Tuesday, June 6th
Reykjavik, Iceland
Arriving: 6:30 AM
Cloudy - 60 Degrees
We were looking forward to flying Icelandair. As the national carrier of Iceland, the airline promotes tourism in the country by allowing a free stopover. All routes from North America to Europe stop in Iceland, and passengers can extend their layover by up to a week at no additional charge. Most airlines would charge a deviation fee for this. So, you get an extra destination for free, and it breaks up the trip. The polar route from Seattle to Reykjavik is just seven hours, and then it's just another three or four hours to continental Europe.
We were looking forward to it, until we read the recent critique in the Seattle Times. The Times got it right, for once. We were underwhelmed with Icelandair, and Keflavik airport was overwhelmed with passengers.
We flew Economy Comfort class, which is, as you might have suspected, a misnomer. It was neither economical, nor comfortable. It's the standard 3x3 seat configuration as in coach, but with a little extra leg room, and the middle seat blocked so you get 3 seats for the price of...3. You also get free drinks and food from the ala carte snack menu. This may have been the first 757 off the line. It was old and dirty, and sounded like a bush prop plane lumbering down the runway. The flight crew was Icelandic, and they were excellent hosts. It was a tight fit, and a long flight, but it got us here. And, it was an early start on the Voyage of the Midnight Sun. We few the red-eye in full daylight all the way.We had a long wait in passport control, and a long walk to baggage claim. The signage, always in both Icelandic and English, was lacking. The architecture was Scandinavian sleek, though, and it will be just a fine airport if they can ever catch up to the passenger load.
We arranged a transfer through the hotel, and BK was waiting for us on the other side of customs with a very nice Mercedes van. It could accommodate 6 passengers comfortably with their luggage, but we don't travel light and our bags filled the back. We enjoyed the ride. BK is a native Icelander, but he was an exchange student in Boston during high school and went on to study photography in San Francisco after that. He married a woman from New York. He says everyone wants to ask her about Trump, but she refuses to talk about it. BK doesn't refuse to talk about anything, and he was full of information and good stories, from the history of the Blue Lagoon, to the summit hosted in Reykjavik between Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987. He is going to take us back to the airport on Thursday. The winter was exceptionally mild this year, with only one good snow storm which dumped more than two feet. It was consistently gray and rained a lot. Sound familiar? BK joked that if the mild weather continues, they will have to rename the country Wetland, and then acknowledged that Seattle probably has the rights to the name.
Iceland is an island nation about a thousand miles off the coast of Norway to the West. It is the 5th, and often forgotten, of the Scandinavian countries, and considered part of Europe, colloquially if not literally. With a population of just more than 325,000 and a landmass of over 40,000 square miles, it is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. It draws more than a million tourists annually, many from the United States. English is spoken very well and almost universally. The currency is the Icelandic Krona, valued at about 100 to the US dollar. Iceland is not a bargain, though. Virtually everything is imported and bears the cost of tansport. Gas is $8.00 per gallon, but geothermal and hydroelectric power generation provide cheap and abundant electricity. The growing season is short, as is the construction season, only about 4 months. Gotta make hay while the sun shines.
Reykjavik is in the Southwest corner of the country, about 45 minutes from the airport. This is a volcanic island and the ride into the city took us through the lava fields. The gray skies and barren landscape paint a stark portrait that verges on depressing.
There is a very nice cafe off the lobby featuring an impressive collection of vinyl records. We sat down for coffee and pastries while they readied the room, smaller than a cruise ship cabin, but way cooler. After settling in and refreshing a bit in the room, we set out to explore.
It must not be June on the Icelandic calendar. It's not chilly, it's downright cold, with a fierce and biting wind that cuts into our light coats. We are in for a brisk walk. Its a block up hill to Laugavegur, and then a five or six block stroll down hill to Old Reykjavik. The first Icelandic parliament, called the Alpingi, convened outdoors in 930 A.D. They moved into the current building in 1861. There is a lovely little garden out back.
Reykjavik is on a peninsula jutting out into the North Atlantic, so you are never far from water. Right in the middle of Old Reykjavik, though, is Lake Tjornin. The locals call it The Pond. On our way to the water's edge, we stopped to appreciate some public art. This is how Tres feels on his way to work every morning.
Reykjavik City Hall, Raohus in Icelandic, is a post-modern structure built on stilts over the lake. It's very '80s, but pretty cool, connected to this end of the lake shore by a pedestrian bridge.
We walked back from whence we came and had two hour nap to combat the jet leg.
For dinner tonight, I found the Saeta Svinid Gastropub. We started with some appetizers made with ingredients that were clearly imported, but damn fine just the same - fried avocado and bacon-wrapped dates. In a city, island, and country surrounded by water and sustained on fish, these people are crazy for hot dogs and burgers. The burger here was named best in Reykjavik 2017. It has our vote. The fish soup came highly recommended as well. It was full of the freshest salmon, scallops, mussels, and shrimp. A little weird, but very good. We finished with little bits of fried dough served on a cutting board in a thick schmear of caramel sauce and garnished with fresh blueberries, dehydrated strawberries, and a kumquat.
Wednesday, June 7th
Reykjavik, Iceland
Mostly Cloudy - 59 Degrees
Iceland is a hotbed of geothermal activity, and the Blue Lagoon is the king. The lagoon is fed from wells deep in the lava, scalding hot water that is 70% seawater and 30% fresh. The mineral content is thick, especially with silica, giving the water an ethereal milky-blue color, a slippery-silky texture, and the faint odor of sulphur. It is said to be a cure for psoriasis, and myriad other maladies, but we just came to soak our cares away. The complex is huge, holding 80,000 liters of water, always in the range of 98 to 104 degrees. It completely refreshes every forty hours.
We were outside the hotel for a 6:30 AM pickup to beat the crowds for the 45 minute ride to the lagoon. The locker rooms are elaborate and high tech with strict rules and attendants to enforce them. You must leave your shoes at the door, take a full-body shower with soap and without a bathing suit, and they recommend that you use the conditioner that is provided and leave it in your hair to prevent the silica from drying it out.
We waded into the pool, about 1.5 meters deep, and relaxingly buoyant, and made our way to the bar for a blueberry smoothie featuring the Icelandic dairy product, skyr, and a Green is Good juice drink. We sipped our breakfast and made a full loop around the lagoon. There are hot spots and hiding spots, a waterfall, a steam bath and a sauna. We skipped the floating massage and the silica and algae face masks. It was a very nice way to float away the morning.
The best bakery in Reykjavik is right around the corner from the hotel. Bakery Sandholt opened in 1920, the fifth generation of family bakers now helms the ovens. We had cured salmon on brioche, a croque madame, and odd but excellent fennel-chili soup. And, of course, desserts to go.
The interior is spartan, but beautiful. The organ has 5,000 pipes, each one sponsored by a parishioner and inscribed with their name.
We rode the elevator to the 8th floor of the tower, and then climbed 32 steps to the peak for the view, 75 meters over Reykjavik.
The locals love the French bistro Snaps. In fact, a gentleman at the next table was celebrating his birthday at his favorite restaurant. We had a nice bottle of wine, and a lovely dinner of beef cheeks with Jerusalem artichokes and pickled onions to start, and then lamb chops and a rib eye with fries, Bearnaise, and a fresh little salad.
The most striking feature of the Reykjavik skyline is Harpa, the opera house and conference center overlooking the North Atlantic. We caught glimpses of it as we walked around town, but it's cut off from Old Reykjavik by construction, and we never got close enough for a good look. It is stunning, though. This is from the website.
To continue with the theme of the Midnight Sun, the sun never set on our time in Reykjavik. We are leaving, but the sun never does, traveling low in the night sky from dusk 'til dawn.
Next Stop: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
As always, a great overview of your adventures. Enjoy!
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