Iceland, Day Three: Thursday, August 11, 2016

Today was a day for sleeping in, and the black-out blinds in our cozy little apartment in Reykjavik allowed us to do so, catching up on some of the sleep we’d still been feeling somewhat behind in. The plan had been to get to bed on time the night before . . . alas, the excitement of checking out our new lodgings kept everyone up later than intended. The girls loved their little room and the trundle bed they shared, and M and I were impressed with the perfect functionality and European charm of the space. Thanks to a quick stop at a grocery store when we rolled into town the night before, we had a quick and easy breakfast in our well-equipped kitchen (IKEA at its finest!), and then headed out for a day of exploring this wonderful capital city.

Our cozy kitchen in Reykjavik.

The girls loved their trundle bed!

Our small and utterly efficient bedroom had one entire wall of built-in cupboards, surely from IKEA or a similar store.

The hot water heaters reminded me fondly of my childhood homes in Germany and Switzerland. And the sliding door to our bedroom was both perfectly functional while having aesthetic appeal.

The living room was a perfect little spot to gather ourselves before another day of explorations. Well, perfect aside from the horse-hair rug, which we were truly not fans of!

Our apartment was very well located, and we could see the spire of the iconic Hallgrímskirkja over the tops of the surrounding rooves from our front window. This church, which stands guard over the city, seemed like a compass point for me as we meandered the city streets, always enabling us to find our way. Designed to resemble Iceland’s basalt lava flows, it took 34 years to build and was completed in 1974.

Father/Daughter shenanigans in front of the Hallgrímskirkja.

We enjoyed a delicious early lunch at Cafe Loki. Looking out the window at the Hallgrímskirkja felt completely surreal.

The Harbourfront was where our strolls took us next, and again we were struck by how clean and how free from most cities’ hustle and bustle Reykjavik is. We saw the ‘Sun Voyager’ sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, so perfectly suited to its surroundings and the adventurous spirit and heritage of the country, and then made our way to Harpa, the city’s concert hall and conference centre. We marvelled at the dynamic architecture of this incredible building, beehive-like cells comprising the walls and ceilings in glass and mirror-like tiles. Initially going in to simply check things out, we wound up enjoying a 360-degree theatre experience featuring Iceland’s wonders, some of which we happily recognized from our travels thus far. The arts are very much alive and well in Reykjavik, and we saw countless galleries, public sculptures and murals during our visit.

The Sun Voyager.

Harpa concert hall and conference centre.

Inside Harpa.

One of many murals that we saw while meandering the streets of Reykjavik.

We spent some time simply wandering the streets of downtown Reykjavik, absorbing the feel of the nation's capital city.

The perfect spot for M, while us girls thoroughly enjoyed a piece of heaven next door . . .

. . . Eymundsson, a wondrous bookstore boasting seven floors!
(see 'Worthy Reads' post #1 for more details) 

Iceland's Government House, one of Reykjavik's oldest buildings, now houses the offices of the Prime Minister.

The remainder of our afternoon was spent at the Whales of Iceland museum. A fortuitous coupon find drew us in, and we were thrilled to see how engaged the girls became, spending a couple of hours learning about the various whales found in Icelandic waters through the exhibit’s informational and interactive elements while we did likewise.

Go to http://whalesoficeland.is/ for more information and 15% off of your entrance fee to the museum.

Day Four's adventures see us leaving the capital for some explorations of the Golden Circle. Stay tuned!

My wonder: Have you ever been to Reykjavik, and if so, what were some of the highlights of your stay?