Hallgrimskirkja Church tower

View of Reykjavik from Hallgrímskirkja

The well known church towering above Reykjavik is called Hallgrimskirkja or the chruch of Hallgrímur.
It was named after Hallgrímur Pétursson One of our most famous religious poets. 
It was commissioned in 1938 and was completed in 1992 meaning that it took 48 years to build.

The tower has been a popular place to visit both for tourists and locals because on a good day the view is spectacular and you can see for miles around.

I took the following pictures not so long ago on a family outing to the tower.
Yes, it's fascinating for locals too.

North Iceland

Home of Akureyri, Myvatn, Grimsey island, and so much more.

Of course we can't see all that from the tower but we do see the mountain Esja, a favorite hiking spot for those living in Reykjavik. 

If you look closely you can see the shadow of the tower looming over the city.

There are some pretty nice, yet barren, islands between Reykjavik and Esja, the most interesting one is Viðey, you can catch a boat from the old harbor to spend a day in Viðey where there is a small church, a café and horse rental as well as Yoko Ono's Peace Light.

South Iceland

Who hasn't heard of the Blue Lagoon, well, that's where you'll find it. Along with Keflavik International Airport, the Golden circle route boasting Gullfoss and Geysir, and one of our national parks, Þingvellir where the parliament of Iceland Alþingi was held in Viking days.

From Hallgrimskirkja tower you get a view over Bessastaðir, the home of the President of Iceland since we declared our independence in 1944. Closer at hand you can see Nauthólsvík, a geothermally heated beach which Icelanders like to visit every now and then. It has warmish waters and a hot pool for those not willing to risk a swim in the Atlantic ocean. Admission  is free, so bring a towel.

East Iceland

That is where you will find the Icelandic reindeer, jumping about eating the heather in the highlands. You may also want to stop at Egilsstadir on the banks of Lagarfljót lagoon and Hallormsstaðarskógur the biggest forested area in Iceland.


From the tower you can see over most of Reykjavik as it stretches inland from the harbor. Though it is a tightly packed city with lots of houses there are plenty of nice green areas in between where the locals like to spend sunny days.

West Iceland

Where my mom lives.
And it also has the Snæfellsnes peninsula and Snæfellsnes Glacier, Reykholt, beautiful nature and Borgarnes which is a surprisingly interesting little town that I am sure to mention again and again.

Reykjavik is the Northenmost capital in the world and from this part of the tower we have great view of the city center. It is full of life with the Harpa music hall, the National museum of Iceland, which you can see if you squint, the University of Iceland and more.

From the top of Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik harbor is visible in the background. In the high season of the Icelandic summer the harbor is visited by many cruse ships bringing visitors to Iceland.

Weather in Iceland

Weather in Iceland

Veður á Íslandi

I am not joking when I say we don't get weather in Iceland...
We get samples of it.

Ok you got me. I am joking.

But it's kind of true.
In one summers day we may have
Rain
Wind
Sleet
Snow
Sun
No wind at all
And beautiful sunsets like this one taken at Seljalandsfoss last summer with my family.


This does of course lead to the development of sayings like
There's no such thing as bad weather
Only the wrong clothing.
 Meaning you have to dress for the weather.
If the weather in Iceland is effecting you in such a way that you feel you have to complain about it, well then, you're doing it wrong.

And you have to pay attention to he weather forecast.
It is definitely not a time waster.

Weather forecast in Iceland

Here we have the national weather forecast office.
"Veðurstofa Íslands"

It gives the most accurate information possible on the weather and updates regularly over the day.
The weather is also updated on the radio every hour on the hour and then we have a thorough forecast for the next few days on the news in the evenings.

The Icelandic meteorological office has a  website in English that I recommend people check out if they are going to travel in Iceland, especially if they are heading off the beaten path.

Icelandic language and the Weather in Iceland

Off the top of my head I can recall these words for snow.
Different types of snow.

Snjór - generic term for snow
Hagl - hail
Él - blizzard snow
Drífa - big flakes in a blizzard
Fönn - White snow
Mjöll - White snow
Slydda - Wet snow, almost rain
Klaki - frozen snow
Krap - half melted Ice

This picture is taken in Þórsmörk near Reykjavik. It is just a 10 minute drive from Reykjavik and there are pine forests and lava fields, rivers, fields, barbeque facilities, play areas and much more.

And here are some Icelandic weather words and phrases

Gott veður - good weather
Sól - sun
rigning - rain
vindur - wind
skýjað - cloud cover
súld - looming cloud cover
Sól og blíða - sun and still winds
Hvernig er veðrið? - How is the weather?

Picture perfect weather in Iceland

Anyone who has spent any time in Iceland will agree with me that although it may not always be perfect, it will leave you awestruck.
It can be dangerous and beautiful all at the same time.

That means you want to have your camera ready at all times.

This is a picture I took at Jökulsárlón while driving around with the family.

As is the one where my daughters foot is in the shot.
It was a pretty day with lots of nice light.
I love Iceland.

All the Time in Iceland

Iceland is an island.
It has Volcanoes, and Glaciers, Blue lagoons and Northern Lights.
Iceland is green.
The hills and fields of Iceland in the summer are green and lush. Anywhere along the roads you will see the special breed of Icelandic sheep that freely roam the highlands, and sometimes the lowlands too. The waterfalls are bewitching and curving hills inviting.
Don't get me wrong, the winter in Iceland is bloody cold, mostly because of the wind-chill factor, but that makes for some awesome scenes for shows like Game of Thrones or movies like James Bond. And it can be fun to play in the snow too.

I love all things Iceland.
Maybe because I am Icelandic.
But maybe because it is such a lovable country.
I'm leaning towards the latter.

I want to share all things Iceland with anyone who wants to know.
I'm going to start with what I like most and work my way from there.
Beware, my list of "what I like most about Iceland" is like the credit list for a blockbuster movie, long and sometimes difficult to pronounce.

Keep me in mind if you think about spending some time in Iceland.