Last Days in Iceland: Reykjavik

Whales of Iceland

After disembarking from the Ocean Explorer, we were spending the day and evening in Reykjavik before heading north for a few days. 

We’re not big city people and we have spent time in Reykjavik before, so we didn’t have any real plans. Plus, we had no idea what time we would actually get off the ship or how tired we would be. 

Our weather fairies had apparently jumped ship in Greenland.

Our last day in Greenland was cold and gray

The weather in Iceland was drippy, gray, blustery and somewhat unpleasant. We wouldn’t have a car until the next morning, so we just stayed close to the hotel. 

We were near the port, so there was a definite nautical feel

Scott had done a fair amount of walking around in the area prior to boarding our ship to Greenland (I hung in the hotel with all our luggage), so we had no must-dos.

We walked over to Hallgrimskirkja, which at 244 feet high, is the tallest building in Reykjavik (and probably Iceland). 

Hallgrimskirkja (literally Hallgrim Church)

We had visited it before (and photographed it in better light), but I am not sure I ever wrote much about it.

Pretty light in 2014

The church was designed in 1937 by Guðjón Samúelsson to reflect Iceland's volcanic landscape, mimicking the basalt columns found across the country. 

Basalt columns at Svartifoss, 2014

Construction began in 1945 and, amid much controversy over its cost and "modern" design, wasn't completed until 1986 (41 years!!!). The church is named after 17th-century poet Hallgrímur Pétursson.

In front of the church is a statue of Norse explorer Leif Eiríksson, who was actually born in Iceland and is renowned as the first European to reach North America, landing in "Vinland" (likely Newfoundland, Canada) around 1000 AD. 

The Leif Eiríksson statue guards the entrance; 2014

Son of Erik the Red, he was raised in Greenland, converted to Christianity in Norway and is celebrated in Icelandic Sagas. The statue was a gift from the United States in 1930 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the Alþingi, Iceland’s Parliament, noted as the first such legislative body in the world.

Inside the rather stark church is a massive 49-foot-tall pipe organ built by German organ builder Johannes Klais and installed in 1992.

Hallgrimskirkja interior

Hallgrimskirkja pipe organ, 2017

While often mistaken for a cathedral, Hallgrimskirkja is a Lutheran parish church. Today, it is recognized as a major architectural achievement and a national sanctuary.

We walked about a bit and went up to the observation area at the top of the tower. 

Inside the tower

This view of Reykjavik shows how the weather had deteriorated

We took some photos across the street on Skólavörðustígur, widely known as the Rainbow Street, a vibrant, permanently painted street in downtown Reykjavík leading up to Hallgrímskirkja. The street was painted in 2015 to celebrate Reykjavík Pride and LGBTQ+ diversity. 

A good example for the US, which is now covering up and/or erasing such tributes

After a yummy (and pricey – it’s Iceland!) fish and chips lunch near our hotel, we decided to find something close and indoors. It was getting colder and colder.

So, we went to Whales of Iceland, a natural history museum covering Cetacean species that have been sighted in Icelandic waters throughout recorded history. 

A fun diversion; Photo: Scott Stevens

The museum features life-sized models of 23 species along with information about their life history; displays of Whale specimens including bones, teeth and baleen; interactive exhibits on Whale biology, migration and conservation; educational videos; and a theater room where documentaries are shown.

Some of the models weigh two tons

Opened in 2015, the museum is the largest of its kind in Europe. The models were manufactured in China and shipped in pieces to Iceland, where they were assembled and hand-painted to resemble actual individual animals seen in the wild. 

Maybe these Humpbacks we saw in 2019 were models

Would I have rather seen REAL Whales? Yes. But, with the wind and rain, that wasn’t happening.

After that, we just went back to the hotel, re-sorted our luggage for the next few days and crashed.

The Reykjavik Marina Hotel on a nicer day; Photo: The Hotel Guy

The next morning, we took a cab to the in-town rental car pick-up, waiting until they finally opened their doors about 15 minutes after their advertised opening time.

Once in the car, we set off for our final Icelandic destination. We had visited the Reykjanes Peninsula and South Coast before Greenland. Now, we were going slightly north to another favorite spot (with no planned agenda): the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Brighter(ish) skies ahead

Trip dates September 5 – 30, 2025

Borgvig and Going Back to Iceland

 

Cloudy skies, icy seas

The last day in Greenland was significantly different than the rest. 

It was colder

It was gray and gloomy

It was raining and then snowing; Left: Scott Stevens

It was perfect!

Going out on our final excursion

We were heading to Borgvig, a glacial bay with filled with icebergs, bergie bits, growlers and brash. 

This glacier was filling the bay with ice

Our guide, Kristoffer, said that seeing this landscape in the gloomy snow was actually a treat because the gray brings out the turquoise in the ice. 

Kristoffer was loving the snow

It was a whole different perspective

Had it been on the first day, it might have been disheartening, but we had had our blue skies and sunshine. According to the Expedition Team, we had had more sun and blue skies than any trip they remember. This day was far more typical.

This gave us, perhaps, a more accurate Greenland experience

Borgvig is a bay near the mouth of Scoresby Sund across the wide fjord from Ittoqqortoormiit very close to the open Greenland Sea. 

Our last Scoresby Sund stop

It features dramatic, deep-fractured, brown-toned basalt columns and the active Borgvig glacier.

The bare brown rock contrasted with the snow and ice

Borgvig Glacier

Once again, the Zodiacs wove in and out of the icebergs, but this time the water was soupy with brash.

Lots of ice and icebergs (there's a Zodiac in the upper right photo)

There were lots of interesting pieces of ice, ranging from milky white to crystal clear to clear turquoise. 

We were clunking through lots of beautiful ice

And, as predicted, many of the icebergs looked brilliant turquoise.

The effect of the gray sky

Farther away from the glacier, near where the Ocean Explorer was anchored, the water was mostly, but not completely, free of icy chunks, but there were more of those massive icebergs.

This was the most ice we had seen

Further out were even bigger ones (the sky was clearer further out, as well)

This day was so different from the rest. It was very dark, so photography was tricky. It was chilly enough that my hands were cold when I took my gloves off. And, it was wet enough that I really had to shield my cameras. Fortunately, it was not windy, so the sea was relatively calm.

Winter is coming

We moved around quite a bit, observing some interesting icebergs ...

This one was cracked and, oddly, wrinkled

... marveling at the sheer cliffs ...

We could see the snow accumulating

... enjoying the last ride ...

On the Zodiac; Photo: Scotty Sinton

I loved Borgvig, but when researching further for this blog, I got a pang of disappointment. I found posting after posting of Polar Bears spotted in Borgvig. 

Photo: Michelle Valberg

Photo: Kay Fochtmann

That would have been a great ending to a wonderful trip.

But, hey, we saw so many beautiful things; Let's not get greedy

Ship Portrait

But, we weren't done for the day. After we got on the ship, we all gathered on the deck for a photo session.

A party atmosphere; Left: Scott Stevens

Scotty powered up his drone ...

... and took both stills and video of all the passengers gathered together

Scott and I are right in the middle

Pretty cool. Watch below ...

With the bad(ish) weather, I thought this was the worst possible day for a portrait. 

But, it turned out OK

On the Ship

I have given you a good overview of the excursions we took while in Greenland on the Ocean Explorer. But, what happened while we were onboard the ship?

Our ship

Of course, we had three great meals a day and an afternoon "tea" after we returned from our late-day excursions. 

Warming up with tea; Photo: Graham Gibson

Some days it was tea, some days hot chocolate, some days hot cider. There were usually some cookies, cakes or min-sandwiches. There were hors d'oeuvres and a new signature drink each day before dinner and a bar. Yes, there was plenty of yummy food. No complaints there!

They had lots of vegetarian, vegan and international options; Photo: Quark

During the down times -- when crossing the Denmark Strait, some evenings and during ship repositioning -- Expedition Team members gave presentations about on a wide variety of topics about the Arctic and Greenland, including geology, photography, Greenlandic history and culture, Arctic birds, Ittoqqortoormiit, Polar Bears, Greenlandic science programs and some personal presentations from guides about their previous adventures. 

Oh, and, of course, safety!

Plus, we had daily pre- and post-briefings about our destinations (it's amazing I didn't remember more) and a couple of nights with funny games.  I really enjoyed the presentations and was relieved that it never got hokey like it can on big ships.

Our Expedition Team entertaining us; They seemed to really love their jobs

Most nights there were activities in the bar, including performances by a band comprising ship staff members.

The final night ended with an art auction benefiting Seabird Watch. Scott bought a cool vintage Greenland poster. Other items included clothing items, blankets and the ship's flag (reasonably tattered at this point).

We bid on and won a vintage poster, left

I would have liked this (the bidder paid a ridiculous amount!)

We ended everything with a champagne toast and screening of a slide show featuring predominantly Scotty Sinton's photos plus submissions from passengers and other team members. I had quite a few in the show. And, many of the photos I've used in the blogs came from the photos used in the slide show.

One of Scotty's that I am in

The trip back through the Denmark Strait was a bit rougher than but much shorter than the trip out.

The night crossing was rough; Photo: Scotty Sinton

Oh, and it was sadder, too because we were leaving Greenland

We rolled into Reykjavik at dawn and began disembarkation at 8:00 a.m. 

A drippy arrival; Photo: Scott Stevens

With a small ship, that's completed in a relatively short amount of time. 

By the time we got off the ship, we had traveled 1,693 nautical miles.

Quite a trip!

In my next post, I'll talk about our last couple of days in Iceland.

Still more to see

Trip dates September 5 – 30, 2025