REYKJARVIK, ICELAND
Today, we arrived at our final Icelandic port, the capital city of Iceland, Reykjarvik.
After a bit of a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast, we headed for the gangway on Deck 5 and went ashore. The port is about a 10-minute coach drive from the town centre, and there was a free shuttle bus at our disposal. We decided, however, to walk along the coastal path into Reykjarvik and catch the bus back, last bus back being 5.30pm.
Having been here before, we knew of a little gem that we wanted to take a look at along the way, known as The Ravens House. It is a building constructed entirely from recycled materials, and looks quite odd, but is – once you take a closer look – really quite fascinating.
The house belonged to singer Bjork once upon a time, and then to film director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, who is best known for the movie ‘When the Raven Flies’ (1984), hence the name. It is now a museum featuring the works of Sigurjon Olafsson, who was one of Iceland’s most well known sculptors and abstract artist.
At first glance the house looks like a sprawling pile of junk. It is only when you walk around it that its creative brilliance reveals itself. It’s a curious place; last time we visited, we were unsure whether or not we were even permitted to walk around it – it feels very personal, and oddly intimate. Since then, a few signs have been added, inviting visitors to walk around it and enjoy the works of art on display., which is what we did… and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Continuing on our coastal walk, we passed Hofol House. Today it is used as the mayor’s reception hall, but in 1986 it was the location for a historic Summit meeting between the US President Ronald Reagan and the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.
Soon after, we took a diversion from the coast road and headed into town, uphill towards the Cathedral. It’s a popular place for visitors to congregate, and today was no exception. When we went inside, lots of folks were sat on the pews waiting expectantly as an organist sat at the keyboard to the huge organ, apparently preparing to play something. When he did, it was such an awful din that many people left. My theory is that he wasn’t the organist at all, but an organ tuner or someone employed to check it out, as many of the things he was playing sounded like they had a purpose… just not the purpose of entertaining a crowd with beautiful music.
We stopped for a hot drink at one of the small, nearby cafes before heading down to the lake alongside Reykjarvik’s City Hall and gravitating back towards the distinctive Harpa Concert Hall, where we caught the shuttle bus back to the ship.
Tracey’s cold is getting better, but very slowly. We were back on board ship in time for lunch, but she didn’t fancy it, so I dashed upstairs and ate alone. Also, come dinner time, it was clear that the best course of action was for us to order our evening meal via Room Service again. Hopefully, she’ll be feeling better by tomorrow, as we will be at sea again, which means art classes…
The weather has taken a turn for the worse. So much so that our departure from Reykjarvik was delayed until 9pm in the hopes of avoiding the heavy winds and rough seas that have whipped up during the day, although the captain did warn us that things were still likely to get a bit rough…
