Face carving on a stone along a street in Reykjavík. (Oct. 8, 2021)

The Reykjavík Downtown Hotel thru the Vietnam Restaurant off the main drag of Skólavörðustígur is where I spent my last two nights in Reykjavík. (Oct. 8, 2021)

My room inside the Reykjavík Downtown Hotel thru the Vietnam Restaurant off the main drag of Skólavörðustígur. (Oct. 8, 2021)

An evening view of the Reykjavík Cathedral. It is considered the most iconic landmark in Reykjavík and a monumental triumph of Icelandic architecture that rests on top of Skólavörðuhæð Hill. The name of the hill, however, predates the church by about two hundred years. (Oct. 8, 2021)

Several of us spent an extra night or two in Reykjavík and decided to get together at Kaffi Loki for dinner. (From left, Philippe, me, Rahel, Lyn, Jane and Khadijah.) (Oct. 8, 2021)

Pancake with skyr and caramel sauce. No, I did not eat all of this, I shared it with my group after dinner at Kaffi Loki. Skyr is a thick and creamy Icelandic yogurt. It may be classified as a fresh soul milk cheese but it’s consumed like a yogurt and has been part of the Icelandic cuisine for centuries. (Oct. 8, 2021)

I had so much fun with my whole group but these two young women brought incredible joy to my heart with their desire to travel and explore. Like me, they each joined the group on their own to see Iceland. From left: Khadijah, me and Rahel with Reykjavík’s iconic Hallgrímskirkja Church as our backdrop. (Oct. 8, 2021)

My Reykjavík Free Walking tour group at the two huge stone pillars, called high seat pillars, with the name of the first settler, Ingolfur Arnarson a Norwegian Viking, at the Ingólfstorg square in the old center of Reykjavík. That’s our walking tour guide Nanna, in the yellow raincoat by the pillar. (Oct. 8, 2021)

Skúli Magnússon (1711-1794) was the first Icelander to be Reykjavík’s Town Magistrate and was for half a century considered the country’s most powerful man when he founded the Innréttingar, Iceland’s first industrial enterprise leading to Reykjavík’s urban development. (Oct. 8, 2021)