Where: Reykjavik, Iceland
When: May 3-4, 2012
With: Dave, Nic, Divya and David
The first weekend in May is traditionally a bank holiday weekend in the UK. Which means that the majority of this country goes on a trip to kick off the summer holiday travel season. And as I am one to assimilate myself to my new culture, I happily pushed Dave and friends to have a vacation that weekend too. The destination we settled on: Iceland.
Only a 3-hour flight from London, it felt we just flew over Scotland (waving at the Loch as we went) and poof, we were there. When the island came into view, we all looked at each other wide-eyed and asked the question "umm, where are we?" I heard all the cliches about how Iceland looks: like the surface of the moon, greener than Greenland, etc. But every single cliche is really, really true, and we could already tell from the window of the plane. In one instant, we could see brown lava rocks covering sheer cliffs that spilled into the ocean, mountains covered in snow, a giant glacier, and grassy, green hills.
After landing and ransacking the duty free shop (they had free samples of wine!), we met our taxi driver. For about 30 minutes, we drove through barren lava fields that ended in brown mountains, dark against an impossibly clear, blue sky. Off to one side, we soon saw steam rising up from the mountains in the distance. Our driver indicated that we were almost at our first destination, the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is part of a geothermal plant. The residual water that comes from the plant empties into the surrounding craters in the lava rocks and is heated by the steam vents underneath them. Now, the Blue Lagoon is a major spa destination, known for its opaque blue therapeutic waters.
When we started walking up the pathway towards the springs, we were pretty convinced we were on the surface of the moon. It was so quiet, and the air was so clear and crisp.
Then we found the water. It really was soo blue. The mass abundance of silica and algae give it the color.
After checking in and changing into our bathing suits, Divya and I headed out to meet the boys. The lagoon itself was massive. For being a major tourist attraction, and for all the people there, there were still plenty of places you could go to escape and get away from it all.
We spotted the boys fairly quickly - at the bar. But this was actually quite the celebratory occasion. Not only was it the kick-off activity to our vacation, but it was also the 100th thing I've completed from the book! After toasting our champagne, I gave a small speech and we all proceeded to enjoy our surroundings.
We decided to be brave and get some of the mud to put on our faces. We tried scooping up from the bottom, but the mud we found was...less than clean. Divya was the only brave one of all of us to go for the full facial. Dave and I were willing to give it a try, but leery to let the other one apply.
In Reykjavik, we checked into our hotel, the City Centre - fantastic location, super modern, and really friendly service. After freshening up, we headed out for dinner. Even though it was 9pm, it was still pretty light out.
Reykjavik is actually pretty small, more like a town than a capital city. It has an interesting feel, very Nordic, but also very New England harbor town. The buildings were small, and it's all very walkable. There is also random graffiti amidst small, quaint buildings. These were a couple of my faves.
After having an incredible Icelandic Indian meal, we headed out for a drink. Even though it was 11pm by this point, it was still twilight!
The next morning, we woke up and headed out for breakfast. After tentatively walking around all the broken glass left over from the night before, we had a lovely little meal served by a quirky Icelandic lady. We then headed out to wander the town. Our first stop was Hallgrímskirkja, the church of Reykjavik. While construction on this church started in 1937, it took 38 years to complete, but still a fairly new one compared to some other European churches we've seen.
Inside the church, it's very modern. A large organ, white walls, and large windows don't even pretend to mimic the dark, gothic cathedrals that are normal in Europe. I liked that the pews look like replicas of the exterior.
As the tallest point in Reykjavik, you can take an elevator to the top of the church to look out over the city.
After the church, we continued to wander the city. We came upon the parliament building - much tinier than most countries.
The next site was the 871 +/- 2 Settlement museum. This was pretty cool because it explains the history of the first settlers. The museum has actually been built on top of the foundations of an old building from the year 871 (plus or minus 2 years, glad they clarified that in the name of the museum, those friendly Icelanders) to ensure its preservation.
It was then time for lunch. We found this small soup shack right on the water that was supposed to have the best lobster bisque in Reykjavik. It was so good, not so much creamy, more brothy, but fantastic. We also tried to be brave and try a skewer of whale meat, believing it to be a native dish. It was absolutely terrible, and got worse with each bite. I love meat, but the mental aspects of eating whale made it even more difficult to enjoy. I felt sick for hours afterward. Another thing to never try - salted haddock chips. They taste just like...dry, salted, pieces of haddock. I'm not sure why I expected anything else.
After lunch, we decided to try to find an activity to pass the rest of the day. Since we were right by the water, we went on a hunt for a boat trip.
We finally settled on a puffin cruise. As we pulled out of Reykjavik, beautiful scenery surrounded us.
For dinner that evening, we went to an Icelandic tapas restaurant. It was the best way to sample all the local dishes without committing to anything. We tried everything, from puffin (they may have been cute, but they were also delicious) to foal. 30 dishes later and a few pitchers of sangria for the 5 of us, and this bill looked terrifying if you forgot that Icelandic krona are 124 to $1.
Reykjavik was an amazing city that remained our home base over the next two days. However, it was time to start venturing outside the city to see the landscape that makes Iceland famous. Click here for pictures from the next day!
When: May 3-4, 2012
With: Dave, Nic, Divya and David
The first weekend in May is traditionally a bank holiday weekend in the UK. Which means that the majority of this country goes on a trip to kick off the summer holiday travel season. And as I am one to assimilate myself to my new culture, I happily pushed Dave and friends to have a vacation that weekend too. The destination we settled on: Iceland.
Only a 3-hour flight from London, it felt we just flew over Scotland (waving at the Loch as we went) and poof, we were there. When the island came into view, we all looked at each other wide-eyed and asked the question "umm, where are we?" I heard all the cliches about how Iceland looks: like the surface of the moon, greener than Greenland, etc. But every single cliche is really, really true, and we could already tell from the window of the plane. In one instant, we could see brown lava rocks covering sheer cliffs that spilled into the ocean, mountains covered in snow, a giant glacier, and grassy, green hills.
After landing and ransacking the duty free shop (they had free samples of wine!), we met our taxi driver. For about 30 minutes, we drove through barren lava fields that ended in brown mountains, dark against an impossibly clear, blue sky. Off to one side, we soon saw steam rising up from the mountains in the distance. Our driver indicated that we were almost at our first destination, the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is part of a geothermal plant. The residual water that comes from the plant empties into the surrounding craters in the lava rocks and is heated by the steam vents underneath them. Now, the Blue Lagoon is a major spa destination, known for its opaque blue therapeutic waters.
When we started walking up the pathway towards the springs, we were pretty convinced we were on the surface of the moon. It was so quiet, and the air was so clear and crisp.
Then we found the water. It really was soo blue. The mass abundance of silica and algae give it the color.
After checking in and changing into our bathing suits, Divya and I headed out to meet the boys. The lagoon itself was massive. For being a major tourist attraction, and for all the people there, there were still plenty of places you could go to escape and get away from it all.
We spotted the boys fairly quickly - at the bar. But this was actually quite the celebratory occasion. Not only was it the kick-off activity to our vacation, but it was also the 100th thing I've completed from the book! After toasting our champagne, I gave a small speech and we all proceeded to enjoy our surroundings.
We decided to wander away from the masses of European tourists to explore the edges of the lagoon. As we walked, the ground under our feet was soft and squishy, like silt in a pond. As you moved through the lagoon, you'd randomly get blasted by a shot of really hot water from a random steam vent. It was so weird.
The geothermal plant that makes it all possible.
We decided to be brave and get some of the mud to put on our faces. We tried scooping up from the bottom, but the mud we found was...less than clean. Divya was the only brave one of all of us to go for the full facial. Dave and I were willing to give it a try, but leery to let the other one apply.
We decided to explore a bit more, and emerged from our hidden corner like ghosts in the night.
Soon we learned that the place to get mud that was not gross and dirty was from designated stations around the lagoon. I would definitely recommend getting the mud from here instead of the bottom. Once we found a station, we were all very happy to have a facial party.
The boys could only take so much of the stiff mud on their faces and as soon as this waterfall was located, the mud masks were removed.
Very lovely time at the lagoon. We were all feeling relaxed and rejuvenated and ready to start the rest of our trip.
After our time at the spa, it was time to head to Reykjavik. On our way, we got a little taste of the Icelandic landscape.
In Reykjavik, we checked into our hotel, the City Centre - fantastic location, super modern, and really friendly service. After freshening up, we headed out for dinner. Even though it was 9pm, it was still pretty light out.
Reykjavik is actually pretty small, more like a town than a capital city. It has an interesting feel, very Nordic, but also very New England harbor town. The buildings were small, and it's all very walkable. There is also random graffiti amidst small, quaint buildings. These were a couple of my faves.
After having an incredible Icelandic Indian meal, we headed out for a drink. Even though it was 11pm by this point, it was still twilight!
I will say one thing for the night life in Reykjavik. The Viking blood of the Icelanders comes out in full swing when there is alcohol involved. For how nice and friendly everyone was all day, the Icelandic get VERY angry at night. They yell at each other and at strangers (us included) and throw beer bottles into the street, just because.
Therefore, we were mildly hesitant when attempting to identify a bar to spend the remainder of the evening in. I will say, we were on our guard the entire time. We first ended up in a Big Lebowski inspired bar, complete with a band playing songs from the movie, a bowling alley on the wall, and framed movie stills all over. Later, we went to the Naesti bar and drank until closing time. It was still light on the horizon at 1am when we headed back to the hotel for our first night's sleep.
The next morning, we woke up and headed out for breakfast. After tentatively walking around all the broken glass left over from the night before, we had a lovely little meal served by a quirky Icelandic lady. We then headed out to wander the town. Our first stop was Hallgrímskirkja, the church of Reykjavik. While construction on this church started in 1937, it took 38 years to complete, but still a fairly new one compared to some other European churches we've seen.
Inside the church, it's very modern. A large organ, white walls, and large windows don't even pretend to mimic the dark, gothic cathedrals that are normal in Europe. I liked that the pews look like replicas of the exterior.
As the tallest point in Reykjavik, you can take an elevator to the top of the church to look out over the city.
Aww, poor Dave. Those bars are there to keep you safe!
After the church, we continued to wander the city. We came upon the parliament building - much tinier than most countries.
The next site was the 871 +/- 2 Settlement museum. This was pretty cool because it explains the history of the first settlers. The museum has actually been built on top of the foundations of an old building from the year 871 (plus or minus 2 years, glad they clarified that in the name of the museum, those friendly Icelanders) to ensure its preservation.
It was then time for lunch. We found this small soup shack right on the water that was supposed to have the best lobster bisque in Reykjavik. It was so good, not so much creamy, more brothy, but fantastic. We also tried to be brave and try a skewer of whale meat, believing it to be a native dish. It was absolutely terrible, and got worse with each bite. I love meat, but the mental aspects of eating whale made it even more difficult to enjoy. I felt sick for hours afterward. Another thing to never try - salted haddock chips. They taste just like...dry, salted, pieces of haddock. I'm not sure why I expected anything else.
After lunch, we decided to try to find an activity to pass the rest of the day. Since we were right by the water, we went on a hunt for a boat trip.
Yah, I wish we had seen this pamphlet a little sooner. Apparently, whale is NOT a local Icelandic delicacy, and you are strongly encouraged not to order it. I would completely agree it should be avoided at all costs, both for ethical and culinary reasons.
We finally settled on a puffin cruise. As we pulled out of Reykjavik, beautiful scenery surrounded us.
Dave, enjoying his cruise.
Birds, gliding along with our boat.
The boat cruised along for about 20 minutes to a small island where the puffins tend to congregate. They sit bobbing on the water, until the boat gets too close. Then they try like crazy to fly away. The problem is, their wings are too short and their bodies too heavy. So they end up flapping like mad while kind of running on top of the water until they get up into the air.
Reykjavik from the boat.
Our boat kept looping around the flocks of puffins, trying to stir them up to fly. They are so skitterish, they start to go at the slightest movement.
Enjoying the puffins
Nic found plastic rings back on land. Not only did he rip them up, he threw them away! So environmental!
After lobster and whale meat, most of us couldn't stomach the idea of more food. However, Dave decided he couldn't pass up one of his favorite meals - hot dogs, the Icelandic national food. We went to this tiny little shack called Bæjarins beztu pylsur. That translates to "The Best Hot Dogs In Town". It has been serving since 1937 and was voted best hot dog stand in Europe. The result was delicious.
After that little pre-dinner snack, we did a bit more wandering around Reykjavik. It's such a random city.
For dinner that evening, we went to an Icelandic tapas restaurant. It was the best way to sample all the local dishes without committing to anything. We tried everything, from puffin (they may have been cute, but they were also delicious) to foal. 30 dishes later and a few pitchers of sangria for the 5 of us, and this bill looked terrifying if you forgot that Icelandic krona are 124 to $1.
Reykjavik was an amazing city that remained our home base over the next two days. However, it was time to start venturing outside the city to see the landscape that makes Iceland famous. Click here for pictures from the next day!
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