We arrived in Reykjavik at about 3.30pm and immediately set our watches to Icelandic time, (one hour back), lest us should get confused and turn up for excursions and meal times late, which would be unforgiveable!!!
Nigel’s first impression, once we were on the coach, was one of intense surprise ….. because “It looked so flat,” he said, “with not a single spuming volcano in sight”
When we reached our hotel we had just 15 minutes to put our cases in our rooms! Stuart, our guide, informed us that there was not even time to bounce on our beds to test their springiness. He was a man on a mission and that mission was to show us the delights of Reykjavik ….. and he was going to do that on a two hour hike around said city, before tea!
Our first “photo opportunity” was the Sun Voyager sculpture, which is said to represents a dreamboat, “an ode to the sun, which within contains the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom” ……… well, that’s what our guide book said …..
Nigel and I both just thought it was sooooooo romantic, set against the stillness of the sea, with the snow capped mountains in the distance and it made us sigh a lot.
We then visited the Rekyvik Opera House, which was also very impressive …..
….. and made me think that if ever Iceland won the Eurovision Song Contest they would surely host it from here, and then Nigel and I could sit and say to Darrell while watching “We’ve been there!”
It was hard to believe that we were in the capital city of Iceland as it was so cute and very, very quiet ….
……. more like a sleepy village with its corrugated houses ………
…… but not sleepy enough for my volcanic balaclava to be very much admired by fellow tourists and locals alike!!!
And then, when we were almost back at our hotel Nigel spotted a menu outside a restaurant ……. which stopped him in his tracks ….
…… now Nigel is what I would call a very adventurous and vociferous eater, a bush tucker trial would hold no boundaries for him, but this, for Nigel, was one step too far ….. despite all his bravado when preparing for our trip. This was no nom nom!
And so back at the hotel, he decided that he would just keep to the vegetable soup and fresh baked bread, as he said he didn’t want to risk any accidental puffin or whale consumption, but promised that he would get a little more bold and exploratory as the week went on.
We were both very tired by this stage and decided to retire to our bed early, taking in the breath-taking view (from behind the petrol station) from our room.
We were finally in the Land of Ice and Fire …..and its unpronounceable names and worrying menus!!!!!!
3 comments:
This does indeed look like a lovely postcard village......I think the whole world needs a lot of Sun Voyager sculptures representing the dream of hope, progress and freedom!.....Yum, I would also choose the vegetable soup and fresh baked bread.....I know it would be worthy of many noms.....Happy adventure!.....Dianne
How exciting. The guide doesn't sound very Icelandic, more like an employee of the frozen food shop.
Was Nigel pósturinn in front of the post box? I didn't expect the menu to be in English in front of the restaurant. Mind you, it is a Hereford Steikhus.
Such an exciting adventure. So pleased we are with you on the journey! JantheFan x
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