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From the harbour, posthusstraeti leads south over Austurstraeti and Hafnarstraeti to Vonarstraeti and Tjornin , invariably translated into English as "the pond" or "the lake". Tjorn and its genitive form of tjarnar are actually old Viking words, still used in northern English dialects as " tarn " to denote a mountain lake. This sizeable body of water, roughly a couple of square kilometres in size, is populated by a variety of ducks and other birds - including the notorious arctic tern , known for its dive-bombing attacks on passers-by, and found at the pond's quieter southern end - whose precise numbers are charted on notice boards stationed at several points along the bank. A walking path leads all around the lake and can make a pleasant hour's stroll, though be careful not to slip on the large amounts of bird droppings at the lake edge. Occupying prime position on the northern edge of Tjornin is Reykjavik City Hall (Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat & Sun noon-6pm; free). Opened in 1992, it's a showpiece of Nordic design, a modernistic rectangular structure of steel, glass and chrome that actually sits on the lake itself. Inside, in addition to the city's administration offices, is a small cafe and a fabulous self-standing topographical model of Iceland to be found in one of the small exhibition areas. It gives an excellent idea of the unforgiving geography of Iceland - marvel at the sheer size of the Vatnajokull glacier in the southeast (as big as the English county of Yorkshire) and the table mountains of the West Fjords and gain instant respect for the people who live amid such landscapes. One of the best views of Reykjavik can be had from Sudurgata , a street running parallel to the western shore of Tjornin and reached from the city hall by walking west along Vonarstraeti. Not only is the street lined with tidy little dwellings, but from it you can see across the lake to the suburban houses of the city centre, whose corrugated iron rooves, ranging in colour from a pallid two-tone green to bright blues and reds, have been carefully maintained by their owners - the familiar picture postcard view of Reykjavik.
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