Saturday, May 30, 2015

01::Iceland once again (aug 2014)

(Finally, the long promised posts about our trip to Iceland last year... I haven't been having much time for the blog, which is why it took me so long to post these, but I'll try to write about as many details as I can remember)

I can't believe it took us 6 years to go back to Iceland. We were completely blown away by it the first time we visited, and drove all around the Ring Road. It is one of the most amazing places we've been to, and doesn't compare to anywhere else when it comes to nature and beautiful landscapes.

Last year we finally decided to go back and visit the Westfjords, the one place we didn't have time to explore on our first trip. It's not on the Ring Road, so fewer tourists visit this area, but we had read that it was definitely worth a visit, and it surpassed our wildest expectations.

We stayed in the area for a week, and I'd definitely recommend staying more than just a couple of days since there's so much to see, especially if you're into hiking. Also, we were incredibly lucky with the weather - it only rained a couple of days - but as they say in Iceland, if you don't like the weather just wait 5 minutes ...
Day 1
We arrived in Reykjavik on a rainy day, and waited a couple of hours at the airport for one piece of luggage that never arrived. We think it was Gatwick Connect's fault, since another passenger also had the same problem with them. Luckily all our clothes came, and also our hiking poles, but not our backpack carrier for S. We did eventually received it in Isafjordur 5 days later, but by then we had purchased another one or we wouldn't have been able to take S. hiking as we had planned. 

So when we arrived at the city center we were not so happy, but our mood brightened considerably after a walk around downtown Reykjavik - even in the rain I was reminded of how much I enjoyed this quirky city. I love that main street, very nice shops, cafés and restaurants everywhere. Also, our apartment at Rey Apartments (conveniently located at Grettisgata 2) was as nice as expected. We walked all the way to the harbour where we found the popular Icelandic Fish and Chips restaurant and had the best fish and chips in a long time. There's a choice of 2 or 3 different fresh fish everyday, and their batter is made of spelt. Also, the sauces/dips are excellent as well as their desserts (I had the chocolate cake and A. had the skyr, both very good) and the price is also quite affordable for Reykjavik (around 50 EUR for 2 adults and a child's menu)
 

Accomodation: Rey Apartments