The downtown part of Reykjavik was an easy city to walk and I’ve always felt safe. I split off from the other two to re-visit some of my favorite places. Sun Voyager was one of those.
The city of Reykjavik wanted to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the city with a new outdoor sculpture. A contest was held and Jon Gunnar Arnason’s concept was chosen with the sculpture unveiled in 1990.
It is constructed of stainless steel and sits on a circle of granite slabs. The sculptor wanted everyone who came to Reykjavik to see this metal ship and imagine where they could travel with it. It is located to the north of the capital on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
The artist intended to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom. It is simple yet elegant, reminiscent of a Viking ship honoring Iceland’s history and sea-faring tradition. This shot gives you a small part of Reykjavik’s cityscape.
While the sculpture sits along the water, a short distance away was one of their iconic venues – The Harpa Concert Hall & Conference Center.
Construction started 2007 in the area but was temporarily abandoned in 2008 when Iceland’s financial crisis took hold. The original plan was to include a hotel, retail & office space and apartments. Later that year, the governor decided to fully fund the half-built concert hall with the other elements on hold.
The first concert played in the building was The Iceland Symphany Orchestra in 2011. This group eventually made The Harpa their home.
The glass facade was inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland and consists of 714 LED lights.
They have concerts, exhibitions, children’s events, conferences, markets and more. I looked at their upcoming event schedule and man (!) there are some events I wish I was there to see.
Inside was a gift shop and cafe with seating along the glass walls. It is on my ever-changing bucket list to attend a concert when visiting Reykjavik.
In front of the venue was this statue.
The Musician. This Icelandic sculpture was at the previous home of the Icelandic Orchestra and when this became their home base, they brought it with them. Nice.
What is behind The Harpa? This yellow lighthouse and entrance into the port. These were the same waters the Sun Voyager oversees.
Also gave me the opportunity for un obstructed view of the water and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the western part of Iceland. A part of Iceland that is still on my bucket list to explore.
We drove through part of it in May but at that point, we were nearing the end of our Ring Road adventure and ready to get back to Reykjavik. The Snaefellsjokull volcano resides here and on clear days can be seen from Reykjavik, 75 miles away.
There was one thing happening in Reykjavik that I haven’t mentioned – Iceland Airwaves Music Festival.
The first festival was held in 1999 as a one-off event in an airplane hangar at Reykjavik Airport. In 2018, 50% of the performers were female, making the festival one of the first to include gender equality in its lineup. Their main focus is showcasing new music, both Icelandic and international. We did look at ticket prices, but they seemed steep. One evening Eric heard a group from the Faroe Islands in a local bar. He really enjoyed them.
What else is really cool (ha, ha) about Iceland this time of year? Christmas!
They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving like we do in the states, so there’s no back& forth or discussion when Christmas lights should (or should not) go up. They were wrapping the trees in the square in front of us during our visit. You can barely see the worker in the upper left corner in a high reach finishing up this tree.
I was hoping to see the Icelandic Christmas Cat or Yule Cat as mentioned in their folklore, but alas did not. We did see the statue in November 2019 if you read those blog posts…………………or goggle it.
I want to end this post with flowers. Some were seen in the greenhouse we visited, and others were part of the landscape. Enjoy.
Still have a few more Icelandic posts to write.
Darden Travels 