Reykjavik, Iceland

Friday | August 21, 2015

This morning, I awoke in the Reykjavik Marina Hotel in downtown, Reykjavik, Iceland. The scene was just as one would imagine – fishermen tending to their boats on the wharfs, twenty-somethings with perfect skin bustling through shops while nursing their strong Icelandic coffee in their lambs wool mittens, and tourists preparing for tomorrow’s Iceland Marathon.

As for us – we were dazed and groggy after arriving at the hotel at 2:30 AM, that being the fault of Icelandair who misplaced our box containing the hanging rack we were (are) going to install in our apartment to support all the accouterments of our cold-weather expedition. But alas, we are in Iceland. And in the distance, but clearly visible, outside our hotel balcony, bathed in the North Atlantic fog, glistens one shining white vessel named The World.

After a bit of confusion and internal strife, we managed to order a taxi. After only a few short minutes, we arrived back home at the ship. It was fun and warming to see so many friendly faces – especially those of the bellmen, security staff, and front desk personnel, all of whom we have gotten to know so well over this past year. With a fresh glass of champagne in hand, we made our way up to our apartment which was as pristine and wonderful as we had left it. In addition, several large packages arrived during our absence, containing for the most part our cold-weather gear to sustain us in Greenland. We were also thrilled to receive a package from Crate and Barrel containing the most wonderful gift of appreciation from Aunt Marie!

Exhausted, we finally decided to talk to the lady at the Icelandic tour desk in the lobby and then venture off to see some of this beautiful town. Lunch was at Loki, an informal local restaurant where we enjoyed typical Icelandic dishes. We had two open-faced sandwiches – one with mashed fish and the other with sliced egg and three types of herring. This platter also included the restaurant’s unique rye bread ice cream (an acquired taste). I enjoyed an Icelandic meat soup complete with lamb and lamb pate on the same type of home made rye bread.

Directly across the street from the restaurant was the Hallgrimskirkja (Church of Hallgrimur).

This white concrete Lutheran Church is Reykjavik’s most striking landmark. The distinctive Nordic design, meant to resemble volcanic basalt rock formations, was the vision of former state architect, Gudjon Samuelson. The church was constructed over several decades and was finally consecrated in 1986. While we were there, we were treated to a brief concert from the majestic organ, which contains 5275 pipes and is the church’s most prominent feature. But speaking of organs, the church also displayed a series of pictures of naked men around the walls of the church. Whereas the Catholic Church boasts the Stations of the Cross on the walls of the church, this Lutheran Church displayed pictures of various penises. (Photographs will not be forthcoming.)  Perhaps it is only a coincidence, but we also learned that Reykjavik is home to the World Penis Museum.

I took an elevator to the top of the church to enjoy 360° panoramic vistas of Reykjavik.

And yes, snow was quite evident in the mountains right beyond the ship.

While walking down the streets, we met some furry friends.

This is an interesting place. It has used geothermal sources for energy since 1930 – even some of the sidewalks are heated in the winter. Roughly 2/3 (200,000) of the country’s entire populace live in or near this capital city.

Iceland’s Althing, founded in 930 A.D., is considered the oldest parliament in the world. It is also known for a very active nightlife and brags of hosting “pure debauchery” during certain festival times of the year – like tomorrow!

We took a late afternoon bus back to the ship and spent the next several hours unpacking and organizing clothing (having never experienced cold weather aboard the World). I also had to spend quite a bit of time online with FedEx tracking down certain boxes we needed to have delivered to the ship.

Barely able to keep my eyes open, I staggered upstairs to a very comfortable dinner in East. The entire crew was warm and welcoming. Dinner was familiar and the wine was comforting. Sleep came very easily.