Today, we are heading back to Reykjavík from Snæfellsnes, which is about 2 hours drive (180km/110miles). We got started early so that we can have a full day exploring the city.
Gerðuberg Cliff
Before leaving, we decided to stop by the basalt column in Snæfellsnes, the Gerðuberg Cliff. These are some of the most impressive basalt columns in Iceland, and it is always amazing to think that these perfectly hexagonal pillars are merely the creation of mother nature.
Árbæjarsafn
This is slightly outside of the city, and that is primarily the reason we stopped by here first. Árbær is a historical open-air museum that is supposed to show the living conditions, work and recreational activities in earlier times. Unfortunately, we arrived too early and the museum is not open till 1pm. However, the door was open, so we let ourselves in and walked around a little bit.
Hallgrímskirkja
This is an iconic church in Iceland, and its design was inspired by the basalt columns found in nature (which we saw earlier!) As with most churches in Europe, you can go up to the top and get a nice view of the city.
We happened to see an organist practicing. Always love the sound of the organ <3
Reykjavík Roasters
In search of a decent cup of coffee after many days of gas station coffees, we found a cute coffee shop with amazing coffee!
Wandering Around Part 1
We were walking around the city a little bit. There are obviously a lot of souvenir stores for tourists, but besides that, we found the rest of the city very colorful, with lots of graffiti and/or murals on the buildings. I have always imagined Reykjavík to be a hip city, and it is exactly that.
ROK
We went to a pretend turf house for lunch. This place is 5 mins away from the Hallgrímskirkja, so it is a perfect spot for lunch after visiting the church and walking around the neighborhood a bit. Not to mention their food is amazing! The menu is tapas style and is therefore meant for sharing and the size of each dish is quite small. One must try the Icelandic fish pie, it is super tasty and unique as we have never had anything similar before.
We picked 5 dishes from the menu, but there were so many more we wanted to try:
“Thai” shrimps with corn, chili, coriander and lime juice
Garlic roasted baby potatoes with crispy chorizo and parmegiano cheese
Wild mushroom risotto with fresh parmegiano and red wine sauce
ROK “Plokkfishkur” Traditional Icelandic fish pie with cheese, hollandaise and rye bread
Icelandic char served with almond potatoes and baked garlic
Sólfarið /Sun Voyager
When I saw the sculpture, I thought it was a representation of a Viking ship, but after googling it, I realized that it was a common misunderstanding that many tourists have, including me. It is apparently a dream boat and an ode to the sun. The artist says that the sculpture represents, "the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom.”
Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre
This is another building in which its design is also inspired by the basalt columns! I really love the hexagon-shaped glass exterior , makes it very interesting and unique.
Landakotskirkja / Kristssókn
The church was built in the late 1920s. It is not the most famous church in Iceland, but it is a beautifully built neogothic church that I think it’s worth a visit.
Wandering Around Part 2
We continued to wander around the city. We went to the Alþingishúsið (the Parliament house), the settlement museum, statue of Ingólfr Arnarson,
Saga Museum
This is a great place to learn about the history of Iceland. At the end, there are different Viking customs, and you can play dress up and take pictures!
Whales of Iceland
Whales of Iceland is the biggest whale exhibition in the world, with life-sized models. Really cool!
Forréttabarinn
Dinner time! This is definitely one of the best restaurants we had in Iceland, and I highly recommend it! We each picked a 4-course set menu. There are 4 options: Green mile, fly fish, smokey bay and seahorse. You can probably tell by the name of them that each menu has a theme. We chose to try the fly fish and the smokey bay.
I might have mentioned this before in my previous posts, but Iceland really surprised me with their food. They are not exactly a country that are known for their cuisine, but the food has been quite exceptional (in both taste and price). Would love to try more restaurants when we come back next time!
The original plan was to end our Iceland trip with a fabulous dinner, but we made a last minute decision to go on a whale watching tour. As you can probably tell from the lack of whale pictures, the tour did not go well. We did not see any whales :( but we completely understand that there is always a risk that we might see anything on these wild nature tours. What was worse is that the boat ride out to the ocean was really rough. I mean really rough, so rough that you could barely stay standing in one place even when you were holding on to the railings. So, especially after a full meal, we got super seasick that we probably threw up the whole meal (I guess I did not have to worry about getting fat from that meal). Tips from us: do not go on a whale watching tour with a full (or empty probably) stomach, super bad idea! Although the way we ended our Iceland trip wasn’t perfect, this trip was amazing and we would never forget the amazing sceneries!