Throwback to Scandinavia 2013. We spent our last few days in Stockholm but it was time to say good by to Sweden and get on make our way to the final stop on our journey, Iceland!
Iceland
When we began this trip, I had mentioned that we took advantage of Icelandair’s free stopover offer that allowed passengers to spend time in Iceland while transiting on to their final destination. My sister and I decided to spend four days in Iceland at the tail end of our trip. When we first transited through, we didn’t get much of a glimpse outside as it was overcast and very early in the morning. This time, we arrived on a bright sunny afternoon. Stepping out of the airport, and throughout the 45 minute journey into Reykjavik, it occasionally felt like we had landed on the moon! The terrain was pretty open and rocky and unlike any place I’d been. I was excited for what this place had in store.
Our accommodations, Hotel Fron was right on one of the main streets and pretty central to everything. Given how pricey things were in Iceland and the location of the Hotel, we were very satisfied with where we ended up! It was a small multi-building complex with small apartment like hotels. All in all it was very comfortable!
Nudluskalin
Our first stop after settling in, was to find some food. Before arriving my sister had scoped out this soup noodle place and we were excited to give it a try. We had been on the road for a month, the weather was starting to dip and we were missing some of the comfort foods of home. So a bowl of noodles in soup was very eagerly anticipated. So we walked the two blocks from our hotel to Nudluskalin.
I can safely say that while it isn’t exactly the same as home, it really hit the spot!
Hallgrimskirkja
With our bellies full we continued to stroll through the streets enroute to Hallgrimskirkja which is an iconic church in Reykjavik. Its a staple of the city skyline, sits atop a small hill and is beautifully designed! On our way we witnessed a lovely Icelandic sunset
We got to visit before it closed for the evening and really enjoyed how stunning this church was! It towers over the city, in a way guarding or keeping watch!
Cafe Loki
Right across the street from the Hallgrimskirkja was this small little cafe call Loki. It was getting cold and we weren’t ready to return to our hotel just yet, so we popped in for a hot drink and some desert. It was a very small homely cafe with a restaurant on the second floor. We shared a “Pancake” stuffed with Vanilla Skyr (Icelandic Yogurt) and home made Rye Bread Ice Cream. Of note was the ice cream, which indeed tasted like Rye bread and wasn’t too sweet. If you find yourself in Iceland, give this s shot, its pretty unique!
Reykjavik
The next day we set out early to explore the city. We ended up walking out to and along the water. The views from the waterfront are breathtaking, even for an overcast day! I really enjoyed the mix of “quiet” scandinavian town mixed with some modern architecture.
Harpa
We ended up spending time in two main places/areas. The first was called Harpa. Which is the concert hall and convention center. It is magnificently designed and extremely unique! In fact it was the winner of the 2013 European Union Contemporary Architecture award. You could tell right away that it was pretty special from the outside. Once you step inside the appreciation increases! There are multiple levels, and so many different angles to look at! We ended up spending a few hours exploring the hall and also just sitting and enjoying a nice cup of coffee while taking it all in!
Ostabudein
After tearing ourselves away from the Harpa Concert hall, we had read about this small little restaurant in the back of a deli that served some amazing food. The catch was that they only had one daily special, soup and salad and you could only decide on how big it was. We both ordered the large fish special, which turned out to be a HUGE chunk of fish and was perfectly cooked and super tasty. I highly recommend Ostabudein to anyone who visits Iceland. (Note: I have read that since our visit the restaurant has expanded and now offers a full menu. From the reviews it still is one of the best meals in Reykjavik so I wouldn’t hesitate to still give them a shot)
City Hall
Our afternoon was spent in and around the City Hall area of Reykjavik. The City hall building itself is beautifully designed and sits at the edge of a large pond. We ended up walking around the whole pond. It was a nice way to have a leisurely stroll in the city.
Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland so we passed by diplomatic embassies and our Canadian Embassy. It was rather small and if I recall they shared the building with another commercial business.
In the evening, we enjoyed our time at Cafe Loki so much we decided to give their restaurant a try. While the menu was somewhat limited, we wanted one thing: “Meat Soup” which in Iceland is Lamb soup. It’s very common in many restaurants so we wanted to try it, along with some icelandic beverages. While I’m not normally a fan of lamb I found I enjoyed it in soup form quite a bit!
We would be visiting the Golden Circle tomorrow, so we returned to our hotel for a good night’s rest.
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