Reykjavik: Part Two

Since the flight is barely 6 hours long, I was going to land in Iceland around 11:30am.  Technically it would be around 5am Chicago time, but the switching of the hours can really mess you up.  I found the restroom, and washed up and did my makeup.  I also had my mini breakfast there at the airport before I headed out.

I found the bus service to the city.  I booked through Airbus, and was surprised that a roundtrip ticket would cost about $55.  I felt good about the price.  

Unfortunately, even though it leaves every hour, the bus sits until it’s fully filled before heading out.  Just a reminder that it’s not on a set schedule for departing.

I knocked out again on the bus while waiting for the rest of the passengers to board.  It helped me out in the long run because I knew I caught up on my sleep.  Off we went!

You could store your luggage at the bus terminal while you walk around (about $12).  Right away we saw the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral in the horizon!  Everyone practically ran off the bus.  Lol.

Navigating through foot was not difficult at all.  I found the church on my own since it’s HUGE and got a chance to go inside.  As modern as it was I found it to be very peaceful.

I completely fell in love with the beautiful colored buildings.  Some of them were displayed with murals.  Reykjavik has small hills.  That’s when I noticed the body of water at the horizon down at the bottom.  I knew from my maps that I was going towards the harbor.  Sure enough, I ran into the Sun Voyager sculpture.  It was pretty impressive.  Tourists could not stop taking pictures.  I managed to snap away myself.  I could see down the road Harpa Concert Hall.  I knew I had to continue.

Walking throughout Reykjavik was easy.  Everything “seemed” close by, but once you covered some distance, you realized how much ground work you did.  The weather was in my favor.  In the mid-50s but there was a breeze.  I wore a hooded sweatshirt with a thinned out down filled jacket, but there were times were I had the zipper undone.  Sometimes I even took it off if the sun was hitting me.  It was pleasant walking weather.

I reached Harpa Concert Hall and went inside.  The architecture was amazing!  I walked upstairs to get a closer look. 

I spent a good amount of time inside before I headed back out.  Since I did not want to blow my budget in Reykjavik, I knew I wanted to try their infamous hot dogs.  Apparently it’s a big deal over there, and I was up for cheap eats.  I found Pylsuhusid and devoured my hot dog.  Despite it looking a little different than what I’m used to, it was pretty good.

I continued walking around town and made my way to a couple of souvenir shops.  There were plenty of volcanic rocks,Viking mini ships, and troll teddy bears to amuse myself while I looked around.  I scored an awesome Bjork t-shirt.  I can’t wait to wear once I get back.

The last bus of the evening heading out of the bus terminal was at 9pm.  I was growing tired and decided to make my way back there to grab my luggage.  I wanted to climb up the hill to head to The Dome but was afraid I would miss the deadline, so I skipped it.  I thoroughly enjoyed my one day in Reykjavik.  It was a pleasant surprise.