Our Tour Begins

Dec 9: Sunrise 11:05a - Sunset 3:34p

We met in the hotel lobby at 10:45a for our 11a departure on our tour. Our Guide is GUNNUR ROBERTSDOTTIR a nice woman maybe in her mid 30's to 40's. There are possibly 32-33 people in our group. Some were not there to begin the tour for today. Possible flight delays or who knows. 

We have a full sized bus that is fairly comfortable. We drove by the iconic Höfði House. We didn't get out because it is just a few minute walk from our hotel so we can get photos later if we desire. 

We stopped at the closed art museum to glimpse the artwork of Ásmundur Sveinsson and Einar Jónsson, both famous Icelandic artists. We walked around the sculpture garden and heard different stories about the sculptures depicting normal life in Iceland. 

We drove on to the presidential residence at Bessastadir, which was out of the city so we saw different sites and nice views of the mountains and water. Their president has no real power and everyone loves him. This is a very old church on the grounds with the president's residence. Church was in session so it was a quick stop so we could depart before church was let out. The road in and out is small, it's a stretch to consider it two lanes. 

Next was our most impressive stop at Perlan. We had a ticket the observation deck, which is where we spent out time there. I will say it was bitterly cold in the wind on the observation deck BUT such fantastic views 360 degrees. There is a restaurant where some had a snack but we didn't. They also have gift shops, etc. We would like to go back there and see the newest part that opened, called Wonders Of Iceland. Gunnur told us there is a shuttle to bring us here so maybe we will go there Wednesday morning when we have free time. Perlan is built in an abandoned water storage system. Apparently, there are more of these structures converted into other useful things since they are no longer used for water storage. 

 Sunset!

Now we are headed back to Reykjavik and a visit to Hallgrim’s (Hallgrimskirkja) Church and the University District. The biggest organ in Iceland is in this church. We were impressed because when we went inside their choir was practicing a Christmas hymn-Oh Come All Ye Faithful. We decided to listen to that instead of the trip up to the tower. We are told the views are great but it is hard to believe the views would top our last stop. 

We drove through the town and dropped off a few people at the Harpa Concert Hall where they wanted to go and do some shopping. Along our route today we also passed the Old Town Center, Parliament House, and the modern City Hall. 

We had a brief meeting with the group in the lobby at 6p and went on to the amazing buffet at 6:30p. We even had a glass of complementary wine with our dinner. What a feast it is! Appetizers, at least 4 salads, shrimp and smoked salmon, etc. The meat dishes were turkey, crisp pork belly, beef wellington, and a few others I don't recall at the moment. Side dish vegetables included potatoes augratin, Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, and more. Numerous sauces and jellies. who knows what to put those on! There were many breads and rolls an other assorted things. I have never seen such decorated desserts! Our guide says it is the best time of the year to visit Iceland because the food is eceptional for the month of December! 

The wind is certainly blowing tonight. It was quite chilly with tiny amounts of snow falling when we took a short after dinner walk. We have everything laid out for our Golden Circle tour tomorrow.