Reykjavik

Monday, September 12 

Our apartment in Iceland’s capital city is about 20 minutes’ drive from the center of town, where we headed this morning.  The morning was crystal clear, windy and cold and we marshaled all the clothing layers at our disposal – mid-September, and we faced more winter than we expect to all year at home!

We spent a couple of hours on a guided walking tour, led by Erik, a local graduate student in history.  He led us on a circuit through the small downtown, keeping his large group of tourists from all over the world engaged and entertained.  Almost everything here seems small scale, starting with the parliament building, the Lutheran cathedral next door, the main square they both front and where the tour began.  

As we walked along Reykjavik’s oldest quarter, we learned about the traditional construction of the brightly colored, corrugated iron-sided buildings.  Because Iceland has no forests, wood is scarce and expensive; it’s also vulnerable to Iceland’s frequent rains and winds.  Beyond the historic center, concrete is the reigning king of contemporary construction material.  

Throughout the country, buildings are heated and powered by geothermal energy, which is also used to heat water (with a distinctly sulfurous odor).  Hot water is even run through pipes under streets and roads to prevent icing and snow accumulation.  Almost every small town has an outdoor geothermal pool, often with “hot pots” (hot tubs of varying heat), saunas, and spas.  These pools have been compared to the UK’s pubs and coffee shops in the US – places where the locals come to socialize, gossip, and catch up on the news – in all kinds of weather!

We learned a bit about Iceland’s Viking heritage – warts and all – its history of gender equality, and even its linguistic complexity.  While non-natives struggle to learn Icelandic, all the country’s students receive mandatory instruction in both English and Danish at a young age.  (For much of its history, Iceland was ruled by Denmark.)

Speaking of education, it’s all free – from kindergarten at 18 months through doctoral studies, medical and law school.  Free health care is seen as an expression of the right of every citizen to the same level of care.  Maternity leave (fully paid, and with position secure) is increasing from six months to on year; the same quality of paternity leave will move from three months to six.  Five weeks’ vacation is standard, as are portable pensions.  All this is paid for by income tax rates that range from 37 to 46% and a VAT (sales) tax rates of 15 – 25%.  Crime rates are VERY low, educational levels are high, and average life spans are high.

A personal observation here: high sales taxes and the fact that almost everything has to be imported to this island nation mean that prices are very high.  This is probably the most expensive country we’ve ever visited.

A bit farther along on our tour route, we reached a hill above the harbor, where we had a good view of Harpa, Reykjavik’s new concert and conference center.  We returned later in the day to see the interior. The building’s exterior is composed of multi-colored glass geometric shapes whose appearance changes as the light varies.  The interior ceiling, of silvery geometric shapes, soars above a multi-level atrium.

The tour ended at City Hall, situated on the shore of Lake Tjornin, which is ringed with buildings of civic, cultural, and religious import.  Near one of the entrances to the building, we were amused to see a statue dedicated to the honor of The Unknown Bureaucrat!  It depicts the lower half of a briefcase-carrying man with his torso and head encased in a large boulder.  

You’ve probably realized that our tour was very comprehensive; Erik covered a lot!
On our own, we checked out Harpa and then the Hallsgrimkirkja, Iceland’s largest church; it looms over the city from a hilltop location.  Finished in 1986, it took almost 40 years to complete.  The soaring white concrete design was inspired by the long shapes that form when lava cools into basalt columns. The interior is plain, with stark Gothic arches in white concrete and a massive organ, with over 5,000 pipes.

The sun had disappeared, but the wind and chill had not, and by mid-afternoon we decided we’d had enough of being cold. We ended our day with a stop at a massive shopping mall, as we’d come perilously close to running out of happy hour necessities, and then headed for home.