Iceland Day 4 - Reykjavik

We travel all over the place and where ever we are I have the intention of going to the local church on Sundays. But my social anxiety always adds to the logistical difficulties and we never actually make it there. This Sunday seemed particularly difficult since local churches are hard to find and all the services are in Icelandic. The idea of taking me three not so well behaved children to an Icelandic service sent my anxiety into overdrive. But David wanted to go and I was determined not to disappoint him. 

Late last night we finally found a solution. The cathedral in Reykjavik had an English service at 2pm. The time was perfect since it is a long drive to the city and I was so thankful for an English service. The fact that it was in Iceland's most famous building was a blessing too since it meant that other tourists would probably be attending and we wouldn't stand out quite as much. 

Reykjavik's most famous church

Statue  of Leifur Eiriksson

We left early because we wanted to have plenty of time to find parking and find the church. As it was we made it with only ten minutes to spare. The drive to Reykjavik is beautiful, the scenery is stunning. We had missed it all when we arrived because the fog was so thick. But this time we were marveling at every single turn.

We found a playground down the street from the church

After church Christian needed a nap

David gives the boys a spin

Christian at the top of the web

Will loved the in ground trampolines

The church is Lutheran so the order of service was unfamiliar to us but they had programs which gave us the words to all the responses and hymns. At the back of the church was a huge pipe organ 50 feet high which provided beautiful music throughout the service. Will and Jon did great the whole time although the pastor spoke in a heavy accent so I don't think they understood any of it. Christian sat quietly for half of the service and I was so proud of him. But soon after the sermon he began to get wiggly. At one point he made a sound and when James' turned to shush him I heard Christian whisper loudly "I didn't make that noise!" It was cute but soon after James had to take him out so that we wouldn't bother the people around us. 

The pipe organ

The service was very nice although I confess that it was harder to worship God in church today than it was at the waterfalls the day before. Part of that is the social stress (I struggle with that at my own church too) but a lot of it has to do with the unfamiliarity of the service. The sermon and prayer though really spoke to me and it was great to worship with fellow believers in Iceland.

Statue of Leifur Eiriksson in front of the church

After church we went off to the National Museum which Will had been excited to see, he really loves museums! It was small but it had some cool exhibits including a kids area where they could try on costumes. I was expecting to see a lot about vikings but I surprised to see what a large role Christianity had in Icelandic history and culture. 

The first Bible in Icelandic

Christian listens to a viking story

Will as a viking

Christian is a little too short

Jon dressed as a viking

Learning about Iceland at the museum

Christian writing a postcard to Matt

Jon at the museum

It didn't take us long to go through the museum and afterwards David ran around with the boys in the field outside. He is such a good uncle. David has been an amazing help with the kids and is always so good-natured and so cheerful even when things are difficult. Plus he is great to talk to. I am so glad he is here with us!!

David dodges the kids

The boys catch Uncle David

Chasing each other in the field

James and Christian play

Anyway, it was time for dinner and after a long walk we found a promising place. I don't remember the name, I couldn't pronounce it or spell it anyway, but it was like an upscale pub. For dinner we ordered a number of different dishes and shared them all. One of David's goals this trip is to eat a some more exotic dishes so he ordered the minke whale and we all tried a bit. Will loved it so much that we had to order another dish for him. I couldn't believe it, he is usually my least adventurous kid when it comes to food. 

Minke whale

All of our food was excellent, the chicken, the pork, the roasted vegetables, even the french fries were all delicious. They had horse on the menu too but none of us wanted to try that. For desert we did the same and all split a cookie plate, a mouthwatering chocolate cake, and a traditional Icelandic pastry called kleinur. Everything was just amazing and I think that dinner was the highlight of my day. It was so much fun to try new foods and find that I liked them!

Reyklavik

My family

The best bar in Iceland

Me and Jonny. 

The meal was fantastic but definitely more pricey than our usual fare. I won't tell you how much it was but James thought this video was fitting. 

                                        Troy and Abed find out the price of dinner

After dinner we wandered toward the car, enjoying the city and checking out a few shops. We couldn't stay too long though because it was getting late. On the way home we stopped at an overlook to take a couple pictures of the view. Jon grabbed his camera and bounded down the hill so that he could get a "better picture". He is a little photographer! I called him back and he protested, "Mommy, I have to get closer to my destination!" He is so much like his daddy, he will do anything to get his shot. And to be fair, the views here are incredible. One mountain was smoking from at least a dozen places. I've never seen anything like it.

Jon gets the shot

Jon traveled far to get the picture he wanted

Jon's picture of the steaming valley

Jon

We got home rather late and we have our earliest start tomorrow so I'd better get to bed. Will and Jon are still up though, I don't know if we are ever going to get used to the time here. How do Icelanders sleep during the summer?

Goodnight!