Arrival in Reykjavík
We arrived at Keflavík airport after a relatively short flight from Brussels (just over 3 hours). Even coming from within the Schengen area, we still had to go through a checkpoint to show that we had pre-registered (with a valid COVID Certificate) and a negative COVID test. We were lucky since everything went smoothly and we did not have to wait very long. After collecting our luggage, we had to look for the representative of the car rental company who would take us to the office that was just outside the airport. We were the only customers so before we knew it, we were on our way to Reykjavík, the capital.
We had reservations at the Eyja Guldsmeden Hotel that was located just outside the city center yet very close to Laugavegur, one of the oldest shopping streets in Iceland. We liked walking, so we had no problem discover the city on foot. There was more than ample parking just in front and behind the hotel at no extra cost so that was a real advantage. The room was relatively small but adequate for a 2 night stay. The decor of the room, as well as the rest of the hotel, was really nice. We were delighted with our choice and did not regret returning there at the end of our holiday.
Discovery of Reykjavík, the capital
As soon as we started exploring Reykjavik, it stopped raining. It was 13 degrees, not so bad for late August. We walked towards the shoreline and passed the Höfði House, famous for the Reykjavik Summit in 1986 where Reagan and Gorbachev held talks that heralded the end of the Cold War. The house was built in 1909 for the French consul who left after 4 years, presumably because it was haunted.
We continued walking along the coast towards Harpa (concert hall) and passed the Sun Voyager. Here we had to exercise patience to be able to take a picture without tourists. We continued to the harbour where we checked the availability of a whale watching tour for the following morning. The tours with RIB boats were cancelled, only the large whale watching boats would leave the harbour.
Then we walked past the restaurant ’Seabaron’ known for serving the best lobster soup in the country. There was a long line, which is always a good sign, so we decided to follow the crowd and test our patience. In the end, it took us almost an hour to get seated so we hoped the food would be worth it. Well the soup was indeed very good, but my mom’s lobster soup, her specialty, was better. The grilled fish and scallops were tasty and really worth it.
After dinner, we decided to walk back to our hotel as we would have an early start the day after. We were going to participate in the whale watching excursion despite the rougher sea.
The first impact of Iceland was very good, so a positive start of our holiday !
Whale Watching from Reykjavík, the capital
The next morning, after breakfast, we walked in 30 minutes to the harbour. We occasionally ended up in a ‘war zone’ of electric scooters speeding down the sidewalks…
We purchased our tickets and were advised to take a pill against seasickness. The pills are for free so ‘better safe than sorry’ said the guy at the check-in. I have never been sick before on a boat before so I kindly thanked him for the offer. In the end, the sea was not so rough compared to what I had experienced on other vacations.
After an hour and a half we saw our first whale. They come to the surface to breath, they repeat it a couple of times and then they take a deeper dive for around 10 minutes… Then it was guessing where they would come up again. All in all, we had spotted 2 different species. I would not have been able to tell them apart, but it seemed that one announced its arrival by spitting out water and the other had a bad breath, you could smell if the animal was close enough.
Taking pictures was not so easy, especially not with a phone, but a video was a bit easier. The guide of the boat had also taken pictures, so he would send them to all passengers that requested it by email. We thought that it was a very kind gesture !
After three and a half hours we were back on the quay and we decided to go to the best coffee shop in Reykjavík (if we were to believe Tripadvisor) ‘Reykjavík Roasters’. We ordered a coffee and toast with tuna salad and then we walked a few meters further to the best bakery in town ‘Braud & co’. The cinnamon rolls appeared to be fantastic, so we had to taste them! And indeed they were delicious… Also the bread looked fantastic so we were going to return for that tomorrow morning before starting our road trip around the island.
Perlan Museum and Hlemmur mathöl Foodhall
Next activity of the day was a walk to Perlan, a museum of glaciers, volcanoes, ice caves and Northern Lights. To get there we required the help of the Icelandic fellow man because the usual road was closed for works. We were about to turn around but an Icelandic couple that was also going to Perlan took us past the works over a grassy hill after which we had to cross the highway (a bit of a challenge since the traffic lights did not work)…
The museum was okay. The northern lights show was the best, the ice cave was cold but a nice feature. We ended our visit on the observation deck, followed by a coffee at the revolving restaurant before returning to the hotel for a siesta. We did a lot of walking that day, so we were a bit tired (probably also the decompression from work).
For dinner, we decided not to walk too far so we went to the foodhall ‘Hlemmur mathöll’. We chose the Mexican restaurant ‘Fuego Taqueria’. The tortillas looked and tasted delicious. Also the other restaurants looked attractive so we would certainly return here at the end of our holidays !
Now back to the hotel to pack our luggage and then have a good rest so that we could start our road trip around Iceland in top condition. First part, the Golden Circle…
