Iceland Day 1 - Smoky Bays

When Ingólfur Arnarson chose Reykjavik as his permanent settlement in 870 AD, he was confronted by puffs of smoke dotting the land, which is why he called it Smoke Cove, or Reykjavik. These puffs were of course steam, and were indicative of the huge geologic engine running under Iceland, which both threatens Icelanders, as well as provides them with an abundance of clean green energy.

I can't imagine the Vikings were much more excited than I to see this new land though. As the bus passed the outskirts of Reykjavik, I had to readjust my mental picture of this small cute village to a much bigger gleaming metropolis. We changed at the BSI Bus Terminal to the local shuttle that was to take us to our hotel, and my impression of Reykjavik changed again.The city may be big, but it's central area (the one we tourists are concerned with) is cozy and compact. It's not a rural haven, but more like a ultra trendy mini city, with shops sporting designer labels, chic cafés, and trendy restaurants.

The main street, Laugavegur, is just one lane and teeming with pedestrians, and this was where our cab rolled down to drop us at our apartment in the ultra trendy Reykjavik 101 area.

Now a quick note about our accomodation. We had booked the 'Botique' studio serviced apartment in Apartment K. We were a bit nervous about this, as when we emailed the hotel, they said that the exact apartment may not be in the address we were told, and would be allocated only on our arrival. But our fears were soon put to rest - we were met at the street by Kathy, who was extremely helpful and made us feel right at home.

We were let in to the apartment which was just across the road, and when they said botique, boy did they mean it. It was done up in red and white, with one side of the apartment covered in windows. As you can see from the pictures it was extremely comfortable.

Kathy sat down with us and talked us through the main attractions in Reykjavik, especially pointing out the cool places to eat. She also gave us a crash course on Icelandic pronounciation - the J's were pronounced Y, the ð like th and the ll were pronounced a sorta guttral th.... to demonstrate which she proceeded to spit generously on the table.

After a while we decided to wander around the city, and also pick up a few groceries for the apartment, and also find the local liquor shop. Just for info, the local grocery shop is call Bonus, but there is also a shop called 1011 which stays open late. Alcohol can only be bought at Vinburen (a government owned liquir shop). As we were wandering around we got to see The Sun Voyager (Sólfar), by Jón Gunnar Árnason.

After grabbing some food, I went out at around 12 am to see the legendary Reykjavik nightlife, and it was just amazing to see this small street transformed. I also walked to the Hallgrímskirkja church to get a few pics of it lighted up. 

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