Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
What makes a city interesting? In Reykjavik for me, certainly, it was the colors. And, on a grey day, the light that sliced through overcast after a day of gloom.
There’s a soothing presence of water, both as a feature of the city and by its nature as an island.
The tidy sensibility of Scandinavian design appeals.
And, for me, it’s always the pleasure of finding interesting and unusual details.
The streets in Reykjavik held very different sights than I’m used to in the U.S.
Older, more traditional buildings intermingle with newer, more modern features.
There is a sense of color that belies long, dark winters with short days.
The place is, simply, really interesting and presented eye candy at every turn. We walked a lot and enjoyed the sights.
Yesterday I showed you Reykjavik’s Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church, the largest in Reykjavik. I mentioned that it was built taller than originally planned so as to outshine the Catholic cathedral across town. Here is that other church, Landakskirkja, or Christ the King Cathedral, designed by the same architect, Guojon Samuelsson.
It may not be as tall a church, but it’s none too shabby. It was sanctified in 1929, eight years before Hallgrimskirkja was commissioned, and 57 years before Hallgrimskirkja was completed.
I was taken by the grand details on the front door.
Reykjavik’s skyline is dominated by the Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church which sits on one of the city’s taller hills. It was a feature in one of my first shots of Reykjavik here and is one of the city’s best known landmarks.
The church is fascinating from any angle. It was originally commissioned in 1937 but building didn’t begin until 1945. It took 41 years to build and was completed in 1986.
The building was originally intended to be less tall than it was built. But not unlike churches in other cities church leaders decided they wanted to outshine the Catholic cathedral across town and taller it became. Click here for more information about Hallgrimskirkja.
One of the first places I wanted to explore in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, was Harpa Concert Hall, a venue opened in 2011.
The building is visually stunning, with a colored glass facade that changes with reflected light.
It is fascinating inside and out. This is an interior view.
It was grey and cloudy the first day I saw it. On another, sunnier day its character had changed as I photographed it over construction fencing.
The building was designed by Henning Larsen Architects and artist Olafur Eliasson.
A few months ago, in the depths of winter, a friend told me about a website that offers travel deals. I should have put my fingers in my ears and said “La, la, la, la. I’m not listening.”
The siren call of the travel website was irresistible. And the first time I checked it out, well, did it have a deal for me! Iceland, a destination that had been inching up my “Go There” list, suddenly shot to the top. And as fast as you could say “We’d better renew our passports” we had confirmed reservations.
We just spent about a week there. And, 800 photos later, just like that, we’re home again.
So Sequim Daily Photo is going on an adventure in the coming days. I’ll share my home city again in a while. But until then you’re welcome to tag along on my trip. The shots above are of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. I’ll be showing you more of the city as well as some of the countryside in Iceland. And you don’t even need a passport!
First I caught sight of this tree (A cherry? Flowering plum?) while walking in the reclaimed quarry area of Butchart Gardens. As with so many specimen trees in the garden, it was beautifully framed by everything around it.
Then, while walking on a path above it, it again took center stage.
Further along, looking back, it was still eye catching and glorious. That’s the sort of balance a perfectly designed garden offers.
By now, a couple of weeks later, the massed beds on the margins of each of these shots will be in bloom with tulips and other colorful bedding plants. The gardens become more breathtaking as spring progresses.