Day 1: A quick glance of Reykjavik

Taking off

Finally the day is here: September 4th. We've been counting down the days to the start of our adventure. Having seen many pictures of Iceland our expectations are high. 

Around 10AM we head to the airport to catch our flight Brussels - Keflavik. On the boarding passes it says Reykjavik, and although Reykjavik does have its own airport, Keflavik is Iceland's biggest international airport about 30-45' drive away from the capital. We board our B737-900 Max from Icelandair, and after a quick 'hi' to the flight crew we take our places. 

When the plane starts descending we stare outside the little window, hoping to catch a first glimp of this island. Unfortunately the cloud cover is rather low and it's not before we're over the ocean again, preparing for our inbound turn, that we can see something.

At around 3PM local time we set foot on Icelandic soil and quickly arrive in the baggage reclaim area where we are welcomed by a huge puffin breaching through the ceiling. A true icon of Iceland! Rightfully so, as Iceland hosts the biggest colony of Atlantic puffins in the world. Unfortunately we won't be able to see these cute birds as breeding season has already ended and they have flown south for the winter.

After collecting our bags we pick up our rental car just outside the airport. We requested a 4 wheel drive Suzuki Jimny-type car to be able to drive the highland roads. Anything more ambitious didn't really fit into our financial planning. However, when arriving at the office we were pleased to hear that we received an upgrade from the Jimny as they found out that the cars aren't as suited for Icelandic roads as they thought... hmm. Very pleased we take place in our new Jeep Compass Trail Hawk. Before us, it clocked off at 7000km and apart from a tiny scratch at the right back it looked like a brand new car. 

The drive to Reykjavik goes smoothly. The highway travels through the countryside and we're already amazed by the rocks we see just next to the highway. Would that be lava? Is it really that common here? Spoiler alert: yes, it is that common. There are fields of many square kilometers of pumice stone from eruptions long ago. On most rocks there is a small layer of green moss developing. 

When entering Reykjavik we encountered a typical Belgian problem: traffic jams. Apparently they do exist in a country with only a fraction of Belgium's population (357.000 vs 11.460.000). However, considering that over 70% of the population lives in the southwest corner of the island and the huge working opportunities that the capital provides, traffic jams are maybe normal.

We park our car in front of the hotel and check-in to get rid of our bags and go grocery shopping to collect as much as we can. After all we're not sure how many other stores we'll be able to find during our journey and definitely not what prices.

Reykjavik

Not far from the hotel we find a 'Bonus'. Together with 'Kronan' are these the cheapest general stores in Iceland. The shop isn't huge, but we quickly find what we can use: bread, salami, cheese, cookies, chocolate milk and two instant pasta carbonara cups. Just in case...   

After having dropped this off at the hotel, it's time to explore some parts of the city. We're surprised by the hours of daylight we still have left. Sunset is only around 8PM! Because of the time difference (2 hours with Belgian summer time) it feels like there's still plenty of time.

We head out to a nearby famous landmark of the city: Sólfarin. Better known as "the viking ship". Located at the edge of the city near the water it's a nice and modern piece of art. The dark skies that evening give it a more dramatic look. The light rain provides a challenge to take good pictures. 

We continue our evening walk along the coastline towards one of Reykjavik most modern buildings: Harpa, the concert hall. It's made out of a lot of glass and really stands out near the harbour area. Travel guide books advised us to go inside on a sunny day to have a coffee in the bar and enjoy the light fraction from all the different glass plates. No sun today, but we welcomed the warmth of the building just to be out of the rain and wind for a short while. The inside proves equally spectacular as the outside of the building. A cozy bar at ground level. The modern architecture is a joy to watch. 

We circle back into the city and take the shopping street back to the hotel. The main shopping street is a pedestrian area and has a nice atmosphere. When passing one of the many gift stores Ann's eye catches a huge adorable cuddly toy puffin. To be honest, it was hard to miss as it nearly took the entire size of the window. Disappointed that we probably won't see these cute little animals she gathers all hope to spot one during our trip. If not... this fella has to come home with us.

Isn't he cute?

One of the side streets is painted in the rainbow (LGBT) flag and gives a view on the huge church. A visit to this other major landmark will be for when we're back in Reykjavik at the end of our trip. As we weren't really hungry we had a quick bite for dinner in our hotel room. Happy to already have seen a quick first impression of the city, we prepare for bed. For now our mind is set to an early morning start to kick off our road trip and find the true nature gems of Iceland.