Hallgrimskirkja
6 July 2019
We landed at Keflavik Airport at the bright and early time of quarter to six in the morning. The flight over from Newark was pretty quick, clocking in at about five and a half hours, and arriving this early in the morning really gives you the entire day to explore!
One of the things that throws off many visitors to Iceland – those that didn’t do their research at least – is that the airport is really far from the city. You hear stories of tourists just mindlessly jumping into a cab saying, “downtown Reykjavik”, then getting a major shock when they see their $200 taxi bill. Unlike much of Europe, there is no quick and efficient train from the airport to the city either. It’s important to remember that, while Iceland is considered part of Europe technically, it is not really in Europe. It is a remote island just below the Arctic Circle, a country just really coming into its own. Expecting the same things as you would find on the continent is a mistake. As for us, we do do our research, and so we booked a FlyBus ticket well in advance. The bus was inexpensive yet comfy, which was good considering it was a 45-minute ride to the main station!
From the main bus station, we followed the high steeple and made our way to the Hallgrimskirkja. One of Reykjavik’s most recognizable sights, this church is really a thing of beauty! The walls make a dramatic slope high into the sky peaking in the towering steeple, like a geyser shooting from the ground, or like the building lifting off to take flight. Its position high on the hill above the city adds to this soaring to the sky ideal. Architecturally it is far different than churches you typically see in Europe- very modern, yet more naturally artistic rather than the boxy modern. It is such an impressive building, one that commands your attention as you approach. You can go inside and go to the very top of the church, which is supposed to be a great view of the city. Unfortunately, we are here a little too early for that. The good news though is at this time in the morning the tourist crowds had not yet come out, and so we had this amazing sight almost to ourselves!
Standing proudly in front of the church and also looking over the city is a statue of Leif Erikson. Leif’s story is told in the Sagas of the Icelanders, the epic stories from the age of the Vikings. The Sagas are essentially the Norse world’s Oddessy or Iliad equivalent, but they have a strong foundation in actual history. Among Lief’s many adventures, he is most noted for sailing to North America a few hundred years before Columbus, a land which he called Vinland. There is a heritage site in Newfoundland that is believed to be one of Leif’s settlements in the Americas. He is an incredibly important figure in Icelandic history, so a prominent statue of Lief standing in front of Hallgrimskirkja and looking over the capital city is fitting for sure.
The statue was actually a gift to Iceland from the US, I guess once they realized they were wrong with the whole “Columbus was the first European in the Americas” thing!
Hallgrimskirkja sits in an area known as “The Neighborhood of the Gods”. Each street is named for one of the Norse gods: Óðinsgata named for Odin, Þórisgata for Thor, Lokastigur for Loki, etc. Even in the shadow of this magnificent Christian church, the old ways still live on. These old beliefs are also making their way back, as many Icelanders have been following the way of Ásatrú. Literally meaning “belief in the old gods”, Ásatrú is a belief system of returning to being one with nature, rather than believing nature is here for our dominance. While they don’t literally believe there is a one-eyed god roaming the sky on his eight-legged horse, or a strong god swinging a hammer; the old stories are meant to be references rather than any kind of dogma. In truth… the modern beliefs of Ásatrú seem to really center on ideals I have felt and thought for some time now, though before learning of this particular belief I was unable to find a way to define them. As we prepare to surround ourselves with the beauty and splendor of Iceland’s nature, we will keep the ideas of Ásatrú in mind and hopefully find a greater understanding of our place in the world, and maybe even a greater understanding of ourselves as well.
