A day in the life of Iceland - Day 1

22 Feb 2016

When our plane touched down at 7am it was still dark out, but we had time before we could check into our hotel and a rental car so off we went to circumnavigate the peninsula West of the airport.

Next to the large map of all the shipwrecks that had sunk on this coastline was a lighthouse. With the North Atlantic crashing at the shore we shuffled gingerly across the thick ice covering the roads to explore.

The peninsula was bare and windswept except for the few houses and churches that clustered together against the elements.

By 9:30am the sun was up and we were sleep deprived and jetlagged. We napped, we ate, and we reconvened at Reykavik's main cathedral. The cathedral Hallgrimskirkja, was built to resemble a volcano and was guarded by the statue of stoic Leif Erikson. The inside was more lofty and open than I believed a grey concrete structure could be.

To finish off the day one must go to one of the geothermal public bath houses. Sounding like a luxurious experience, we were a little surprised to find ourselves in a public pool setting complete with swim lessons and older ladies bobbing in the deep end. After a swim, a hot tub, a swim, a steam room session, and one last swim, I was refreshed and spry. A quick convert to making the public bath house a part of regular routine.

darkness settled in at 6:30pm so a quick walk downtown for dinner and off to bed in our compact cozy budget hotel.