We took the late flight into Reykjavik arriving shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve, so our first day in Iceland started a little late. We got up for breakfast at about 0930 and the sky was still pitch black! A very weird situation indeed. The plan for today was to visit Reykjavik itself, then head out on the Northern Lights Tour/Hunt this evening so upon finishing breakfast, we got sorted and headed out into the city. The sun was starting to creep up over the horizon giving us approximately 4 ½ hours until it sets again. Bizarre. On the plus side, Reykjavik is quite small so 4 ½ hours should be plenty.
We walked into the city as the sun was rising, taking a slight detour along the coast road. The views out over the bay to the mountains on the other side were breathtaking and well worth braving the Arctic winds. However, the temperatures in Iceland were not exactly what we were expecting. Iceland is in the Arctic Circle and upon arrival, the temperature was no different to back home. This was another shock to the system, but rest assured, the wind did it’s best to make it feel cold!
The first stop on our whistle stop tour of Reykjavik was the Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland. The impressive 74m tower was the most impressive part of the structure, although the simplicity of the architecture within was also stunning. Naturally, we took a trip upto the top of the tower to get some decent views across the city, only to find that it’s a very small city! It is beautiful though with an array of colourful roofs brightening up the view from the top.
As the sun had reached it’s highest point (just over the horizon) we felt it was time to get a move on so we could see the rest of the city in daylight! Next stop… the center. Quiet doesn’t even begin to describe this place, it was deserted. We saw hardly anyone about, and most of those we did see were tourists like us! We walked around for a bit before hitting a local fast food place for a late lunch.
We strolled through the city to the coast road again to walk back to the hotel stopping at City Hall in time to catch the start of the sunset over the Tjörnin lake. It was beautiful! Walking back along the coast, Mark got a number of comments and strange looks for his chosen footwear… yes that’s right, sandals! Otherwise a pleasant sunset walk (at 1530, this place gets dark far too early!).
We got back to the hotel in time to see the real reason Iceland is nicknamed the Land of Fire and Ice (well the fire part anyway). It has nothing to do with the volcanoes, it’s the sunsets! The sky actually looked like it was on fire.
Our Northern Lights tour begins a little later this evening, hopefully the cloud cover will dissipate some before we go so we actually get to see something, but if it doesn’t, it’s all good. From what we’ve seen so far, Iceland is extraordinarily beautiful on it’s own without the need for cosmic phenomena as well!
Once I have sorted through the photo’s I will put a link up for each post.