ICELAND, REYKJAVIK

When we arrived at the Keflavik Airport, three couples headed for Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon, but Bob and I had decided just a week before not to join them. Instead, we wanted to do some exploration of Iceland's capital city, Reykjavik. 

Reykjavik is the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign nation. With a population of about 130,000, it's not exactly a metropolis, but having been founded around 874 AD, it's pretty darn old.

One of our goals was to see a few of the churches we might not otherwise get to see. Unfortunately, our plans were foiled when we discovered that the churches were locked. Although the country has been predominantly Christian since about 1000 AD, there seems to be strong religious apathy in Iceland, perhaps even more than in Western Europe.

However, we did enjoy the architecture of Hateigskirkja, with its four spires that remind me of upside-down ice cream cones. This Lutheran church was built in 1965 and has a traditional Icelandic design, which to me means it looks generally Scandinavian.

There was a little hill with a trail to the top behind the church, so we walked up to get a view of the city. In the distance is the most famous Reykjavik landmark, the Hallgrimskirkja church (which is redundant as "kirkja" means church), and beyond that is the ocean:

There is an abundance of wildflowers in Iceland. When we landed, I noticed purple lupine growing between runways at the airport, and we saw them everywhere we went during our time in Iceland. There are also buttercups, Queen Anne's lace, and pink poppies:

Almost anywhere we were, we could see the 244-foot-tall spire of Hallgrimskirkja, so we headed in that direction:

The sun was in the wrong place for a good photo, but it's still easy to see how massive the church is. There was a program going on inside when we arrived, so we had to wait to enter.

Rather than the usual statue of a saint, directly in front of the church in a place of prominence is a statue of Leif Erikson (970-1020 AD), an Icelandic explorer who was the first European to set foot on continental North America. He established a settlement on the northern tip of what is today's Newfoundland and named it Vinland. 

A statement on the back of the base of the statue notes that it was a gift from the United States to Iceland in 1930 on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of Iceland's parliament (the "Althing"), which happens to be the oldest parliament in the world.

If you're a fan, you can stay in the Hotel Leifur Eriksson located just across the street:

Beautiful tulips that were just past their prime filled the flower beds in front of the church:

We had some lunch across the street (more on that later), and then we made our way back to the Hallgrimskirkja, which looks like a sci-fi rocket about to launch to Mars, or perhaps a dark castle from the  Lord of the Rings series.

This is not only the largest church in Iceland, but is also the second tallest building in the country, with the tallest being an office building that is just 11 feet taller.  It was built between the years 1945 and 1986 and is named not after a saint, but after a 17th century clergyman and poet, Hallgrimur Petursson.

The jagged-edged design is supposed to reflect the rocks, mountains, and glaciers of Iceland's landscape. In fact, we visited a place a few days later that looked quite a bit like the church:

The interior has the soaring, voluminous ceiling one would expect in a church with this exterior. It is almost completely unadorned:

The most decorated spot is the organ loft in the rear of the church. The organ, which has 5,275 pipes, was installed in 1992:

The pulpit also adds a splash of color:

Even the apse at the front of the church is unusually plain:

A pair of gilded angels flanks the altar:

There is also a beautiful stained class window in the Mary chapel:

After finishing at the church, we took a walk around the neighborhood.

Frida! You've come a long way from Mexico!

The Hindu god Ganesha meets Icelandic ice cream:

A goth store? In Iceland? The tagline is "Stars can't shine without darkness." Icelanders know a lot about darkness with their long winter nights:

Before checking in at our hotel, we stopped at a grocery store, where we discovered dozens of styles and brands of licorice for sale. Turns out that licorice is a particularly favorite treat in Iceland. I enjoyed some chocolate covered licorice bits and licorice with caramel centers:

I like licorice, but I was relieved that it hasn't completely replaced chocolate in Iceland:

Our hotel, the Alda Hotel, looked typically European . . .

. . . except for the strange light fixture, which had sweater-covered shades for the bulbs:

Bob crashed under a photo of a landscape that we would later see on one of our trips into the countryside:

Later, we were walking near the port when we ran across this chess set. John and Susan thought they might play, but at least one key piece was missing: a queen.

We also passed by this incredible building, the Harpa Concert Hall, which was finished in 2011. The Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Icelandic Opera are based here:

The outside walls are glass panels of different colors. From different angles, different panels appear to be opaque:

We noticed an awesome old car parked in front of the building:

It was a Kodak Moment:

A statue of the Danish cellist Erling Biondal Bengtsson stands in a shallow pond in front of the Harpa. Note that there is no bow in his hand. I wonder why?

Don't expect a sandy beach in the Reykjavik harbor!

However, there ARE locks of love on the benches.  *Sigh*

Iceland's Big Three: Puffins, Sheep, and Norsemen, all combined in one rather creepy animal:

Iceland has a 99% literacy rate. It was nice to see several large bookstores in town:

I liked the decor on the outside wall--a large photo of a bookshelf:

On a city tour, our guide pointed out the American Embassy. It was very ugly, particularly in comparison to other embassies. Really? Is this sterile, barred window building the best we can do?

Eyjafjallajokull is the name of one of the volcanoes in Iceland that has been especially active in recent years. A member of our group, John, learned how to say this word before the trip and used it to torment the rest of us, saying it about 50 times/day. But John, can you say it BACKWARDS?