tiffiniceland-blog

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Getting to the land of ice (and fire)

My trip to Iceland started with a red eye flight out of Boston. I left there at 9:30 PM with the plans to sleep the whole 5 hour flight and show up in Iceland ready to conquer Reykjavik. A crying baby in the row behind me put a wrench in those plans, but it's all good. We landed on time and I managed to get my luggage, go through customs, and find my bus to the city with relative ease - thank god they speak English in Iceland, because I was lazy and didn't learn any Icelandic.

I rented an Air bnb room for my stay in the city, because it was a lot cheaper than a hotel. I had the bus drop me off at their closest designated hotel location (which was further than I thought it would be, but manageable), and walked to my room. The only issue was that my room wasn't available until 3, and I was got to the house at around 9AM. I decided to just leave my luggage in a closet space where I saw other suitcases, and hope for the best that no one would steal my stuff (I read that Iceland is incredibly safe, so I felt way more trusting than if I were in Chicago - yay false securities!).

Here are some pics of where I stayed. I didn't make my bed once - woo vacation!

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[tiffiniceland-blog]

I Heart Reykjavik Walking Tour

My first Reykjavik fun-times plan was an I Heart Reykjavik walking tour. I'd been following Audur's blog for awhile since I decided to visit Iceland, and was super excited to meet her in person and have her give me the deets on where to visit/eat while in town. She didn't disappoint. I learned about the street art in Reykjavik, some hidden gems throughout the city, the best places to buy warmer clothes (which I very much needed - brrr), and in general she made the city must less intimidating more fun to explore. Following are some photos of statues outside the Einar Jonsson museum, shown during the tour.

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[tiffiniceland-blog]

Street art in Reykjavik

Audur from I Heart Reykjavik explained that street art is really big in Reykjavik. These are just a few of my favorite pieces spotted around town.

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[tiffiniceland-blog]

Reykjavik Pik(s)

Just a few more pics from the I Heart Reykjavik Walking Tour.

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[tiffiniceland-blog]

Biding time

After the walking tour, I still had some time to kill until I could go to my room, so I decided to scope out some food. I just happened to walk by a restaurant my friend Dave had recommended, so stopped by for some fish stew, which was pretty amazing. Then I walked across the street to check out a photographer's studio with a ton of Icelandic photos, and then slowly made my way back to my room for a quick nap, shower, and a bit of unpacking. 

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[tiffiniceland-blog]

Hanging with some locals

After I freshened up, I wanted to go grab some dinner and maybe a drink before calling it a night. I ended up at the Bunk Bar, which was down the street from my room. There, I made friends with another girl who was traveling solo, and we got to meet some of the bartenders who were off for the night and hung out with them. I'll just say, IPA's (Icelandic Pale Ales) are delicious and dangerous. It was a fun night, though I was out much later than I thought I would be. Oh well. Do as the Vikings do, eh? The locals gave me some tips on places to check out on my road trip, and also tried to give us important notes, such as how to say "Can I have a beer?" in Icelandic.

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2nd Day in Reykjavik - dazed and dreary

I woke up on my second day there still feeling the effects from the night before, and possibly a bit jet-lagged on top of that. Since it was raining more than usual, I felt fine sleeping in. Eventually I got up and headed over for some breakfast at Prikid. Why I brought packets of instant coffee to a city that prides itself on its coffee is beyond me.

I ate a basic eggs/bacon/toast and then wandered out to buy a Lopapeysa, a popular Icelandic wool sweater. I had packed plenty of pants, but not nearly enough warm tops. Audur of I Heart Reykjavik had recommended a place where all of their sweaters were handmade in Iceland (as opposed to factory-made in China), and that is where I found my sweater. $150 later, I was excited to be warm and look like a local (right, guys?)! After buying the sweater, the rain was nearly torrential, and not ideal for exploring, so I went back to my room to nap a bit more and relax. Once it seemed to calm down a bit, I went back out for dinner, in the mood for sushi. I found a cool place called Sushi Samba and stuffed my face with a surf n turf roll, and some nigiri. After that, I called it a night!

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Hallgrimskirkja shmallmimskirkja

On Thursday, I woke up ready to soak in a ton of sights - basically, do a lot of Icelanding. The first thing I did was go to the top of Hallgrimskirkja, the beautiful, tall church that acts as a landmark for tourists like me to get my bearings. This was the meeting place for my walking tour on Tuesday, but this time I wanted to go to the top of the building, where you can see the entire city of Reykjavik.

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[tiffiniceland-blog]

Harpa Concert Hall

After Hallgrimskirkja, I went and bought souvenirs for family and friends, and got breakfast at Tiu Dropar, and gobbled it right up. Pancakes and bacon, yo. Next up was the Harpa, their gorgeous concert hall right along the harbor. The dog in the photo was just hanging out in one of the Harpa gift shops. I stole him. Okay, no, I didn't. Just pet him.

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[tiffiniceland-blog]

Bike ride!

After Harpa, I went back to my place, put on some super cool active wear, and went back to the Old Harbor to rent a bike! My bike ride went along the west coast of the city, where I stumbled across some lighthouses, a golf course, and a selfie. Also of note, the lady who ran the bike rental place, when asked if I wanted a helmet (and I said yes), commented, "Your head is small. Quite small!" ... YES I KNOW. Anyway.