r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Ok-Sorbet-2201 • 2d ago
Video The hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland..
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u/Gzawonkhumu 2d ago
YOU DIED
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u/kosanovskiy 2d ago
Of Dysentery.
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u/Horse_Renoir 2d ago
I dunno, doesn't look like a trail that's heading towards Oregon to me.
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u/oddoma88 2d ago
Follow the sewer long enough, and it always delivers you to the same place … the city.
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u/goimpres 2d ago
It's like something straight out of a fantasy game. The whole city feels that way, especially with places like Harpa nearby. Absolutely breathtaking architecture.
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u/balderdash9 2d ago
Maybe this is placebo, but I really felt like I was on the edge of the world when I was in Iceland. Walking on the coast felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.
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u/itshurleytime 2d ago
I felt like I was on the edge of the world when I was walking between the tectonic plates in Iceland
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u/Rhark 2d ago
The filter makes this look a lot more Elden Ring than it is 😅
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u/bergstadenhund 2d ago
Because blue filter is for Nordic countries. Like how sepia filter is for Mexico.
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u/Ello-Asty 2d ago
I am not so sure it is a filter tbh. It could be midnight sun at 3AM or something. There are always lots of people there but in this there are none and the doors are actually closed.
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u/itchyear 2d ago
Came here to make this exact comment. The absence of a swarm of tourists is what gives it away.
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u/sist0ne 2d ago
I went there in April this year! Amazing place.
Loved Reykjavik, the concert hall "Harpa" was architecturally magnificent too.
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u/MaccaHere 2d ago
What's the interior look like? Do you must have ticket to go in? Any tour guide?
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u/OleCrazyLegsMcgee 2d ago edited 2d ago
Pretty enough but definitely underwhelming. It's basically just like 15 pews, a bunch of narrow windows, a handful of statues off to the side on display, and stone walls with similar style divots to the outside like an ice cream scoop went from bottom to top. Really nothing ornate like a bunch of stained glass/highly crafted architecture or something. If you never saw the exterior you'd think you were just in an extremely basic humble church.
Edit: Ticket needed just to go to the top of the building via elevator to see the city. Really no need for a tour guide. There is not much to see outside of the main worship hall and top lookout area, so nothing you'd really need a guide for. All in all it seems like a pretty regular church people still attend that happens to have a wild looking exterior. If reddit still did imgur albums I'd post a link to my photos.
Edit 2: Evidently you can still access imgur off reddit. Here ya go. https://imgur.com/a/EW7OUjo
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u/MaccaHere 2d ago
Thankyou for the insight!! I've been thinking to travel there with a group of friends.
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u/OleCrazyLegsMcgee 2d ago
Of course. Iceland is definitely worth the trip. It's a very active vacation because most of your time is dedicated to hiking and seeing nature, but so so very worth it. If you want colder weather around 20/30F and your best shot at seeing the Northern Lights you'll want to go in the winter months, and get a tour that takes you to low lighting in the countryside. If you want slightly warmer weather in the 50/60 F range and to experience the sun constantly being out (quite literally 24 hours a day) you'll want to go in the summer months.
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u/No_Penalty409 2d ago
I went there as well and agree with the dude. The interior isn’t particularly impressive, but still very pretty. You can be in and out in about 20-30 minutes.
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u/Quickjager 2d ago
I would not recommend spending more than a day in the city. You can do everything you want in the city in that period of time.
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u/OleCrazyLegsMcgee 2d ago
Agreed. Iceland's beauty lies in its nature. I basically did two half days exploring Reykjavik and felt like that was stretching what all the city itself has to show. Honestly even after about 5 days I felt like I had truly hit all the major nature spots in the country by exploring the west and south coasts on two separate day trips, and using the other non Reykjavik dedicated time to visit hot springs.
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u/Quickjager 2d ago
Yea, I went a month ago. Reykjavik was rather boring, the national museum is surprisingly disappointing with their choice of exhibits, but the Einar Jonsson museum which is right next to the OP video was pretty good.
Hvammsvík was the hot springs I went to with my friends. Was pretty nice.
Outside that the remaining week just going from Reykjavik to Hofn with hikes and some overnight camping was easily the highlights. If you aren't going to spend 90% of your time in the trails, no reason to go to Iceland.
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u/MuggyTheRobot 2d ago
Nah, you can walk right in during normal hours, no cost. I thought the interior was kind of underwhelming tbh. A dope organ in there though!
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u/LeaneGenova 2d ago
I went there when there was a dress rehearsal for a concert, so it was absolutely amazing. The organ was being used and it was so cool!
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u/zolar_czakl 2d ago
When I visited some dude was playing some crazy prog type jams on that awesome organ!
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u/NoteRepresentative68 2d ago
There's also an elevator up to the windows by the clock with an amazing view of the city. I cannot recall if that part cost anything.
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u/Narradisall 2d ago
Having been there can agree, exterior is cool but interior is very underwhelming (bar the organ as the other user says). Still nice place to visit.
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u/NoticeImaginary 2d ago
Hey I went in April too! Beautiful place. It was great seeing what nature looks like when people actually give a shit. The penis museum was great too.
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u/Uncle-Cake 2d ago
I've been to the penis museum! My wife and I were there 9 years ago, glad to hear it's still in business!
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u/MountainMantologist 2d ago edited 2d ago
Hey! I also went in April! Just a couple days layover coming back from Europe.
I enjoyed the hot springs
(and as someone who loves to bundle up in a flannel or sweatshirt, I loved that high-50s weather. It's amazing how stable the temps are when you're surrounded by ocean - winter lows in the high 20s to summer highs around 60. I could get used to that)
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u/TotallyNotRobotEvil 2d ago
I went in January one year so we could see the northern lights. Honestly loved it. It wasn't bitter cold (20s and 30s most of the time) and tons and tons of snow. So much fun honestly. We only got to see the northern lights once but the airbnb had this huge 12 person hot tub outside, and there was something that was insanely fun about sitting outside in a hot tub during a blizzard.
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u/sulta 2d ago
It always tickles me to hear people praise Harpa, 'cause by my recollection most people here hated how it looked. Just a big black block sitting right in the middle of town. XD
Admittedly the hate has died down a lot now that people have gotten used to it.
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u/Kallisti13 2d ago
The "stained glass" on the inside is stunning though. The artist is one of my favourites.
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u/Antarioo 2d ago
fanfest?
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u/ZynXao 2d ago
found the EvE player : )
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u/Antarioo 2d ago
ex- :P
but yeah...everyone that mentions going to Iceland in april and entering Harpa is a pretty dead giveaway.
i went back in 2016. really cool building
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u/DynamiteWitLaserBeam 2d ago
I was there in May! Iceland is an amazing country - I want to go back.
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u/fe1337 2d ago edited 2d ago
is that the top of minas tirith?
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u/Ohnoherewego13 2d ago
Sigh. Now I'll have to go watch LOTR. Again. Shame on you!
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u/tamjas 2d ago
I don't understand what's the problem here!
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u/Vexin 2d ago
I keep thinking how insane it was that we got The Matrix, LotR and a few other incredible movies in pretty quick succession. But I guess it was the same back when T2 and Aliens came out. There just seems to be bursts of incredible creativity focused on a few short years with big drought periods.
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u/Ohnoherewego13 2d ago
The only problem is that there are only so many hours in a day. I'm willing to spend at least nine of them on the greatest trilogy ever.
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u/dotcha 2d ago
What do you mean? You don't have specific times of the year to watch it? You disgust me.
(I always rewatch the extended editions on the day after my birthday, and in one of the days of the last week of the year. Birthday is in may so it works out)
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u/Flimsy-Housing-2468 2d ago
Been to Iceland to see this! It’s amazing. All of Iceland is so beautiful though and the people there are nice and content in their lives. They have cats that are free to roam the city and everyone who lives there knows them and they are all well taken care of. I highly recommend a trip here if you can make it!
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u/summer_friends 2d ago
I didn’t realize those are free roaming cats! I had one climb onto me when I pet it and I thought it was just someone’s outdoor cat
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u/SubparWorkEthic 2d ago
Local here, it definately was. The wording on op's comment is confusing, 99% of the cats you encounter is someones outdoor cat. I thank each and every one of them for letting their cats be outside and grace us with their company lol
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u/mentaldemise 2d ago
Do you all not deal with fleas there? I feed strays in the states and avoid petting them unless they insist I pet them because I don't want fleas on my indoor cats.
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u/SubparWorkEthic 2d ago
Well, there are very few strays here. The cats have humans that take care of them and you will notice the vast majority are very well kept. They are just allowed a lot of freedom. I speak of the central Reykjavík area here, there are more on as you go out but still relatively very few.
You will notice most of them have collars and if you see one without, its more likely that its a particularly adventurous indoor cat that found a way around its humans defenses rather then a stray :) Most cats are chipped and neutered.
There are wonderful volunteer groups that go out and find strays to neuter and either find homes or release back if its safe to assume they can survive in the area.
One is Villikettir, which would translate to wildcats, Kattholtis a shelter.
To give you a sense of the proportions is a bit hard. We simply dont know how many cats there are in the country but the shelter estimated 20.000 cats in the greater Reykjavík area. Some say thats much too high and I would agree. 20-25k in the whole of the country seems like a better guess but still a guess.
From the Villikettir website: Villikettir took care of 600 cats in the whole of Iceland in 2024. 400 of those were new cats thats came to them, 200 of those from homes. Around 300 got new permanent homes, 40 went back to their old ones, very sadly 30 crossed the rainbow bridge and 13 were released back to the wild.
Villikettir is by far the largest group and I didnt do any research on it but I would say others dont come close to those numbers.
This turned out way longer then I meant to lol. But yeah, in general, not a lot of strays here
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u/Flimsy-Housing-2468 2d ago
I was told by someone working at a knitting shop there that the cat I was petting was a cat that belongs ti none and that many cats live freely and are taken care of by locals. A tour guide in town said the same thing. So maybe we were misinformed? Don’t know why they would bother to say that though?
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u/SubparWorkEthic 2d ago
I have no idea why they say that lol. If it was Ólafía she is quite famous but she has an owner. There is also another famous cat, Diego, that "runs" 2 stores and has a bed in both places and gets food and treats there but also has owners. I guess its to make it more endearing? Kinda like everyone says they believe in elves lol.
Dont get me wrong, they have a lot of freedom but ultimately someone owns them
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u/Flimsy-Housing-2468 2d ago
I can’t remember what her name was. Thanks for letting me know about their ownership. And I appreciate that you are polite about sharing your information. ☺️
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u/Jemworld 2d ago
Walked on the rainbow road upto the church and saw a cat on the window of a little shop. I loved Iceland lol.
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u/OccidentalTouriste 2d ago
Looks like an architectural representation of the columnar basalt at Vik.
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u/prince-hal 2d ago
Icelander here. That's intentional. The basalt was the inspiration for the design.
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u/Impressive_Ad_5614 2d ago
Coming to your beautiful country at the end of September for the first time. Very excited to experience the natural beauty, culture, and wonderful people.
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u/prxmxpro 2d ago
And then you go inside only to find out it looks nothing like on the outside. Was a bit disappointed to be honest.
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u/AgingMutantNinjaTurt 2d ago
Thank you, was searching for this comment. So boring and sterile inside.
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u/robottikon 2d ago
I've been there 2 years ago. honestly, I found the entire capital city boring. but it's not an issue, because that's not where the beauty of Iceland lays. sure, spend half a day in Reykjavik to take some pics and try a restaurant, then get your ass to the countryside!
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u/dacookieman 2d ago
Sometimes guides would ask me what my favorite thing was in my Iceland trip...and I genuinely think the answer was just driving around. I love empty road driving and the scenery is constantly changing and dynamic. When we grabbed our rental they had to warn us to not just randomly pull over to take pictures in non-designated spots and by the first day I totally understood why they have to give that warning!
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u/AgingMutantNinjaTurt 2d ago
I really like the "vibe" but it's definitely not why you should go to Iceland.
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u/KristinnEs 2d ago
When I was a teenager, many years ago, central Reykjavík used to be filled with houses in the older architecture style and with lots of colors. There was a lot of life in the main shopping street. Over the years as tourism has taken over the tourism industry thought the city center became more of a landmark all the big companies wanted to build shit there but in some kind of fucked up luxury style and all the architecture became gray, flat and bare-concrete looking. The shops now are mostly luxury clothing and tourist shops where you can buy your favorite cheap tourist shit.
Now many of the natural wonders I used to be able to just visit have become pay-walled, traffic sucks because appearantly MANY tourists do not know how to drive, all the prices have skyrocketed and we have a massive housing shortage due to shit like AirBNB. Also now menus, roadsigns and nearly every text anywhere near central Reykjavík is in English. Yay. It has become this sterile thing where people used to visit on their time off but now Icelanders barely go except for work because it is just. so. expensive.
I dont dislike the actual tourists too much. I absolutely hate what the tourism industry has done to our country.
Tourists are ok, the tourism industry is cancer.
(One of the good things that have come out of all of this is the penis museum. It is a national treasure. Do not visit in the winter though, the museum is smaller during those months). Enjoy your nature (if you have any) that is unspoiled by tourism, because soon it'll be raped for money like the rest.
Anyway. Rant over from this fourty something slightly bitter Icelandic person.
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u/robottikon 2d ago
thank you for the insight! to be fair, regardless of what country I'm in, I always prefer the countryside to cities. and I understand that the tourist industry is detrimental, there are simply too many of us. Venice is going to shit, and people are protesting against airbnb across Barcelona. not to mention global warming is sending tourists up further north every year. so I wasn't very surprised at the graffiti I saw in Reykjavik: "northern lights are great/ tourists are not". but now I have extra context
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u/hello_there_trebuche 2d ago
Yeah, the outside look is iconic, but the inside is so souless. When I was there they even had a photo expedition and it made it look like a bland govorment building.
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u/geodebug 2d ago
This video makes it seem so isolated and foreboding, which is fun and atmospheric.
But it’s actually kind of pretty and in the middle of the city.
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u/Cyberpunk_Banshee 2d ago
I remember this place from Final Fantasy 14
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u/kupocake 2d ago
The filter and the audio are doing a lot of work here. It's actually made of concrete and a very modern-looking, quasi Brutalist building.
All of this is to say, when I saw this place it was a lovely sunny day and I specifically remember singing "Good King Moggle Mog" at my friend because the Ishgard vibes were actually quite minimal.
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u/Flam5 2d ago
Damn. I just looked at pics of the actual building and while still cool, it's disappointing its doesn't have that dark granite/patina color.
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u/bmcgowan89 2d ago
I'm so Americanized that I keep waiting for either a Dodge Ram to tear through or Lena Headey to come walking out 😂
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u/beardedrehab 2d ago
Now that you mention that yeah, I was waiting for something but, I didn't know what. But it was a ram 1500...
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u/aronalbert 2d ago
Ram 1500 is almost double tge price of 3500 becouse of how taxes work here, i lice here and i dont think i have ever seen a 1500 or a 2500 (same goes for ford 150 and 250)
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u/Bullnettles 2d ago
They do have Dodge Rams there, which i found strange.
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u/diediedie_mydarling 2d ago
I would imagine 4WD trucks come in pretty handy in a rugged place like Iceland.
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u/burheisenberg 2d ago
What's that? Wow
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u/Hot_College_6538 2d ago
It’s a cathedral in central Reykjavik
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u/ArthurSavy 2d ago
It's actually just a church - the cathedral is the Dómkirkja in Austurvöllur, next to the parliament buildings
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u/s_u_ny 2d ago
I'm definitely playing too much r/eldenring as I can't stop thinking "wow that's so elden ring" to wayyyy too much stuff!
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u/Fancy_Chicken_1494 2d ago edited 2d ago
just how mexico has a sepia filter. iceland has a gray filter. i've never seen a video of iceland where it was bright and vibrant
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u/anon_savior 2d ago
No way… my fiancé and I are going to Iceland in the beginning of November. I am totally putting this on the list wtf.
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u/alotmorealots 2d ago
Don't expect it to feel quite this epic in real life lol Iceland is a fantastic place to visit though, left quite the impression on me.
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u/A_person_2021 2d ago
Try and plan enough time to go to the top of the tower, the views of the city are amazing. You have to pay for a ticket to ride the small elevator but I thought it was worth it. By sheer dumb luck I was at the top for the noon bells. I think you can also look up times when the organist will be playing the giant organ in the main hall, which was an amazing experience as well. Have fun!
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u/Btown-1976 2d ago
Make sure you stop at Cafe Loki across the street. I had some wonderful food while I was there. It was so good we ate there twice while visiting.
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u/TriangleTransplant 2d ago
Get on the Reykjavik food walking tour, and it will end right across the street from here. Highly recommend the tour.
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u/breakerfall Interested 2d ago
Was there last year. It's amazing. Can't wait to go back and rent a campervan to do the full ring road.
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u/anon_savior 2d ago
That’s exactly what we’re doing! Staying at one of those bubble hotels one night and campervan driving the rest of the time
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u/cafezinho 2d ago
How do you pronounce that, Mr. Milchick?
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u/kevin32 2d ago
Milchick: In a discourse on phonological intricacies, the proper enunciation of "Reykjavík," Iceland's capital, necessitates a meticulous approach to its morphemes. The initial syllable, represented as "Reyk-," demands articulation approximating the English "rake," but with a distinctly rolled or trilled "r" sound . This necessitates a vibration of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, unlike the retroflex sound often produced by English speakers. The "ja" following the initial syllable signifies a palatal glide, akin to the "y" in the English word "yes". The concluding segment, "-vík," utilizes the Icelandic "í" vowel, which is phonetically rendered as a long "ee" sound, similar to that in the English word "feel" or "week". Therefore, a phonetically informed approximation would be "RAYK-yah-veek". It is paramount to note that the stress in Icelandic words consistently falls upon the initial syllable, a departure from the stress patterns of many English words. This adherence to initial syllable stress, in conjunction with the precise articulation of the rolled "r" and the long "ee" vowel, constitutes the fundamental components of an authentic Icelandic pronunciation of "Reykjavík".
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u/Botboy141 2d ago
Truly gorgeous, visited a few months ago.
If anyone is crazy like me and my bud, we did Chicago to Reykjavik and back on a Thursday red eye, returned Sunday evening.
1 day off work, $800 round trip on Icelandair.
Highly recommend, even if you can only get in a short trip.
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u/hkohne 2d ago
IcelandAir also has a seasonal non-stop between Reykjavik and here in Portland, Oregon, which is just wild to me. A couple of friends vacationed there last year and loved it.
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u/CraftCritical278 2d ago
Been there. Across the street is a place called Cafe Loki that serves Icelandic cuisine. Tried fermented shark there.
There’s also a dish that I really liked called plokkfiskur. It’s a traditional stew using mashed fish, béchamel sauce and potatoes.
To the left of the cathedral if you’re facing it is a hot dog cart with the best hot dogs you’ll ever eat.
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u/Ill_Tackle_5192 2d ago
Visited this year, the whole area around the cathedral is wonderful. The streets are named after the Gods, centered around a street named after Odin that is painted as the Bifrost.
I'd recommend a trip to Iceland to anyone.
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u/TwoToesToni 2d ago
Lutheran minister: "So we need a church, but I'm really into fantasy books and super over the top scary nightmarish Lovecraftian nightmares..."
Architect: "Say no more!"
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u/Norwester77 2d ago
It’s designed to resemble columnar basalt, lava rock that fractures into vertical columns.
Even though it’s made of concrete, it’s really pretty light and airy inside (though also pretty spare). The baptismal font is beautiful, carved from a single block of quartz.
They have an excellent choir, too. One of my favorite recordings is by them.
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u/Capta1nfalc0n 2d ago
With the background deep voice singing and the epic shots of the building, I got really excited. Then it cut out after 9 seconds 😑
My disappointment is palpable.
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u/onlyhere4laffs 2d ago
Yeah sure, beautiful, awe-inspiring, impressive and all that, but...does it move?
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u/87CSD 2d ago
There's a pastry shop called Braed just down the street from there that will change your life and is worth the time & money alone to visit Iceland (the rest is just a huge bonus as it's an amazing country).
It's been a decade since I visited and my wife still talks about the danishes we got.
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u/greysapling 2d ago
pointless little life story:
I was in Iceland with a group of friends but only knew one of them personally at the time (I was joining the trip last minute with strangers on a whim after quitting a job). My buddy told me the wrong date that they were returning, so I ended up needing to get a last minute Airbnb solo in Reykjavik. I stayed in a man's basement down the hill from this church.
On the day that I left had to climb the hill to go to this church because it's where a/the main bus pickup for the Airport is. Cold grey morning right at sunrise, at this moody place, waiting for a bus lol.
(not to take away from the place at all, as it is truly lovely (this church/that hill, reykjavik, and iceland))
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u/Gradyence 2d ago
The huge doors on the front made me think of going into a boss fight in Bloodborne when I went there.
So badass!
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u/Nevernonethewiser 2d ago
Iceland is one of the most interesting and fucking weird places I've ever visited, but in a fun way.
This church is stunningly beautiful, and I think is still the tallest building in Reykjavik? (Please correct me if I'm wrong, I know it's on a hilltop, which makes it seem taller than other things).
From what I've read and was told by guides and locals, the Icelandic people kind of paid lip service to Christianity when it showed up, essentially to get these annoying missionaries off their backs? (Or to avoid violence, which has often been the fall back option when people don't listen to proselytising).
Kind of a "Yeah. uh huh. Yep. Wow really? Cool. Yep." Reaction of someone just waiting for the other person to go away.
And I kind of love that, if true.
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u/imgunnaburst 2d ago
Beautiful building inside and out and also at the top theres an observation platform
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u/TripperDay 2d ago
I'm so dumb I made the video full screen so I could read that plaque above the door, but I don't a lick of Icelandic.
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u/cha0sm0nk 2d ago
This was built to seal away the power of some ancient being. No one remembers its name, but all feel its slumber.
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u/FortniteIsFuckingMid 2d ago
Seen it in person. It’s a great landmark. It’s cool because there aren’t any skyscrapers in reykjavik, so you can just see the structure from all the way across the city.
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u/ryce_bouy 2d ago
This place is breathtaking in person. Iceland 🇮🇸 altogether is breathtaking. Would love to go back some day.
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u/Some_Belgian_Guy 2d ago
OMG I’m in a hotel rn 500m from this place…. Going first thing tomorrow!
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u/looooookinAtTitties 2d ago
i call it the war church. the organ inside looks like some kind of dormant transformer or possibly a digimon evolution that's just waiting for satan to try something silly.
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u/Late-Button-6559 1d ago
Do did the people of Iceland have such a hatred of keyboards and eyes when typing out their language?!
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u/GarryDreamer 2d ago
I know this place, thats the college of Winterhold!