Tuesday, 10/13 Reykjavik , Water Aerobics, Settlement Museum, Hallgrimskirkja, Northern Lights

 Tuesday, 10/13

This morning we enjoyed the hotel's free breakfast which is quite a buffet.  Eggs and bacon, potatoes, lots of fresh fruit (surprise!), their special yogurt called skyr with various toppings, assorted pastries and deli meat and cheeses, juices, coffee plus some things I probably forgot! 

Instead of doing the "touristy" heated pools like Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon, we opt to go to a local pool called Laugardalslaug. There are many pools for residents throughout Reykjavik and this one is the largest and is within walking distance of the hotel.  PLUS it has a water aerobics class that I thought would be fun since at home, Gwynne teaches it and Greg and I regularly attend a class.

It is a short walk through a small neighborhood and past a school. Someone tells us that the reason so many Icelandic names are so long is that they often are a description, like "lake between the mountain and the river. "

 We got a kick out of their traffic sign which shows the limit, then flashes your speed with either a happy face or frown, depending on your speed.

Entry is $36 for the three of us (Blue Lagoon can be $100 or more EACH.)  We have to leave shoes outside the locker room. In the locker room, we strip and shower before donning our swimsuits and dashing outside to the pool.   

The air temp is about 42 and water temp 85 in this pool.  It is a hoot to see the male instructor on the deck donned in parka, hat with ear flaps, gloves and warm pants. It is a large pool with probably 35 or so people, maybe 8-10 men and the rest women about our age.  They are very welcoming and quickly establish where we're from, etc.  Everyone's English is excellent.

 The instructor speaks Icelandic but we have no trouble following his lead.  Similar exercises to what we're used to, although less aerobic and a shorter class.  No photography allowed, so we later asked Dave (our go-to tech guy!) to use AI to generate an approximate picture based on our description.  It is pretty darn close! 

When class finishes we are invited to join a circle of many participants while they hold hands and sing a song (in Icelandic) First verse we move to the right, second to the left. One woman says it is a happy song about walking and enjoying life.  Then most of them head to a hot tub area.  We try out the next pool, which is slightly warmer, then join them for some more chat. We learn that they have class in all weather and there are a few photos inside showing snow. One man admits that it is a bit more difficult to get motivated in snow, but he says he always feels better afterwards.

This is a photo of the pool in snow.  Note the stadium.  There are lanes and starting blocks, and someone tells us that swimming is a very big deal in Iceland.

There are several other pools of differing temperatures and the largest includes slides.  We are surprised to see quite a few kids arrive and learn that they come here from school for PE class!  We were warned about a possible sulfur smell to the water, but it isn't detectable to us. Highly recommend!

This evening we have a Northern Lights tour beginning at 9:00, but the day is free so we consult a Rick Steves book that a friend lent to Gwynne, and decide to try part of a walking tour listed there.

We begin with a taxi ride to the very oldest part of the city at Ingolfur square, named after the first permanent settler around 870AD. 

puffins and polar bears

Vikings on a rooftop

Obviously a touristy area with some of the added touches.

 The book provides information as we wind through some narrow cobbled streets. 

We visit the Settlement Exhibit museum which has part of an excavated longhouse and scant artifacts. Most of the early settlers were men from Norway, while most early women were Celtic.

We make our way to Laugavegur street which will eventually lead us the Hallsgrimkirkja, our final destination.  This street is full of colorful buildings, restaurants and shops.  Gwynne is searching for a particular style glass with icelandic designs, so we stop at several gift shops.  Lots and lots of stuffed puffins, whales, and "souvenirs" (via China).  (She finds one later on line.)  Beth & Greg do find the requisite Christmas ornament.

We stop for an Icelandic hot dog. It has crispy fried onion and a tomato sauce on the bottom of the bun, a hot dog, and then a topping of a sweet brown icelandic mustard and a creamy remoulade sauce.  Quite tasty!  A taxi driver later laughingly tells us not to ask what's in the hot dog, though I'd read it was beef and lamb.

Next is Rainbow Street (Skolavordustigur in Icelandic).  It was initially painted as a temporary exhibit to showcase the city's support for the LGBTQ+ community in 2015.  However, its popularity led to its permanent installation.

Then on to Hallsgrimkirkja, the huge Lutheran cathedral that is visible from all over the city. Consecrated in 1948,  it features a beautiful organ with 5,275 pipes!  

The pews can be flipped to face the alter for church services or the organ for recitals.  You can see some different letters in the Icelandic writing - they have 36 letters in their alphabet!

We take an elevator to the tower for wonderful views of the city.  You can see the distant rain storm south of the city.  

And we are up there to hear the bell toll the half hour - loud!

Nearby outside is a statue of Leif Ericson which was donated to the city by the US in 1930 to celebrate 1000 years of Iceland's national parliament.

A taxi conveniently pulls in to a designated area, so we head back to the hotel.  We walk to an Asian restaurant called Ning's for dinner. 

We order an assortment of small dishes and fried rice to share.  It is nice and hot and very good!

At 9:00 a bus arrives and we,  along with several others from the hotel, hop aboard.  It takes us to another bus station where we board a bus to take us outside of the city for dark skies.  The driver explains the science of the northern lights and emphasizes their unpredictable nature. She also mentions that many photos you see of the lights are processed to be brighter and more colorful.  Patience is key, she says.

Gwynne's captures

The field we stop at is occupied by several busloads of people, not ideal as most everyone has a phone pointed skyward and each phone is emitting some light. Beth struggles to get the tripod and camera set up without light and adjusts things.  The temperature is air the low 30's and the little dipper and other stars are visible, so at least we have some clear skies.  Those with phones seem to be picking up some green lights, though none are visible to the naked eye.  Gwynne gets a few decent shots, but Beth doesn't. Oh well.

Back to the hotel around 12:30 or so.   No rain today!!