We had both slept well and woke up when the alarm went off at 08:00. We got up and ready. Then we headed downstairs for breakfast. I had my reservations about food in Iceland as it is heavily based around lamb and seafood, neither of which I will eat. I should have learned something from our first visit in China. I had spent weeks being worried if I would find something to eat. In the end, it was no issue. The same turned out to be the case in Iceland. The breakfast was a buffet and there was something for everybody. Graham had fruit and yoghurt to start off with followed by cold cuts, cheese and toast. I was keen to try out skyr, which is kind of between yoghurt and quark in flavour and texture. I went for mango skyr with chia seeds. I came to the conclusion that I love skyr, but I am at best indifferent to chia seeds. I then went for some hot food. They had hash browns that were very nice and some mini frankfurters. I also had a couple of boiled eggs. I was hoping for some traditional Icelandic pastries, but I was out of luck. They did however have some marble cake, and I had a slice of this. We both had a latte. Graham had some apple juice, and I had orange juice. I also had some sparkling water.
After breakfast, we headed back to the room to put some extra layers on and to get what we needed for the day. Then we headed out. We walked along the coastal path again. There were some beautiful mountains across the bay. We had not seen them the previous afternoon as they had been completely covered in cloud. This time round, there were not many birds about and we made quite quick progress. We had just missed a hop on hop off bus and the next was due 30 minutes later. As it was quite cold outside, we decided to check out the inside of the Harpa concert hall. This was not very interesting, and we left again. Shortly afterwards, the bus arrived, and we got on.
We had originally planned to take a full loop first and then hop on and off on the second time around. However, the audio did not work. Graham never tends to bother with the audio on hop on hop off buses, but for me this is the best part. Add to this that the parts of Reykjavik that the bus can get to are not particularly interesting and I was happy to take a break once we got to Perlan.
Perlan is described as a natural history museum, but that does not really do it justice. It is built on top of six tanks that store hot water, and it has a very distinct dome on the top. We checked in and were advised about the two shows that are offered. One runs every 30 minutes and the other every 15 minutes. Both had just started when we got there. We decided to check out the first part of the exhibition, which is called Forces of Nature and showcases everything to do with volcanoes, earthquakes and geothermal energy. The experience starts with a short film, that was very interesting. By the time we had looked around this part of the museum, it was nearly time for the next show at the planetarium. We decided to this first and then look around the other parts of the exhibition afterwards.
They call it a planetarium and the set-up of the auditorium is identical to a typical planetarium, but that is where the similarities end. The show focuses on the Northern Lights. I had visions that this might be the only Northern Lights I may see. This was beautifully done with a mix of storytelling, information about what causes the Northern Lights and stunning visuals. This was really amazing and a good introduction for that evening’s entertainment.
After the show, we continued our way around the exhibition. The next part was all part about the geological history of Iceland. This was very interesting. The next room featured Látrabjarg cliff, which is a realistic model of the largest seabird cliff in Europe. There were seats in the area and interactive displays where you could learn about the various seabirds that make Látrabjarg cliff their home.
The next area concentrates on the ocean and features a virtual fish tank. There was seating in this area, too and I found this quite captivating. We were just getting ready to leave when people started to line up at the far end of the room. We were not quite sure what they were lining up for, but we decided to check this out. It turned out that they were lining up for the ice cave. We joined the line.
During the winter, ice caves pop up all over Iceland. They can pop up on one day and be gone the next as they are quite unstable. As fascinating as I find the idea, this is just a little too thrilling for my liking. This was the next best thing. It gave us an impression of what it is like, but in a safe and controlled environment. It is 100 meters long and built with over 350 tons of snow from the Blue Mountains. I found this utterly fascinating. There was a main cave and then there were smaller caves off to the sides that you could explore. There was also a carved ice throne, and Graham took a photo of me while I channelled my inner Elsa.
We exited the ice cave via a staircase to the first floor. There were two exhibits up there. The first part was all about glaciers and what effect climate change has on them. We learned that sadly what once used to be one of the biggest glaciers in Iceland no longer meets the criteria for a glacier. Apparently, a glacier has to be able to move under its own weight. This particular glacier has receded so much that it no longer moves and therefore is no longer considered to be a glacier.
The second part of this floor is taken up by an exhibit about freshwater in its various forms. We did learn that they have non-biting midges. I did wonder if they are just standard midges, and the kind people of Iceland are just trying to lull the tourists into false sense of security. While we were in this area, we heard Styrmir, the museum’s indoor geyser, go off. It shoots a jet of water 25 metres into the air through the central atrium. Unfortunately, we never got to see it, but it sounded impressive.
After this, we took the lift up to the top floor. Apart from a gift shop, a cafe and an ice cream parlour, the access to the observation deck was also on this level. This provides 360-degree views over Reykjavik and the surrounding area. We took our time taking in the views.
There was one last thing that we had not done and that was the volcano show. This provides and insight into the Geldingadalir volcanic eruption, which started on March 19, 2021, in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, marking the first eruption in the area in over 800 years. It was interesting and was well done. However, after experiencing the rest of Perlan, this did not quite have the same wow factor.
After this, we were ready to leave. We had just missed the bus and explored the immediate area. There are all kinds of hiking trails in the vicinity. It was cold and windy up there and I was very glad when the next bus arrived. This time the audio worked, and I learned quite a few interesting facts about Reykjavik.
On our way to Perlan, we had seen an area that is referred to as The Pond. This is a rather big lake and has all kinds of birds. There was one other thing that I wanted to see, which was Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church. I asked Graham if he thought it was possible to walk to walk from The Pond to Hallgrímskirkja and then pick the hop on hop off bus again from there. Graham did not think it was particularly far. We got off at The Pond and had a look at the birds. Then we headed uphill towards Hallgrímskirkja. It may not be very far as the crow flies, but Hallgrímskirkja is situated on top of the highest hill in Reykjavik. It was hard work. Still, I do not regret a thing. A lot of Reykjavik is very modern and somewhat soulless. However, this area is full of colourful wooden houses and is very pretty.
When I originally did a Google search for Reykjavik cathedral, I got pages of articles about Hallgrímskirkja. I did not question this as Hallgrímskirkja is definitely imposing enough for a cathedral. At 74.5 meters (245 feet) tall, it is the largest church in Iceland. Inspiration for the church were various elements of Icelandic nature including glaciers, mountains, and lava formations, particularly the hexagonal basalt columns that surround the waterfall Svartifoss. Hallgrímskirkja can be seen from anywhere in Reykjavik. The original designs were not for a building quite so tall, but some additional height was added to the spire in the final design. The leaders of the Church of Iceland wanted a building that would tower over the Catholic Church of Landakotskirkja, which was designed by the same architect and is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Iceland. Graham did not think that this is a very Christian sentiment, but I just found it amusing. However, Hallgrímskirkja is not a cathedral, but just a parish church. Reykjavik does have a Lutheran cathedral, but this is near The Pond and is nowhere near as impressive.
The church houses two large pipe organs. The first organ was installed in 1946. It was moved to the South Wing when it opened, and a new organ was built. 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. This organ is the largest in the country. The church is very plain, which is quite common for Lutheran churches. It concentrates mainly on its stunning architecture and natural light. It does have a beautiful stained-glass window, an interesting baptismal font as well as a large statue representing Jesus.
Graham was teasing me that us Lutherans do not know how to do churches and asked me where all the elaborate art and all the gold was. Over the years, Graham has seen plenty of Lutheran churches and knows that they are not all as plain as this one. The physical building of the church I grew up in and where we got married in predates the foundation of the Lutheran church and therefore is not quite as plain as churches that were designed for the Lutheran church. He has also seen some Lutheran churches that are positively dripping with intricate mosaics and one could be forgiven to think that these were Russian orthodox churches. However, Hallgrímskirkja was definitely at the very plain end of the spectrum and a great example that very plain can be very beautiful.
On the way out, we passed the entrance to the tower. As Hallgrímskirkja is built on top of the highest hill of Reykjavik and the tower is the highest structure, the views from the top are meant to be spectacular I had originally discarded that idea as church towers usually mean a lot of stairs, but I realised that this one has a lift. Still, I was kind of done at that stage and we still had to highlight of the day to come. I passed. I kind of hoped that we would make it back before the holiday was over, but that never did happen.
When we were ready to leave, we went looking for the bus stop. I could see a sign for buses. This was the bus stop for the pick-up and drop off buses for the bus station. Normally the hop on hop off bus shares those bus stops, but that did not appear to be the case here. Calculating the timings, we figured that we probably had just missed a bus anyway and figured we may as well walk. At least this time it was downhill. On the way, we walked past the statue of Leifur Eiríksson, a Norse explorer from Iceland who discovered the continent of North America in the year 1000, more than half a millennium before Christopher Columbus.
We came across a hot dog van that I thought may be the famous hot dog van where Bill Clinton sampled the local specialty when he visited Reykjavik as a president and that a long line of celebrities have frequented since. I found out since that the hot dog van in question is closer to Harpa, but this one did still do good business.
The road that we had chosen took us to a point that was about halfway along Laugavegur and from there, it was only a short walk back to the hotel. When we arrived back at the hotel, we checked with the front desk if our Northern Lights tour was due to go ahead. Fortunately, it was. We stopped off at the bistro for an early dinner.
Graham had a soup of the day. He had also ordered a salmon pasta, but something was lost in translation, and he ended up with the fish and ships again. I had the club sandwich and asked for a side of fries. The food was lovely again. We both just had water.
After our early dinner, we headed back to the room. I set and alarm and we had a bit of a nap. Once the alarm went off, we put on some layers and headed downstairs. We booked the Northern Lights tour at the same time as the rest of the trip, but looking at the weather forecast and the aurora forecast, it looked this day would produce the highest chance to actually see the Northern lights. That was a stroke of luck.
When we got outside the hotel, there was complete chaos. There seemed to be hundreds of people milling about and there was a steady stream of coaches picking up people. We had been told to look for a minibus or coach with Reykjavik Excursions on it. One of the first vehicles that arrived was a Reykjavik Excursions minibus. However, they were actually operating the tour for a different tour company. They seem to own most tour companies in Reykjavik. Just before our pickup window opened, one of the pick-up and drop off buses for the airport shuttle arrived. Fortunately, the driver had a clipboard with the names that should be on the bus, and she called Graham’s name. This is not what we had expected. We picked up people at two more stops and then we headed to the bus station.
When we got there, we were welcomed by what looked like even more chaos. Apparently, everybody had arrived at around the same time. They checked our tickets at the entrance of the bus station and again at the exit. There we were asked if we had come to the bus station independently or had a hotel pick up. Those with the hotel pick-ups were asked where they were staying. It looked like they kept people who had come to the bus station under their own steam together and sorted the people with pick-ups and drop offs so that people that were staying in the same areas of Reykjavik were on the same coach. This time round, we had two seats together near the front of the coach. That was an altogether more pleasant experience.
Soon we were on our way. Our guide introduced our driver and herself. She explained that we were heading to Thingvellir National Park, which is about a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik. We would return there later in the week during daylight. She explained a bit about Thingvellir National Park, but for most of the tour, she concentrated on the Northern Lights. She explained that what causes them and that usually the naked eye cannot see the colours and instead encouraged us to look for silver grey lines. She also gave instructions on what settings people needed for their cameras and phones. The good thing was that new iPhones automatically find the right settings. I was good to go. The aurora forecast for that evening was moderate and the weather forecast was favourable. Twice on the journey there, we were instructed not to leave the area where the coaches were parked. The terrain around there is uneven with a lot of rocks and there is an ice river adjacent to the bus parking area. She also warned us that we would be in total darkness.
We arrived at Thingvellir National Park at around 22:00 and the aurora forecast stated that the window to see the Northern Lights would open at 23:00. We were in for a bit of wait. Or so we thought. I decided to get a feel for how my phone would react to the conditions and pointed my phone towards the nearby mountains. When I looked at the photo, there was some green in the top right corner of the frame. I showed this to Graham, and he thought that this was definitely the beginning of an aurora. We had been told to stay vigilant as some just peter out, but then suddenly another one can start in a different place. Well, this one did not peter out. Shortly afterwards, there were silver grey lines and swirls everywhere. I was not quite sure where to point my phone. I had finally got my wish and had seen the Norther Lights.
At some stage, the activity stopped. I decided to us the bathroom. An interesting thing is that most bathrooms in Iceland seem to be unisex. The bathroom complex there was huge, but it was a shared facility for women and men. When I had got back from the bathroom, there was a lot of commotion and shouting. Apparently, a group of people had decided to go for a nighttime hike. Suddenly guides came from every direction. Behaviour like this makes me indescribably angry. Not only were they putting themselves and the people who had to go after them in danger, but I am pretty sure that if somebody got hurt on one of those excursions, the national park would stop the tour company from using their land, meaning potentially hundreds of thousand people every year would not be able to have the amazing experience we had.
As there was still no further sign of any activity, we decided to head back to the coach as we were starting to get cold. I was halfway up the stairs when there were shouts that the Northern Lights were back. I headed back out. They were different, but if this is even possible, they were even more spectacular.
Once they had petered out, we once again headed over to our coach. This time we had made it to our seats when the Northern Lights came back. By that time, we were a matter of minutes from our schedule departure, and we stayed put. We still got to enjoy them from the coach though.
Rather surprisingly, everybody was back on time, and we started our return trip to Reykjavik. I think I was asleep before we had even left the national park. By the time I woke up again, we were already back in Reykjavik. Rather than dropping us back off at the bus station, we were taken back to our hotels. We were the second drop off. This was such an amazing experience, and I am glad that I was able to witness this.
We got back to the hotel about half past midnight. We got ready for bed and were fast asleep by about 1:00 AM.
Dolphingirl’s Travels 
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