Quantum_Life

Saturday 5 August 2023

Trip to Iceland - Day 1 - Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral in Reykjavik

According to our guide, Hallgrimskirkja cathedral stands as the tallest church and building in Reykjavik.

Due to its significance, no other structure is permitted to surpass its highest point. The predominant religions here are Christianity and Catholicism, with a touch of Norse mythology, honoring Odin.

Recently, a daring individual attempted to defy this restriction by constructing a building with dark glass walls. However, they wisely halted construction just shy of surpassing the bell tower's height, which stands at an impressive 73 meters.

This building stands adjacent to the ocean, offering captivating views as seen in the photos taken from the bell tower's top room. While it may not be exceptionally tall, its strategic position on a small hillside overlooking the ocean adds to its allure.

Interestingly, Reykjavik is also home to the statue of Leif Ericson, a renowned Norse explorer, credited as the first European to set foot in North America, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Did we learn the wrong history?

Here are some pictures:

view from the top room:

Thursday 3 August 2023

Trip to Iceland - Day 1 - Reykjavik

We arrived in Reykjavik yesterday. That is 24th of July 2023. Until now, I only knew of Björk, the Icelandic singer. The first thing I noticed was the lack of trees, similar to the Greek volcanic islands of Mykonos or Santorini. Compared to the lush green landscapes and forests of Sri Lanka, it feels like a luxurious dream here. Additionally, there's hyperinflation, leading to sky-high prices for everything, except lamb and fish, which they produce locally. To give you a comparison, in London, one can get fish and chips or kebab for 6-7 pounds, while here, it would be around 15-30 pounds.

The buildings are depressingly grey in color. We came here to see glaciers and hot springs, which I'll talk about tomorrow. The population is only about 400,000 people. Our Icelandic tour guide mentioned that if he lines up five Icelanders, one should be related to him. He jokingly called it his bizarre '1 in 5' is a relative theory. He said this as a fun fact, so don't take it seriously.

I googled it and apperantly it's true. moct icelanders are related to each other. They have app so they don't end up commiting incest.

The beachside of the Atlantic Ocean is beautiful. Another interesting fact is that they talk about Norse gods as their own, like Odin, Thor, and Loki. The original inhabitants were from Norway, and there is a Viking ship wreck to confirm this. For comparison only, the main bus station is smaller than Edmonton bus station in London or Colombo Fort bus station.

People here are very nice and open, but they say they get depressed during winter times. As a result, the government gives them expenses-paid holidays to warmer destinations.

Here are some pictures of the capitl city of Iceland. It's population is around 123000 people.

Bus station