THE LAND OF ICE AND FIRE

The tiny country of Iceland (total population only 330,000) sits on the Arctic Circle and two of the listed 25 Wonders Of The World (both natural and man made) can be seen there (with luck). Most people seem to know three things about Iceland and little else - the Northern Lights can be seen here, it went bankrupt in 2008, and it's where Bjork comes from. 

 The LegsyBoys decide that this is the place to bring in the new year, and so with thermals plus hand and foot warmers at the ready, and that most important of emergency words on the tip of our tongues....

 we venture north for a four night stay in the world's northern-most capital city, Reykjavik. Two thirds of the population live here and the rest are scattered around the coast, as the centre of the island is uninhabitable (sounds familiar!); it's like visiting a regional city in Oz. Visiting Iceland is like all Scandinavian countries, the summer and winter seasons provide stark differences in what you can do and see; summer is a time of endless daylight and nowhere near as much ice and snow, whereas the winter provides just four hours of muted daylight and everything that comes with freezing conditions - including Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) which is only visible during the winter months. We've chosen the latter because we would like to see the NL if at all possible, By the time we get to the Hotel Cabin it's 6:00pm, pitch black outside and we decide to eat early. 

 It's pretty much zero (or lower) all the time and the weather changes at least six times - clear, sleet, snow, rain, clear, snow - and Liam manages to hurl 50 snowballs during the ten minutes it takes us to walk to Lauga-As seafood restaurant. There's no Icelandic Catfish available - which looks nothing like a catfish incidentally - so it's Icelandic Cod and it's delicious. 

  

Icelandic Catfish...believe it or not!

 We have a lovely meal and then brave the conditions back to the Cabin and do as the Icelanders do - settle in for a few drinks and a game of cards. 

Next morning, we head off as daylight is breaking (around 10:45am) to walk around the shoreline and take in the city. 

  

Follow those tracks...

Low clouds hover but the scenery is still spectacular, prompting Buzzy to state (not for the last time) "it's just so....white!" 

 We pass Hofdi House, where the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev took place (the meeting that resulted in bringing an end to the Cold War), 

 and the shore line is dotted with lots of unusual statues. 

Don L goes to investigate one without realising he's walking on thin ice - literally! The ice crumbled and the left leg was ankle deep in ice water - to get my balance I proceeded to step further out and both feet went through the ice. Three observers found this hysterical and asked for an encore so that they could record the moment - very funny! (Future Sponsor Plug: after extracting myself from the ice, remarkably my socks and feet were DRY! If you want to walk in freezing ice water then Don L recommends ROCKPORT walking shoes).

 The Sun Voyager sculpture by Jon Gunnar draws conflicting interpretations. Curiously, the official tourism board explanation is that it is (obviously) shaped like a viking long ship honouring the Norwegian ancestry, however the artist described it as being a dreamboat, an ode to the sun symbolizing light and hope. It was meant to point towards the setting sun but ended up facing due north; regardless, it is an impressive work.

 As we walk toward the Old Harbour we encounter one of life's great oxymorons - a fun run, with contestants decked out in all manner of costumes. 

We found Wally!

Smurfs or just cold????

The starting point is the spectacular but controversial Harpa Concert Hall. It was abandoned mid construction when the financial crisis hit and was going to be bulldozed for land fill before the government somehow funded it (for several years it was the ONLY construction work being undertaken in Iceland) and today is something of an underused white elephant - still, it looks fabulous!

In the old town we pass by the Baejarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog stand which has been in place for over 70 years - the hot dog is the unofficial national food of Iceland! 

 We walk along the city's oldest street and past the oldest timber building, and where excavations have unearthed Viking ruins from the time of first settlement in 870 AD. 

 Adjacent to Austurvollur Park, Parliament House was only built in 1881, prior to that the Alpingi (parliament) met OUTDOORS at Thingvellir National Park (hardy - and crazy - people are Icelanders when you realise where the old location is). 

Skuli Magnusson - first to industrialise Iceland

Jon Sigurdsson - led the 'independence from Denmark' movement

 A break in Cafe Paris (where else!) receives a thumbs up all round. 

Entree size nachos!

Respectable attempt - pity about the china cup!

Government House was built in 1771 and was the country's first prison and now is the Prime Minister's Office and ministerial assembly (given their parlous financial state then perhaps it's still occupied by criminals).

King Christian IX - issued the new constitution in 1874

Atop Arnarholl Hill stands the impressive statue of Ingolfur Arnarson who, according to Iceland's Book Of Settlement, was the first settler (the diggings previously mentioned have provided evidence to confirm this). 

We take a stroll up the main street 

  

and head to the edifice that dominates the city, the magnificent Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral, designed to resemble the basalt columns of Iceland's landscape. 

Out the front is a statue of Leif The Lucky (donated by the USA), the Icelander who first found America,  (Often Overlooked Fact: Leifur Eiriksson discovered America some 600 years before Columbus!). 

Inside is a superb pipe organ, and the views in every direction from the top of the tower are fantastic - and white! Much of the city looks like a miniature model village.

  

Waffle kiosk doing brisk business

Ice skaters

A quick stroll through the Einar Jonsson Sculpture Garden, full of sculptures depicting Icelandic and viking legends,

and past the CHUCK NORRIS CAFE (we resist the temptation) 

and pop into the Barber Chocolate Shop for much needed warmth. 

 Back at the hotel we learn that our NYE Northern Lights tour has been cancelled due to poor visibility. No problems, we have two more nights in reserve and we now celebrate in the capital one of the more interesting New Year celebrations we've ever experienced. On the stroke of 8:30pm, all around the city huge bonfires are lit. We find a location close to our hotel and gather around as a crowd of several hundred locals converge to drink from hip flasks and sing Icelandic folk songs. 

Soccer anyone?

Let the show begin....

A hunka hunka...

...burnin' love...

Lawrence Of Arabia popped in for a look

Folk songs by torchlight

You have no idea how HOT it was!!

In the distance we are lucky to see the Imagine Peace Tower (only turned on for special occasions, it consists of a powerful set of light rays that converge into one single beam), a work of art located on nearby Videy Island conceived as a beacon to world peace by Yoko Ono in 2007. 

Afterwards, we walk towards the city centre as the locals gather in their homes for family dinners and to watch the annual TV show that summarises the Icelandic year in Monty Python style (Fact File: It's estimated that 95% of the total population watch the programme, and the remaining 5% consists of doctors and nurses treating patients for bonfire and fireworks burns!!!). The place to be is the Cathedral, where everybody converges for the big fireworks display. 

In keeping with the crazy nature of the locals, right on 11:30pm the fireworks erupt - not a co-orodinated display from professionals but a pyrotechnic free-for-all from people standing in the crowd, at street intersections, ANYWHERE, with no thought of safety controls. 

Not my picture!!

Perfect spot to launch a rocket

Despite the occasional bit of rocket debris (!!) striking us on arms, feet and forehead, we witness one of the greatest fireworks displays we've ever seen, and in a constant snowfall. At midnight there's time for a quick peck on the cheek for anyone interested, then back to watching the display. At 12:20am we decide to head 'home', finally reaching the Cabin at 1:00am - and the fireworks are still raging; at 2:00am they are STILL going!! (Why We're Bankrupt Notice: Such an extraordinary display has one asking whether there's a fireworks factory on the island, for they are ubiquitous on every day/night. The answer is NO, they are all imported at significant cost). 

Front page of the Morgunbladid newspaper - Happy New Year

Time for some shuteye - we've only got 6 hours before our next adventure - The Golden Circle....