Iceland

I still can't believe I was in Iceland! Stephanie and I decided to go on a whim because Icelandic Air was offering really good flight/hotel packages.

We flew out of Heathrow, which was awesome because we got the tube all the way there - as usually we were running a little late, but it worked out perfectly in the end. By the time we got to check-in there were no lines at all.

We arrived around 4 pm, but by the time we reached our hotel an hour later it was dark. On the bus we met a couple of people also from London, who ended up staying next to us at the hotel. I had a raging headache, but I took a quick shower and some painkillers, and we met up with our neighbors to go find some dinner. After walking around the city centre looking at over-priced menus we settled on Icelandic fastfood - it was actually really good.


After dinner, we decided to go back to the hotel and chill out for a while - I wanted to sleep off my headache - and then meet back up later to check out the nightlife, which doesn't really kick off on the weekends til around 3 AM! We finally went out around midnight, went to a bar called Sirkus - it's the "cool" bar in Reykjavik where Bjork and Sigur Ros hang out - but to me it seemed more like a bunch of pretentious scenesters. We were entertained by raver/circus performer weirdo with a funny haircut that at one point danced underneath Stephanies chair, up between her and the table, and on to the table. It was slightly entertaining, but got annoying after a while when he wouldn't go away.

There is virtually no major crime in Iceland, so you can walk around anywhere, at anytime. We finally headed back to the hotel around 4 AM - and took some photos on the way. (The house in background of the photo with the stoplights is Hofdi House, where Gorbachev and Reagan met to discuss the Cold War.)


Saturday morning we woke up just as it was getting light - around 9 AM. After breakfast we went for a walk along the beach (Faxafloi Bay). I tried to convince myself that I saw a puffin, but I don't think it was one.


We spent the rest of the day walking around Reykjavik. In the city centre we found ourselves in the middle of a giant dog walk which we joined in on for a while. We also went to Hallgrimskirkja Church, The Pearl (a glass dome built atop tanks that store hot water for heating the city), a grocery store (which is an experience in itself) and found a cute little coffeeshop where we warmed up and wrote postcards.


We went out again on Saturday night - but since we had to get up early on Sunday for our bus tour we couldn't stay out too late. At 2:30 AM, as we were leaving the city centre was packed! I'd like to go back to Iceland sometime just to experience the nightlife - 3 days wasn't really long enough.

Sunday morning we took a bus tour of The Golden Circle. (from Wikipedia since I don't feel like typing)
"The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route in South Iceland, looping out of Reykjavík closer to central Iceland (where most of the sights are) and back to Reykjavík.
The three primary stops on the route are Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss, and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. Þingvellir is a national park containing both historical and natural beauties. Gullfoss, meaning golden falls, is a spectacular waterfall that is a must see. Other less frequented stops include Kerið volcano crater and Hveragerði greenhouse village."
We went to all the places listed, as well as another waterfall, but I don't know it's name. At Gullfoss it was snowing and raining when we arrived. It was so cold, and we were soaked by the time we got back to the bus, but definately an experience.


This photo was taken at the Greenhouse Village at about 10 AM - it looks like it's dusk!!


Sunday night we went back to the fastfood place for dinner, and then walked around the city centre one last time. We ended up at the coffee shop, and played our own version of trivial pursuit. Basically making up questions from what we could make out on the cards, which were written in Icelandic.

On Monday we went to The Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport. It's a geothermal spa in the middle of a lava field that is fed by the water output of a nearby geothermal power plant. The water stunk because it's full of sulphur and silica and there were buckets of natural mud masks for people to use. The minerals also were an amazing hair straightener - It was really relaxing and beautiful - a good way to end the trip.

I've put a bunch more pictures up at flickr - it takes to long to upload them here.
Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/gp/79098137@N00/3s8kPL