The trip of our lifetime: March 2014

Hello Hello! It's been so long!

We waited a good time, before we ventured off to another place and of course we picked something extraordinary, ICELAND!

When we told everyone we were going to Iceland we didn’t get the same responses we would have gotten from going to Europe or the Caribbean. This time we got a lot of raised eyebrows with the question “Why Iceland?” to which we responded “why not?” Why not experience the unfamiliar? Why not go to efforts to grow beyond our comfort zone and see something spectacular and unconventional at the same time? Why not check off one of Anna’s bucket list items? Canadians generally favour vacationing anywhere that is warmer than Canada, which is most of the world honestly. To choose somewhere that is perceived to be colder is an anomaly (i.e. WHAAAAAATTT??????).

Reykjavik is the most northern capital city in all the world. The total population for all of Iceland is 360,000 people, 2/3 of whom reside in Reykjavik. The language spoken here is Icelandic and their currency is called the Icelandic Krona. The conversion ratio is 100:1 for Krona vs. US/CDN approximately, or as one of the locals told me, “its shit”.

We noticed right away the winds were very cold and the landscape was stark and very rocky. We didn’t see a single tree anywhere, or even grass, just snow (as it had recently snowed), rock, and the occasional magic troll. It really felt like we were driving in a black white painting of an alien planet. It was a very surreal feeling. This feeling was heightened by the fact all the terrain wasn’t just rocky, but inky black. Imagine pouring black ink over all the rocks, or have a troll do it for you. The black rock appears in stark contrast to the steamy, cyan blue waters of the Blue Lagoon (Bla Lonid in Icelandic. $10 says you’ll likely say it wrong, but you’re welcome to try).

The Blue Lagoon continues to exude that otherworldly vibe as you get closer. This is a geothermal spa located in a lava field about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik. The water here is always 37-39 degrees Celsius and is fed from the nearby geothermal power plant. It is said to help treat diseases such as psoriasis and others. We went in the evening near dusk. The water was very warm. The weather was very cold (rain, & sleet). It was a perfect time to experience it. The steam coming from the light blue water created quite a dramatic scene against the black rocks of the surrounding area. It’s a large enough pool. They had buckets of silica mud mask for us to try on. I have to say, we felt baby smooth afterwards. Of course, the locals didn’t seem affected by the cold, but the tourists were running and huddled up anytime they were out of the water. It is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland and well worth the visit.

Reykjavik

Welcome to Reykjavik, the cityscape is filled with colourful homes all built with Scandinavian design principles. Our small apartment (imagine Ikea “Haute Couture”) was downtown on trendy Lagavugar Street. This is a beautiful city. It’s right on the water with a long boardwalk which stretches towards the docks right to the Harpa Concert Hall, where we can see misty, snow covered mountains just across the water. The houses and buildings here are all covered in brightly coloured metal siding. Most of the businesses here were actually old family homes converted into shops, bars, cafes, etc. Many cafes here double as barber shops, happening bars at night time, or in the case of the Laundromat Café, a Laundromat, and nursery/daycare for kids.

The boardwalk leads to the Harpa Concert Hall. This building is an astonishing feat of architecture! It won 2013 EU architectural prize. It’s a cube shaped glass building built with hex shaped blocks of glass on all sides that looks like one corner is falling into the water at all times. It kind of looks like it was built by arctic Ice Bees. The inside is very modern, high, and beautiful. Being in this place feels like you’re standing about 20 years in the future. Would love to see a concert there one day.

There’s lots to see in Reykjavik. One of the great attractions is the Hallgrímskirkja Church. This church is the tallest building in town and offers some impressive views from all sides. It’s open to everyone and only $7 to go up the clock tower to see the views of town. From there you can see the Harpa concert hall and docks, the mountains, the cityscape, and out into the country side. It’s a relatively new church with more modern architecture on the outside, but it’s well worth the trip. After you should make your way to old city hall to the large ponds where the ducks are waiting. They are waiting in supremely large numbers with their friends, the geese and swans. There are literally hundreds of them there, and the best part is they love tourists! So get your cameras out and grab some dry bread, because you won’t want a chance to commune with these fun creatures. We had a good time taking their pictures and watching them, as well as seeing some very large snow men (or asexual beings, your choice). These snow people were actually around 8’ tall and just build by the local kids for fun. Naturally, we had to get our picture and “talk” with them.

When you get hungry you have a lot of nice places to eat, and Icelandic food is very good. They pride themselves on their lamb and seafood. They also have a drink called the “Swiss Mocha” which is hot chocolate and espresso mixed. Just drink it and never look back! Those of us who had it are still suffering withdrawals! There are a number of dining options if you don’t want just Icelandic food. All the cafes serve exceptional food as well as the restaurants. The only chain restaurants here are Subway, Dominos, and KFC. The rest are all local owned shops. Since Iceland is far from, well, almost everything, most food has to be imported. As a result, you will not find a meal anywhere for less than $20/person. If you’re lucky you could do it for $15, but you’ll be eating a lot of fries and burgers. Dining out in a nicer place will run you even more. Alcohol is another beast altogether. Beer is no less than $9 each. At first we thought that was just the big city tourism district pricing, until we drove around to the small towns. The prices really don’t change at all no matter where you are. Now, if you’re feeling adventurous, the local steakhouses, and there are a good number, also offer more locally sourced meats as well. What I mean is they serve such meats as horse, minke whale, and puffin. These are local dishes, so if you’re feeling very animal righteous, you may want to pass on those politely as this is part of their heritage and something they feel strongly about.

The water system here is a little different from other countries. Icelandic volcanoes are still very much active. You remember what happened in 2010? The geothermal heating is all throughout the country, so water here is heated naturally, albeit with a sulphuric smell. On one hand it feels like a nice spa every time you have a hot shower with soft, smooth skin as a reward. On the other it smells like someone has been cutting the cheese repeatedly when you do. A fair trade off? I’ll leave that to you.

The night scene here is pretty happening. During the week it’s pretty quiet as most people have to work, but when the weekend is here, lookout! Bars only stop serving alcohol at 3am, but remain open until 5amish. We went out on the Friday before we left and left the club around 4 am and the party was still going very strong! We hit up 3 places to get a good sampling of the scene. Our first stop was Koffin café. It was a small English style pub. Just below street level and very relaxed with couches. We all had a pint, relaxed, and moved on. Next was Dhillon. Loved this place! It’s a rock bar & scotch bar. On the main floor they play classic rock and heavy metal from the 70’s until now. Upstairs they have live music of local bands playing what sounds like 70’s Pink Floyd and riff based heavy metal. These bands were awesome! And the crowd was packed in. Given most clubs and cafes are old homes we were literally rocking the house! After rocking it hard, we decided to go in search for some dancing. We ended up at a little dance club called “Dolly”. They had a pair of female dj’s dressed like they came from the 1920’s and seemed to be dancing along having a great time. The one thing we noticed here is that everyone was dancing in their parkas, talk about the culture shock. Also all the Icelandic men dressed incredibly stylish, while all the ladies looked hobo chic with about 5 layers on at a time.

That’s our first impression and summary of arriving in Iceland and Reykjavik. As you know, we rented a car, and boy did we put it to good use! We were there for a week and put on 1162kms on the odometer. We’ll share where we went on our upcoming blog of the countryside and natural beauty we saw. See you soon!

PS. Spotted! We spotted someone jogging in shorts and a hoody. Did I mention that it was -4 degrees Celsius outside? Did I also mention this person was jogging along the boardwalk by the water? Did I mention this body of water is actually the Arctic Ocean? This is an indicator of the heartiness of the Icelandic people. We Canadians think we can adapt to cold? Ha! We’re practically a tropical tribe by comparison.

Ali & Anna

All pictures (c) Anna :)

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