Iceland in November and December? Really? I saw an Icelandair promotion on Instagram which I couldn’t resist. The catch? It had to be late November to the start of December 2022. But I could – easily – enthuse Oriol to come along for a road trip in the South and West of Iceland. 

We had a Saturday in Reykjavík during which we mostly walked around. 

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay. Its latitude is 64°08′ N, making it the world’s northernmost capital of a sovereign state.

With a population of around 131,200 (and 233,000 in the Capital Region),it is the centre of Iceland’s cultural, economic, and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination.

Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which, according to ‘Landnámabók‘ or ‘Book of Settlements‘, was established by Ingólfr Arnarson in 874 CE. Until the 18th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was officially founded in 1786 as a trading town and grew steadily over the following decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.

A day in Reykjavík

We started before sunrise, which is not an achievement, to walk towards The Icelandic Phallological Museum. On our way we encountered Höfði.

Höfði

Höfði is a house best known as the location for the 1986 Reykjavík Summit meeting of President Ronald Reagan of the United States and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. This meeting was an important step towards ending of the Cold War. Within the building, the flags of the United States and the Soviet Union are cross-hung to commemorate the meeting.

The Sun Voyager

On the corniche, with views on the bay, lies The Sun Voyager (Sólfar). It’s a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, located next to the Sæbraut road. The Sun Voyager is described as a dreamboat, or an ode to the Sun. The artist intended it to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom. 

Harpa Reykjavík Concert Hall and Conference Centre

Harpa is a cultural and social centre in the heart of the city and features stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the North Atlantic Ocean. Harpa is an enchanting destination for intrigued travellers and its grand-scale award-winning architecture has attracted 10 million guests since its opening, May 4, 2011.

After The Icelandic Phallological Museum we walked around some more.

Rainbow Street and Hallgrímskirkja

After taking photos of Rainbow Street Skólavörðustígur by day, we went inside the Hallgrímskirkja or the Church of Hallgrímur.

Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran, Church of Iceland, parish church in Reykjavík. At 74.5 metres (244 ft) tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country.Known for its distinctively curved spire and side wings, it has been described as having become an important symbol for Iceland’s national identity since its completion in 1986. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and cleric Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674), author of the ‘Passion Hymns‘. 

Situated on the hilltop Skólavörðuholt near the centre of Reykjavík, the church is one of the city’s best-known landmarks and is visible throughout the city. State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson‘s design of the church was commissioned in 1937. He is said to have designed it to resemble the trap rocks, mountains and glaciers of Iceland’s landscape, in particular its columnar basalt ‘organ pipe’ formations, such as those at Svartifoss.

The design is similar in style to the expressionist architecture of Grundtvig’s Church of Copenhagen in Denmark, completed in 1940, which has been described as a likely influence, alongside the expressionist Kirche am Hohenzollernplatz in Berlin in Germany, completed in 1933.

Architecturally, Hallgrímskirkja consists of three parts: The tower with the distinctly curved side wings which house service facilities, a nave in more traditional architecture, and a sanctuary at the other end of the nave, whose cylindrical shape has been described as evoking Viking war helmets. Hallgrímskirkja also has a 239 ft (73 meter) dome.

It took 41 years to build the church: construction started in 1945 and ended in 1986, but the landmark tower was completed long before the whole church was finished. The crypt beneath the choir was consecrated in 1948, the steeple and wings were completed in 1974, and the nave was consecrated in 1986.

At the time of construction, the building was criticized as too old-fashioned and as a blend of different architectural styles.

The church was originally intended to be less tall, but the leaders of the Church of Iceland wanted a large spire so as to outshine Landakotskirkja (Landakot’s Church), which was the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland.

The church houses two large pipe organs. The first, a Rieger-Kloss organ was installed in 1946. It was moved to the South Wing when it opened and a new organ was built.[8] The next pipe organ was commissioned from Frobenius in 1985.

Soon after, in 1988 the church council decided that the Frobenius pipe organ wasn’t big enough and commissioned another from the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn.

Einar Jónsson donated the statue of Jesus to the church in 1948, which stands right next to the entrance to the nave. Jesus receives the Holy Spirit after being baptized in the Jordan.

The church is also used as an observation tower. An observer can take a lift up to the viewing deck and view Reykjavík and the surrounding mountains.

The statue of explorer Leif Erikson (c.970 – c.1020) by Alexander Stirling Calder in front of the church predates its construction. It was a gift from the United States in honor of the 1930 AlÞing Millennial Festival, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the convening of Iceland’s parliament at Þingvellir in 930 AD.

City centre

Afterwards we just ‘followed our nose’ and walked around the city centre, centered around shopping street Laugavegur, the Hafnartorg area, the Old Harbour, the Stjórnarráðshúsið or Cabinet House, the current Alþingi or parliament, …

We had a coffee at Hafnartorg Gallery, a beer at Mathöll Höfða and an early Christmas dinner at Old Iceland Restaurant. Which had less traditional dishes the name suggests. 

More to do

There is more to do. We didn’t go to: 

• City Hall for the 3D map.
• FlyOver Iceland.
• The Settlement Exhibition.
• Perlan Museum.
• Grandi area.
• National Museum.
• Árbær Open Air Museum.
• Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach.
• Laugardalur valley and park.

Vibes

Reykjavík is a small city and (almost) everything can be reached on foot. There weren’t huge crowds, although in the afternoon people got outside. But still, nothing compared to a Saturday in Antwerp.

It felt like there is a ‘slower pace’ in Reykjavík. 

I feel we’ve covered quite a bit in this one day, although in hindsight there were more activities on offer. But Reykjavík can easily been done in one, two or three days. 

There is a mix of museums, sights and plenty of cafés and coffee hotspots to spend your time. 

More on Reykjavík

• Visit Reykjavík. 
• Reykjavík in 24 hours. 
• Reykjavík in 48 hours.
• Reykjavík in 72 hours.
• LGBTQIA+ guide to Reykjavík. 

Iceland, November & December 2022

1. REVIEW | Icelandair Brussels Airport (Zaventem) to Reykjavík (Keflavík International Airport) on Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Economy.
2. ICELAND | Kevlavík – Bridge Between Continents – Reykjanesviti Lighthouse – Reykjanestá – Gunnuhver Hot Springs – Grindavík – Reykjavík.
3. REVIEW | Hotel Cabin in Reykjavík.
4. ICELAND | Seljalandsfoss Waterfall – Skógafoss – Sólheimajökull – Dyrhólaeyjarviti – Reynisfjara – Vík.
5. REVIEW | Hotel Katla in Vík.
6. ICELAND | Skeiðará Bridge – Diamond Beach – Jökulsárlón – Skaftafellsjökull – Dverghamrar – Kirkjugólf – Fjaðrárgljúlfur – Skaftáreldahraun.
7. ICELAND | Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near Vík.
8. ICELAND | Fjaðrárgljúlfur – DC-3 Plane Wreck at Sólheimasandur – Geysir – Gullfoss.
9. ICELAND | Secret Lagoon in Flúðir.
10. REVIEW | Guesthouse Flúðir.
11. ICELAND | Þingvellir or Thingvellir National Park – Hvalfjörður Fjord – Húsafell.
12. REVIEW | Guesthouse Bjarg in Borgarnes.
13. ICELAND | Eldborg Crater – Bjarnarfoss – Búðakirkja – Arnarstapi – Hellnar – Djúpalónssandur – Kirkjufell – Stykkishólmur.
14. ICELAND | Esja(n) – Úlfarsfell – Krýsuvík – Seltún Geothermal Hot Springs.
15. ICELAND | Blue Lagoon hot pool.
16. Queer Iceland & Rainbow(baiting) Reykjavík.
17. REYKJAVÍK | The Icelandic Phallological Museum.