Denver to Iceland

DEN To Iceland :

When we woke up in DEN we discovered a freezing rain had fallen and it had started to snow. As the hotel breakfast was not really that great we went to the Moonlight Diner for a great hearty breakfast. I had biscuits and gravy and Lynn had a signature eggs etc breakfast. 

The roads were really slick so we cleaned up and made our way to The Parking Spot (yes the parking location is called The Parking Spot).  Got to the airport early and a nice counter agent checked us in really early.  Off to the United Club to chill for several hours. 

We boarded our flight a bit late, found our seats and soon were on our way. Watched a couple of movies and had a bite to eat, and tried to sleep. 

Arrived Keflavik, cleared immigration and customs, located the Fly Bus and were on the road to Reykjavik. Being rush hour it took a bit of time. The Fly Bus takes you to the main Bus Station where you the transfer to a smaller van for transport to your hotel.  Our hotel is the Icelandair Marina, located in the old harbor area. We had up graded to an Attic room which offers a balcony and a nice view. This room will also provide a good vibe should the Aurora appear. Anyway, we arrived at the hotel and a room was ready, not a harbor view as requested so we were allowed to wait for a different room, a room with a view. 

We repacked our bags and stored them and struck out on foot. Our first stop was at Cafe Haiti for some coffee and a bite to eat. Cafe Haiti is a friendly local place, good coffee and good pastry. FYI cost in Iceland -  two coffees  and  two pastries was a bit over $20 USD.

With a bit of fuel in our fires we headed out for a walk about.  The weather was just like Wyoming so we were not deterred in the least, temp of 25F and gusty winds at 20-30MPH. Here, wind speed is measured in meters per second, that just hurts my brain to try and convert to MPH. 

Meandering the streets, we first stopped at the City Visitors Center, located in City Hall. We gathered up some information on buses and Reykjavik Card, and other day tours. FYI, we find the Reykjavik City card a good value for transport, museums and city pools. They can be activated as one desires, we will pick ours up tomorrow. 

We then made our way through the city tourist shops street to the Hallgrímskirkja church. This is Reykjavík's main landmark and its tower can be seen from almost everywhere in the city.

It was designed by the late Guðjón Samúelsson in 1937, who was often inspired in his endeavors by the fascinating shapes and forms created when lava cools into basalt rock.

Construction of the church began in 1945 and ended in 1986, with the tower completed long before the rest of the building. 

The church features, most notably, a gargantuan pipe organ designed and constructed by the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn. Standing tall at an impressive 45 feet and weighing a remarkable 25 tons. It is a rather impressive organ and some say it’s appearance resembles a weapon. 

The church was being prepared for a funeral and the organist was filling the chapel with wonderful music. 

Standing directly in front of the church, is a fine statue of Leifur Eiríksson the first European to discover America. 

While it was late morning, it was still rather dark, as the sun had just started to rise a bit after 1100. 

We made our way back towards the Marina Hotel with a stop to chat with the owner of the Drunken Rabbit Pub. Chances are very good we will have a meal or maybe two there during this stay. 

Next to Ingólfstorg, a stone square in the city centre with geothermal steam vents. Here one finds two stone pillars representing the legend of Ingolfr Amarson, considered to be the first permanent resident of Iceland. Arriving in 871, legend says that he tossed his high seat pillars (chair/throne) overboard and settled where the gods washed them ashore. He named the place Reykjavik, which means 'smoky bay', due to the steam rising from the geothermal vents. 

Just so happens one can find a hot dog stand there so we split an excellent Icelandic Hot Dog.

Back at the hotel our room was not yet ready so we decided to crash in the lobby. The front desk staff must have taken pity on us as a room soon became available, or they did not want us sleeping in the lobby. 

We went to the room and did some simple unpacking and headed out to the Bonus Store. Bonus Stores are a local grocery chain. They are easy to locate just look for the yellow buildings with a big pink pig logo. Here we purchased some local goodies to supplement our breakfast and other meals. Items like SKYR-Icelandic yogurt, lakes (licorice), local cookies, cheese and bread. 

We were passing a fishing shop, so made a stop to see what they had for lures. I found two different lures which look like they would be appealing to Wyoming trout. In chatting with the store owner, I learned the lures were hand made in Sweden and work all on the Arctic Char. Kinda fun to get these lures and use them at home. A treat as it were for our local fish.  

Back to the room and unpacked, caught up on projects, and crashed after a small load of laundry.  

The weather is still a bit cloudy and windy. While in the room a squall blew through with near whiteout conditions. Later it just snowed and blew and remained overcast. 

Same view a few minutes apart, weather moved in fast

Sunset 1621 hrs or 4:21 

getting dark early