Reykjavik

So a great 'nights' sleep and a ridiculously early morning.  I was convinced (through some poor skim reading of wiki) that Iceland was on the same time zone as the UK, but its actually an hour behind. This shouldn't be a problem, after all who'd complain about an extra hour in bed? The only hiccup with that is waking up at what you think is 6am, only to find out half way through the day that actually it was 5am! Right now I'm soooo tired it's unbelievable, and looking out at a sky filled with 'day'light isn't making it any easier. Anyway enough of the whinging (but check out the picture I took close to midnight below)....

Where was I? Oh yeah, this morning. So this morning I decided to get to Reykjavik and have a look around. The accepted way of getting in to Reykjavik (apart from using the bus) from Keflavik appears to be to hitchhike.

Will someone get my mum/dad/brother a doctor?

Before you start worrying about it too much (and don’t think I wasn’t a little concerned myself) This is apparently how canny icelanders (who don’t have cars or don’t want to pay the 1600kr (that’s about £8) to get Reykjavik) get around. It’s an accepted way to travel and one that I’ve been told is very reliable and safe. You’ll be glad to know that my experience was pretty much as above. Apart from it took me 30 mins to get a ride (yes I DID have my thumb out, albeit possibly in a self-conscious kind of way) when usually it takes 5 mins (apparently). So I managed to speed my way to Mjödd, on the outskirts of Reykjavik in the company of a mildly confused man, who had been to Grimsby on a fishing boat and who’s son of his son had worked briefly in Coventry. I think the confusion was caused by my poor pronunciation of the phonetically spelt  parts of my icelandic phrase book which even I find hard to understand! Hopefully I will improve in time or spend my entire time feeling terribly British.

Figures by the side of the road outside of Keflavik

I have to admit that I’m not entirely sure what I did in Reykjavik on Wednesday to pass the time. I was successful in catching a bus from Mjödd to the city centre and also managed not to stare weirdly at the middle aged, short and largely built lady who was cuddling a teddy bear whilst pretending to feed it her hotdog...

I did manage to check out the Settlement Centre, which has the remains of an old farmhouse, it's a really good exhibition, loads of information on the time when it was built, a cool interactive 'rebuilding' video that shows you how the house would have looked (think grassy hill with door, small chimmney and what looks like a low wall holding it up. Minus the hobbits). Well worth the money (600kr) then walked around the centre, up the hill to see the Hallgrímskirkja. Seriously impressive church that looks a little like the challenger space shuttle!

Apparently it took ages to build, due to only one man and his son doing the job. That's pretty cool! It's very austere inside but doesn't feel cold, just beautifully minimalist. Fantastic organ too (which I got to hear). Outside there's a statue of Leifur Eriksson (the one that discovered America) which points out over Reykjavik. You can also take a lift (500kr) to the top of the church and it gives some really lovely views of Reykjavik. Luckily for those of us that get a bit wobbly at heights (yup that's me) the viewing platforms are pretty well enclosed. Even if they are right under the bells...

I also found the Parliment House and Dómkirkjan, both of which are right off the tiny square I had lunch in (very small sandwich with a sliver of lamb and some weird bean version of coleslaw. Oh and chocolate with liqourice pieces in. Both sound vile but were actually really tasty) Didn't make it into the Parliment House, however (as you'll come to realise) I find it pretty hard to pass up a church.

It's Lutheran, so neo-classical in style and doesn't look much from outside. Inside though it's well designed and not overly ornate. For some reason it's a style that makes me think quaker meeting hall...

Then more walking, more buildings, more people watching and the docks. It's was a pretty overcast day so not much going on with the camera. I also realised that I'd forgotten to charge both my batteries (argh!) and was rewarded by them both dying on me as I was trying to get a dark and brooding picture of the viking ship sculpture against the sea, cue mini internal tantrum before going to get the bus back to Keflavik.

So tonnes still to see in Reykjavik and I've not experienced any of the night life yet,  I'm thinking its worth saving till after I've done the rest of the island.

This morning I took the bus (no more hitchhiking as I needed to meet a connection) to Borgarnes. It's pretty tiny and sits on a spit of land that, according to the rough guide, has 'stunning' views. They are however currently hiding behind a thick veil of cloud and rain. It does mean however that I've managed to get a good test in for my waterproofs and currently I think they rock! The pregnancy style rucksack however is a little on the wet side. Thankfully in my anal packing everything in there ended up in various waterproof bags! Yay!

I've just been to the Settlement Centre here though and have 'done' the two exhibitions. One is pretty brief and all about how the Vikings settled Iceland. The other is more in depth about Egils saga (it's pronounced Ale's Saga if that helps). This one is pretty cool, you can't beat a saga for blood, guts, glory and intrigue. Definitely recommend it, and its not that expensive (2000kr or £10).

I'm going to take a little walk around in a bit and will hopefully be meeting up with a couchsurfer called Elisabet tonight for drinks (although I've yet to see a bar/pub) then it's on to Bú∂ir tomorrow and some (hopefully) nice walking along the coast before going on to Ólafsvík and Stykkishólmur by the 14th to catch the ferry to the Westfjords on the 15th.  I'm not sure if I'll get connection again until Ólafsvik and still haven't managed to sort out a phone (why is it so hard to find a mobile phone shop?).

If the weather clears up I'll try and catch some of those 'stunning views'.
See you all soon x