Page 7 - 2000 ICELAND

greens on the houses and public buildings. Those buildings which are not
constructed of stone are usually wooden structures sided with corrugated

tin and roofed with tin as well.

Parliament House

The Althingi (Parliament House) is a stone

edifice, not a very pretentious one, which

looks like typical public building construction
from the late 1800s or the early 1900s. The

Radhus (The City Hall) is of much more modern
concrete materials and is on the lakefront of

Town Lake. Inside, and always open to the
public, is a wonderful, horizontally displayed, room-sized relief map of the

country with the mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, and volcanoes clearly
denoted. This Town Lake is clearly a gathering spot for the citizenry.

As the day wore on, more and more people were seen beside the water
with children and grandchildren gaily splashing and happily feeding the

many birds on the surface—ducks of all kinds, geese and gulls of several
types. The sun sparkled on the water, the parents and grandparents smiled

adoringly at the kids, the waterfowl ate to repletion. The whole city seemed
entirely enchanted by the summer and the outdoor activities possible in the

streaming light. How they must treasure the memories of these summer
days when the long days of winter of darkness fall upon them.

Cathedral

The city contains many squares with public spaces. The square on which sit

the Althingi and the Lutheran Cathedral , the Hallgrimskirkja, is a particularly
popular place and it is festooned with such colorful flowers and such brave

green grass. Some people bring picnics and blankets to sit on the lawn while
the more early arrivals sit on the many benches provided.