Second Day in Reykjavik

Day Two (Sunday April 17th)

We slept in a bit, showered and went for brunch at a cafe a few blocks away.  Brunch was very uninspiring but edible and then we just walked around and explored for a bit.  We ended up at Hallgrímskirkja church and decided to go up to the tower.  I think it costs $7 per person to go up?  Initially I was skeptical since it seemed like a tourist trap but Brandon wanted to check it out so we went up.  It was actually really beautiful and a fun experience when the church bells ring right above you!  It was so clear and beautiful and the weather was absolutely perfect to get a great view of the city and mountains on the other side of the harbor.

Hallgrimskirkja

The view of Reykjavik from the tower.

Once we got back down the service was ending so we were able to go in and see the organ which my dad would have loved.  I got him a CD in the gift shop though!

After that we stopped at Reykjavik Roasters a few blocks down the street and bought some coffee to take home (by this time we had decided to pay for 1 checked bag on the way home so we were less concerned about weight) and had a cup of coffee there.

Our hotel was just a few blocks down on the same street so we stopped back there to drop off our stuff and make sure we had everything read for the Blue Lagoon trip that evening.  Then we tried to go for a walk along the harbor but it promptly started snowing, sleeting and hailing and it was really miserable and painful when it's that windy and the snow hits so we ran back to our room!  Once we waited for it to clear we went to Bakari Sandholt to get a small/quick bite to eat before the bus came to pick us up for the lagoon.

We were initially planning on going to the Blue Lagoon on our way to the airport but the opening time and bus times didn't really match well so we made a seperate trip out there.  The bus ride is about an hour but it isn't bad at all- mainly because there's wifi and the scenery is absolutely beautiful!  We took the 3pm bus, got there about 4pm then swam/soaked/chilled until 6:30pm and had dinner reservations at 7pm then took the last bus back to Reykjavik at 9:15pm.  That seemed like the perfect amount of time for everything.  We didn't feel rushed or bored at all and it was a really lovely evening.  The food at Lava was reasonably priced and really good.  In some ways it was better than Fridrik V because it was less experimental if that makes sense?  I had the cod and Brandon had the steak and he said it was some of the best steak he's had.  We had the cheese plate and pears for desert.  All the cheese was from Iceland and it was wonderful!

Brandon enjoying the cheese plate.

On the way out the sun was setting over the lagoon and I think this is one of the best photos I've taken with my phone!  I would totally recommend going in the evening and staying for dinner.  It was not crowded at all and we will probably go back next time we're in Iceland.

Sunset over the Blue Lagoon

Our bus ride was pretty funny.  When the first bus was leaving the driver drove about 6 feet, said there was a problem with the bus so we were going to get on a different bus.  Inwardly I thought "Oh god this is going to take an hour or more us just sitting here" because WMATA in DC would do that!  But no this is Scandinavia and they are nothing if not efficient so another bus pulled in literally a minute later and we all hopped on and drove off.  After about 3 minutes of driving the second bus driver said he had to turn around and pick up the driver of the first bus!  It was pretty funny when we got there and he was just waiting in the parking lot.  The second driver also had lots of funny quips and anecdotes as we drove through different neighborhoods to drop people off in Reykjavik.

When we got back to our room it was pretty late so we drank the wine we got in the duty free store and went to bed early.  We were getting up very early the next day for our Golden Circle tour!