It’s our third day in Iceland and our city tour began with the sights of downtown Reykjavik, a visit to a stunning concert hall, return to the Hallsgrimkirkja church, and a walk along the lake.

The Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center is home to a national opera and symphony. It is stunning honeycomb building described as “one of Reykjavík’s most striking landmarks and a centre of cultural and social life in the very heart of the city. Harpa is a tourist destination and an award-winning work of art that has been visited by millions of people since opening in 2011.”

Back at Hallsgrimkirkja, I was able to take a better photo of the Frobenius organ at the front of the church and was amazed at how large it was.

And the display about needing funds for an organ restoration was still there, after I saw it on my last trip to Iceland in 2016. This time I was able to contribute Islandic money I had saved from nine years ago!

After lunch we traveled into a snowy landscape to explore a lava tunnel, described as “A journey into Raufarhólshellir is a unique experience and a great opportunity to witness the inner workings of a volcanic eruption as one walks in the path of lava that flowed during the Leitahraun eruption, which occurred east of the Bláfjöll mountains about 5200 years ago. Every winter spectacular ice sculptures are formed inside the entrance of the cave making the experience of visiting the lava tunnel even more breathtaking.”

We had to wear hard hat helmets, crampons over our shoes, and used walking sticks to carefully walk over uneven stones through the tunnel in order to look at the stalagtites and stalagmites. The rules were simple: No peeing on the ice. No touching the ice. No licking the ice!

It was quite an adventure and I have to say that it was a miracle that no one in our group fell, because the ground was extremely treacherous. However, I’m glad that I did it — this was an unforgettable experience!

Finally, we finished off the day with a wonderful Islandic meal at Reykjavik Kitchen, a restaurant directly across the street from our hotel. Marsha and I shared a “Lightly cured Icelandic Artic char with baby potatoes, garnished with red onion, fresh dill and a hint of vinegar, served with carrot purée and caramelized pineapple.”

And listen to the description of our dessert: “Eyjafjallajökuli — Homemade vanilla ice cream on hot raspberry sauce with chocolate ash.

So yummy!