Reykjavik

How to describe Reykjavik?  European.  Modern.  Capital.  Friendly.  Small-town feel.  Young.  Fit.  Casual.  Accepting.

Down at the harbor

There are numerous words that could be used to describe Reykjavik, or for any city in the world I suppose.  There are the straight-forward factual statements like "Reykjavik is the northern-most capital in the world," which it is, but that doesn't really say much.  Then there are words like those I listed above.  All of these are great descriptors, but they only describe one small aspect of the City.  Yet they don't really capture the totality of Reykjavik.

What is one word I would use to describe Reykjavik?  Fresh.

Part of Reykjavik as seen from
the Pearl.

Fresh Air, Fresh Food, Fresh Faces, Fresh Architecture, Fresh Perspective.  For those who have been to Europe, you can definitely feel and see the European influence -- in the clothes, in the architecture, a little more formal but warm and inviting.  The food has been fantastic and it is extremely fresh.  Iceland grows a lot of vegetables and other foods in greenhouses, and we were very impressed with the selection and presentation.

As with most of Europe, there is excellent public transportation and we could take the bus to all the places we needed to go.  Walking and biking trails are everywhere, and Icelanders are out at all times of the day running or biking.  Even though it's cold outside, parents are strolling with their small children and pushing baby carriages with their infants all bundled up.  You don't see plus-sized clothes in the stores because everyone here is very fit.  There are lots of young people in Reykjavik which seems to contribute to its vibrancy.

Hallgrimskirkja

There have been people in Iceland for over a thousand years, but there isn't the typical grand old architecture from the Renaissance that you find in other European capitals like London, Paris, or Rome.    You see much more modern lines and styles with many of the buildings in Reykjavik.

The people we've encountered have been extremely friendly and very welcoming.  English is spoken by most, so the language barrier is minimal.  They are also very accepting of others unlike some other places we've visited.

So many different descriptors come to mind in trying to capture the essence of Reykjavik and our visit here, but to sum up our visit in one word, I'd have to say reFRESHing.

Old Town Reykjavik as seen across the
pond from City Hall.

Iceland. Hello.

Happy Easter!  We have arrived in Iceland and hit the ground running.  After touching down at 6:20 AM local time and catching a shuttle to our hotel, we caught a quick catnap before heading to Hallgrimskirkja (Hallgrimur's Church) for the 11:00 AM Easter service.  It's named for Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrimur Petursson.  Icelanders are mainly Lutheran and this is the largest and most iconic church in Reykjavik.

My Icelandic is a little rusty, but we were able to follow the service and the music was glorious.  Hallgrimskirkja has the largest pipe organ in Iceland with four manuals, 72 voices, and 5,275 pipes, and they certainly pulled out all the stops.  The choir had about 60 voices and were excellent, filling the cathedral with a very rich sound.  The service was heavy on music including Widor, Handel, Schutz, Handel, and the French composer Louis Vierne.

After the service, we went to the top of the bell tower and were treated to sweeping views of Reykjavik and the surrounding areas.  Even though we didn't necessarily understand the spoken word, the light of Christ was present and I couldn't think of a better way to start our Icelandic journey.  Hallelujah!  Christ is Risen!

Central Reykjavik and surrounding mountains as seen from the Hallgrimskirkja Bell Tower.