Iceland - Day 1

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My dad and I were able to find our way to the Boston Logan Airport via the very crowded metro. There was almost no line and check-in at WOW was super easy. We got our seats and made our way through security. The gate was at a tiny terminal extension, very new. Boarding was easy and our seats were very roomy and spacious - I spent extra money for dad to get an XXL seat in the exit row and mine was a cheaper seat behind him and next to the window. There was no one in front of me, so he and I had lots of room and were able to chat pretty easily.

The best part of the whole plane ride, besides the super friendly flight attendants, despite the perfect seats, despite the gross Iceland Gull beers… the best part of the trip was seeing the Northern Lights!!!! I am stupid and booked the seats on the wrong side of the plane, but fortunately the people were very good about letting us lean over the extra window in the exit aisle to see. And they were spectacular! Beautiful undulating line of colors just hanging out. I tried to take a photo, but it didn't work out and I was sad I could not just sit and stare at them for the rest of the flight…. but at least I did get to see them!

We landed at 4 am and while it was a long walk, it was very easy to get through the architecturally beautiful airport and get our bags. Jamie met us and drove us to Reykjavik. We all passed out, with Addi having to go to work at 8am. Jamie woke me around 11am and we let Dad sleep for longer while she took me into town. Walking from their apartment to downtown takes about 15 minutes and it was cold and rainy. She was rushing because she had booked a tour of the town at noon; however, even though we waited where they said, no one ever showed up. She got me one of their famous hotdogs for lunch - I am not a big hot dog fan, but I liked the honey-flavored sauce they put on it.

Jamie decided to take me on a tour herself. We were waiting outside the parliament house for the tour, and during that time we saw a news crew interviewing the mayor, so that was a nice start. Next we went to the Harpa building, which was begun and suspended when the financial crisis hit in 2008. They decided to finish the construction and now it is a beautiful building right on the sea. They use it as a concert hall and we were able to see the Iceland 360 degree experience, which shows images of Iceland over 15 minutes on the four walls and ceiling - very nice, but quite expensive.

Next we went to see Iceland's iconic church, Hallgrimskirkja, which you can see from anywhere in the city almost. To buy tickets for the tower, the office was closed but they had an honor system where you could put in 800 kronas or $6. We beat a school tour group of English kids and made our way to the top to see views of Reykjavik from above. The town is just so lovely and you clearly see Mount Esja in the distance. We came down and relaxed in the church for a few minutes, admiring the architecture and beautiful simplicity of it.

After this, we walked across the lake back to the apartment to get dad for a late lunch. We had a 3:30 pm reservation at the Nordic House, designed by a famous Finnish architect - Alvar Aalto. It is intended to demonstrate the Nordic nations' cultures. There is some kind of sun that is on the building right now, which Jamie says rotates between the nations. The food, at the Aalto Cafe, was superb. It was so, so good. Dad and I got the fish special and Jamie had a smoked duck salad and we both had the wild mushroom soup. I guess the chef is a highly rated chef, and I can see why! After lunch, we toured the museum-like area where they had displays of puffin art upstairs, and downstairs was some modern art based on climate change. Some of it was cool, but… well, you know how I feel about modern art. (ICK!!!)

That night Jamie tried to talk us into going to one of the pool houses for a swim, but we were both exhausted. Instead we all went down the street for ice cream. Yes, ice cream. We got a small and you pick three toppings, which they blend together. I got gummy bears, chocolate shavings, and chocolate pieces - yum. But the ice creams were "small" and were as much ice cream as I probably eat in a year!

We all went to bed early as the next day would be long and full of fun!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Good memories
We loved our time in Iceland and love seeing your photos.