Iceland.
In a previous post I talked about the trip to Iceland we had planned. Well, thankfully, Katla didn't erupt and we have been to Iceland and have now safely returned. This past week I've been busy sorting out the 600 or so photo's and the video's for presenting to your good selves.

We've decided to create a photo-book (a good idea from Sharon that I've shamelessly copied) but it's taken a lot longer than expected to create. It's more or less finished now (just awaiting finishing touches) so I'm free to write this blog entry and update Flickr, Facebook and YouTube.

Why do I give myself so much to do?!

To minimise the amount of writing that you, my long suffering reader, has to wade through, I have decided to serialise the report and release the entries on a daily basis.

Part 1: Iceland and Reykjavik

We expected it to be cold but prepared for all weathers. This meant stealing some proper suitcases from my parents [thanks guys] and buying some more clothes. We really weren't sure what sort of clothes were required and I wish to state (because I couldn't find it written down anywhere else) that you won't look out of place wearing denim jeans. If it rains, you'll feel bloody uncomfortable but you won't be the only one.

For the longer excursions I wore hiking trousers. They were expensive but they were comfortable, kept the wind out and they dried quickly so I reckon they were worth it.

It was warm in the sunshine but if you got yourself in front of the unobstructed wind or if the sun went in the temperature dropped rapidly. So I nearly always wore a coat when out and about. I also kept a spare pair of socks with me and some extra layers to wear if I got cold.

Reykjavik itself seemed to cater very well for tourists as long as you were in the city centre - which is where most of the restaurants and bars were. Worthy of note is that most of the shops and attractions don't open until between 10am and 11am. There'll be cafe's, tourist information shops and hairdressers open but not a right lot else. So unless you're going on an excursion you don't need to be getting up at silly o'clock.

In total we spent 3 days wandering around the city centre visiting various museums, galleries and parks/gardens. We found getting around quite easy even with a pretty low resolution map from some tourist booklet.

The sightseeing highlights for me were the National Museum, the Settlement Museum and the Hallgrímskirkja. We ate well in Reykjavik even if it was a little on the expensive side. All these places, and more, are detailed below:

The National Museum

The main exhibition at the museum was the history of Iceland from the time of settlement to the present day and was spread over two large floors. There were other exhibitions but we didn't have enough time to look at everything in the settlement exhibition, let alone the rest of the building! Entry is free on Wednesdays but if you want a proper look round you'll need more than one day.

The layout of the settlement exhibition got quite confusing at times - even with a map that showed the order you were supposed to view the exhibits! But apart from the wondering around like a lost chicken, it was a very informative and interesting day.

The Settlement Museum

This museum dealt specifically with the settlement of Reykjavik. The main feature was an excavated (and preserved) long house. Next to the long house though, were the remains of a wall which dated to around 871AD - making it the earliest known evidence of human settlement in Iceland.

There was some clever interactivity in the museum and being able to get right next to the long house was great. Well worth a visit but will only take a couple of hours to get through.

Hallgrímskirkja

The parish church of Reykjavik, on top of a hill and so visible across the city, was interesting in an architectural sort of way. It has a fairly original style and made for some good photo's. You could also go up to the top of the tower to see unobstructed views across the city.

There is a lift up to the top of the tower and the owners had changed the sign stating the lift capacity was 8 people to 6 people. Some Canadians next to us commented that that must mean the lift would manage 8 normal people or 6 Americans!

The Culture House
We also visited the Culture House which had an exhibition of medieval manuscripts. It was interesting enough, but I wouldn't go out of your way to visit it if you get what I mean.

Food

Well, there was no shortage of restaurants around our hotel. Some looked a bit scabby and some looked really fancy. We stuck to the middle ground (being adorned in merely smart casual clothage) but still had some fantastic food. It can get a bit pricey over there so a good tip is to go to a supermarket outside the city centre to stock up on lunches - especially if going on all day excursions.

I would now like to present my top 3 restaurants. If, when you go, it is anywhere near as good as when we went then you won't be disappointed!

1. Thai Reykjavik
   Fantastic meal, not too expensive either. Excellent service and decent beer! You have to go to this place, seriously!
   Located on Lækjargata, closer to the lake than to the harbour. Map
   
2. Geysir Bistro and Bar
   We had lunch here and the food was gorgeous. Again excellent service and a reasonable price. Well worth a visit if you're down by the art gallery. Location map is on their website (the green dot).
   
3. Rossopomodoro
   An Italian restaurant where we got forgotten about so I wouldn't say the service was good and it was the most expensive meal we had. That said, the food was very nice and largely made up for the negatives. Map.
   

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That's it for part 1, come back tomorrow for part 2!