After some sleep and a good breakfast on the ship, we headed back out to the city of Reykjavik to find our tour guide for our Mountain Safari ATV tour!! MyMan and I have ridden ATVs in the past and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was wanting to be able to share that fun with the girls.
After a short bus ride, we arrived at their base camp. All the ATVs were 2 seaters, so MyMan and Oldest were on one, and Littlest and I were on one.
Suited UP!
I did not get any pictures of anything along the way. But these were the views once we made up to the top of the mountain.
After the tour was over, honestly MyMan and I were disappointed in the whole tour. We stayed on surface roads most of the time, and there just wasn’t much thrill to the whole tour. Whenever we go back, I would like to do a more vigorous ATV or buggy tour and really get out into the terrain. This was just too tame for what we have experienced in other places. But the views were definitely beautiful!
Some more interesting facts about Iceland:
- It was under Danish rule until 1918, when on December 1st, it became a sovereign country under the Crown of Denmark known as the Kingdom of Iceland.
- Great Britain invaded Iceland during WWII to prevent Germany from obtaining a stronghold here where it could invade Canada and the US.
- When Great Britain invaded with 780+ soldiers, they were met with 70 police officers to stop the invasion….This was ALL of the police officers in the ENTIRE COUNTRY.
- Because WWII brought work for residents – Icelanders refer to World War II as “The Good War.“
- True industry did not begin here until after WWII, before then, it just mainly consisted of small fishing villages.
- It has only been in the last 30 years or so that Reykjavik has become an a significant player in the global economy.
On our way back, we had the driver drop us off in the city so we could walk around Reykjavik. We still had several hours before we had to get back on board. Walking around the town, you can see the newer, more modern architecture.
This is the Harpa Opera House. The glass is so beautiful to look at. 
Strolling down the street, MyMan spotted an old arcade…so of course we had to go in! We had to explain to our girls what all the games were and how they operated. Man that was a blast from the past!
Thought this was a cool looking coffee shop.
The buildings tended to be quite colorful and had varying architectural designs.
This is the Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral. The architect took much of his inspiration on the design from lava formations around the island.
This statue stand out in front of the cathedral. It is a gift from the United States to Iceland.
Inside the Cathedral – quite different from all other cathedrals we have seen. Much more stark with no ornate detailing or paintings. 
It had a huge, gorgeous organ weighing 25 tons!
After leaving the cathedral, we continued walking around the town looking at the sites.
I was very interested to see that they had many murals on their walls throughout the city. There wasn’t a particular theme to them that I could see, but they were all very intriguing in their own ways.
And, of course, it was always fun trying to figure out how to pronounce their words!
It was time to head back the ship, because after spending 3 fun-filled days full of excitement in Iceland, we all were feeling a little like this…
Thankfully, the next day was a Sea Day so we were all able to relax, rest, and refill our energy levels.
From Here to There - A Move Across an Ocean 