Yes. We are in Reykjavik again today. Got the announcement late yesterday that there was a big storm in the North Sea and it is better not to go to Kirkwall, stay put overnight and will go straight to Hamburg in two sea days, setting sail early afternoon today.
This works out great for us. After two straight days of excursions, we haven't had a chance to visit Reykjavik. Now we have the morning to see it.
We all know Iceland is expensive. Among them is 30 € for a taxi ride of 5 minutes. We were going to take it anyways for the 5 of us except that there was no taxi to be had in the morning. It could be because we were not supposed to be still in port this morning. We decided to walk. I think that is the right decision, not only because we save money, the nice cool morning air by the sea is just perfect for a walk.
Leisurely along the coast for about an hour, we were there. First visiting the Solfar sculpture I believe is the Viking ship. There was no description anywhere close to the sculpture, however. Light tourist traffic in the morning means that we got the sculpture all to ourselves for a bit for pictures. A rarity.
We visited the church, Hallgrimskirkja, up the hill next. The church is built entirely of concrete with minimal frills. I thought that is how a church should be. I never understood the elaborate decorations in all those churches. To me, they make the churches fancy because they can. It is not their money. Anyhow, I don't contribute to churches so I can't complain. This church is simple but majestic looking on the outside at a prominent hilltop location. It is perfect.
That didn't leave us much time but we did visit the famous Laugavegur Street to get some souvenirs before heading back to the ship. We saw tons of people taking advantage of this bonus time in Reykjavik taking a stroll down the shore.
For me, I am grateful to be able to stay an extra day. Otherwise I would have to find a way back to Reykjavik some other time. After researching the city for a while, it would have been a pity not to see anything. We did not visit the Perlan or the museums although we did see Videy Island right next to the ship. I might still come back if I need to go to Europe and can spare a couple of stopover days. Icelandair has been trying to let people know about this stopover option.
Laugavegur
Hallgrimskirkja
Videy Island
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