Saturday started out with a bit of a drizzle as we prepared to make our way back to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. When we entered Iceland, we didn’t stick around the capital as we had so much to see, but now we would head there for our last few hours in Iceland. As I was packing up, I kept hearing this loud sound from behind our cabin. I looked out the window and saw this fellow looking for food with his long and pointy beak. I’m not sure why he was so noisy, but he certainly was making a fuss. He also blended in well with the grass and dirt.
Getting to Reykjavik would take some time. We would drive over four hours to get there passing by a number of the sites we had visited before. We did make a few stops along the way to see some different things, but mostly we drove.
Our first little stop was just off the main highway. There was a tall, flat hill that was standing by itself toward the coast. We drove down beside the hill to take some photos not only of the hill but of the ubiquitous lupine. We encountered a few almost white lupine here which is something a bit unusual in Iceland.
Continuing on we checked out a church in Vik that we had noted earlier. It sits in a prominent position on a hill so it’s hard to miss. It really stands out from a distance, but up close it is a fairly typical looking Lutheran church.
At another quick stop we saw some old buildings that were built right into a rock. This is not that unusual in Iceland. The buildings were built into the hillsides with sod on the roofs. These buildings are quite short. Unfortunately it’s a little hard to tell from the photo as there isn’t anything to give them perspective.
We also stopped to see a water filled volcanic crater. Kerið seemed like it would be pretty interesting, but when we got there, it wasn’t all that amazing. We walked around the top of the crater. There was also a trail around the water, but we didn’t go there. It was good to get out of the car and move around, but we weren’t that impressed. This is the one natural thing we saw that actually charged an entrance fee of about $3.50 a person. Other places did charge for parking, but not an actual admission fee.
During our drive I would sometimes try to take pictures out of the window or convince Andrea to pull over for a few minutes. Iceland’s a very scenic place and so green. Here are some photos I took along the highway.
We arrived in Reykjavik about 2:30. The interesting thing is that many of the stores shut down early on Saturday so we needed to move quickly to do a few things. The first thing on our list was to see the well known Lutheran church, Hallgrimskirkja. This Reykjavik landmark towers over much of the city. It was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. We could go inside as well and check it out. I can’t say I was that impressed. It is certainly an interesting building, but the exterior is not very inviting. The architect wanted to give it the feel of the basalt columns that we had seen throughout Iceland. However that gives it a hard, cold feel. The interior feels equally sterile. However, they do have a magnificent pipe organ. Overall I can’t say that it inspired me.
In front of the church is a statue of Leifur Eiriksson, the first European to land in North America. It was given to Iceland by the United States. What is odd is that its placement right in front of the church means that if you are taking a photo of the church, and trying to center it, this statue will cover the front of the church. Because the church is so tall, one really has to stand back to get it all in so the statue tends to show up in photos of the church.
From the church we walked down to the main business street and did a little shopping. Many of the stores were already closed or about to close, but we did get into a few. We then walked down to the harbor to see the famous statue, the Sun Voyager. It had clouded over some so the sun was not out. Perhaps that is why the statue was not as impressive as it could have been.
We walked back uptown and found that if we went the opposite direction on the main street, it was pretty active and busy. This was apparently the main part of town. The street had been painted in some fun ways with one block of hop-scotch for example. There were a number of restaurants, and we even heard some live music playing. However, the restaurants here were quite expensive. We looked a little farther afield before finding a place more suitable for our budget.
People often complain how expensive Iceland is, particularly food. However, one important thing to remember is that in Iceland the wait staff is paid a living wage. They do not expect tips. When one adds a tip in the US, the difference may not seem as large as one thinks.
Feeling tired from a long day of driving, we retreated to our hotel. Tomorrow morning we needed to get up and get our COVID test to return to the United States. One more challenge to traveling in this particular era.
Sunday morning we were up early anxious to get ready to leave. Our hotel offered a nice breakfast which has been rare to find for travelers lately. It was nice not to have to worry about finding food. After breakfast we drove over to get our COVID test to return to the US. I was a little surprised at how long the line was. Someone is making money off of the US requirement for a test. Fortunately the line moved quickly. The test itself was a bit painful. This was a rapid test, and they went in deep. However within a half hour we had the negative test results on our phone. It was a relief to have that done.
After packing up we wandered the waterfront. There were a few more sights to see there. We came to a house where someone had created their version of art using rusted materials and junk. Quite interesting. There was also a museum of modern sculptures nearby. On our way back we passed by the house where Reagan and Gorbachov met to discuss relations that would end the Cold War. A well known Icelandic poet had also lived there. While these were not major tourist attractions, it gave us a feel for the city.
We finally decided to head to the airport. It was a little earlier than I might have suggested, but it turned out to be the right decision. First we had to drop off our car. Usually that takes about five minutes, but the company we used had clients take a number and then wait to have the car inspected. People were generally not happy with the company and grumbling about how bad their cars were.
With the car finally returned, we boarded their van to the airport. There an extremely long line of travelers greeted us. It seems Icelandic Air has all their flights leave about the same time of day so everyone shows up together. We waited probably about 45 minutes before finally getting through the line.
I thought the worst was over. We went up to the security area, and passengers had to scan their boarding passes to get into the area. When I scanned mine, it said the boarding pass had already been used, and I was blocked out. Someone came out and made a phone call to figure out the problem. After about 20 minutes, they let me go through. Security wasn’t too bad, but then there was immigration and another line.
We finally made it into the gate area, but I had to talk with someone to fix my ticket. Fortunately that was quick. We eventually made it onto the plane, but there was a mechanical problem, and we sat there for probably 30 minutes or more before finally taking off. Fortunately that was the last of our delays, and we had a quick reentry into the US. It’s always good to be home.
Our trip to Iceland had been a good experience. Traveling with my daughter had gone well. We managed to get along with few conflicts. One question we have been asked is did we see the Northern Lights? The answer is no because in the summer it doesn’t get dark. That’s an experience we will have to save for a future trip. While Iceland had not been on my list of places to go, I found it an interesting and easy place to travel. It was well worth the time.
Thanks for sharing this journey with us. If you have questions or comments, please be sure to note this in the comment section below.