Leifur Eiriksson

Better known as Leif Ericsson, Leifur Eiriksson is credited with being the first European to reach the coast of North America around 1000, some 500 years ahead of Christopher Columbus.

His statue stands in front of Hallgrimmskirkja, looking out to sea. He was one of a breed of Norse explorers of around that time who thought nothing of heading between Norway, Iceland, Greenland - where a settlement was established - and even Canada, where Newfoundland and Labrador are thought to be the sites of Eiriksson's landings. However, I note the statue was a gift from the people of the United States.

Remarkable, really, considering the boats and technology available.

I've declined the opportunity to go whale watching today. It's 40 euros and all you get, apparently, is a woman guide who keeps saying 'there it is, it's behind you' and then, 'oh no sorry, it isn't' when you turn around. One group saw one dolphin during the entire trip. We saw loads of them in the Moray Firth in July. I'll leave it to the people from the landlocked states to be impressed by one dolphin.

Finally, on the subject of Hallgrimmskirkja, the consensus seemed to be that it looked most like the space shuttle. It still makes me think of a ghost, especially at night when the 'eyes' at the top are lit up.