Day 1 – Wednesday (11/03/2015)

We left Paris for London, as our flight to Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, departed from there. We chose the company's tickets WOW Air because they are the cheapest (280 euros per person) and because they have no stopovers (only a 3-hour journey). We were surprised by the service provided by the staff of this small company and by the beauty of the flight attendants, who were also the models advertised throughout the airport.

After we bought a lot of wines at Duty Free (we read this recommendation in several places, because alcohol in the country is quite expensive), we took the company bus Reykjavik Excursions (Flybus) to the bus station, as we knew our hostel was very close to it. We paid 1950 ISK (Icelandic krona) per person, or 13 euros, but we could have paid 18 euros to be dropped off directly at the hostel. I wanted to save money, of course…lol.

We got off at the bus station and asked for directions, since we had a very basic map from the hostel and no internet! When we left the station and found ourselves in the wind and knee-deep snow, we regretted the crazy savings we had made. After a few falls on the ice, lots of laughter and doubts about the way, we found our hostel.

We stayed in BUS HOSTEL and although I didn't really like the location (20 min walk from the center), I thought the facilities were great. We stayed in a room with 16 beds (17 euros per person per night), but the bathrooms were individual, with a toilet, shower and sink. Everything was extremely clean and organized and the decor in the living room was really cool.

We left our things in lockers and we went straight to the city center, even with the gloomy weather. We passed in front of the city's main church, the Hallgrimskirkja, but it was already closed (I think it was around 5:30 p.m.). We then went to the tourist center and bought all the tours from an extremely friendly and beautiful saleswoman. I thought it was a good idea to book everything with the tourist center, because they check the weather forecast before planning your itinerary (I don't know if it's always like this, but the weather forecast was exactly what happened).  (PS: Iceland must be the country with the most beautiful and friendly women per square meter. We were shocked!) 

We went to have lunch/dinner at the restaurant recommended by the hostel receptionist, SEA, which is very close to the pier. We were very well attended by a waitress who was also a model and we ordered a kind of seafood moqueca that was delicious, but the photo is horrible, sorry. The whole meal cost 35 euros for the two of us, with drinks.

We bought some things for breakfast the next day at a small supermarket and braved the wind to the hostel. I never thought I would miss the Irish weather…

Day 2 – Thursday (12/03/2015)

We had our super breakfast in the shared kitchen and at 9am, our bus picked us up at the hostel to go on the tour. Gullfoss, Geysir & Langjökull Snowmobiling. This tour cost 180 euros per person and passed by a huge, almost frozen waterfall, geysers very interesting and an hour long walk on top of the snowmobile, a kind of jet ski for snow. We thought it was expensive, but we really wanted to ride this little thing, so in the end, even though it was only for an hour, we thought it was worth it for the adrenaline and the super white landscape in front of us. It is important to note that the tour lasts all day, does not require much physical effort and that the landscapes at the 3 stops are incredible. It was worth taking the snacks we bought at the supermarket, because the snack bars where the buses stopped were quite expensive. Some photos:

We prepared our dinner at the hostel (pasta with tomato sauce…lol!) and met some really nice English women in the shared kitchen.

Day 3 – Friday (13/03/2015)

We took advantage of the English girls’ tip and went to a bakery that was close to the hostel. Not close at all! Far away, on the opposite side of the city center. We walked in knee-deep snow, slipped, got lost, but in the end, we found the bakery. And it was worth it, because it had a huge selection of sweets that made my mouth water. We ordered our breakfast and at the end, we met a Brazilian who was also visiting. After some time talking, we had some political discussions (the guy bizarrely thought that Russia was right to invade Ukraine) and we thought it best to leave there, so as not to get into a fight… lol

We took the afternoon to do the walking tour that we read somewhere was pretty cool. After half an hour of tour In the rain and wind, we thought it best to go into a cozy, warm restaurant for lunch. The guides were really nice and told us a lot of important facts about the country – for example, before the crisis, things cost twice as much in Iceland, so there were almost no tourists there! – but the weather really didn’t help.

We stopped to eat at the restaurant Laekjarbrekka, which is on the main street of the city. The restaurant is more upscale and has tasty food, but nothing exceptional. We paid about 40 euros per person, including drinks.

We then stopped at the supermarket Bonus, whose mascot is a cute little pink pig, to buy more supplies for dinners and breakfasts. The only thing we noticed different is that Instead of refrigerated products being on refrigerated shelves, they are in a refrigerated room and people have to go in there and get cold.. Can you believe it? We laughed a lot at the pathetic situation of having to go cold while choosing cheese and ham.

When we got back to the hostel, we asked the receptionist to confirm with the Reykjavik Excursions if the excursion of Aurora Borealis (44 euros per person) was going to happen that night. Even if you booked the tour for a specific night, this tour needs to be confirmed on the day itself, because it depends on the weather conditions. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't good enough to do the tour, so we stayed at the hostel. Since we said we were going to stay in the city until the 17th, we were put on the waiting list to do this tour every day until we left.

Day 4 – Saturday (03/14/2015)

The morning was marked by the biggest storm of the year. Damn…

We rested at the hostel until the weather improved and when the weather improved, we confirmed our excursion to Blue Lagoon (60 euros per person, with transportation). After almost 1 hour on the bus, we arrived at the geothermal pool complex. We stored our things in the lockers and there we went, super excited, to the natural hot pools.

Unfortunately, the place doesn't look natural at all. It looks like a resort with artificially heated water, with strange people looking for the warmest places in that blue expanse. You can buy drinks at a bar inside the pool, use a face mask made from local clay and go to the sauna nearby. They also offer massages and other skincare products, but I found everything to be very expensive.

We rested for a few hours, but left in time to catch the bus to get to the hostel in time for the Northern Lights tour. Once again, unfortunately, the tour was cancelled due to the weather.

We went out to dinner with a Korean girl we met at the hostel and some German friends of hers. We went into a typical Icelandic restaurant, Cafe Loki, and despite choosing fish that I normally eat, I couldn't finish my dish. I found everything to have a strong taste, as if it were smoked, so I ended up hungry in the end. We stopped to drink local beers in a bar that was considered cheap (I don't remember the name) and then, at the end of the night, we stopped to eat the hot dog that is popular in the early hours of the morning. Really delicious!

Day 5 – Sunday (03/15/2015)

We had breakfast at the hotel and went to the city center to visit the sights we hadn't yet seen. We went into the city's famous church and even went up in the elevator (5 euros per person) to see the view from there. Look at this cute city:

We then passed by Harpa Conference Center, which is a building that stands out from the other super standardized ones in the city. We entered the Kolaportid Flea Market, which is a market that sells everything and we went to have a typical lunch fish and chips node Icelandic Fish and Chips. Fair enough, nothing major.

We returned to the hostel hoping to see the Northern Lights, but once again, the tour had been cancelled. We stayed there, chatting with other tourists, eating our ready-made pizza and drinking wine from the Duty free.

Day 6 – Monday (03/16/2015)

The tour bus from glacier walk arrived at 8:30 am and only there at the bus station did we get on the final bus to the glacier. tour It cost 150 euros per person and took about 2 hours to get to the glacier, with only one stop halfway for a snack and a bathroom. When we got there, they gave us the appropriate clothing and prepared us for the hike. Walking with those teeth under your boots is strange, but after a while you get used to it, believe me. Our group was divided into two and luckily we had the more lively and talkative guide, so we were able to learn a lot about the glacier and the local culture.

NOTE: What I found the coolest is that they really believe in elves and stop building houses, highways and other things because certain places or objects found are elven and need to be respected. Very different, right?

The view of the glacier is incredible, both from below and above it. Take a look:

We spent about 4 hours walking around there, but I didn't find the tour to be too physically demanding. It's easy to go, without rushing, so I think anyone can do it. We even met a very cheerful French lady who took lots of photos of us and entertained us with her funny faces and comments. Don't miss it!

On the way back to the city, we stopped at two waterfalls along the way that were beautiful and that we were lucky enough to see with a rainbow next to them. Check out that wonderful horse too!

When we arrived at the hostel, we confirmed once again that the Northern Lights tour had been cancelled. We didn’t see them this time, huh? I’ll have to make the effort to return to this incredible island one day… lol

Tuesday (03/17/2015))

We took the Flybus to the airport (this time, directly from our hostel) at 4am, as our flight was leaving there at 7am. Unfortunately, the takeoff was delayed by more than 1 hour due to the weather and because of that, we missed the connection we had from London to Dublin. Nobody deserves that. stress from the airport! We bought new tickets to Dublin, but unfortunately we couldn't get there in time to see the St. Patrick's parade (the biggest event in my little Ireland). 

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