With just one full day left in Iceland, we decided not to spend it driving and simply discover what the capital city, Reykjavik, had to offer. It’s easy to rise early in the morning as it’s daylight 24 hours a day here at this time of year. Jason got up a couple of times in the night to get photos of how light it was late into the night.

The Hallgrimskirkja is a tall cathedral at the end of one of the main streets of Reykjavik. We entered the main church and were struck by what we saw. Instead of the ornate, intricate stonework, amazing stained glass, and detailed paintings in the cathedral we saw in Trondheim, this one was stark and grey, with straight cement walls and no adornments at all. The most impressive part of the cathedral was the massive pipe organ sitting high on the back balcony.

Several signs asked us to please be silent while in the church. This was ironic since we could barely hear ourselves think. A couple of people were pulling a screeching pallet of chairs across the floor while loudly chatting, all while workers outside were jackhammering repairs that resonated throughout the church.

Back in the main hall, we paid an entry fee to take an elevator to the bell tower, where a great view would have been even more fantastic had the windows been cleaned better. Like Jason said, we would have been more impressed if we had come here before Norway. But with Nidaros Cathedral in the back of our minds, it was tough to find much to get excited about.

Downtown Main Street, Skolavordustigur Road, was starting to wake up with tourists milling around, most, like us, probably looking for a coffee shop. Jason grabbed a coffee in one of them so we could keep walking. I never did buy a Norwegian sweater while in Norway. However, I soon discovered that in Iceland, a large company called Icewear makes beautiful pure wool sweaters from Icelandic sheep. I found one I loved and was excited to take it home. I will wear it a lot!

Jason’s research gave us some info on the Perlan Museum and Planetarium, and finding it was only a short drive away, we headed there. It was amazing. The Planetarium featured a show on the elusive, green dancing lights of the aurora borealis. The Wonders of Iceland exhibition taught us much about Iceland with some interactive exhibits.

The highlight, though, was a reconstructed ice cave. When we entered, the ticket taker told us to put on our jackets as it was pretty cold in the cave, -15 degrees. We told her we were from Canada and she said, “Oh, then you won’t have any trouble”. A bit of a chuckle on that one. We entered with many people bundled up for the high Arctic, and they quickly moved through it. Jason and I stayed for quite a while, snapping photos, sitting on the ice chairs, touching the walls and looking through some of the windows to get a view inside the ice. And we just had our little spring jackets on! Tough Canadians! We learned much about Iceland’s glaciers and found it all fascinating.

Taking the elevator to the top floor, we were allowed outside to wander the 360-degree observation platform, where we were rewarded with spectacular views of Reykjavik and information about the names of everything we were seeing.

We spent about three hours exploring this fabulous museum. On our way out the door, we were handed a small, wrapped piece of Icelandic chocolate, which was delicious.

Since we left our hotel this morning, the skies have been cloudy, and the wind has chilled us. However, as we were leaving The Perlan, we were rewarded with moments of sunshine, so we decided to head downtown again and take in more of it.

We had talked about going to an Ice Bar before we went home, so after some more wandering the streets, we headed to Magic Ice Bar located in the basement of a large clothing store. Upon entering, we were given heavy ponchos with hoods and mitts, and then a blue cocktail was served at the bar. Everything inside was made of crystal clear ice….tables, chairs, statues, a king’s throne to sit on, even the glasses we drank from. It was a nice place to get away and a new enchanting place to experience, visiting ice caves in the morning and an ice bar in the afternoon. We won’t forget that day in Reykjavik.

On the way to our hotel, we pulled off the main highway to explore some giant rock sculptures we had seen every day when entering the city. They looked big from the road, but when standing next to them, I realized the scale of these massive structures. They were like giant Inukshuks but more human-looking. With no signage, there was nothing to tell us the story of why and how they got here or how long they had stood there guarding the land.

Our last night in Iceland was spent packing up for our flight home tomorrow. Finding room for everything was a challenge as we had both bought things for the twins and my sweater, my most treasured item, came with me in a second carry-on. I hoped I’d get away with it.

With extra time on our hands, we used it to reflect on all that we had seen and experienced in the month since we left home. Of course, our favourite place was Norway, where we spent most of our time. Still, every country had something to offer, and we will leave with many fond memories tomorrow.