The Interior Of Hallsgrimskirkja...
by coceng
These photos were taken by me inside Hallsgrimskirkja Church.
It is open daily :
9 am to 6 pm;
Winter, 10 am to 4 pm.
Admission FREE.
The interiors depict more gothic-feel atmosphere...
This was the first photo; It was closed by a glass door with nice decorations on it.
Finally, somebody opened the door, me & a few tourists behind me went inside...
The interior looks brand new ! Maybe very well-kept.
It doesn't look like a church but there's a feel of a structure for the future !
The belief in the old Nordic gods.
by Regina1965
The Vikings who came to Iceland in ca 874 were mostly "ásatrúar", i.e. they were pantheists and believed in the gods Óðinn, Þór etc. In the year 1000 Christianity was adopted here in Iceland, and the belief in the old Nordic gods was forbidden by law. But even now there is an authorised religious organisation called Ásatrúarfélagið which practices the belief in the old Nordic gods. They have several rituals and can perform a marriage, which I have heard is quite popular. They have regular rituals which are called "blót" in Icelandic.
We get information on the belief in the old Nordic gods from our Sagas, especially Edda saga, and Hávamál and Völuspá. There are so many gods and goddesses and characters in the old Nordic belief. We learn about them in school here in Iceland.
I have made a tip on a very interesting gallery just outside of the town of Hafnarfjörður called The Viking Circle. It is a gallery on the belief in the old Nordic gods and most of my photos here are from that gallery. The first photo of Óðinn is from the Viking village in Hafnarfjörður.
Grýla - the mother of the Yulelads.
by Regina1965
Here in Iceland we have 13 Yulelads, which are quite different from Santa Claus, but now we have all but adopted the American Santa Claus. There are records of names of 80 Yulelads, but somehow these 13 Yulelads have stayed with us until the modern times.
Our original Yulelads were spranksters and all of them have their special name. 13 days before Christmas the first Yulelad comes to inhabited areas and then a new one arrives every day until the last one arrives on the 24th of December. We Icelanders celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th of December.
It has been a tradition here in Iceland since 1950 for young kids to leave one shoe on the windowsill in their bedroom, the first one 13 days before Christmas. The Yulelad coming to "town" visits all the kids and leaves a small present for them in their shoe. But only if the kids have gone to sleep early and have not behaved badly. Because as one knows then the Yulelads cannot leave you a present if you are awake ;)
The parents of the Yulelads are Grýla and Leppalúði (see my photo). Grýla is a very bad and grim ogre, and she eats badly behaved children, she comes to pick them up, puts them in her sack and then cooks them in her cauldron.
Grýla and Leppalúði own the Christmas cat, he eats people who don't get any Christmas presents containing clothes. So you better get some soft Christmas presents if you don't want the Christmas cat to eat you ;)
The names of the Yulelads are:
Stekkjastaur- Sheep Coat Clod.
Giljagaur - Gully Gawk.
Stúfur - Stubby.
Þvörusleikir - Spoon-Licker.
Pottasleikir - Pot-Scraper.
Askasleikir - Bowl-Licker.
Hurðaskellir - Door-Slammer.
Skyrgámur - Skyr-Gobbler.
Bjúgnakrækir - Sausage-Swiper.
Gluggagægir - Window-Peeper.
Gáttaþefur - Door-Sniffer.
Ketkrókur - Meet-Hooker.
Kertasníkir - Candle-Beggar.
By their names you can see that they were up to mischief ;)
The last two photos are of the Icelandic Yulelads, they are a little out of focus, it was difficult cathcing them as they were moving all over the place ;)
Blue Lagoon
by sue_stone
The Blue Lagoon - or the "Worlds greatest outdoor Bath" is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland - and you will understand why when you see it!
It is located around 30-40 minutes drive from the centre of Reykjavik.
Located off the road to the airport, hidden amongst grey, ugly lava fields, the Blue Lagoon is like a desert oasis....well, except for the surrounding buildings and the nearby power station!!
It is a geothermal spa, sitting in the middle of a lava field, with amazing milky blue water. The water is heated by steam from the power station, which keeps the water at a temperature of around 38 degrees celsius all year round.
There is a modern visitors centre at the lagoon, with very well maintained and high-tech changing rooms and facilities for those wishing to take a dip in the heated and reputably healing waters. The cost to bathe when we were there in May 2005 was 1,200 kroner each, or free for onlookers, who can take a seat in the bar area. There is also a nice restaurant here if you fancy a meal after your soak.
You can even hang out in the water by the edge of the lagoon and order drinks, which you pay for via a clever reader on an armband (that you are issued with on entry to the lagoon). Though I am not sure that drinking a lot of alcohol whilst soaking in hot water for an extended period is a good thing...
One popular option for visiting the lagoon is on your way to the airport - the Flybus (as mentioned in my transport tip) offers a ticket that includes a stop off at the lagoon, with time to swim, before then heading to the airport.
Whatever you do - don't miss it!
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The chicken salad entrée.
Women making leaf-bread (see my custom tip).
Icelanders.
Yellow sand, rare here in Iceland.
