By Gia Pham
Is Iceland really green and Greenland really icy? Out of all the places I’ve been , Iceland has got to be one of my favorite green destination ever.
We arrived in Keflavík International Airport early in the morning. It’s about a 40-minute drive to Reykjavik. Luckily, our Airbnb host was more than happy to pick us up. He asked us to purchase something for him at the airport and we didn’t mind since he returned the money in Icelandic króna. The room was a decent size; the kitchen was spacious enough to cook. He even offered some clothing because we came unprepared for the weather. Overall, I would recommend this Airbnb because it’s near the bus stop that takes you to the town center.
Here is where you can find the website booking: : https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17898112
After leaving our things at the Airbnb, we headed for town to do some grocery shopping. It’s expensive in Iceland, so we thought it’d be better to cook our own food. We used an app called Straetó, which lets you check bus routes easily. The bus is actually pricey: it costs 440 ISK, which is about $4.
We stopped at bus station Stjórnarráðið. We strolled around the town, went grocery shopping in one of the supermarkets, and shopped at gift stores. We wanted to shop at Kolaportið, which is a large indoor flea market, but we missed it by an hour. We ended up at Te & Kaffi to rest because it was super cold outside.
August 27: Blue Lagoon Day!
We had booked tickets to the Blue Lagoon quite some time before the trip. We were in luck that morning, because our Airbnb host offered us a ride to the station that takes you to the Blue Lagoon. When do you book the excursion to Blue Lagoon, you also have to purchase the bus ride there. We booked our bus ride on Expedia for $37.88 around 11AM. Our ticket into the Blue Lagoon was at 12PM. ( purchased these tickets on their actual website).
The experience was so relaxing and therapeutic, because the man-made lagoon is geothermal seawater that creates a spa atmosphere.
Afterwards, our bus dropped us off in the center of town. We headed to the Hallgrímskirkja Church for a view of the whole town; it is one of the tallest structures in the country. Below is a picture of the view from above.
I also recommend trying their chocolate! Icelandic chocolate is super delicious. I really enjoy dark chocolate and their cocoa level is about 45%, which only makes it semi-sweet.
We decided to head back early to rest. We booked a Northern Lights Tour; however, it was canceled due to bad weather. We booked it with Reykjavik Excursions, which costed $50-60. We received a refund, but it was pretty disappointing that we couldn’t see it.
August 28: Golden Circle Tour
On Expedia, we booked the Full Classic Golden Circle, AM English Commentary Tour. It is one of Iceland’s iconic tour. You can discover the natural wonders of Thingvellir National Park, the Geysir hot springs, and the Gullfoss waterfall during this full-day road trip. It only costed $78! We found this super cheap, because we were treated to amazing views. Since we stayed in an Airbnb, our closest pick-up location was the Viking Hotel at Strandgötu 51. It was only a 5 to 10-minute walk from where we stayed.
A quick tip: bring change because it costs about 200 ISK to use public restrooms. We ended the day around 5PM. We walked back to our Airbnb and our wonderful host offered to cook us dinner! This is why we loved where we stayed. It was also amazing because he had a pet dog. That is how we ended our Iceland trip. I definitely need to go back, especially in different seasons to see the spectacular scenic views.
Article originally from: https://kygia.space/europe/reykjavik-iceland
