We landed at 6:00AM Iceland time - it was quite the walk to get through customs but it didn't take long at all - we gathered our luggage and checked our itinerary which said our driver would pick us up at a particular location - we waited and waited and finally called Nordic Visitor (the company where we booked our trip) and they said our driver would be there at 7:30 - time to kill so we went and got pastries and coffee - delicious!
Soon our driver appeared and we headed out into the wind - yes, Iceland can be extremely windy at times and it wasn't bad out but it was chilly that time of the morning! We had already made arrangements through our tour to have a driver take us straight to the Blue Lagoon to soak in the hot springs - I was worried about falling asleep in the water - HA! No chance of that!
The Blue Lagoon is HUGE and quite the tourist attraction - it was barely open when we arrived and the sun was not quite up yet! And it's quite a walk to just get in there from the parking lot! This first picture was taken on the way out and shows the walkway.
And this picture was taken on the way in as we were freezing in the wind and trying to use our cameras to capture the beauty!
We had our swimsuits in our backpacks and after changing, headed out into the lagoon! It was pretty breezy out but we found a spot where the wind didn't hit too bad! More and more people arrived as it got later and the water felt fantastic!
You get a free drink with your pass to get in - we both opted for apple cider! It was refreshing and delicious!
The sun finally peeked over the mountain of volcanic rock and it was beautiful - check out the waves due to the wind!
We stayed about 1 1/2 hours and decided that was enough - the walk back back to the guide waiting with the van was darn cold!!
Then we headed into Reykjavik - I was SO surprised to see so many mountains - I should have realized with their glaciers, volcanos and such that of course there would be mountains but it just didn't register till we got there! This is a view out of the van! And yes, many days it looked like Colorado!
Our first night we were staying at The Skuggi Hotel - only about 3 blocks from the sea. But the room wasn't ready yet so they stored our luggage and we asked about a place to eat lunch - just a block away it was and a cute coffee place where we got bagels with ham and egg and cheese!
After checking into our room, we bundled up and headed up to the church - it was an uphill climb to get there and it was still windy - we decided after the church, we needed more clothes on!
This is a Lutheran Church called Hallgrimskirkja - completed in 1986 and absolutely stunning!
Check out the pipes for the organ! It has 5275 pipes!! WOW!!
For a small fee, you can take an elevator up to the bell tower - there are windows around the room with beautiful views! The bell rings every 15 minutes and of course we were up there when it rang - very, very loud!!
After stopping back at the hotel to get more clothes on, we walked down to the seafront to see the Sun Voyager Sculpture!
Lots of walking that day as the we walked more uptown and went to the Phallic Museum - yup, you heard right! It's definitely one of a kind museum but very interesting! Afterwards we ordered waffles from their cafe - mine were strawberry, nutella, caramalized pecans, all covered in powdered sugar and an entire bowl of whip cream and syrup if you want it - WOW - it was amazing! And for those looking closely wondering what the shape represents, yes, you are correct! HA Ha!
It was dark enough outside when we were finished with the museum that we KNEW we had to walk back to the church to take a picture at night since it was bathed in pink! So beautiful!! They do have other colors that it can change to also!
We were definitely ready for bed that night, after being up all day with little sleep the night before on the plane!
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