I arrived in Iceland a day early due to an airline strike, which means that I have two days to expend in Iceland’s capitol, Reykjavik. This city is quirky; buildings are colorfully lop-sided, psychedelic murals twist and swirl over walls, and hundreds of what I’d call knick-knack shops litter the streets. Yet the city is growing. Modern towers are rising everywhere you look, supported by literally dozens of yellow cranes crisscrossing the grey sky. Iceland’s capitol is clearly undergoing a transformation.
As I have no interest in photographing people and only a minimal interest in photographing architecture…I decided to find the most architecturally interesting spots (a subjective analysis, of course). With my rain jacket, waterproof camera, and covered backpack, I allowed Google Maps to lead me through the drizzle to Hallgrimskirkja, a Lutheran parish church which also happens to be the tallest church in the country. It was 8AM, yet the surrounding area and interior buzzed (or should I say clicked) with the sound of dozens of photographers, each with a camera matching or exceeding my own in quality.
Right away, while I was framing a shot, an older man with a lovely Sony A7r ordered me out of his way, as I was blocking his view. Very rude! I was there first, after all. Not wanting to initiate an altercation, I obliged. I did, however, intentionally block at least seven of his other photographs at the last moment, just as he was preparing to press the shutter. That’s called photo bombing, right?
Onwards, I trekked up a large hill via gravel pathways to Perlan, a building comprised of four massive stone cylinder connected by a domed, glass cylinder in the middle. It used to be a hot water storage facility (and maybe still is?), but now the center structure is a museum and restaurant. One of the other cylinders used to hold the Saga Museum, but that has since been moved to a larger location. My favorite bit was the artificial geyser, which spat a massive plume of water into the air at regular intervals. My least favorite bit was the bus of Chinese tourists, which released a torrent of very loud. (Yes, I intentionally ended the previous sentence like that.)
After I’d had my fun with the water fountain, I walked towards the center of town, where I saw lots of boats, sculptures, and the Harpa concert hall, a fairly new and modern looking glass structure. I also ate fish and chips. Yum!