Yesterday was Sunday and eleven of us in our tour group were sitting in the pews at Hallgrímskirkja, the iconic Lutheran church in Reykjavik.
Of course I quickly scanned the bulletin to see that the organist was playing two works by J. S. Bach: Wenn wir in Höchsten Nöten sein from the Orgelbüchkein for the prelude and the Fantasy from the Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542a. The organist was the same one as in my photos of 2016!
I didn’t take any photos yesterday since we were attending a service, so here are a couple of photos from my visit to Iceland in 2016.
There are two pipe organs, the large one in the back and a smaller one in the front. The larger one was used for the prelude, postlude and during communion, while the smaller one was used for many of the hymns and responses. Though smaller, it fills the large room with sound.
Even though the entire service was in Icelandic except for a few words of introduction, it was easy to follow the service, with the familiar Kyrie, Credo, Sanctus and Benedictus, and Agnus Dei, and hymns.
The choir did not wear vestments, nor did the young girl acolytes who were very young, maybe 5 or 6 years old. The choir of about 18-20 people stood throughout the entire service — in front up to the communion and on risers in the back to the end of the service.
What was unusual was that no offering collection was taken! Neither was there a QR code as is common in many US churches!
The music sounded so beautiful in the resonant acoustics and the entire service was uplifting. I’m glad we could attend.
We met the rest of our tour group at a nearby restaurant where we had a creamy seafood soup with cod, shrimp and scallops and a duck confit with mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and demi-glace.
The afternoon was spent relaxing at the Blue Lagoon, “Named one of 25 wonders of the world by National Geographic in 2012, the Blue Lagoon was honored for its unique geothermal seawater. Found nowhere else on earth, this renowned resource is rich in silica, algae, and minerals—the elements that give the lagoon its skin-nourishing powers.”
With the silica masks on our faces, Marsha Walker and I look like we are all ready for El Día de los Muertos!
Because the forecast was that the aurora would be good tonight, we started the hunt for the Northern Lights but alas, the skies were too cloudy. I at least took a picture of the moon and the sky.
