I finally got around to composing my thoughts on my visit to Iceland this summer. Part journal, part travel writing, the following post encompasses the adventures Matti and I had during out brief visit to the nation in the middle of nowhere.
“Well, Iceland was quite an interesting island that can most aptly be described as being in the middle of nowhere. With a population of just under 300,000 with more than 60% living within Reykjavik and it’s suburbs, Iceland is a very nationalistic country that features beautiful surroundings and a somewhat strange, albeit perfectly reasonable, way of life.
Arriving at Keflavik airport, approximately 50 km from Reykjavik, we encountered a treeless environment and fields of lava. Having booked a trip to the Blue Lagoon on arrival, Matti and I found (after a slight bit of confusion) the bus that was to take us, and six other passengers, to the Blue Lagoon and eagerly boarded it. The Blue Lagoon is a spa just 20 km from the airport featuring salt water that ranges between 39 C and 41 C. It was created from the runoff of a geothermal power plant and was a very modern facility that allowed us to relax and become refreshed after our flight. It’s a very odd feeling being in water so warm - at first it’s extremely satisfying but as time goes by, your body begins to become irritated by the temperature. Nonetheless, in small doses, it’s supposed to be very beneficial health wise and could perhaps explain the high life expectancies in Iceland.
After leaving the Blue Lagoon, we arrived shortly after seven at Guesthouse Snorri, where we spent our three nights in Iceland. A slight snafu occurred, with Snorri mistakenly thinking that we were to arrive in August. Not a major problem, except that for the first night, we spent the night in a normal room instead of the family room that we had wanted. After setting down our bags, grabbing our cameras, and something warm to wear, we headed into downtown Reykjavik, a short kilometer walk from where we stayed. What was very unusual was that the sky was clear. According to our guidebook, on average, there is only one fully clear day in Reykjavik, nicknamed the smokey bay.
Having read about Laugavegur and Ausurstraeti from all the guidebooks, we found those streets and headed into the center of the town. All of the houses along the way were made out of corrugated iron or cement, with some painted in bright colors and others in drab shades of grey. Of course, since trees aren’t a natural part of Iceland’s environment, it makes sense, but it does create a very subdued and almost ugly locale. Starving, we quickly found a restaurant on a side street that although expensive when compared to the US and Europe, had a fairly decent priced dinner option. Seafood pasta was the unanimous choice between the two of us and we quickly devoured our meal.
As an aside, prices are extremely expensive in Iceland. Matti and I knew this going in but we were still shocked. The cheapest dinner places we could find still cost around 15 euros or so for a meal and beer, which after a hot bath was almost a prerequisite, cost close to 10 euros. However, having read about this, Matti and I made the wise decision to import our own Lapin Kulta from Helsinki airport. Our guidebook explains that high prices come from the fact that mostly everything needs to be imported from either the US or Europe. This was quickly seen in the supermarkets, where there was an equal amount of European and American products, something you see rarely or even ever in Europe. All in all though, our first day and night in Iceland went remarkably smooth, considering neither Matti or I know the language and we’ve never been here before.
Day two in Iceland consisted of us heading bright and early into Reykjavik. One perk of the guesthouse where we were staying was the fact that breakfast was included. Nothing too special, but it did give us a good base to head out in to the city. Our first stop was the tourist information center, where we bought 48 hour tourist cards, gaining access to a dozen or so museums, free transit on the buses, access to the thermal pools, and more. The first museum that opened on Sunday was the Reykjavik City Museum, known as Arbaejarsafn. We found the bus that headed out to the museum and were surprised to be thrown off the bus after boarding. Turns out, on Sunday buses don’t begin running until 10 am and we were too early. Anyway, catching the next bus, we made it over to the outdoor museum that depicts what life was like back in the early days. Interestingly, one of only two railroad cars ever brought to Iceland were on display and we were able to see the different variations of housing construction involving typically either steel, grass, or concrete.
Next up after the museum was the National Museum of Iceland, featuring a permanent exhibition on the history behind Iceland. The museum was very modern and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It gave a very good overview of the first settlers and what they experienced in both a traditional museum style environment as well as interactively. On the other floors in the museum were an interesting collection of photographs of famous Icelanders and a collection of modern artifacts from the 1960s and 1970s.
Starving, Matti and I decided it was time for lunch and we headed back into town after walking along side the Tjornin. All guidebooks recommended Kaffi Salon so we quickly scouted it out. I was not impressed. Granted, Matti and I were trying to refrain from spending all of our money in less than 24 hours, but the brunch that we ordered was very fatty and artery clogging. Oh well, at least the atmosphere was good and the earl grey tea a good refreshment.
Following lunch, we headed to Kolaportit Fleamarket by the harbor to try a traditional Icelandic treat, a Kokosbolla. Having read about it on the airplane, I imagined it to be a very sweet and filling chocolate pastry. However, it turned out to be more a marshmallowy treat that was coated in chocolate and had coconut sprinkled on the top. Not bad, but I can’t say I was as eager about it as the writer who described it in Atlantica, the inflight magazine of Icelandair. The obligatory postcards were purchased next, followed by a visit to the Reykjavik Museum of Photography that had a wonderful, albeit very somber, exhibition on South Africa and the Apartheid. The photographs, all in black and white, were amazing. Chilling, haunting, and generally telling a tale a mile long in a simple expression. I enjoyed it immensely.
By now, Matti and I were getting a bit tired so we headed back to our guesthouse, walking along the harbor and generally trying to immerse ourselves in the few backstreets of the city. Next to our guesthouse, we came across the Reykjavik Art Museum (Kjarvalsstatir) that contains the modern art of Iceland. A small building that took less than a half hour to see completely, there were a few good paintings interspersed between a large amount of modern art, that unfortunately, appealed very little to me. Given that I enjoyed the work at the MoMa and the modern art museum in Copenhagen, I was surprised to find so few pieces that I enjoyed but that happens.
Discovering that our guesthouse had cooking facilities with pots and pans, Matti and I decided to save a bit of money by cooking ourselves. On our way to the supermarket, we stopped by the local thermal pool and went swimming, as well as, enjoyed the warm hot spa. Dinner was simple but tasty, and after a small evening walk, we settled down and watched Garden State. I’m not sure why I like that movie as much as I do, but it was as enjoyable as ever to watch and almost felt more applicable being in a city far away from anyplace of comfort.
Of course, there were the general mishaps that occurred. Wrong buses, misunderstanding directions, and generally feeling lost when being spoken to in an Icelandic. However, usually things could be sorted out, mainly by us running as fast as we could away from whatever was wrong.
Day Three. We had booked well in advance a golden circle tour online and today was the day that we’d get out of Reykjavik and see some of the surrounding country side. Since the trip didn’t start until 11 am, we headed out in the morning and took a walk to Hallgrimskirkja, the eight-story concrete church of Reykjavik. Although we wanted to go up and see the surrounding area, the prohibitively expensive entrance fee forced us to find other entertainment, mainly that of walking along the sea until we boarded our tour bus at 11.
The first stop made on the bus was to the local stable. There, while waiting for our final members of the tour to join us, we were able to grab a glimpse of a couple Icelandic horses. Although small by almost any standard, they were very strongly built and at least the ones we saw, very powerful. As soon as we were on our way, the tour bus guide made sure to keep us company, explaining the in’s and out’s of Icelandic life, giving us a brief history, and generally entertaining us in her not-so-good English. We stopped briefly at a crater, caught glimpses of glaciers, and generally got a pretty good idea of the mountainous environment on our way to the first major stop, the Geysir. Here, we were able to watch a couple of geysir’s explode and trek up the side of a mountain to get a good glimpse of the landscape. From at least what we saw, Iceland is a very peaceful nation nature wise, with most of it still being pure and untouched.
Back on the bus, we headed to the second of three stop, Gulfoss. One of the most known waterfalls of Iceland, Gulfoss was a large, two tiered waterfall that at the time we visited, had a pretty rainbow right above it. More history, more photos, and soon we were on our way to our final stop, Pingvellir. A national park, Pingvellir was also home to Iceland’s parliament and is located in between the American and Atlantic tectonic plates. Again, another stop was made to take final photos before being dropped back off in the center of the city.
To end the day, we again cooked for ourselves and headed out to the Perlan, the main water tower of Reykjavik. Free of charge, we were able to climb on to the observation deck and catch a glimpse of the city. It was a somewhat surreal moment, as not only was it peaceful and quiet, very little was happening anywhere - and this was the capital!
Day four was spent mainly killing time before our flight back to the US. After breakfast, we took a quick walk around the city center and spent our last Icelandic kroner’s on candy, sandwiches, and anything else we could afford.
Overall, I’m very glad I visited Iceland. It was quite an exciting and interesting place but, I don’t think I’ll be heading back anytime soon. The city of Reykjavik itself has little to offer on a small budget and even with a large one, there’s little cultural entertainment outside of the museums we visited. Landscape and adventure wise, Iceland has a lot to offer. I can imagine taking a trip one day to visit the other sections of the country and spending time hiking or biking. But, again, that won’t be happening for a long time and not until I become a millionaire!”
Copyright © 2000 - 2007, Aram Kudurshian. All rights reserved.
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