Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavik, Iceland... pronounced "Ray key uh vik," in case you were wondering. So how in the world did we end up visiting Reykjavik, Iceland? We flew home from Europe using Icelandic Air. The airline has a great program to draw tourism which allows you to extend your layover in Reykjavik for up to a week without paying extra for your tickets. Since our flight was stopping in Reykjavik anyways, we decided to extend the layover for 48 hours, add a new country to our lists, and we prayerfully hoped we would see the Northern Lights.

Welcome sign on the main tourist street in Reykjavik.

We arrived in the evening into Keflavik airport, about a 50 minute shuttle bus ride from Reykjavik city. It was snowing lightly and the drive took us through black volcanic fields covered in snow. Steam rose from natural thermal pools amid the black rocks. The further we got from the airport, the less snow lay on the ground. By the time we arrived in the city, it was clear blue skies with only a tiny bit of snow left under the cover of shrubbery. 

We had rented a tiny studio apartment right near the city center, next to the Lutheran Church of Iceland, Church Hallgrimskirkja. The largest church in Iceland, it towers over the city as the streets lead down in straight lines to the harbor. 

After a day of travel, I was starving and had a headache. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a small restaurant near our flat which only served burgers and fries with a small variety of options (cheese or no cheese). Logan and I then settled in to get ready for bed, while Taylor explored the surrounding area with just a small amount of daylight left. 

As the sun was almost set, but the sky was still glowing blue with the last light of day, Taylor began to see wisps in the sky. He thought they must be clouds, but as he watched more closely he realized he was witnessing the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights! At the same time, I received an alert on my phone that the solar activity was "extremely high" in our area (while we were living in Scotland I had signed up on a website that tracks the Northern Lights so that it would tell me when there was increased solar activity, but I rarely got any alerts). I was excited to tell Taylor to go look for the lights, at the same time he was seeing them! He quickly returned home to pull Logan and me out of bed to see the beautiful lights materializing green across the sky.

Unbeknownst to us, it is almost unheard of to see the Northern Lights within the city, let alone when it's still a bit light outside, and to catch them with a cell phone camera! What an amazing finale to our trip to be blessed with this "bucket list" item in Iceland!

The next morning I wanted to explore the stores and take an elevator to the top of the church for a view of the city. We walked in and out of shops, chatted with some extremely friendly locals, bought Logan a stuffed horse that he named Iceland, and then headed to the church. We took the elevator up for a view that was one of the most gorgeous and memorable city-tops I have ever seen. With the snow gone, the colorful roofs of Reykjavik were picture-perfect from above!

Door to the church.

In the front of the church is a large statue of the Viking, Leif Erikson. This was of particular interest to me because Leif Erikson is actually my 38th great grandfather. I've known this for years after one of my great aunts traced back our lineage. Our family name on my Dad's side was Ericson until just two generations ago. So when we saw the Leifur Erikson Hotel across the street from the church, and a huge statue in commemoration of Leif, I was very excited! Leif Erikson is regarded as the first European to land on North America, a good 500 years before Christopher Columbus. He was an Icelandic explorer (his Dad, Erik the Red, was Norse), and apparently was highly regarded in Reykjavik. I had to take some photos with Logan in front of our ancestor's statue!

When Taylor lived in San Diego, a friend of his had a friend from Iceland come visit. Her name is Iris ("Eeeris"), and she spent a month hanging out with Taylor and his group of friends over ten years ago. When we decided to go to Iceland, Taylor found Iris on Facebook through mutual friends and let her know we were coming. She was kind enough to give us some pointers on what to do while visiting, and she also met up with us in Reykjavik for lunch. After our church tour, we met Iris at a restaurant nearby known for their good Icelandic food (seafood done deliciously). It was wonderful to meet her, and for Taylor to catch up with an old friend across the world. It's really neat when we have the opportunity to meet up with friends who are locals in the places we visit. I am disappointed to say that in the excitement we failed to take a picture with his old friend!

After our lunch with Iris, we caught a shuttle to a place called the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of Iceland's most visited tourist attractions. The geothermal water originates 3,000 meters below the Earth's surface, where fresh water and sea water combine at extreme temperatures. On its way to the surface the water picks up silica, algae, and minerals, and emerges at approximately 38C (100F). The Blue Lagoon uses this water in outside baths that are built into the volcanic rock. 

Arrival at the Blue Lagoon.

It was a cold, snowy day, and besides the freezing wind on our faces, the water was heavenly and Logan absolutely loved splashing around. Taylor and I both used their mineral-rich mud for some face masks that are supposed to cleanse and rejuvenate the skin!

By the time we returned to Reykjavik from our Blue Lagoon excursion, the weather had turned bad and snow was swirling in the blowing winds. We had a quick bite to eat and then headed back to our flat to keep warm for the night. 

The next morning we packed up before heading down to one of Reykjavik's most famous food venues, a small hot dog stand near the harbor called "Baejarins Beztu Pylsur," which means "Better than it looks." Different from any hot dog we've ever had, they are made with three types of meat (mostly lamb with beef and pork), soft on the inside with an outer casing that snaps when you bite into it. They come with three types of toppings (ketchup, creamy mustard, and an aioli/relish), crispy fried onions and raw onions (I skipped the raw onions).

While we were both a bit burnt out on sightseeing by the time we landed in Reykjavik (and I was a bit anxious to get back home to the States), we are both so thankful that we extended our layover to see the city and the Blue Lagoon. Anyone headed to Europe should consider Iceland Air and their generous layover opportunity. It was totally worth it!

Saw this at the airport on our way to security screening.