I am still pinching myself we made it to Iceland.
Months of lockdown, cancelled holidays, the virus circling us like a shark… it really feels like a surreal escape.
Iceland, the land of fire and ice, has been on my bucket list for years.
We left from Heathrow terminal 2 on a scorching day, pleased to see everybody still wearing masks on the day they stopped being compulsory. Iceland Air was brilliant too, the food delicious. Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport is modern and efficient and, today, very quiet. The luggage was waiting for us on the carousel!
Reykjavik welcomed us with a giant puffin, sun and a clear blue sky.
We dropped our bags and headed out for a stroll before dinner.
Our hotel is on Laugavedur, the main shopping street, but although ‘bustling’… it still feels quiet… the buildings are in the old style and often brightly painted.
… some roads are painted too…
We then strolled to the harbour for dinner…
… which we had at a place called Höfnin, a delightfully cosy place, with warm old fashioned decor, super friendly service and wonderful food.
I had flounder fillet on a bed of ‘smashed’ potatoes…
After we strolled back to the hotel in totally different weather, the sky was totally white and the temperature had dropped to 11C. The air smells incredibly clean and fresh here. The boys headed straight back I took a small detour…
I filled my head with colourful houses…
I wonder what it feels like to live in such brightness.
I cannot wait to explore more tomorrow, for now I leave you with some interesting fact about Reykjavik:
- the name means ‘smoky bay’, from the steam rising from the hot springs in and around the city.
- it is the Northernmost capital city in the world, just two degrees from the Arctic Circle.
- dogs were banned in the city from 1924 to 1984.
- the first permanent settlement in Iceland was in Reykjavik in 874AD.
the-wanderings.com 