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Christmas in Iceland
  • Kim McMurry
Dec 2023 – Jan 2024

Christmas in Iceland

A 14-day adventure by Kim Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 20, 2023
  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler

    Denver International Airport

    December 20, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    So...this place is confusing already, and then add a ton of construction to the mix. First, I was already irritated because some obnoxious woman took my window seat on the flight from Wichita. Her equally irritating husband looked at me with the same "I don't know how to read" look on his face as she did, so I found it easier to just take the aisle seat and not hold up the 100 people in line behind me. I'll still bitch about it for the next week. Secondly, I had to go to baggage claim on l
    Level 5 without any guidance from United as to which carousel my stuff might be rotating upon. There were 15+ carousels to search. And THEN, I had to go back to the Icelandair desk on Level 6 only to discover that they wouldn't open for another 2 hours. It all worked out, though, when a lovely airport assistant directed me to the attached hotel and Tivoli's, where there is NO construction, few people, and some really excellent cheese soup.    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    Leaving Denver!
    First purchase in Iceland. It's been 4 months since my last Applesin. That's too long.

    Keflavik International Airport

    December 21, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 27 °F

    Icelandic Air was awesome. They did every announcement in Icelandic first and then again in English, and the stewardess always began her announcement with, "Dear passengers...". They load their planes from the back to the front, which makes complete sense, there was plenty of leg space, and even though we left an hour later than scheduled, we still arrived about 45 minutes earlier than if we'd left on time. I couldn't see the volcano as we arrived, but Keflavik was absolutely beautiful all lit up...jewel-like. None of my pictures of the city from the air turned out, unfortunately. It was snowing when we landed, and just as my first visit, I was completely impressed with how quickly I made it through customs and baggage claim. It's a really beautiful airport.Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler

    McKelvie!

    December 21, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 25 °F

    Straeto bus drivers are crazy. I got a serious core workout on the ride to Reykjavik from Keflavik thanks to the very aggressive way this guy took every turn and roundabout, BUT I WAS WITH MY MCKELVIE, so it was ALL 1000% worth it! Kelv rode the bus to the airport to "pick me up," and we literally had seconds to toss my bags underneath, pay the guy, jump in, and hold on for dear life. About an hour later, I'd enjoyed a bus tour through Reykjavik and the surrounding area, and at our stop at the National Museum of Iceland, we reminded our driver that we had bags so he wouldn't drive off with them, and then we made the icy walk back to McKelvie's apartment. It felt like the middle of the night, but it was only 8:20 AM!Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    Allouette, gentille allee-woo! 😁
    11:15 AM4:00 PM

    Shopping at the Kringlan

    December 22, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °F

    This mall is "a bit" nicer than Towne East. 😝 Today's adventure involved jet lag, so we got a late start. First, we retraced yesterday's icy journey back to the bus stop, where we caught the #6 to the mall.

    McKelvie is an old hand at this, but these Straeto bus drivers DO NOT mess around. Get on the bus or get left. If you don't have payment ready, you are screwed. And you better find a seat fast, or you will face plant as they floor it to their next stop. After a short bit intense ride, we made it to the mall, and it was packed in a way designed to give me anxiety.

    However, I've never seen such a nice food court, everyone was friendly, and it was entertaining to hear "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in Icelandic.

    We hit up a couple of stores for some necessities and decided we'd had enough. Just too many people. We will try again after the holiday.    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    TjörninTjörninTjörninTjörnin with the city hall in the distance.Reykjavik City HallAlþingi

    Reykjavik City Hall, Alþingi, & Tjörnin

    December 23, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 27 °F

    This afternoon, McKelvie and I took a 25-minute walk to downtown Reykjavik to do a little shopping, specifically for some wool gloves and scarves, as the daily temperature is usually between 20-30° this time of year. McKelvie had gloves and a hat, but they weren't quite doing the job.

    The last time I was here, we had rented a car, so we drove everywhere, and finding a place to park was a concern. If I had known that the city centre was such a short walk away, we would NEVER have made that stressful drive, and we would've visited downtown far more often back in August.

    The lake near Reykjavik's city hall is called Tjörnin ("The Pond"), and people were literally walking across it as a shortcut to the other side. Parents were teaching their kids how to ice skate. It was so much fun to see!

    This time, I got to see the front of City Hall and the Alþingi, which is the Iceland Parliament building. Then we saw the Christmas Market.    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    The Harpa Concert HallLooking up at the Harpa's ceiling from the ground floor entrance.The Harpa's stairway from the ground floor entrance.Interior of the Harpa Concert Hall (McKelvie's pic from Nov. '23, Hillary R. Clinton's book tour)Icelandic Phallological Museum. Our visit last August was enough. No need to go again.

    Reykjavik Centre, Jólakötturinn, & Harpa

    December 23, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 27 °F

    I have been waiting for MONTHS to see the Yule Cat, Jólakötturinn, who is considered the pet of Gryla and her sons, the Yule Lads.

    According to Wikipedia (and yes, I'm ashamed of myself for using it as a source): "Jólakötturinn is a huge and vicious cat from Icelandic Christmas folklore that is said to lurk in the snowy countryside during the Christmas season and eat people who do not receive new clothing before Christmas Eve. In other versions of the story, the cat just eats the food of people without new clothes. The Yule cat was traditionally used as a threat and incentive for farmworkers to finish processing the wool collected in the autumn before Christmas. Those who took part in the work were rewarded with new clothes, but those who did not would get nothing and thus would be prey for the Yule cat.

    The establishment of the Yule cat as part of classic Icelandic Christmas folklore came in 1932, when Jóhannes úr Kötlum published his poetry collection Jólin koma [is] ('Christmas is Coming'). One of the poems, "Jólakötturinn," centered on the eponymous man-eating monster, which subsequently became a common part of Christmas festivities and decorations in Iceland."

    McKelvie and I also found The Drunk Rabbit again, and we visited the Harpa Concert Hall and walked very quickly by the Icelandic Phallological Museum (One visit was enough, thank you very much.)    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler

    Hallgrímskirkja/Yule Lad

    December 23, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 27 °F

    Hallgrímskirkja is just as impressive while lit up in the dark as it was when seen in broad daylight - even more so because we were able to see the beautiful stained glass better. We couldn't go very far into the sanctuary because people were setting up for tomorrow's Christmas Eve services.

    The Hallgrímskirkja serves a Lutheran congregation and sits on top of the hilltop Skólavörðuholt. It can be seen from almost everywhere in Reykjavik. It was commissioned in 1937 and took 41 years to build, beginning in 1945. It is considered "Expressionist architecture because of its tower-like exterior, its rejection of traditional styles and its dynamic design" (Wikipedia again, unfortunately).

    I'm looking forward to hearing the bells on Sunday morning.

    As we were heading to City Hall, we found a Yule Lad projected on a building. McKelvie says all 13 can be found downtown - you just have to search for them - but this is the only one we saw today. According to Wikipedia: "The Yule Lads are the sons of Grýla and Leppalúði. They are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or harass the population, and all have descriptive names that convey their favorite way of harassing. They come to town one by one during the last 13 nights before Yule. They leave small gifts in shoes that children have placed on window sills, but if the child has been disobedient, they instead leave a rotten potato in the shoe."

    They all have terrible names, like Spoon Licker, Stubby, Door Slammer, and Window Peeper. The one who is supposed to come tonight is called Meat Hook.

    "Current-day Grýla can detect children who are misbehaving year-round. She comes from the mountains during Christmas time to search nearby towns for her meal. She leaves her cave, hunts children, and carries them home in her giant sack. She devours children as her favorite snack. Her favorite dish is a stew of naughty kids, for which she has an insatiable appetite. According to legend, there is never a shortage of food for Grýla" (Wikipedia).    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler

    Reykjavik Tjörnin, Unknown Bureaucrat

    December 23, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 27 °F

    Our walk home from the Hallgrímskirkja was made even more entertaining by an impromptu street concert by a couple of drunk Santas. They were obviously singing songs that the Icelandic members of the crowd knew, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I didn't quite know what to make of it, but it was fun!

    We took a different route by the Tjörnin again, this time to see the ducks and geese there. Because so many people like to feed the 40-50 species of birds that frequent The Pond, the lake is "poetically referred to as 'the biggest bread soup in the world'" (Wikipedia), although city officials have requested that people stop feeding the ducks in order to better protect the ducklings. One corner of the lake is geothermically heated, so it never freezes over (McKelvie and I wondered about that as we walked by, and the Guide to Iceland website just confirmed it for me!)

    The Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat always makes me a little sad.    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    The view from McKelvie's balcony at 8:50 AM.
    The same view at about 3 PM.The view from McKelvie's front door at 3 PM with the ocean less than 1/2 mile in the distance.Tonight's supper minus the chocolate cake.

    Christmas Eve

    December 24, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 28 °F

    McKelvie and I had a lazy day. We made roast chicken and potatoes for supper in her tiny kitchen. We even baked a chocolate cake!

    At 6 PM, we went on the balcony to hear the Hallgrimskirkja bells. It was too windy to get a good recording, but I'll post it anyway. Merry Christmas!Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    The kid in front is holding his cat (on a leash). The guy in back is building a snowman!
    This is what the longhouse & outbuildings may have looked like - the first Reykjavik settlement.

    The Settlement Exhibition

    December 26, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 30 °F

    At about 1:30 PM, it started snowing, and it didn't stop. As of 6:20, I'd estimate we've received at least 6 inches of snow - maybe more. It's the perfect kind with huge, wet flakes that fall straight down and land in your hair and eyelashes and make you feel as though you're on a Christmas movie set. I have no doubt that Iceland is a big faker and this weather is NOT normal, but I'll still take it over most Kansas snowstorms.

    McKelvie and I decided to visit Reykjavik's Settlement Exhibition today at Aðalstræti 16. It's basically Reyjavik's city museum. We started with the oldest part of Reykjavik's history, which is actually the newest part of the museum. From their website (https://reykjavikcitymuseum.is): "Discovered during building work in 2001, these archaeological remains turned out to be the earliest evidence of human settlement in the city, with some dating to before AD 871±2. Careful excavation revealed a 10th century hall or longhouse, which is now preserved in its original location as the focal point of the exhibition." I've always found it interesting when ancient ruins are discovered beneath modern buildings, and this was no different. McKelvie even showed me where other ruins are believed to exist, near the museum (literally, a parking lot right across the street), but her professors say archaeologists are waiting until the completion of the new Alþingi parliament building before completing the permits required to open a new dig site in the middle of downtown Reykjavik.

    The highlight of the museum is the longhouse exhibit, which is excellent, but we also enjoyed learning about the rest of Reykjavik's settlement history (lots of Norse men and Celtic women) through the Middle Ages and into the present (gyrfalcons, tax-free trade, and military Quonset huts were huge - who knew?)    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    McKelvie ate here during her first trip to Iceland and loved it.
    Fish & Chips

    Fish Restaurants & Foggy Glasses

    December 26, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ❄️ 32 °F

    Reykjavik Centre in the snow is like a movie set, according to McKelvie, and I have to agree. It was absolutely beautiful. We walked by the Christmas Market and Jólakötturinn and thought briefly of walking up the hill to see Hallgrímskirkja again, but it was starting to become VERY slick...and it's a pretty steep hill. I had visions of sliding down it on my ass or blowing my knee out again - both of which did not sound like very much fun. So it was determined that we'd go home and come back tomorrow. Besides, my glasses were so fogged up that I couldn't see much anyway.Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    There's a snowman sitting in that chair!

    A Snowy Walk Home

    December 26, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ❄️ 32 °F

    As usual, the walk back to McKelvie's apartment was beautiful, but we were soaking wet and very tired when we arrived. After a quick stop at Krambúðin to get some cocoa to make some hot chocolate, we headed upstairs to warm back up and hang everything over the radiators to dry out.

    It has almost quit snowing now, and it's supposed to clear off for the next two days, so we'll head back downtown again tomorrow. We have some more museums we'd like to visit, and we might even go back to the mall again for some more shopping. In any case, we have more adventuring to do!    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    Approximately 1:15 PM from McKelvie's balcony.
    McKelvie's statue of a demon wearing a sombrero (angel with a sword)."I want waffle fries!"Reykjavik Raincoats - Hours of OperationI find it interesting that the state owns all of the legal liquor stores in Iceland.

    We Finally Found the Liquor Store!

    December 27, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 21 °F

    McKelvie and I enjoyed another day of exploring downtown Reykjavik. We took a different route by Tjörnin and saw a bunch of different statues we hadn't seen before. I'm sure they depict important people or events, but everything was still covered in snow from last night's storm, so we couldn't read any of the plaques. McKelvie thought one looked like a demon wearing a sombrero. It turned out to be an angel carrying a sword.

    I absolutely love looking at the architecture and the different murals downtown. We explored streets we hadn't seen before, finding a cute little Christmas shop (Litla Jólabúðin), Reykjavik Raincoats (the message on their door about their hours makes me happy), and Vínbúðin (The Wine Shop), the state-run liquor store. The State Alcohol and Tobacco Company of Iceland (ÁTVR) operates 51 Vínbúðin stores and is the "sole legal retail vendor of alcohol in Iceland" (Wikipedia).

    We ended today's excursion with calamari and pepperoni pizza at 101 Bistro.    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    I'm very curious what these cookies taste like. I wish we'd bought some.Grocery store in a mall...a little weird.The National Theatre of IcelandThe National Gallery of Iceland

    December 29-30

    December 30, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 32 °F

    Lots of walking, shopping, and just making the most of being together. Random Straeto bus rides back to the mall, walks to the Harpa and past the National Theatre and the National Gallery, supper at the Hard Rock Cafe...nothing extravagant, but all of it perfect because it was with my McKelvie.Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    Today's sunset.

    Happy New Year!

    January 1, 2024 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 23 °F

    This fireworks display was amazing!

    VisitReykjavik.is states: "Traditionally, Icelanders start the evening with a festive family dinner, followed by a trip to a local bonfire (brenna) where they meet up and celebrate with neighbors. From around 22:30 to 23:35 the city streets go remarkably quiet as a whopping 90% of the nation gather around their TV sets to watch Áramótaskaup – or the annual New Year’s Eve Ridicule (a comedy show broadcast by the national television channel, sending-up the major news stories and events of the year).

    At 23:30 a brilliant display of fireworks is unleashed as 200,000 people (approx. the population of Reykjavík) set off around 500 tons of fireworks. They can’t wait for midnight and start shooting ‘em up as soon as Áramótaskaup is finished! After midnight, the nightclubs and pubs remain open and the celebrations go on well into the morning."

    It is now 1:40 AM, and I can still hear fireworks in the distance. I know I'll be exhausted in the morning, but I'm so glad I stayed to experience New Year's Eve in Iceland with McKelvie.    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler
    One last view of the church from the balcony this morning.
    This morning's sunrise.McKelvie made it back home safely.Lunch at the airport. The Applesin is the best part.

    Saying Goodbye Again

    January 1, 2024 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F

    The fireworks finally ended at about 2:30 AM, and my alarm went off at 8:30. McKelvie was not pleased because I'd told her it would be 9, but I'm paranoid. We got around and walked to the bus stop. Reykjavik was very sleepy and still a bit smokey. I'm pretty sure the geese and ducks at Tjornin have been traumatized for life. They cried all night and were still calling out this morning.

    We boarded the #15 and jumped off at the first stop at the BSI Central Station. I got my ticket, and it wasn't long before McKelvie was helping me load my bags, and I received my last sweet hug for a while. It's going to have to last because I may not see her again for a year. FaceTime doesn't count.

    The Sky Bus transfer is fine. Rude girl in front of me with her seat leaned back and a real entitled attitude, but my Irish seatmate and her friend across the aisle made it worth it. We plotted evil retaliation together.

    Check-in and security were easy. It's only the men who are suspicious of the metal in my knee and ankle and the underwire in my bra. The ladies always wave me through with a smile. No put downs today (so far). Denver will be different, I'm sure. This is a very nice airport. I'll try to take some pictures without seeming creepy. I already miss my girl.

    One last Applesin for the road!    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler

    Denver International Airport

    January 1, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 41 °F

    After a pretty uneventful 8-ish hour flight, we had to sit for about 15 minutes because there was no one available to guide us into the gate, but after that, we were able to deplane pretty quickly. It felt like I walked 5 miles to get to customs, but I was fortunate to not be pulled out of line to be searched. Bob the drug dog didn't think I smelled to sketchy, either. He checked out my backpack and then moved on to the family next to me who had tried to smuggle in oranges and ham sandwiches - a big no no, apparently.

    While I was waiting, I went ahead an checked into my United flight and even managed to check my bag online. Once I grabbed my luggage, a nice lady helped me print my ticket and luggage tags, I checked my bags, and then had the pleasure of going through security yet again. For it being such a crazy, busy place, I was really pleased that everyone was SO nice. That's not always the case. The construction in the great hall made everything a little more challenging, but it was a lot easier coming home than it was on Dec. 21 when I first had to figure it out.

    After a short train ride and another 5 mile hike (it sure felt like it), I found gate B56 and settled in. The only hiccup was that one of the seats was malfunctioning or they oversold seats or something and they begged for a volunteer to take a later flight, so there were a tense 5-6 minutes before someone took them up on their offer of a free hotel room and a $1200 voucher. I seriously thought about it.    Read more

  • Kim McMurryChristmas in IcelandTraveler

    Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport

    January 1, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 25 °F

    Almost home. Will spend the night here in Wichita and then head to Greensburg in the morning in time to spend a couple of hours with Ellery before she goes back to McPherson for JanTerm.

    I'm exhausted and ready to rest. It was an excellent trip, and everyone I encountered - both in Iceland and here in the USA (aside from the nasty couple who stole my seat on that first leg from Wichita to Denver) - was kind and friendly. While I don't necessarily like traveling by myself, I DO appreciate it when my "travel buddies" work with me and not against me.Read more

    Trip end
    January 2, 2024
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