After a nice long sleep we awake renewed and ready to
explore. Today was rainy but it didn’t
seem to discourage people from strolling the streets. People gathered in little coffee shops to
socialize and partake in their beloved coffee.
Even though it was Sunday, the shops opened up to shoppers wanting to
spend their tourist dollars.
We wondered up the main shopping street to the top of the
hill where Hallgrimskirkja Church keeps guard over the city. A statute of Leif Ericson stands honoring the
explorer who discovered Iceland and much of the new world. Church was in service but the tower was open
for viewing. It was the perfect spot to
overlook the colorful rooftops from all directions.
We wondered in and out of stores as we made our way back to
our hotel to meet up with our group. A
light mid-afternoon meal of seafood soup both warmed me up and was just enough
food to hold me over to our welcome dinner.
Harpa, Concert Hall was started right before the financial
collapse in 2008 but the government was committed to see it to completion
albeit it a slightly smaller project.
It’s a very striking building covered in glass panes lite by every
changing multicolored lights. Inside is
a very upscale restaurant Kolabrautin. Liza had arranged for our group to have
the tasting menu.
Ira received a call towards the end of dinner that Northern
Lights could be seen over the city. Our
hotel had a bar at the top so we all grabbed our tripods and started
shooting. A city has a lot of ambient
light which is not ideal for taking night shots, but we still managed to get
some great pictures.
Tomorrow: Vikings, waterfalls and ponies
