Iceland2017_Reykjavik

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After arriving in Reykjavik on an over night flight, we made our way to the hotel and went for a walk, starting along the nearby waterfront. The area has a number of high rise apartments facing the harbor.

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Solfarid , the Sun Voyager, a stainless steel stature along the harbor. The stature is said to be an ode to the sun. Made in 1990.

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Harpa, Reykjavik's ultramodern glass-faced concert hall.

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Wall detail, Harpa Concert Hall

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Detail of the glass facets in the Harpa lobby.

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This statue represents Ingolfur Arnarson. According to the Icelandic Book of Settlement, he and his crew were the first permanent settlers in Iceland. He gave the area the name Reykjavik, meaning Smokey Cover, because of steam from hot springs in the area.

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A panorama showing the extensive construction under way in the harbor area just west of Harpa. Reykjavik appears to be booming.

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Buyildings in the older part of downtown Reykjavik.

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It's a quirky city, with lots of intersting art.

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Not sure that Sue will get far on this bike. Much of Laugavegur, the main shopping and dining street, is mostly a pedestrian mall.

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Obvious American influence. Note the text in the windows.

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Another mural along Laugavegur.

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The Hallgrimskirkja cathedral. The columns are intended to resemble columnar basalt, common in Iceland.

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Sue in front of the state of Leif Erikson, discoverer of America (sometimes known as Leif the Lucky), next to the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral. The statue was a gift of the United States, donated on the 1000th anniversary of Icelandic national assembly, the Alping, in 1930.

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Ceiling detail of Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral.

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Hallgrimskirkja pipe organ, with over 5200 pipes.

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One of the beautiful stained-glass windows in Hallgrimskirkja

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Interior of Hallgrimskirkja.

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Panorama of the Reyjavik harbor from the top of Hallgrimskirkja, about 230 ft above the street. This view is the east side of the harbor. Our hotel is somewhere on the far right of the photo.

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Another view from the top of Hallgrimskirkja cathedral. This view is looking more towards the northwest, with the Harpa Concert Hall near the center. .

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Statute of Leif Ericsen in front of Hallgrimskirkja

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After flying across the ocean and wandering around Reykjavik, Sue is wondering what I've become.

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Nothing a little caffeine can't cure. Very important on the first day of an international trip.

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We next went to the National Museum of Iceland, which has a great collection from the Viking settlement period. Here, Sue is standing next to a carved church door, dating from 1200 AD. The carvings represent midieval stories of knights, dragons and lions.