Colours of Reykjavik

This photograph was taken from atop the Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Landnámabók records how Reykjavik was founded by Viking pioneer Ingólfur Arnarson in 870, who cast his throne pillars into the sea upon first sight the coast of Iceland. The wooden pillars came to rest on the shore at Reykjavik ("Smoky Bay"), which was named after the steam from nearby volcanic springs. The colourful corrugated iron houses, known as bárujárnshús, were built after the fire of 1915.