Day One | Explore Reykjavik
6 am | Arrive at Reflavik Airport
7 am | Breakfast at Sandholt & Coffee at Te & Kaffi
There aren't many places open at around 7 am. (Click here to find a list of more breakfast places open before 8 am.) My friend and I could not check into our Airbnb until later in the day so we needed to go somewhere to grab something small and chill. Unfortunately Sandholt was going under construction while we were there. However their baked goods were still very good. After filling our bellies with carbs, we needed to wake up a bit (since it was 3 am back home). Thankfully, Te & Kaffi, a cute coffee shop, was right down the street from Sandholt. Did I mention that they have wifi?! Also the staff was soooo nice (& beautiful/tall/cool/chill/all of the above). Both places accepted credit card with no problem!
9 am | Hallgrimskirkja (the largest church in Iceland)
This church was architecturally and hauntingly beautiful. When you enter the main area of the church, the sounds of the massive organ fills and echoes inside the church. My friend and I just sat there for a while, resting our burnt out feet and letting our tired souls be carried away by the music.
You also have the option of going to the top to have several amazing views of Reykjavik. It costs about 7-9 dollars to go up the elevator... (However, I saw a couple of people go up without a ticket... 'cause nobody checked sigh....) Here are some of the shots I took.
10 am | Check in and Nap
Trust me. You'll need the energy because the days are long in the summer. Click here to see the place we stayed at. Our host was really nice and he told us a lot of helpful things about the city. He suggested exchanging our currency at local banks (there are some near downtown) because the exchange rate is usually better than at the airport. Check out his website for good personal tours!
1 pm | Baejarins Beztu Pylsur & Lunch at Sea Baron
Hot dogs were about $3-4 each. This hot dog stand is famous because Bill Clinton and other famous people have stopped by. Apparently hot dogs are Iceland's staple food. These hot dogs are different from American hot dogs because they come with fried onions, onions, mustard, ketchup, and remoulade sauce. I may try putting fried onions in my costco hot dogs. They are pretty good but not filling. Therefore we headed towards Sea Baron, another famous spot in Reykjavik.
The skewers and soup were very good. It felt like a good detox. It was as if all the oil and fat I've accumulated over the years were melting away, along with the cold. The fish tasted so fresh. It was a very healthy and filling meal, however the price was kind of high... 2480 ISK for soup and one skewer.
3 pm | Harpa (the opera house/concert hall) + Pick up groceries at Bonus
The inside of this concert hall was so beautifully designed. The way the light reflected off the colored glass windows was magical. There was an area where people can sit or lay down. My friend and I just laid there for a while and looked up at the ceiling and admired the view. Afterwards, we headed back towards our airbnb and got out groceries at Bonus. Click here for a list of more grocery stores.
7 pm | Dinner at Noodle Station
We ordered the beef noodle soup and it was SO GOOD. I dream of this bowl once in a while. The beef was so tender that it was just melting in my mouth as I was chewing it. Our airbnb host also suggested núðluskálin, which had healthier options. However after my healthy lunch, we wanted something a little more oily and brothy. It really warmed us up.
Not sure if I was allowed to get on that but... whoops hehe. Just take the time to walk around the city. Every alley and street is so cute and quaint. The main shopping street is called Laugavegar. There are always a lot of people walking around - even at midnight.
9 pm | Icecream at Valdis
At first we thought people were rudely cutting us or didn't see us because we were so short... however a nice lady told us that we had to get a number from outside before we can order. Whoopsies. So make sure to take a number because they ice cream was worth the wait. Even though it was cold, I really enjoyed how strong the flavors were.
10:45 pm | Watch the Sunset
As we were walking back from Valdis, we stopped to watch the sunset near Harpa. It was seriously so beautiful (I'm starting to sound redundant because I keep on using the word 'beautiful'... but it really is - I can't say it enough.) At night, Harpa is pretty to look at because it changes colors.
12 am | Grab a drink at a local bar & turn in
We stopped by Kaffibarinn on our way back from watching the sunset because it was right off of Laugavegur. We grabbed an Icelandic beer called Kaldi. I personally don't enjoy beer but I did enjoy this one because it started out as strong and sharp but had a very smooth aftertaste. Compared to KEX hostel, it's pretty quiet and low key. It had a very chill vibe.
The alcohol helped us fall asleep despite the light outside. In May and other summer months, you have to use the blackout curtains so that you're not woken up unexpectedly at 4 am.
Hey! My name is Alice Hong. I love food, traveling, and trying out various beauty products.
Nice article! thank you very much for sharing!
ReplyDelete