Reykjavík

There are two city that i love and really want to visit, first is seoul and second is reykjavik. But in this post i will tell you all bout reykjavik city because not many peopel know this place.

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland and with an urban area population of around 200,000, it is the home of the vast majority of Iceland's inhabitants. It is the centre of culture and life of the Icelandic people as well as being one of the focal points of tourism in Iceland. The city itself is spread out, with sprawling suburbs. The city centre, however, is a very small area characterized by eclectic and colourful houses, with good shopping, dining, and drinking. There is no need to tip anyone, despite all too many restaurants and shops having tip jars besides their cash register. Off-road driving (in all of Iceland) is illegal and huge fines are imposed when you are caught.

A part of Reykjavík's colourful old town. Tjörnin, with the city hall, is in the centre.

You should know that the weather in Reykjavík is notoriously unpredictable. One minute the sun may be shining on a nice summers day, the next it may change into a windy, rainy autumn. Temperatures in Reykjavík are quite bland: They don't go very high in the summer, nor do they go much below zero during winter. It follows that the differences between seasons are relatively small compared to what people experience on either side of the Atlantic.

January is the coldest month and usually has some snow, while there is frequently no snow on the ground during Christmas in December. Summer is without a doubt the favorite season of most Reykjavík inhabitants. Many of them seem to imagine their city is slightly warmer than it really is and it takes little to get them to start wearing shorts and t-shirts, or to go sunbathing in parks. Don't think too much about how silly it may seem, just join them in enjoying the season!

Wind is the main problem with the Reykjavík weather. The city is quite open to the seas, and the winds can be strong and chilling to the bone. Windy spots generally feel significantly colder than those with more shelter.

Things you see in this Reykjavik!

Walking in Reykjavík is highly recommended, as many attractions are within walking distance from the hotel area. The city is very beautiful, and the sidewalk and pathway system is first-rate. Reykjavík drivers are in general very friendly, and will sometimes stop for you even when there is no crossing facility.

Parks and open areas

Tjörnin (The Pond). A small lake in the centre of the city where young and old often gather to feed the ducks. The Icelandic name, Tjörnin, literally means "The Pond". Tjörnin is mostly surrounded by a park called Hljómskálagarðurinn (Music Pavillion Park) which gets very popular in good weather. The southern end of Tjörnin links it to the Vatnsmýri swamp, a small bird reserve with paths open to the public except during egg hatching season. Built into Tjörnin on the northern side is Reykjavík City Hall.

Tjörnin (The Pond)

Reykjavík Botanical Gardens (Grasagarður Reykjavíkur), In Laugardalur. The Reykjavík Botanical Gardens are not large, but they're nice for a short stroll and a good place to see some of the plants that grow in Iceland. Free.

Reykjavík Botanical Gardens

Hólavallagarður cemetery, (on the western edge of Tjörnin pond). The name means "garden on a hill." Overlooking Tjörnin pond, it is one of the largest and oldest cemeteries in Iceland. It offers a rare opportunity to experience an old birch and rowan forest in Iceland. The maze of graves nestles in with moss, lichens, and more than 100 other species of trees and plants. Art historian Björn Th. Björnsson has described it as "the largest and oldest museum in Reykjavik", a place where "a living exhibition and history opens itself to anyone who can read the hand of the sculptor and discern from symbols and types of font the thoughts and deeds of the dead." Many renowned 19th and 20th century Icelanders are buried here. The grave of Jón Sigurðsson, the most important leader of Iceland's independence movement, is found here. Its lack of ostentation speaks volumes about Iceland's egalitarian ideals.

Hólavallagarður cemetery

Öskjuhlíð.

A forested hill that is situated east of Reykjavík airport. It contains the building Perlan, where there are panoramic views over the city. There are many paths in the forest some of which lead to nearby Fossvogur cemetary. During the Second World War the United States Army occupation force built various bunkers on the hill. Remnants of them can be found close to the Bowling alley Keiluhöllin.

Ægissíða and southern coast.

Along the southwestern coast of Reykjavík there is a path along the sea that leads from the neighbourhood of Vesturbær and further along the southern coast to the Nauthólsvík beach and Öskjuhlíð. The path continues to Fossvogur Valley.

Fossvogur valley.

Along the boundaries of Reykjavík and Kópavogur there is a long, narrow, green area and a path for pedestrians and cyclists; Fossvogsdalur( Fossvogur valley)

Elliðaárdalur. Elliðaárdalur is a valley where the adjacent rivers Elliðaár run through. As with Öskjuhlíð a forest has been grown there and hiking paths created. There is an old hydroelectric powerstation there and a museum that focuses on the history of electrification and heating in Reykjavík. The folk museum of Árbæjarsafn is on an edge of the valley. The suburbs of Árbær and Breiðholt encircle the valley.

Buildings

Reykjavík has a very eclectic building style, which is mainly the result of bad (or no) planning. Many of the oldest houses still standing are wooden buildings covered in brightly coloured corrugated iron. Don't be surprised to see that the next buildings down the street are an ultra-modernistic functionalist cube followed by early 20th century neoclassical concrete. Some of the most interesting buildings you'll see in Reykjavík are those you find wandering about. Some deserve a special mention, however.

Alþingi, Kirkjustræti (by Austurvöllur). On the southern edge of Austurvöllur is a small building of hewn stone, but don't let its size fool you. This is the building of the Icelandic parliament, known as Alþingi. The institution has in fact long since outgrown the building which was built in 1881 for a nation of a little over 60,000. Today the upper floors of most houses on the north and west sides of the park also house parliamentary offices. The Alþingi building today houses only the debating chamber of the unicameral institution and the party meeting rooms. When Alþingi is in session it is possible to go up to the viewing platforms and follow the debates, otherwise it is necessary to be part of a group to see the building from the inside.

City Hall (Ráðhúsið), Tjarnargata 11 (on the northern edge of Tjörnin). One of the best examples of late 20th century architecture in Iceland, built into Tjörnin (The Pond). On the ground floor, which is open to the public, there is a large relief map of the whole country as well as a café and an exhibition hall.

City Hall (Ráðhúsið)

Reykjavík Cathedral (Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík), (by Austurvöllur). The church beside the parliament is Reykjavík cathedral, the head Lutheran church of the country. Similarly deceptive in size, it has been beautifully renovated both inside and out to reflect its original 18th century architecture.

Hallgrímskirkja, Skólavörðuholti, (hallgrimskirkja@hallgrimakirkja.is). Mass: Sunday 11am; Church tower open daily 9am - 5pm on winter time (October - May) and on summer time 9am - 9pm (June - September). Admission to the tower: 900 kr., children (7 - 14) 100 kr.. This can't miss attraction towers over the city on top of a hill. In front is a statue of Leif Ericsson (Leifur Eiríksson in Icelandic), the Norse explorer who sailed to North America in the 10th century. The United States gave this statue to Iceland in 1930, in honor of the 1,000th anniversary of the Althingi, the Iceland parliament.

Hallgrímskirkja chruch

Seltjarnarneskirkja, Seltjarnarnes. 10km far from the center of the city (northwest), you can find a church with a very interesting architecture (Horður Björnsson & Horður Harðarson; 1989). If you like architecture and or churches, it worth the visit.

Imagine Peace Tower, Viðey Island. Yoko Ono's memorial to John Lennon, projecting a "tower of light" into the air that can be seen from around Reykjavík. The tower is turned on October 9th-December 8th, December 21st-28th, December 31st and March 21st-28th.

Perlan (The Pearl), (on the top of Öskjuhlíð). 10am - 9pm. An iconic building on top of a wooded hill called Öskjuhlíð, to the southeast of the city centre. Perlan is built on top of five hot water storage tanks and offers fantastic views of the entire city both from a viewing platform open to the public and a rotating restaurant at the top. If the restaurant is too expensive for you (it is for most), there is also a small cafeteria on the same floor as the viewing platform.

Things you can do in Reykjavik.

There is a lot to do in Reykjavík, despite being a small city. There is a vibrant music scene with concerts most evenings in the centre of the city. For theatre enthusiasts the city boasts two main theatres staging around 10 plays a year each, both domestic and foreign, as well as a number of smaller theatre groups specialising in different kinds of modern theatre.

There are a number of opportunities to experience at least a bit of Icelandic nature without leaving the city itself, and outdoors activities in the immediate vicinity of the city are easy to find. And no visit to Reykjavík would be complete without going to at least one of the geothermal pools.

Music and theatre

Reykjavík has a remarkably active cultural scene for a city of its size. There are a number of art galleries, theaters and concert venues. Some of these are listed below, but many of the places mentioned in the “drink” section below also frequently host concerts. There are no dedicated literary locations listed here, but for book readings it may be best to visit book stores and libraries and ask the staff what's coming up.

Nordic House (Norræna húsið), Sturlugata 5 (in Vatnsmýri, south of Tjörnin), ☎ +354 551 7030(nh@nordice.is). exhibition space open Tue-Sun 12-17, irregular opening hours for other events but the building is generally open during office hours. A cultural centre located in Vatnsmýri, just south of the city centre. Art exhibitions, concerts, poetry readings and other cultural events frequently take place here.

Harpa, Austurbakki 2 .The new home of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and regularly host to other acts as well. Delayed by the economic collapse, this building was under construction for several years before finally opening in May 2011. This marked the end of a long wait for the symphony orchestra, who had been using a cinema as their main venue the last 50 years. Today the symphony plays a concert every Thursday evening from September through June (although often at other times as well), but the building is rarely empty at other times with Iceland's lively music scene having embraced this new location.

Harpa concert hall and conference center

Festivals

At least three times a year, Reykjavík comes out to celebrate.

Culture Night (Menningarnótt), . Third saturday of August. This is the biggest date in the cultural calendar of Reykjavík. What started out in 1996 as only an evening celebration today starts already in the morning with the Reykjavík Marathon. The day progresses with ever more cultural activities, most of them free, in central Reykjavík and culminates in several huge concerts and a fireworks show by the harbour. Attendance is usually around 100,000 or half of the population of the city.

Gay Pride (Hinsegin dagar). Early August.Icelanders are proud of their LGBT community, and every August they show it with one of the biggest annual festivals in Reykjavík. Typically a parade will wind its way through the city with floats of varying degrees of outrageousness. It then ends at Arnarhóll with a large outdoors concert. Gay bars and bars that normally don't self-identify as gay alike tend to be very full this evening. In the preceding days there are various events celebrating LGBT culture.

National Day (17. júní). It may come as a surprise, but the National Day celebrations on June 17th every year are probably the smallest of the three festivals mentioned here. Nonetheless, it is a public holiday day of festivities in the city where people (especially families with children) celebrate the date Iceland was declared a republic in 1944. The date itself was selected because it is the birthday of the Icelandic independence hero Jón Sigurðsson.

The city also annually hosts a music festival and an international film festival, both take place over several days in the city centre.

Iceland Airwaves. Last weekend in October.A music festival held in pubs, bars and clubs in downtown Reykjavík. It literally takes over the city for a few days in October. Airwaves prides itself of frequently having artists on the line-up that are just about to make it and become world famous, before you've ever heard of them. They usually have a wide selection of both Icelandic and international acts, but keep the "big names" to a minimum. Book early, in 2011 the tickets sold up 5 weeks in advance.

Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), Late September. Several days of excellent cinema. Screenings of most Icelandic productions of the last year, short and feature length as well as documentaries, and the best of what's happening around the world. The main prize, the Golden Puffin, is awarded in a category called "New Visions" which is limited to directors' first or second films.

The city also annually hosts an arts festival that takes place over several days in the city centre.

Reykjavík Arts Festival (Listahátíð í Reykjavík), This festival is said to be one of Northern Europe’s oldest and most esteemed arts festivals. Celebrated each year in May.

Budget for meal

Food in Iceland can be expensive. In order not to break the bank, you'll need to be smart when eating. On the budget side, you're mostly looking at international-type fast food options common to what you'd find in Europe and America.

10-11 is a chain of convenience stores (open 24/7) with plenty of ready-to-eat items such as sandwiches, wraps, and surprisingly enough, tacos. 10-11 is always open but also more expensive than supermarkets, that's why you see most Icelanders shop for food at Bónus (open 10-18), a low-cost supermarket chain. Even better, you can find a fish shop which will sell you some ridiculously fresh and absolutely delicious fish, at a very reasonable price, and cook it yourself with some potatoes and vegetables. It'll be really nice. The fish shop could be in Kolaportið, a downtown market which only opens on weekends, or alternatively you could look up one of the many fish shops (fiskbúð) all around town.

Despite the beautiful places, another reason why i love this city is because reykjavik is considered one of the safest city in the world. Just be sure to avoid the fights that break out amongst the most intoxicated partiers in bars and most often on the street on weekends. However most people are incredibly friendly and police are also friendly and very helpful.

Maybe, now i just see this city by internet. But I hope someday i can visit this city.

Thanks for read.

Photo
Credit : wikitravel