyable evening.
We now have two sea days before we make it to Greenland so there will be no posts until we get there (unless something extraordinary happens!!).