I could gush for ever and ever, but I'd also like to jot down what I did each day so I have a record and so it could maybe help someone else plan their own Iceland trip! Also, I want to note that I did this trip solo, and felt 100% safe the entire time. I'll post more about solo travel soon, but in case anyone is unsure of whether to make that leap -- Reykjavik was PERFECT for a solo trip. I ran into a ton of other people on their own -- so if you want to travel solo but not be "alone", you can totally do that.
Day 1
I had my usual sleep aid/wine cocktail on the flight knowing I would want to hit the ground running when I got into Reykjavik at 6am. It was still dark when we landed and I made my way to the FlyBus -- the super organized transfer from the airport to Reykjavik's main bus station. It's so cool cause the buses are just there based on arriving flights -- if a flight is delayed, you don't have to worry about missing the bus! I booked a FlyBus+ ticket that would take me to my hotel, since I'm generally pretty groggy post-sleep aid and disoriented in a new city. Some people just walked from the bus station, but really, just spend the extra couple of dollars for the transfer. You have to get off the big bus and onto a smaller bus, but they get you right to your hotel within a couple of stops. And after a long day/night of travel, it's nice to have someone else drive you around and not have to struggle with finding your hotel first thing.
After I got to my hotel and dropped my bags, I warmed myself with a quick cup of coffee and made a general wandering "plan". Also, put on more layers cause it was COLD! I mean, I'm from Minnesota so winter is nothing new to me, but the first few wind blasts were brutal! So glad I had packed my full length down coat and a billion layers (Iceland is definitely a place where practical clothing wins over style in the winter).
I decided my first stop should be to check out the lay of the land from the bell tower of Hallgrimskirkja, the largest church in Iceland. It is absolutely gorgeous inside, very minimalist and very Nordic. Not to mention a great statue of Leif Ericsson on the square outside -- it really made me feel my Scandinavian roots! Tickets to the bell tower are sold in the church and there is an elevator to take you up -- there are some stairs to get to the very top, but no more than 20. The view from the top is great -- you can see all of Reykjavik and the surrounding area on a clear day!
After my visit to Hallgrimskirkja, I wandered down that main street you see above towards the harbor. The street angles to the left nearer to the water and takes you toward the Gray Line bus station (a vital spot for later in the trip!) and further on into old "downtown" Reykjavik. The town is really easy to discover on foot, and worth just general wandering. It was pretty cold though, and there were frequent 5-10 minute micro-blizzards, so as soon as it was open, I stopped into the Settlement 871 +/-2 Museum, which details the Icelandic settlement. It even has an excavated Viking long house, right in the middle of downtown. It was really great, and well worth the entry fee. Definitely recommend. I also ventured into the art museum (which actually consists of 3 separate buildings in Reykjavik). The building I saw had all of the modern art, which isn't really to my taste, but I still enjoyed the visit. Your entry fee paid at one gets you into all of the buildings for 24 hours.
After the museums, it was time to find the little hot dog stand I had read and seen so much about! Just around the corner from the art museum is this little stand with a permanent line of people. For hot dogs! But, I am a huge believer and supporter of local street food, so I had to check this out. And you guys, it was the BEST. HOT. DOG. EVER. Like, how do they make it that good? The line was maybe only 5 minutes when I went around lunch time on a freezing cold March day. But I heard stories that the wait at bar close (4am!) in the summer is like 45 minutes. I would totally wait that long. In fact, I loved it so much, I went back again the next day -- and had 2 hot dogs on that visit. SO GOOD. The dog itself is a mix of beef, lamb & pork, but it's the toppings that make it so yummy - fresh onions, crunchy fried onions, remoulade, and a sweet mustard. Get it with everything and just go to town. You won't be sorry!
After my morning wandering (and freezing!) and my hot dog, I walked back to the hotel to see if I could check in to my room -- I was in desperate need of a nap. I felt pretty guilty about taking a nap when I only had a few days for my visit, but I knew that without it, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the Northern Lights tour I had arranged for that evening.
Unfortunately, my hunt for Northern Lights was a total bust -- we had a full moon, but too many clouds to see the aurora. I was disappointed, but nature made up for -- I got to see them here in MN just after I got back! (see my earlier post about it here). The tour was cool though because they gave us a lot of details about the areas we were driving through (although hard to see in the dark!) in western Iceland. We got back into Reykjavik around 1:30am and were dropped off near Hallgrimskirkja. Thank goodness I had gotten my bearings earlier in the day so I could find my way back to my hotel. Like I said before, Reykjavik is super safe and I felt totally comfortable walking around on my own, even at such a late hour. In fact, I felt safer there then I often do wandering home at bar close in Minneapolis!
Day 2
I booked a "Reykjavik City Tour" for the morning of day 2. I was really worried that it would just show me the same things I had wandered through the day before, but it actually took us out of Reykjavik (those big buses can't really drive around in downtown anyway!) and we got to see a neighboring harbor town, the house where the President lives (with NO security! so different from the US!), and took a trip to Perlan, which is kind of this event center/tourist trap/observation deck built on top of 4 giant water tanks. It actually was pretty cool -- and when the clouds cleared we had a great view of the city and water. I think if I were to go to Reykjavik again for the first time, I'd probably still book this tour - I really liked that it took us to a neighboring town. You could also rent a car and get yourself to one of those towns, but I was so nervous about solo travel when I was planning that I went with more guided tours than "on my own" time.
After the walk, I made my way to the Gray Line station for my next tour -- through a brewery! Iceland had weird prohibition laws on beer until 1989 (crazy, right?!), and they celebrate Beer Day every March 1st. I missed it by just a few days! Read more about Iceland's weird beer history here. Better yet, go to Iceland and take the "Taste the Saga" tour. We got to try a bunch of beers, a "doctored" beer+vodka drink, and a shot of Brennevin, licorice tasting Icelandic schnapps (also known as "the black death"). I love ouzo and sambuca, so I thought it was great -- others, not so much.
After the brewery, a bunch of us from the tour decided to stick together (see earlier note about meeting new people!) and check out Reykjavik's legendary nightlife -- which really doesn't get going until about midnight. We were pretty early to the party (no one goes to the bar at 8pm but tourists!), but had a great time and checked out a couple of different bars. It was a lot of fun! I even had a fun flirtation with a British guy. That accent will get me every time!
Day 3
My hangover from the night before was rough -- especially because I had booked a full day "foodie" tour of the Golden Circle. Had I known I was going to be out until the wee hours, I probably wouldn't have booked the full day and allowed myself to sleep in, but I powered through it. Me and a van full of 60-something year old couples, and one solo guy in his late 30s. Guess how often the couples attempted to match-make us throughout the day?
Anyway, we ventured off to see Geysir, Gullfoss, and Thingvellir, with stops at local farms and greenhouses to taste some delicious local foods and see how Icelanders are using the thermal water to grow their own tomatoes, herbs, and even grapes. I mean, when you live on an island in the middle of the North Atlantic, you've got to get creative! It was a good tour, but long - in fact, we ran like 2 hours longer than we should have, but the group was small and our guide and driver didn't mind, so we just went with it. My hangover finally faded mid-afternoon (right about the time I was trying not to slide down the icy stairs at Gullfoss!), so after that I felt much better.
And apparently, all of those not-so-subtle match making hints the group kept making made some sort of impact to the solo guy - as soon as we were off the bus he asked me to join him for a drink. Um, WHY DOESN'T THIS SORT OF THING HAPPEN TO ME IN THE U.S.?! Dates have been few and far between for me for awhile, and then all of the sudden, BAM!, I'm meeting all kinds of guys. In Iceland. Oh well - it was nice to chat with him for a bit, even if he was a little narcissistic. We met the craziest guy at the bar who tried to convince us to go to this secret "hotpot" he knew of a few hours away. It is not story that translates well to text, unfortunately. It requires hand motions and accents. I hadn't laughed so hard (while running out of the bar with a perfect stranger) in a while. Solo guy and I said our good nights (I think probably earlier than he'd have liked) and I went off to pack -- my quick trip was already almost over!
Day 4
Iceland's main industry these days is tourism, and boy, do they know what they are doing! Especially when it comes to the Blue Lagoon. Since Icelandair is a great lower cost flight option to Europe, a ton of people have a built in layover in Iceland. And they aren't stupid -- they make those layovers 8-9 hours so you want to get out of the airport - and go to the Blue Lagoon! You can literally take a bus from the airport to the lagoon and back in that time. I arranged to go there on my way to the airport, a perfect little spa relaxation before the flight home. I booked the upgraded package that included a robe (to rent), flip flops (to keep), a drink at the lagoon bar, and a special mini-spa pack. I loved the little wristbands that registered any purchases so you didn't have to worry about money in the lagoon! And drinking some prosecco while you soak in what is essentially a giant hot tub is pretty much the life. Definitely touristy, but not to be missed!
After I showered up (be sure to put in a TON of conditioner - and leave it in - before you go in the lagoon to save your hair!), I retrieved my luggage from storage and got on the bus to the airport. All warm and relaxed. :) My flight ended up delayed quite a bit due to a not-so-micro blizzard, and I almost missed my connection in Boston, but it was totally worth it because the plane had cool aurora lighting effects and I saw Greenland from the plane (!!!!!!).
Even after writing all of this (and re-reading the notes I had jotted in my journal), I still don't feel like I can properly describe the way I feel about this trip and this place. It just spoke to me. I am literally spending all of my spare time these days looking at other people's Instagram photos and planning a return trip (hopefully!). There is so much more to see and do there -- I just need to get back ASAP!
