Blogs from Iceland, Europe - page 87

Hi, my big passion is wild animals and for as long as I remember, I'm passionated by nature. However, there is one type of animals I like above all: whales, and especially the humpback whale and the blue whale. Therefore, I decided in the winter of 2012 to finally go and search whales for myself. In the spring of 2012 , I therefore booked a short trip to Reykjavik Iceland, from the 29 june 2012 untill the 2 july 2012. Both of my parents wanted to come with me and so be it. Friday 29 june 2012, after my last exam in my second year at the Catholic University of Leuven, our plane ( a boeiing 757) took off to Kevlakik, Iceland's international airport. There's a different timezone in Iceland compared to Belgium,and so we landed ... read more

· Like any metropolitan city Reykjavik has its share of graffiti. Some of the graffiti definitely makes an economic statement and warns of greed. Profound considering the economic crash that occurred in Iceland in 2008, making Iceland one of the hardest hit countries in the world. · On one of the main streets there is a DJ that plays music throughout the day, allot of dance music, rap, etc. There is a lot of political statements stated as well but the ones I witnessed were not related to Icelandic politics – more world politics. · There appears to be a worldly awareness and promotion of free speech here. I was also interested to find out that Iceland is one of the havens for journalists and one of its parliament members is closely tied to Wikileaks. Iceland ... read more

When in Rome do as the Romans do, when in Iceland try and absorb the immense natural beauty of the diverse landscape. There is truly so much to take in and a week just is not enough to cover it all. What we covered was: · Blue Lagoon: This is a wonderful place to visit and to just relax. It’s an outdoor spa about 35 minutes away from Reykjavik. The natural warm waters in Blue Lagoon are a refreshing contrast to the cool outside air. The water has natural healing abilities and you can also use some of the free silica mud for your face and skin. They also offer a swim up bar in the facilities and the restaurant and café offer excellent food. · Thingvellir (Althing) National Park: Visiting this ... read more

I like to get lost and find my way back again. I do this on purpose when I travel because I like to see what I stumble across. I like to see the streets that are no on the beaten track, I like to see where the locals go and soak it all in. I imagine what it would be like to live in that place and to call it home. What would I love about it and what would I not like. Usually I do not blend into most places and I am an obvious outsider, for many reasons I stand out but not here. That said, sometimes the idea of a place that you have in your head usually does not match reality. I expected more tall blondes like me. I saw some, but ... read more

We opted for an Apartment Hotel. As a family of four covering three generations we figured it would be a good call and I have to say we were on the mark. We have a section of the room separated off and the decoration has a Nordic Modern feel with a Kitchen. We are located on Laugavegurstreet which is the main shopping street in Reykjavik and we are within walking distance of many of the major city attractions and of course shopping. The street only has room for one car so it is one way and literally back to back cars driving at peak times. When we first arrived it was a Saturday and it looked like the street just threw up a bunch of Icelanders, foreigners and cars everywhere and they were all buzzing around ... read more