city life @ reykjavik

July 10, 2016July 10, 20162 Comments

During our stay we enjoyed some time to rest and rejuvenate in Reykjavik, which was much needed at times. Some of the highlights (in no particular order) in the city were:

Lunch at bergsson mathus– Delicious local food, place to people watch, and wifi
View of the city from the tower at the hallgrímskirkja church.
Waffles at Mokka-Kaffi
Exploring inside the Harpa building
Lobster soup at Saaegreifinn
Fish & chips (obviously) at Icelandic fish & chips (Make a reservation beforehand online if you can.)
Walking and shopping on Laugavegur and all the side streets.
Ice cream from valdis
Burger & fries from Roadhouse
Hotdog with everything from the famous hotdog stand- baejarins beztu pylsur

Despite what people say, I thought the food was pretty good! We also did buy snacks and food from Kronan. It definitely was worth getting an airbnb and being able to cook for some of our meals, since eating out can get quite pricey. Being Korean, we also brought a good stash of shin ramen, seaweed, and rice (microwaveable).

I do have to say, I think in our week stay in Iceland, I never ate so many hotdogs in my life. The hotdogs were definitely different tasting because I heard they use more sheep meat. Also, I loved the fried onions they put inside. It added a good texture to it. So if you are heading off to Iceland, be prepared to eat a lot of hotdogs and Skyr yogurt.

a green iceland

July 1, 2016July 1, 20163 Comments

Even though we saw glaciers at Jokulsarlon on one end, there was much more green that we saw throughout Iceland. One of the highlights was a hike from Arnarstapi to Hellnar at the Snaefellsnes peninsula which was right next to the water and had some beautiful views of cliffs and ocean. It kind of reminded me of some of the cliffs I saw in Sydney during the coastal walk from coogee to bondi! During the hike we saw all the moss covered rocks, which makes you feel like you are on another planet and the cutest succulents sprouting up through the crevices of rocks. Seriously, Iceland.

Another highlight was the svartifoss waterfall at skaftafell. It was a short, but hilly hike up to the waterfall. Even though I was sweating and a bit tired by the time I got up there, it was impressive. I took a few photos at seljalandsfoss waterfall as well below. If you are wondering where are the photos of all the other waterfalls that we sas, let’s just say I did get lazy at times, and I just didn’t want to carry my dslr camera when my iphone takes decent photos. 😉

icy iceland

July 1, 20162 Comments

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to really expect from Iceland. I heard a lot of great things from friends that have visited. Let me just say, Iceland exceeded any expectations I had. Everyday there was an adventure and I couldn’t help be overwhelmed by the beauty of nature. The change in terrain after driving 30 minutes or so was incredible. From purple lupine flowers scattered on luscious green fields, moss covered rocks, black sand beaches, snow covered mountains, waterfalls from incredible heights, and hot spring geysers, there was much to see.

Here are a few shots from outside the blue lagoon and at Jokulsarlon. The glacier lagoon at Jokulsarlon was probably one of my favorite things we saw in Iceland. It was about a four and half hour drive from Reykjavik, the farthest place we drove to during our week long trip. One quick tip, if you are at Jokulsarlon you’ll see a lot of birds (seagulls?), and if you see a baby bird walking on the grass on it’s own, don’t go near it to take photos. We almost got attacked by the momma bird flying above us as we attempted to get some photos. Luckily, we survived. I’ll share more on our itinerary and tips for Iceland soon.