Iceland 2023

Journey’s End,

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Day 5 - Homeward bound An early breakfast today - transfer pickup just after 8am. Sunrise not until around 9.30am. Thankfully an uneventful trip home, finally arriving back around 4.30pm. The time had passed very quickly, but we had gathered some lovely memories.

Reykjavík, Iceland

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Day 4 - Perlan Perlan is one of the top attractions in Reykjavik. The stunning glass dome structure (which contains a cafe and a restsurant) offers incredible views of the city and further afield. Inside there is a range of exhibits and presentations, including a glacial ice cave, a planetarium, and interactive displays of Icelandic nature and culture. We had lunch in the glass dome - just tomato soup and lovely artisan bread, but satisfying and delicious. It was only when we’d settled at a table that we realised the restaurant was revolving (very slowly), which was a novelty. We walked back into the town after Perlan for a little browse round the shops and to take advantage of happy hour in the bar at the Hotel Von, and then on to dinner at Grazie Trattoria. It was sadly already our last night in Iceland.

The Perlan Building

Sculpture installation at Perlan

One of the many galleries at Perlan

A view from the restaurant

The restaurant at Perlan

Another view from Perlan

The start of the planetarium show (no further photography allowed)

In the ice cave at Perlan

In the ice tunnel

The ice tunnel

On the ice thone

Hotel Von

Grazie Trattoria

Inside Grazie Trattoria

Our last night at Grazie Trattoria

Reykjavík, Iceland

Sat, 11 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Day 3 - FlyOver Iceland After breakfast we had a forty minute walk to the Reykjavik harbour area, following the coastline from almost directly opposite our hotel. First stop (unplanned) was the Harpa Concert Hall which, as well as being home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic Opera and Reykjavík Big Band, also boasts two restaurants, a good view of the harbour and the Rammagerdin Store offering unique products made by Icelandic carftspeople and the Listval art gallery of Icelandic art. Harpa is regarded as one of Reykjavík’s most striking landmarks and a centre of cultural and social life in the very heart of the city. Harpa´s glass facade is one of the largest artworks in the world, designed by artist Ólafur Elíasson and Henning Larsen architects. After a good look round we continued our walk to our intended destination, which was FlyOver Iceland - a fantastic experience with motion seating and a wraparound screen, simulating flight over the mountains, waterfalls and glaciers of Iceland, complete with smells and water sprays to bring the journey to life. We whiled away rest of the afternoon in a very nice bar in the Hafnartorg Gallery close to the harbour and browsing the shops before managing to secure a table in the same great restaurant as last night - Old Iceland Restaurant. We weren’t disappointed. Another really nice meal. Back to the hotel for coffee and a much needed early night (well early for us).

Setting off for the harbour

Harpa Concert Centre

Inside Harpa

Reykjavik harbour

Sculpture ‘Looking Seawards' erected to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Port of Reykjavik

FlyOver Iceland

On the ‘flight’

And another one!

Nice venue for a glass or two!

Reykjavík, Iceland

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Day 2 - The Golden Circle Tour Walked to the BSI Bus Station to start our excursion for today - the Golden Circle Discovery Tour. We’d dropped very lucky in terms of weather. Clear and dry, bright and not too cold (although opinions regarding the temperature varied! Leaving at 10am the tour took us on a six hour trip to see the Thingvellir National Park, the world-famous Geysir geothermal area, and Gullfoss, the queen of Icelandic waterfalls. The geothermal area boasts many steaming springs, including Strokkur, the most active geyser in Iceland which spouts roughly every four or five minutes. A fabulous day out with new experiences and of course loads of photo opportunities. We got back to the hotel around 4.15pm and went straight out again in search of somewhere for dinner later, not having booked anywhere on what was likely to be a busy Friday night in many of the local restaurants. We settled on the Old Iceland Restaurant on one of Reykjavik’s main streets, which a little later proved to have been an exceptionally good choice in terms of ambiance, service and seriously good seafood (and other) dishes. Another tiring but excellent day.

In the National Park

Thingvellir National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage site

Ghostly figures on the ground?

Strokkur, the most active geyser in Iceland

Strokkur in full flow

Powerful transport at the geothermal area

Old Iceland Restaurant

Arctic Char - delicious

In the restaurant

Reykjavík

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 10:30:00 +0000