Welcome to Reykjavik
I finished work at 5 on Friday afternoon, and by 5:30, my partner and I were at the airport to board our flight to Keflavík. Having been in the full-time working world for three years now, I've gotten rather good at squeezing every minute out of vacation time. It's a long weekend in Canada, and with three lieu days available to tack on, that was all the excuse I needed to book a trip to Iceland.
The thing is, taking advantage of every minute of vacation on a budget means some uncomfortable travel decisions, such as flying one of the toughest red-eyes of my life. We landed in Iceland drained, and after getting through customs (remarkably smoothly), we had to wait over an hour to get our rental car. The drive into the city, though scenic with the cloudy sunrise, did not help our exhaustion. By the time we reached our Airbnb, it was nearly 4 AM Toronto time. We collapsed for a quick nap before heading out to explore town.
Our first real meal in Iceland did not disappoint: hot, savoury lobster soup with fresh bread and butter, courtesy of the Sea Baron right by the old harbour. Our Airbnb, perfectly located, was steps away. The disappointing bit was how every whisper of Iceland's priciness turned out to be more than true. We opted to not sit at a café with a drink but instead chose the public library to wait in the warmth for our free walking tour to begin.
Free walking tours are my favourite way to be introduced to a new city, and this one was no different. Our guide took us around and showed us the lake that had frozen over (except for the heated outer edges for the birds to keep swimming), the statue in the centre of the city depicting the origin of Reykjavik's name (translated to "Bay of Smoke"), the streets clear of ice (the entire city is geothermally heated, including most roads, so the snow melts off automatically).
At the rainbow road (originally painted for Pride Parade and now a permanent feature) near the end of the tour, we broke off for snack and lost the group, so we continued on our own.
We visited the Hallgrimskirkja church with its giant pipe organ, the flea market, and the impressive Harpa Concert Hall before calling it early and heading back. Winds had picked up to nearly 50 km/h -- the strongest I had ever felt in my life -- and it was a literal struggle to not be blown away.
As always, the best parts of the day lay in the smallest moments -- tourists bracing against each other to avoid being swept off, listening to music while wandering around the downtown shops, the swans at the waterfront vying for bread... and of course, a hot shower and comfortable bed nearby to end the long day in early.
