Reykjavik

The next morning we got up and took a train to Glasgow, then a bus to the Glasgow airport to catch our flight to Reykjavik.

Suburbs or Edinburgh

Glasgow Central Station

A Scottish taxi

Mmmm...Haggis pakoras!  At least there weren't any neeps and tatties.

We arrived in Reykjavik at around 5:00PM.  Iceland is a volcanic island, so most of it is pretty much a wasteland, with little vegetation.  We took the Flybus into town, about a 30 mile trip.

Approaching the Reykjavik (Keflavik) airport.  Nothing but lava for miles around.

Main terminal at Keflavik airport.

On the way to Reykjavik from the airport.

Our hotel in Reykjavik, the Fosshotel Lind

Once we got checked in, there was about an hour of daylight left, so we took a stroll around parts of Reykjavik.

Laugavegur Street, which is the main commercial street in Reykjavik.

A lot of the buildings in Reykjavik are covered in corrugated metal.

Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland (not that it's saying a lot)

We ate in a little cafe (Cafe Loki) across from the church, and had some Icelandic specialties.  I had the Icelandic plate II, which consists of "Two rye bread slices, one with mashed fish & the other with smoked trout.  Flatbread with smoked lamb. Dried fish with butter and bit of a fermented shark."  You may be wondering why you don't see many Icelandic restaurants in the U.S.  This is why.  Also, the Icelandic plate was about $25, which was our introduction to the prices in Iceland.  More on that later.

    

They love graffiti in Reykjavik

Yes, it says what you think it says--the Iceland Phallological Museum.  It was closed when we passed by, so I can't give you a report.

After a couple of $9.00 beers in the hotel bar, we retired for the night and rested up for a walk around Reykjavik.   The next day started out cloudy, cold, and windy, and after walking about 5 minutes, Brenda decided she needed a ski cap.  After checking out several stores, we came to the conclusion that we were going to have to pay $19.00 for a hat that you could get at Wal-Mart for about $3.00.  Alternatively, we could have spent about $45.00 for a good one that would go for about $20.00 at REI.

On the streets of Reykjavik

Brenda with her $19.00 hat and a bear.

More Reykjavik graffiti

As the morning wore on, the weather deteriorated and it rained most of the rest of the day.  So, the following pictures aren't that spectacular.

Downtown Reykjavik, not New York.  Population of the city is about 120,000 and the metropolitan area is about 220,000.

Really, it's Reykjavik

A square in the center of Reykjavik

Fish and chips runs about $22.

A  plaza near City Hall

Brenda with some blockhead.

Tjomin Pond, in the middle of Reykjavik

Another view of downtown Reykjavik

More of downtown Reykjavik.  That's about as tall as the buildings got in the center of the city.

A side view of Hallgrímskirkja.

Inside Hallgrímskirkja.

The organ in Hallgrímskirkja.

After our walk around the city, we returned to the hotel for a couple more $9.00 beers and then went to "73" Restaurant for a couple of $20.00 hamburgers.  (We bypassed the $70.00 steaks down the street).  That did us in for the night.

Tomorrow: Southern Iceland and a glacier walk.