Iceland – Part One – Reykjavik

Over the next few posts, I will be giving a series of reports on our trip.  Our plan was to travel through the remote western part of the country with a camper truck and hike and ski. This map gives an idea of the highlights of the trip and the roads we followed.

 

Why Iceland?  Why not.  The opportunity to fly a great circle route over Greenland comes to mind.  The most amazing fields of nanatuks in the world I suppose.  Wow…

The trip came to fruition about six months ago when we realized that Icelandair offered non-stop flights from Anchorage to Reykjavik at reduced fare rates during the off-season, that being May 15 – June 1. We left at 5pm and arrived in Iceland at 6am Greenwhich Mean Time and our first day ever in Europe.  After a couple bus transfers for the 40 minute ride to the capitol city, we checked into the Center Hotel on the waterfront and grabbed a room with a view of the harbor for two days before hitting the road.

 

Tourism is booming here as nearly 1.5 million visitors will arrive after June 1 for the summer season.  We were a bit ahead of the rush and enjoyed many sites in the city without the crowds.  By the time we returned to Reykjavik, the city was packed with tourists.

 

It’s a beautiful, clean, and very cosmopolitan city of 300,000 inhabitants.  “Urban hiking” has become part of our many travels and we wasted little time on our stay, exploring miles of narrow streets, hidden old neighborhoods, and wool shops for that perfect, Icelandic sweater for the Chugach.  We sipped on expressos after enjoying one of the fine geo-thermal heated community pools at mid-day near Government Square where protests are held daily, as the country is on the verge of a nationwide strike in demand for higher wages.

 

Let the journey begin…

 

 

NEXT- Snaefellsjokull National Park