We woke up in the morning feeling well rested. Although we knew of the weather to come, it was still a bit of a disappointment to wake up to pouring rain and high winds. First on our agenda was breakfast, and we had some delicious chocolate croissants from a bakery that we picked up the night before. Iceland is known for their delicious food however it can be a little pricey for two backpackers on a budget that needs to last for seven months! Therefore we have hit up mostly bakeries, coffee shops, and supermarkets for our meals. We met a man who has lived in Reykjavik for ten years and he described the cost of living as having tripled since the economic crisis in 2008. I can't really imagine that!
The rain was difficult as it poured buckets and we didn't have an umbrella or a rain jacket . I was cursing myself because I saw these ponchos for $3 that I meant to buy before we left but I never got around to it. Damn procrastination! We had plans to go to The Perlan and the Saga Museum but the bus system was a little tricky to navigate so we couldn't really maneuver around the whole city without freezing. We went to a cute coffee house called The Sofran which was reminiscent of going to any Grandma's house with old furniture, knick knacks, and a cozy atmosphere. Iceland has some of the best coffee I have ever tasted...even Josh said he could drink it black it was so good (although I think I saw him add a little milk ;).
From there we ran (literally) to The Settlement Exhibition which we heard was worth a visit. It was the coolest museum I have ever seen because it was previously an excavation site and they had the house they had excavated on display in the middle with descriptions of everything. The house was likely built in 950 AD and it is possible that it was created by the original settlers who likely made their way to Iceland in 871 AD. The Vikings were the first to settle in Iceland and recently a gene study was done which suggested that the Viking men brought over Scottish or Irish women to marry. I teased Josh about his heritage as he is Norwegian and Scottish too!
We eventually navigated the bus system to the Kringlan which is the most popular local shopping center and it was great for people watching! I have heard the rumors about how good looking Icelanders are and how most are blonde and it is somewhat true. Although obviously not everyone is the classic blonde, blue eyed, porcelain skin wonder, a significant number are and it is neat to see. I wonder what would be considered "attractive" in Iceland as a result.
That evening we went to another geothermal pool. We thought to go out and have drinks but we had to get up at 4 am to catch our next flight. The pool itself was nothing special, just a residential place where locals go, but it was really nice to warm up. This was where we met a man from Morocco that had been living in Iceland for ten years and it was nice to chat to a local about Iceland. He also put us to shame by saying he spoke eight languages (!) which made me think I better make a good effort of learning Spanish soon!
All in all, we both really liked Iceland. I started to ponder whether this is a place we would plan another trip to, but it's hard to say. Iceland is beautiful, cultural, and very unique but the weather is very touch and go with the highest temperature in the summer being 15 degrees (and Josh and I are such babies in cold weather)! If we were to come back, we would have to make a better effort and stay longer to rent a car and see some of the real wonders of Iceland like the glaciers, waterfalls, and geysers. I think they also have mountain climbing but that might be too intense for me! Overall, I am very glad we chose to stay a few days in Iceland and it was a great way to start our adventure!
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| Adorable street our guesthouse was on |
The rain was difficult as it poured buckets and we didn't have an umbrella or a rain jacket . I was cursing myself because I saw these ponchos for $3 that I meant to buy before we left but I never got around to it. Damn procrastination! We had plans to go to The Perlan and the Saga Museum but the bus system was a little tricky to navigate so we couldn't really maneuver around the whole city without freezing. We went to a cute coffee house called The Sofran which was reminiscent of going to any Grandma's house with old furniture, knick knacks, and a cozy atmosphere. Iceland has some of the best coffee I have ever tasted...even Josh said he could drink it black it was so good (although I think I saw him add a little milk ;).
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| Reykjavik Artwork Scattered Throughout the City |
From there we ran (literally) to The Settlement Exhibition which we heard was worth a visit. It was the coolest museum I have ever seen because it was previously an excavation site and they had the house they had excavated on display in the middle with descriptions of everything. The house was likely built in 950 AD and it is possible that it was created by the original settlers who likely made their way to Iceland in 871 AD. The Vikings were the first to settle in Iceland and recently a gene study was done which suggested that the Viking men brought over Scottish or Irish women to marry. I teased Josh about his heritage as he is Norwegian and Scottish too!
We eventually navigated the bus system to the Kringlan which is the most popular local shopping center and it was great for people watching! I have heard the rumors about how good looking Icelanders are and how most are blonde and it is somewhat true. Although obviously not everyone is the classic blonde, blue eyed, porcelain skin wonder, a significant number are and it is neat to see. I wonder what would be considered "attractive" in Iceland as a result.
That evening we went to another geothermal pool. We thought to go out and have drinks but we had to get up at 4 am to catch our next flight. The pool itself was nothing special, just a residential place where locals go, but it was really nice to warm up. This was where we met a man from Morocco that had been living in Iceland for ten years and it was nice to chat to a local about Iceland. He also put us to shame by saying he spoke eight languages (!) which made me think I better make a good effort of learning Spanish soon!
All in all, we both really liked Iceland. I started to ponder whether this is a place we would plan another trip to, but it's hard to say. Iceland is beautiful, cultural, and very unique but the weather is very touch and go with the highest temperature in the summer being 15 degrees (and Josh and I are such babies in cold weather)! If we were to come back, we would have to make a better effort and stay longer to rent a car and see some of the real wonders of Iceland like the glaciers, waterfalls, and geysers. I think they also have mountain climbing but that might be too intense for me! Overall, I am very glad we chose to stay a few days in Iceland and it was a great way to start our adventure!
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