Colorful Rekyjavik

The View From My Beer

Today I found I nice spot in the downtown area with a nice view of several of the colorful buildings. Everyone else was drinking inside, but I decided to take my beer to an outside to watch the world pass me by while enjoyable a glass of Gull Lager.

Reykjavik

Reyjkavik was the seventh stop on my 14-day cruise to Norway & Iceland, and our fourth and final stop in Iceland. Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland with a population of 140,000 people. Unlike the rest of Iceland we have visited, the area was largely flat. It was a large port, with five cruise ships being in. port today.

My Walk

My plans for the day started simple. Take the free shuttle bus from the port into downtown Reykjaviik and see what happens. On the ride I started to plan my walk based upon a number of interesting sites we passed along the way. I decided I would take a walk along the waterside followed by a trek into the central part of the town. It didn’t hurt that our bus dropped us off outside the very picturesque concert hall.

Harpa: Reykjavik Concert Hall

As I stepped off the bus I noticed a sign promoting the Phalloological Museum. At first I thought it might just be an amusing language thing. But no, Reykjavik really does have a Penis Museum! I thought about going in, but in the end I didn’t have the balls to do it! It is an idea that has grown over time, with the curremyt building having been erected in 2020. Inside is a collection of over 200 penises from most of the land and sea mammals native to the Icelandic region.

The equally impressive corporate headquarters for a local bank, Landsbankinn, was also nearby allowing me to take quite a few happy snaps.

Revykjavik Waterside

I then headed off along a path that followed the waterside. Along the way I found interesting landmarks such as the ‘Sun Voyager’ sculpture and Höfði Lighthouse. I encountered a lot of people riding electric scooters.

Höfði House

One of the quaint building I passed was called Höfði House. On the way back I decided to take a closer look and discovered this was the house in which Reagan and Gorbachev met back in 1986 and agreed to end the Cold War. Walks like this can be so random at times.

Colorful Reykjavik

Next I decided to head downtown towards the very large steeple that rose above the surrounding city. It wasn’t long before I found myself walking past a growing number of brightly colored buildings and street murals. Not all of which matched well color-wise.

Hallgrímskirkja

Hallgrímskirkja is Iceland’s largest church standing 75m tall. Like most churches I visited in Iceland, it was Lutheran. The church had a very unique shape with a curved spire and side wings. In front of the church stood a statue of Leifur Eiríksson, a famous explorer who is believed to have visited North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Central Reykjavic

There was no shortage of things to see and do in central Reykjavic. The city area was colorful, lively, and fairly busy. Included in the many things I learned was the fact that Ian Flemming’s character, James Bond, was more than likely based upon a real-life spy, Sir William Stephenson, who lived here in Reykjavik.

Activism

One theme that has been common throughout my visit to Norway and Iceland has been the different politics that are in play in this region,. While American culture was present, I got a strong sense that this region took less of a ‘me first’ view of the world and more of a caring, sharing view of each other as well as other countries. I have seen a lot of support for the plight of the Palestinian people without it bing dragged into the quagmire of antisemitism. Pride flags have been prominent in almost every place I have visited, including colorful rainbow streets. My walk through Reykjavik today was briefly interrupted when a large peaceful march walked down the streets. Everything was in Icelandic, but I got the sense they were protesting against a series of women’s rights issues and the policies of local politicians I did not recognize. I mingled with the crowd at a nearby park as they gathered to play music and listen to speeches. It was an interesting interlude in today’s walk.