Iceland -the arrival

August 1, 2015

Icelandair - a good choice for a week's stopover, but truly a compromise in quality and service. We liked breaking up the flight to Europe as this leg of the journey was under 7 hours...and we knew that no meals were provided - but we were surprised that on a transatlantic flight no snacks were provided and even more, that the flight crew were hard to find and unfriendly when we did make contact. Oh well, flying is not what it used to be.

Upon arrival, Iceland security told us that Canadian security is subpar, so as we entered the terminal, we were kept in a small room in a maze of lines and went through a screening process again. They randomly detained some duty free items, and as luck will have it, we got chosen. This led to an additional delay of an hour after we got our luggage. The big surprise however, was when we walked through the customs door, and found that we were suddenly outside!

Picked up our car and headed to Reykjavik. We wanted to get supplies, maps and see a bit of the city. The frustrations of the flight, airport confusion and the aggressive (sleazy) attitude of the car rental agency disappeared when we drove away. The sun emerged and we marvelled at the foreign "moonscape" landscape we were seeing. No trees, rocky outcrops, snowy peaks and colourful homes. Yeah, this is why we travel...it is nothing like home.

Reykjavik is a surprise. It has some striking buildings, a beautiful setting with an attractive sea walk and an interesting old centre of town. Tourists outnumber the locals.

As we couldn't figure out the Icelandic kroner or the parking meters, we decided to park in a car park in Reykjavik. It seemed like a good idea until we tried to leave. As the payment machine was out of order, we could not exit. To add to the problem, no one was answering the phone as it was a holiday w/e. So we waited until someone else tried to leave. Luckily he was a local - but he also struck out. He called everyone including the police, but no luck. So, in his frustration, an hour later, he manhandled the barrier and we all escaped. So, here's our tip: don't park in a parking garage in Iceland!

By this time we realized that we were jet lagged and time was moving on, so we elected to camp at the city campground. It is the type of campground that we would normally avoid as it is so large. There were 100's of tents - mostly hikers - and unbelievably quiet. Good facilities with kitchen, lounge, etc. a good decision. Cost 3400 kroner ($34 Cdn.). Costs in Iceland are high, but we know that this camping fee is typical. Luckily we bought alcohol for our trangia stove at a hardware store in town for 400 kr ($4) as the campground was selling the same bottle for 2900 kr ($29.00!). Unbelievable.

We went to bed in daylight as the sun sets here at midnight and rises at 3 am. It didn't matter: melatonin and jet lag gave us an amazing sleep. Didn't wake up until after 10.

The campsite is a gathering point for most visitors to Iceland who are cycling and trekking. There are 650 tent sites - and it is a very busy campground right in the centre of Reykjavik.

The weather in Iceland was very chilly. We were wearing many layers of clothing.

Barry loves cooking for us at camp - and this "well fed" neighbourhood cat is curious about what we are going to eat. We think he may be smelling the tuna that is in the sauce.

Birgit, from Meissen, Germany saw our Canadian flag and came right over to talk to us. She had visited Canada and where we live on Saltspring Island. We also discovered that she is a violinist with with the Meissen Symphony Orchestra and had just performed at Weilburg on the Lahn (near our home base in Germany). Such a small world when we can take the time to talk to people.

Wonderful art pieces to admire and play on along Reykjavik's waterfront. This Viking ship appealed to us.

Harpa, the opera house in Reykavik. It is hard to capture its beauty - the prisms of lights and sparkling colours are striking.

Our first soft ice cream in Iceland. In Iceland they dip the cone into chocolate or caramel sauce and then you can choose a variety of yummy toppings to cover the ice cream.

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