Reykjavik, Iceland

Destination: Reykjavik
Date: December 2014
Nights: 4
Hotel: Hotel Fron
Highlights: Food, Northern Lights, Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon.
Lowlights: Cancellations due to severe weather

Day 1. Exploring our surroundings. 

We took a shuttle bus from the airport to Hotel Fron.  The hotel was located in the heart of Reykjavik, close to cafes, restaurants, and bars. We were luckily upgraded to a studio apartment, the room was spacious and clean and included a fulfilling breakfast in the morning. We were told we were on the path of the pub crawls, but our room was at the back so we didn’t hear any noise on a Friday or Saturday night.

We arrived in the afternoon and explored the city whilst we had some light and grabbed a bite to eat. We went to Susibarinn, which was a delight and one of the best sushi I have eaten.

We went to The Hallgrimskirkja. It’s around ISK 1000 (£7) for entry, bit pricey but gives you a good view of Reykjavik and a sunset.

After our postcard captures from the top of the church, we wanted to see what Reykjavic had to offer once the sun had set. The town was not busy as expected due to the time of the year and how cold it was.

Day 2. Snow, snow, and more snow!

Sunrise was around 11am and a struggle to get up. Our northern lights trip was cancelled due to extreme snow. We only had 4 hours of sunlight so the plans for today was to see the frozen lake, the sea, architecture, museums, and Christmas lights.

Day 3. Northern Nothing! 

Finally, what we came here for…amongst other things. We took a coach trip up to the mountains, where it was completely dark, to see the lights. The coach driver did warn us there was no guarantee we were going to see them, and if we didn’t we could book another trip, free of charge. Now that’s customer service. This is what we captured before my fingers fell off.

Day 4. 3G’s…Girls, Geysers, and the Golden Circle

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Everything was just so white and spectacular. The tour costs around £50 and lasts 7 hours. The coach picks you up from your accommodation, you get to see the best of southwest of Iceland’s waterfalls, lakes, and geysers. It stops off at the spouting geyser of Strokkur in the Geyser area and you get to see where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. The tour guide on this coach made the 7 hours enjoyable with the ghost stories and historical facts.

After a really cold day exploring, we discovered Svarta Kaffid where they serve really good soup in a bread bowl. Just what we needed! You have the option of vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Our choices that day were the mushroom or the reindeer soup.

I got the mushroom soup and wasn’t disappointed. So simple and satisfying.

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Last night, we had to sample the local beer and say goodbye to the snow.

Day 5. Blue Lagoon 

We booked Blue Lagoon for 9am with Reykjavik Excursions.  It cost around £50, which includes pick up and return. It was great stepping out into the extreme cold where I thought my nose was going to drop off and warming up in the blue, steamy waters. I wouldn’t recommend putting your hair in the water as it makes it extremely dry.

Sadly, it was time to leave this amazing place. Iceland has to be one of my most memorable holidays. It’s definitely a place I will revisit in the summer, to explore the rest of the island without the snow.

Here are some recommendations on places to eat.

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