REYKJAVIK and the alien Icelandic countryside

[Cirrus]

For some reason I never posted these after taking them. They're from 2017. But let's do it.

Reykjavik has about 250,000 people living in the city and its suburbs, good for about 2/3 of everybody living in the entire country of Iceland. And it's a charming little city, with vibes that cross European with Pacific Northwest.

The great Hallgrimskirkja church dominates Reykjavik like the Eiffel Tower dominates Paris, and is by far the city's most important human-built landmark.








You can go up it, and the view is spectacular.


















The core of the city though is Laugavegur, the car-lite main street.






















"American Bar"








At one end sits Ingolfur Square, a classic European town square, except on a small scale that matches the size of the city.




There are many charming corners and ornament.






The Viking look is cool.




The surrounding neighborhoods:


















Charming as it is, few people go to Iceland to see Reykjavik. The countryside's natural beauty is the bigger draw. With good reason.




Iceland is a volcanic island, a bit like a cold Hawaii. The country is full of places in various stages of millenium-long reforestation after volcanic eruptions. Some of those stages involve whole broad landscapes covered in moss, like an alien planet with no trees.

Elsewhere, U-shaped glacier valleys (or actual glaciers), dramatic mountains, and tiny villages dot the landscape.


































Along the Arctic-facing north, frigid black sand beaches.






Seriously though the moss is just incredible.




And it is a friendly place.

[Cirrus]

Thanks for looking! Scroll ----->

[Architype]

That's a nice tour, thanks. The place looks well maintained, pristine, wild, and very comfortable to live in.

[plinko]

Long on my bucket list. Colorful charming architecture, completely unique landscapes, and truly a place to just get lost in.

Someday...

Love the stepped mountain snow shot.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures! I was in Iceland in 2018. I covered their Downtown (Miðbær) in a photothread, the west side in another, and then the town of Vik in another.

It looks like you saw the same stuff I did in Downtown. I also zoomed in on that house with the grass roof when I went up in the church!

As far as "reforestation" goes, I learned in Þingvellir N.P. that Iceland naturally has no trees. Any trees you see out in the wild were basically planted by the Danes, who wanted Iceland looking more Danish or inviting.

[James Bond Agent 007]

I never would have known how to pronounce Reykjavik if Reagan and Gorbachev hadn't met there in 1986.

Nice pics!

[hkskyline]

Quite an incredible country with its very distinct landscapes ...

[JManc]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

I never would have known how to pronounce Reykjavik if Reagan and Gorbachev hadn't met there in 1986.

Nice pics!

Haha. Same thing here.

[Gresto]

I bet you met a lot of dóttirs and sons.

[Xing]

Definitely on my bucket list, and you make it shine!

[ColDayMan]

Thank God for the brief time of WOW Air.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

Thank God for the brief time of WOW Air.

Truly it was paradise.

[OhioGuy]

Looks great!

[Coldrsx]

It's a neat city/country/adventure/disconnect.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

for most of the buildings in the city center or city core, they all look residential, is there any real business in there?

[Cirrus]

There are a few office buildings, but not many.

The whole country has only 400,000 people. It is not enough to demand many offices.

[edale]

Thanks for the tour! I'd love to visit Iceland. I love your shot of the horses standing in the valley-- such a dramatic and beautiful shot.

[downtownpdx]

Enchanting. I love the colorful architecture. Thanks for the great tour!

[Velvet_Highground]

North America’s most European city

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Nice pictures! I was in Iceland in 2018. I covered their Downtown (Miðbær) in a photothread, the west side in another, and then the town of Vik in another.

It looks like you saw the same stuff I did in Downtown. I also zoomed in on that house with the grass roof when I went up in the church!

As far as "reforestation" goes, I learned in Þingvellir N.P. that Iceland naturally has no trees. Any trees you see out in the wild were basically planted by the Danes, who wanted Iceland looking more Danish or inviting.

Reforestation of Iceland is a very interesting subject at the very least because the wild landscape of Iceland looks so very different with large stands of mature forests like in Hallormsstaður eastern Iceland. Or the Árbær district on the far eastern side of Reykjavik.

Iceland has the whole wet desert thing going like Scotland due to the large sheep farming industry, the free roaming animals eating saplings before they can grow large enough to reproduce. Obviously not all of the country was forested during settlement but from what I’ve heard outside of the central highlands birch forests were pretty common. Though the strong winds created from lower latitude weather riding the Gulf Stream north likely kept exposed areas especially in the SW their mossy selves before deforestation.

Hallormsstaður is particularly interesting because it was the location of the first concerted effort to rebuild a forestry industry. Trees from Alaska, Scandinavia and Siberia were chosen for a trial run. The glacial valley on the east coast being protected from strong northen and southerly winds. If I recall correctly trees from Southern Alaska did very well due to the similar climate.

Beautiful land seems like a great place to live even though Reykjavik is a mid sized city being the capital and economic hub it doesn’t feel like it’s lacking in comparison to many larger cities. The people seem very friendly and Iceland is a very innovative country it doesn’t have an abundance of natural resources except water, volcanic heat and rich fisheries but the nation has done very well for itself especially considering its relative isolation from major sea trade routes.

From what I’ve seen of northern cities like Akureyri that region imo is the most stunning with broad fertile fjords partially filled with volcanic silt leaving the rugged peaks diving down into the water and flatlands. While also having some of the ice age subglacial mesa looking volcanic features that are so otherworldly. Iceland is definitely near the top of my list, would be amazing to catch a volcanic eruption. Friends of mine were there a few months ago and caught one of the eruptions from the airport.

[202_Cyclist]

Great photos, thank you for posting. I would like to visit Iceland some time (I bet it would a nice break from the humidity of DC in August). I also want to explore the Faroe Islands, which had a nonstop flight from Stewart airport in New York last summer.