Pingvellir and Reykjavik

Oh, what a pity - our days here in the great outdoors are already over and we have to pack up.

Our things are quickly stowed away and oh miracle, we actually ate our 4 full shopping bags - only the delicious jam has to stay here 😳 no one wants a sweet mess in their suitcase 😀

Today we are already heading back to the airport. On the way there, there are a few sights waiting for us. One truly impressive place is Pingvellir - where the Eurasian and American plates meet. The two plates are still moving - depending on the political situation, towards each other or away from each other 😀 nah, just kidding - those are truly unimaginable forces at work here, and we humans are tiny particles.

From Pingvellir, we continue on to Reykjavik. 60% of all Icelanders live in Reykjavik. In total, Iceland has fewer inhabitants than Dresden - about 336,000. Yes, and that's how Reykjavik presents itself, very urban. The largest building is the Hallgrimskirkja. It looks like a rocket ready to launch from the front. Google knows, 'The church is named after the poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674), who had a significant influence on Iceland's spiritual life with his sermons and poems.' AND

'Already in 1937, the state architect Guðjón Samúelsson (1887–1950) presented the plans for the Hallgrímskirkja, which was to become the largest church in the country. But it wasn't until 1986 that the church could be consecrated, one day before the 312th anniversary of Hallgrímur Pétursson's death ... and in the year that Reykjavík celebrated its 200th anniversary as a city.'

The church's organ is 15 meters high and was created by an organ builder from Bonn 😀 there they are again, the diligent Germans.

Inside, the church is very simple and both inside and outside it resembles an ice crystal.

And it's nice and warm inside - of course, there's underfloor heating 😀

Afterwards, we head to the city of Reykjavik and find a cute typical restaurant - the menu naturally features lamb and fish 😀

Strengthened, we continue towards the Saga Museum. Here we learn vividly how Iceland was discovered and settled by Norwegian and Swedish sailors.

Full of impressions, we start towards the hotel with Viking stories in our heads. After 45 minutes of driving, we find it surrounded by lava rocks.

We check into our rooms and end the day in the lounge with wine, champagne, water, and a game of dominoes.

No Northern Lights can be seen today, it's totally cloudy.

We are looking forward to tomorrow. Then we will see more of the surroundings. Tschau 🙋🏻