Spending Some Time in Reykjavik
For the latter part of our trip we based ourselves out of Reykjavik, the island’s beautiful capital. We learned that Reykjavik loosely means “smoke bay” and was possibly named by early Icelandic Ingolfr Arnarson when he noticed the steam from the area’s geothermal activity. We loved Reykjavik and Brad felt that it almost rivaled San Diego (his heaven) in terms of beauty, except for the cooler temperatures.
Our guesthouse was the lovely Reykjavik Guesthouse listing, a lovely local multi-story apartment run by husband and wife and split into several guestrooms located on Bergborugata, a street amidst the main Reykjavik attractions. After looking back, we are impressed at how easy it was to walk to various sites. The guesthouse had street parking on the road but if spots were full we could park 2 streets over in the parking lot of Hallgrimskirkja church, the easily recognized house of worship below. With this nice accommodation we had a good base from which to explore Reykjavik.
The first site we’ll mention is the Hallgrimskirkja church. This recognizable building made for a nice point of reference given its height and a great photo opportunity. With a statue of Leif Erikson in the front courtyard, it screamed “Take a picture of me!” The front facade of the church interested us because its design resembled the basalt columns that are another popular photogenic site on Reynisfjara beach and elsewhere in the world. Stepping inside, we could hear the organ playing but since we weren’t worshiping we didn’t stay long.
Walking the other direction from our guesthouse, we could eventually reach the shore and look out to Faxa Bay. The stroll along the coastline is breezy and beautiful with Mount Esja in the distance. Along the shoreline we eventually came to one of our check-list sites, the Sun Voyager sculpture. This sculpture made us think of elves for some reason. We visited during the day while enjoying some Icelandic chocolate and returned in the evening for sunset which provided great views and pictures. It was definitely a popular site.
Further south along the coast we drove to the tip of Seltjarnarnes peninsula in order to view the setting sun. Here there is the Grotta lighthouse in the distance. This too was a popular site. When we drove up it was hard to find a parking spot as the tip of the peninsula was lined with parked sunset goers. We should say that it was here that we partook in one of our two Icelandic fast food binges from Aktu Taktu. Due to our day travels, we arrived late into Reykjavik on two occasions and many of the restaurant kitchens in the city close before 10:00 PM. Fortunately Aktu Taktu remained open. Aktu Taktu is a burger fast food chain; Brad would probably compare its burgers to McDonald’s- good, but not Five Guys quality. Definitely hit the spot when we were hungry and/or hangry from a long day’s travel.
Other sites in Reykjavik include the Althing Parliament building located on the side of Austurvollur Square, a nice greenery at which to sit down and relax like we saw many doing. There’s also Tjornin pond, a picturesque lake in the middle of the city center with ample ducks to feed. If you want to see a statue of Ingolf Arnarson, Icelandic founder, head to Arnarholl, another small greenery amidst the city’s buildings. We briefly visited the Harpa concert hall to admire its unique architecture, although we did not attend any shows or concerts. Whale-watching is another popular way to spend time in Reykjavik and has a high success rate of sightings, but in the end, we could not fit it into our schedule.
Lastly we must talk about some of the food that we ate. Food is expensive in Iceland, so we recommend getting groceries and making some meals to reduce cost if you stay for a week or longer. But indulging in some of the local cuisine is a must for any travel adventure! For lunch one day we selected a small “street food” shop. It served local foods including lamb or seafood soup and a local snack of dried fish. Determined to act like locals (or at least local tourists?) we got some lamb soup and dried fish. The lamb soup was bittersweet, not because of the taste, but because for the past two days we had seen cute baby little lambs out in the Icelandic countryside…and now we were eating their friends. The dried fish had a rough texture, like beef jerky. Erin was a fan but Brad would pass on it in the future. The butter to put on it didn’t really make a difference for Brad.
For breakfast on a late-start morning, we visited a local stop called Cafe Babalu. Easily memorable for its bright orange exterior, hip two-level interior, and its food. Brad got a ham, egg, and cheese crepe while Erin ordered a ham, cheese, and onion crepe with a piece of Nutella cheesecake for us to share. We relaxed while eating at a quiet upstairs table. It felt like one of those hip American coffee shop spots.
Our favorite meal was Salka Valka Fish and More. Specializing in a small but tasty menu, their specialty is a fish of the day or even more special, a dish called fish “stew”. However, it’s not actually a stew, but more of a casserole made of fresh fish (cod and haddock), potato, and cheese. While somewhat expensive ($45 total for the two of us) the meal was very satisfying. We’re sure you could find better eats for even more money but this was definitely a winner.
All in all Reykjavik was a great place. Brad loved its seaside small city feel. We would definitely go back.
