Reykjavik

It had to come, the last day of our adventure, and I think this mural in my main summarises how I feel about the past twelve days. Today we explored some parts of Reykjavik and of course the morning started with coffee and pastries, then a wander round some of the older parts of the city (first extra). There are lots of murals around many corners and in some spaces modern buildings are mixed with old (third extra). The second extra is Harpa, a concert hall and conference centre of a stunning design and was one of the first buildings that caught my attention as we docked on Monday morning because of its shape and the beautiful colour of the glass. 
A highlight of today was a visit to a unique experience, the Lava Show, where crushed basalt is melted to 1100 degrees C and released down a chute as molten lava. As soon as it emerged from the chute the temperature in the room increased considerably. The amazing impact of molten lava flowing just a couple of metres away from us (fourth extra) was accompanied by a very informative talk by a young geology student who certainly knew her stuff and she even engaged the attention of the young people in the audience. 
Our final visit of the day was to Hallgrimskirkja, an evangelical Lutheran church which seems to stand guard over Reykjavik (fifth extra). It’s concrete facade is a clever modern design with a nod to the Icelandic countryside. The statue outside is of Leif Erickson a Norse explorer who lived at the end of the tenth century and early eleventh and according to Icelandic sagas discovered North America long before Columbus.
After searching out some fish and chips we headed back to our accommodation to pack and have an early night as we would be getting up at 3.00am to catch our flight home.