Iceland 2009

REYKJAVIK
DAY 1 : SUNDAY AUGUST 09, 2009


To start the adventure, we landed at the Keflavik International Airport after an all-night flight. Blurry-eyed, trying to get a quick bite to eat, I discovered that my cash card was not working. Luckily, our guide, Greg, bought me a sandwich.

The next stop, as we headed into Reykjavík, was a quick soak and white mud facials at the legendary Blue Lagoon hot springs. And no, the white mud did not make me look any better, especially after the night flight. It is interesting though that these hot springs are part of some ponds that were previously used by the thermal power-generating plant next door.

We settled into our hotel (Fosshotel Baron) on the beautiful harbor in Reykjavík. After a quick unpack, we wandered up into town to have an easy lunch at a small vegetarian restaurant. Reykjavík still holds most of its small-town atmosphere and is very pleasant to explore.

After lunch, we all met during a light rain shower for a ride through town on mountain bikes, which was a nice warm-up for the long ride the next day. With the under-inflated wide tires, we set off in the quiet streets.

Starting with a sculpture representing a Viking boat, we rode along the harbour and then up into town. The architecture varied from ultra-modern skyscrapers to older government houses, to tall churches and sporting centers to Spanish-style house groupings. Along with the expected northern home designs mostly made of wood.

It was amazing how much sculpture there is in Reykjavík. We had a chance to stop by and view a series of sculptures in a nice open area before starting to head back. As we went towards the hotel, we crossed over a typical modern highway, got to ride along a small river going through town, and stopped for a quick look at a 3D model of the entire country. It made me realize that we were only going to see a very small part of it in this very busy week.

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