Impressions of Reykjavik (Iceland)

Tjörnin (lake) and the City Hall in the center of Reykjavik.

Most of my friends thought I was insane when I announced I was flying to Reykjavik, Iceland, considering London has been blessed with beautifully sunny and warm weather as of late. But since the hubby and I had always wanted to visit, we packed up our long forgotten winter gear and headed for the Icelandic capital. Upon arrival we were greeted by snow, dark clouds, rain, sun, hail and a chilling wind - all within a span of an hour. I would soon realize that if I didn't care for the weather at the moment, I'd only need to wait five minutes. Unfortunately it never really got close to warm, but considering summer in Iceland translates to an average of 15°C (59°F), I wasn't really that surprised.

I knew little about Iceland and Reykjavik before my visit, apart from the usual musical references (Björk, Sigur Rós etc.), the aforementioned cold climate and that unpronounceable volcano Eyjafjallajökull, who's eruption grounded all those flights last year. While I expected Reykjavik to be very creative given its famous musicians and its love of design, I was a bit surprised by the relatively monotone architecture. A local guide later informed me that Iceland only started booming around the 50s and after, which is when most of the houses and buildings were constructed. This explains why you won't find a lot of traditional historic architecture as you would in other European cities. By contrast, you will see its history in the volcanic, glacial and mountainous landscape, some of which was used by the Vikings as settlements.

More modern than historic - typical houses in Reykjavik (lower right image:Bjørn Giesenbauer via Wikimedia).

What also stunned me a little was how few people I would see during the day, out on the streets. It never occurred to me that a national population of roughly 320,000 (120,000 live in the capital) in a country slightly smaller than the size of England (with over 51 million inhabitants) would translate into a distinct lack of crowds. It also doesn't help that Reykjavik is such a sprawling city, so most locals will be in their cars - though traffic jams are virtually non-existent. But many cafes and restaurants were buzzing with activity and if there's one thing that had my heart beating faster than the incredible Icelandic scenery, it was the abundance of local independent fashion designers... many of them with their own boutiques on the main street Laugavegur - I counted at least 20 if not more. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on some of them. I was also pleased to see that locals were very stylish and didn't dress like clones. I have a theory this might be due to the lack of high street retail chains, of which only a few can be found in two outlying malls. In addition, I was informed that prior to the financial crisis and recession, Iceland was a very wealthy nation - and it's still very expensive - with a population that loves to splurge on art, design and clothes; something that might explain their sartorial preferences.

Would I visit again? Definitely. But next time, I'm going in summer...

Hallgrímskirkja - the largest church in Iceland.

Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station. Thanks to the high concentration of volcanoes, Iceland can take advantage of geothermal power - a renewable energy source.

Jewelry containing local lava stones were incredibly popular.

A smaller waterfall in the Golden Circle area around Reykjavik.

Reykjavik's main high street Laugavegur in the old town center. Note the lack of people on a Friday afternoon.

Kerið - volcanic crater lake.

Icelandic Horses (almost as small as ponies) were very amicable and adorable. They kept trying to eat my coat and jeans. I also had major hair envy - look at those manes.

The very active geyser Strokkur.

If you want something local, Icelandic wool is popular. If you want something local that will get a bit more attention - there's always fur (what's up with that scary animal hat?) and fish leather (those are ties and purses).

The rift valley of Þingvellir, which marks the Mid-Atlantic Ridge - the tectonic plate boundary between Eurasia and North America. Geographically, Iceland is actually closer to America (Greenland).

Pretty but man-made. The 'glitter' stems from coins thrown in the water by tourists.

Tasty delights: The famed lobster soup along with seafood (above), Icelandic fish & chips (lower left) and more interesting meat options which I didn't get to try out (right).

Gullfoss waterfall.

Viking boat sculpture along the shore of Reykjavik.

Overview of the Þingvellir National Park - the site of Iceland's first assembly and parliament as chosen by the Viking settlers. The continental drift between North America and Eurasia is visible via the cracks in the landscape, many of which are filled with water.