Iceland cometh

The plane landed in Iceland very early. 6am? But, my bag was lost from my very first flight.  By the time I had found the correct people and reported it for the second time (first time was in Toronto, just hours after not receiving it), and bought my round trip ticket for the flybys, and then driven the 50 minutes to downtown Reykjavik, it was eight in the morning.   

I checked in, then started walking around the city. 

Dora and I had exploring in common.  I guess she's been here, too.

Hallgrímskirkja - the National Lutheran church.

Hallgrímskirkja is the largest church in Iceland, and one of the tallest buildings in Reykjavik.  For about $8, one can take an elevator to the top and look around through the no-glass windows. Word to the wise: wind was from the west and rather cool. 

view to the North/Northwest

Aren't the colored roofs charming? 

I stayed for the Sunday service and chatted with some kind people who shared the history of some nearby army bases and their connections with Indiana.  I had my first Lutheran church coffee, nearly a sacrament, and then walked out into the chilly rain.  I visited the Handknit Guild store in the capitol, purchased a hat and some Einband yarn, since my knitting needles and project were in my bag that didn't arrive.  Then, I went for quite a tramp through the city.   

I ended up at the National Museum.  What a lovely display of many objects both new and hundreds of years old.  They included a beautiful carved horn from the 1500s, a Bible in Icelandic from a similar time period, woven rugs and carved furniture, a bronze molded object that could be 1000 years old, and a beautiful display of Icelandic knit shawls. 

Icelandic knitting is traditionally in varying shades of natural wool, like these shawls.  Aren't they etherial and beautiful?