I will never forget the evening I arrived in Iceland. At 11:30 pm, I was sitting on a bus heading towards Reykjavík—picture this: an empty single-lane road with black asphalt and yellow lines, surrounded by lava fields covered in autumn-coloured vegetation. The almost-setting sun cast a golden glow over the landscape, making an already stunning view absolutely spectacular. It was the most breathtaking sunset I had seen since arriving in Iceland.
But luckily, I managed to capture a few more in my camera lens.
Feel free to take a look! 😉
Þúfa
Before arriving in Iceland, I searched the internet for Reykjavík’s “hidden” sights and came across this—Þúfa. There wasn’t much written about it, but it looked interesting—a small hill in the middle of the harbour, offering a better view of the city. And the best part? It was only 350 metres from my workplace.
BUT…
There was one little issue…
That 350 metres was an air distance. In reality, the actual walk stretched to 1.5 km, and it felt like with every step forward, the hill moved half a step further away. To put it into perspective, one of the guides from our pier gave up halfway and turned back. He only managed to reach it a few days later.
Þúfa is an art installation with an interesting backstory. The company that owns the nearby industrial building (on the right) was only allowed to build their facilities under the condition that they would contribute something beneficial to the local community. And so, they created this hill—a place with a great view, an interesting design, and a practical purpose: on top of it stands a traditional Icelandic fish-drying hut.
There was a special “protocol” for visiting—only one group at a time was allowed up, they had three minutes for photos, and then it was the next group’s turn. To keep the pictures “clean.” A photographer overtook me on the way up, then I caught up with him, and soon after, two Polish visitors took over the area.
I didn’t mind—I liked having some life in my pictures. He, on the other hand… was patiently waiting for everyone to leave.
Every corner of the city is under construction.
And on every corner, people are drinking. Traditional Icelandic drinks? Not so much. It seems that, for tourists, Coca-Cola is still the non-alcoholic beverage of choice…
Rainbow Days
Reykjavík Pride is a huge celebration that lasted over a week—from August 8th to 17th—culminating in the Pride Parade. There were more people with rainbow accessories than without. Events were happening all over the city, and the atmosphere was pleasant.
A museum with a dome on top, surrounded by six tanks storing 24,000,000 litres of Reykjavík’s geothermal water. It stands on a 60-metre-high hill, near the domestic airport, slightly away from the city centre.
This was my first running destination—and after my next visit, it became my favourite.
There was no one around. All the tourists arrive from the other side, head straight into the building, check out the “Wonders of Iceland” exhibition, take a few pictures from the viewing platform, and then leave—straight onto their bus.
Once, I got the chance to explore the inside. The exhibitions and everything else inside are definitely worth seeing! It truly opened my eyes. Maybe I’ll share some of my thoughts in a later post.
So, a long, windy (proof on the last photo) walk home it was…
Even though Reykjavík isn’t a huge city, you’ll still find multi-lane roads. And my advice is—before you step onto the street, while you’re on the street, and even just before stepping onto the sidewalk on the other side—LOOK CAREFULLY around you!
I’ve noticed that drivers here have an odd habit: when they see a red light, they check if there are any pedestrians about to cross—if they don’t see one, they keep driving. If they do, they stop. And, well… if there’s a queue of cars at the traffic light, they might not see you behind them and… you get the idea.
“Kirkja” = Church
So far, I’ve only had the chance to properly visit three churches in Reykjavík. I’ve noticed they all have one thing in common—a (football) field nearby.
The first day or two, I was wondering what kind of alarm my housemates had—it kept ringing every few minutes, with an incredibly strange sound. And they hadn’t managed to turn it off all day…
Weird.
The answer? Hallgrímskirkja. Every 15 minutes, this famous church rings its bells—still to this day. And by the way, it’s absolutely beautiful inside—very minimalist. I’ve been meaning to go to an organ concert there for a while now.
This is how it looked at 10 pm, through my window.
These were some highlights from my sunset walks. I must admit, the motivation for photography at this hour is fading, as it’s often freezing by then.
Still, I think part 2 is coming.
Every new day is a gift. Unwrap it!
<3, Alenka