What an intriguing little town we find ourselves in, this Reykjavik. The city somehow feels familiar and foreign all at once. Although we had a million plans for our very first day in the "big city" of Iceland, we were instead heralded into Iceland winter by a welcome party of snow and raging winds to drive through. The wind was so intense that the snow was moving horizontally instead of falling vertically, which created these recurrent ocean waves of dry powdery white snow across the entire highway. Oh, also it was still pitch black, given that the sun doesn't rise until 10am during this season. How grateful are WE for 4x4s with heavy duty all terrain tires?
So rather than do a 5 hour hike on day 1 as the psycho trip planner in me initially had on the agenda, we slept instead (queen of napping, at your service). It was also an easy decision given our airbnb was as adorably quaint and elegantly simple as one could have hoped. The more time we spent roaming Reykjavik, the more we realized "adorably quaint and elegantly simple" pretty much describes Everything and everyone in this place. People here seem to simply enjoy their lives on their own terms. It is refreshing.
Exploring the city:
Reykjavik city, or atleast the main downtown area, is perfect, by our standards. It is a series of criss crossing cobblestone roads lined with mom and pop shops, a surprising number of non-Icelandic ethnic stores and restaurants, and bite sized minimalist houses straight out of a children's storybook.
The nightlife in wintertime was absolutely breathtaking...streets and sidewalks both filled with snow reflected all the colors displayed by streetlamps and shops alike. The contrast of brightly colored tiny houses and shops against the untainted layers of white powdery snow, lightly dusted across the street by the occasional icy breezes was such a treat for the eyes. There was something so wholesome and comforting yet equally artistic about the entire city. All the colors and shapes and visions displayed in front of us came from the heart, you could just feel it. It felt like being in a painter's studio that somehow smelled like a grandmother's kitchen during the holidays.
Also, the food in Iceland gets a bad rap. There are quite a few traditional icelandic dishes that fully satiated our flavor obsessed taste buds, particularly dishes revolving around lamb and fish and any kind of stew or soup.
Moments in Reykavik:
As it turns out, accidentally sleeping through all your daylight hours is not a bad thing. Monuments at nighttime, stripped of their veil of daylight, reveal a majestic and vibrant view to revel in.
Here are some photos of our favorite spots and moments:
Hallgrímskirkja (a church with a steeple rising directly into Heaven)
"Kirkja" is "church" in Icelandic
Leif (or Leiv) Eiríksson Statue: Per the sagas, Leif was the first European (Norse/Norweigian) to ever set foot on North American land, in about 1001 AD (appx 500 years Before Christopher Columbus mistakenly arrived in the Americas). He started a community in Vinland, of which there are rumored to still be remaining members in Newfoundland, Canada. Whatever the case may be, the statue was formidable.
Blue Lagoon: The Blue Lagoon is this beautiful mineral rich geothermal pool (pool is an understatement, this thing was huge) positioned smack dab in the middle of Nowhereville, Snowland. So imagine milky, pastel blue waters set against white snowy mountainous walls, the horizon line between the gently rippling waters and snowcapped lava rock obscured by swirling waves of steam, like a translucent shoreline, all with the open Iceland sky above you. And being in the water is its own dose of magnificence, with part of your body floating in healing warm waters, while the rest of you dances cheek to cheek with the icy breeze of the Arctic.
As if that wasnt going to be magical enough, when I booked our visit at Blue Lagoon, I chose a 9 am slot, we unexpectedly discovered it was at sunrise. We did not take our phones or camera into the lagoon because we honestly just wanted to indulge our senses for a few hours without the hassles and distraction of photos and phone safety; so you'll have to make do with google photos and your imaginations.
What we DID get some photos of was the sunrise, and we were Not disappointed:
Gulfoss (waterfall): This was about 1hr 45 min East of Reykjavik. In addition to the intimidatingly majestic waterfalls, themselves, the journey there was equally as jaw-dropping.
Of the waterfall: The glacial waters of Gulfoss flowed ravenously down their gravitational gradient, their natural colors enhanced by the surrounding icefalls and snow. Prussian blue, turquoise, teal, and frothy whites gliding alongside each other moved like a choreographed dance.
Of the journey: As we drove along the Golden Circle (main highway that circumvents the entire island), we were surrounded by an endless sea of opaque white, only periodically interrupted by scattered trees, lava rock peeking through, shadows cast by glacial mountains, or the cutest most elegant, long haired icelandic horses. How many shades of white can exist?!
Grotta Lighthouse: This lighthouse in Reykjavik offers a beautiful view of the ocean and is also quite magical at night. It was our first of MANY nights trying and failing to see the Northern Lights because of such heavy cloud cover. As climate changes have been causing warmer temperatures earlier in the winters, those clear dark skies are not as much of a guarantee anymore.
On we go!
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