Hallgrímskirkja - Reykjavik

This is the Hallgrimskirkja - the main Lutheran church in Reykjavik, which sits at the top of a hill in the centre of the city and can be seen from almost everywhere in the city.  I have a good view of it, not far away from my guesthouse!  When I went on the city tour on the first day here, we couldn't get inside due to a funeral, so I went back today.  I really struggled to get a good picture of it without all the clutter of street lamps, cars, people and street signs and I think the photographer for this link did also!  

I went up to the top of the tower and the view of the city and the mountains beyond were really stunning on such a clear, blue-sky day!  I found out that there was going to be a free classical concert on this afternoon at 4, so after another few hours of exploring the city on foot, and having some warming lobster soup at the world-famous hole-in-the-wall Sea Baron's fish restaurant, I returned and very much enjoyed the music (and the time off my feet!).  I found out on my tour yesterday that Iceland is investing a great deal in music and arts education and has established several specialist music schools.  This is slowly paying off as Icelandic musicians and other artists are becoming better known in the worldwide music arena.  Today's concert showcased various young musicians and choristers from the Iceland Academy of the Arts.

This evening I went on a Northern Lights tour.  Based on the weather forecast, tonight was predicted to be the best night in several days.  While we definitely saw a display, I was sadly quite underwhelmed.  Having seen some very beautiful displays many times from the plane, I was hoping to see something even more spectacular from the ground.  Trying to see the Northern Lights can be a very elusive (and expensive) venture!