Walk Around Reykjavik on a
Winter’s Day Trip
Known as the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state, Reykjavík is the largest city of
Iceland, located in southwestern Iceland, on the
southern shore of Faxa Bay. Believed to be the first permanent settlement in
Iceland, Reykjavik is the heart of everything: from cultural, business, and of
course, tourism – and, there’s really much to explore! And will it be a good
idea to roam around, if there’s an endless acre of snow? When the air turns
thin and cold, we all know that it’s winter season --- but but but, this does
not stop Iceland from professing a great deal of photo envy vibe within
Reykjavík alone. The colorful rooftops
line and the northern seashore of Reykjavík makes everything here really
stunning – you have to walk around and see it for yourself!
Reykjavik has 10 districts, Miðborg being the District 2, which is the actual city centre;
although, most of the main sights to reconnoiter are scattered around
Reykjavik. Of course, there are the absolute must see places like the Hallgrímskirkja — the largest church in Iceland, the Laugavegur – the oldest shopping
street in Iceland, the Tjörnin -
prominent lake in central Reykjavík, and the Harpa - basalt landscape inspired concert hall in Iceland. Everything is walkable and doable, even
oldies and senior citizens would find it easy to do so, and you really don’t
need to rent a car to see majority of the places here in Reykjavik. Word of caution though: as it is winter
time, it might be a bit uncomfortable to walk around with three to four layers
of winter wear, but I personally wouldn’t mind at all. Especially if it’s your
first time seeing Reykjavik and you only have a few days or weeks to spare.
And, because the beautiful picturesque places are surely worth the temporary
small inconvenience. Plus, this is a good excuse to really slow down the
walking and enjoy the sights to see! Also, this is a good prep for you, once
you start chasing the Northern Lights!
Now of course, if you are interested to know about the best Iceland
winter day trips and tours from Reykjavik, there are so many to choose from.
While some tours have a limit on age (young children / old folks), there are
other tours that require people to be quite fit, offering adventure. Northern Lights, Ice Cave Tours, Glacier
Walks, White Whale Watching Tours, The Golden Circle, Silfra Snorkelling tour
are some of the ultimate best tours that you can take from Reykjavik, either
via a bus tour or by renting your own car and doing a self-drive day trip from
Reykjavik in winter. I only had the chance to try a few of these, but I
personally would like to go back and try the Silfra Snorkelling and the
Thrihnukagigur Volcano Tour. Imagine
going INSIDE a volcano? Or having the chance to snorkel between two continents?
Only in Iceland!
With so much creativity and soul to see in Reykjavik alone, it will be
unfair to spend only a day or two walking around and exploring the city.
Especially during winter, where there are seasonal activities and festivities,
it’s best to give yourself a really good time and do several winter day trips
discovering this quirky city.
From Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik City Center
Winter seems to be a thrilling
time to be in Reykjavik – this is a basic code of
reality if you have been living in a tropical city in South East Asia like me!
There’s something about this puzzling bone-chilling snowy weather that makes
every scenery snap into this gleaming out of this world kind of reverie, one
that is not so painful to look at!
Reykjavik draws spectators and participants from around the world who would
want to experience a distinctive kind of winter, one that is blanketed in full
winter white color – this is a fact, seeing the sample size of people we
encountered when we landed at the Keflavik
Airport, Iceland’s largest airport and the country's
main hub for international transportation.
The good thing about not expecting anything is that you somehow get to
be blown away by something, do you agree? Most likely because I lacked caffeine
that morning, but before we reached the Keflavik Airport, I was distracted by this
Icelandic baby and his Snow White looking mother sitting beside me in the plane
on our way to Iceland. It felt
as if they were fresh out of an IG story and they were making every one of us
sitting beside them go “ooohhh” and “aaaahhh” because of them. They were far
from annoying, in fact, they were the complete opposite. Spell adorable? So
much so, that I forgot to read the planned map of places and the itinerary for
that half day and thus, fully forgetting my expectations about Iceland. Good
thing, it turned out that way! Good thing, it was a lesson learned! Not only
was the Keflavík International Airport one of the nicest international airports
I’ve been to in the Nordic area, it also was a surprise to me to be one of the
busiest. As a matter of fact, did you
know that the Keflavík International Airport is the fifth-busiest airport in
the Nordic countries by total passengers?
Not to confuse you, this Keflavik airport is almost exclusively used for
international flights; most domestic flights use Reykjavík Airport, which lies
3 km from Reykjavík's city centre, although seasonal flights from Akureyri fly
to Keflavík. The Keflavik airport itself is quite impressive, with shops,
cafes, restaurants, and car rentals available. Care to buy some Icelandic
Skincare (Blue Lagoon)? Or maybe some
Icelandic Design and Handicrafts (Rammagerdin – Iceland Gift Store)? Or perhaps
something to eat at the Mathus, Nord or Pure Food Hall? I decided to get a
refreshing juice and some delicious sandwich option at the Joe and the Juice,
which is the best seller place during that particular morning! I also decided
to choose that after seeing the mom and Instagram Icelandic baby was also
relaxing at that place. Do as the locals do, right? Lol.
As the worldly passengers swift by and my people-watching slowly come
into full circle, I decided to search for some take away at the nearest
convenience store, before heading to the Reykjavik City Center. It’s around an hour away travel time from
the Keflavik Airport to the Reykjavik City Center. (A different route if
you want to go from the Keflavik Airport to the Blue Lagoon.) There are four options to go and choose from. You can either rent a
car, which I think is one of the best options; just have to have your valid
driving license with you. Another option is to take a public bus, which is the cheapest option – Bus 55, final
stop is the BSI Umferðarmiðstöðin, which is the city’s main bus terminal. This
is the most common option for travelers and locals, so expect a flock of people
here as well! Also, you can take a
FlyBus or a Grayline bus, which is slightly more expensive, but convenient
since they will drop you off at your hotel / hostel doorstep. And of course,
the last and most expensive one – a mini-bus or shuttle (no taxi!), which you
can inquire at the Tourist Information Center inside the airport.
So yes, if you are interested to see what it’s like to travel into one
of the coolest (pun intended) places on earth: from Keflavik Airport to
Reykjavik City Center, your immersive Icelandic introduction starts the minute
you land and see the cultural commotion happening in the airport! Here are some
photos to prove my point, isn’t the airport nice-looking too? #WheninKEF
Plants that You Can Give on Birthdays
To celebrate someone’s
special day, plants are a great and ideal present to give. Just like any flower
bouquets, the gift of plants is also available for delivery to any birthday
celebration. The advantage when choosing plants as birthday present is that it
is good to last for a long while when properly cared and grown at home or in
any space. The florist like Little Flower Hut offers the best varieties of plants that
you can give on birthdays. Here are the most popular ones:
Orchids
Orchids are available in
different species and hybrids, as well as in a variety of colors and patterns.
The Orchid plants can be a gorgeous and stunning birthday gift you can give the
celebrant to show admiration and love. You can also send a florist
delivery to tell the celebrant how much you admire her unique beauty and
character.
Amaryllis
The plant of Amaryllis
is a beautiful gift on birthdays. You can send this flowering plant through the
florist in a beautiful box or can or pot. It is best to choose a decorative
planter for this gift to make the plant not just a lovely present on birthday
but also a pretty decorative item at home or in any space in the office.
Roses
If you want to give her
a hand bouquet of Roses every day or a single stem of Rose, why not give her a
Rose plant this time. The plant is easy to grow at home, and when properly
cared for, it can give her blooms of beautiful Roses most of the time. You can
choose different colors of Roses or her favorite color.
Lavender
Lavender plants are easy
to grow and nurture at home. They provide a relaxing and calming scent that
spreads throughout the room. The stunning appearance of the flower is also a
gift that she will enjoy for a long while. The online florist offers this plant in a variety of cans and
pots that are great as birthday present.
Bamboo
Bamboo plants are great
as birthday gift because they are believed to bring peace and luck to the
celebrant. The flower shop has Bamboo plants in different sizes and
arrangements in beautiful presentation. A delivery of flowering plants is
a great way to bring a smile to the celebrant’s face as he or she celebrates
the special day.
GUEST POST AUTHOR
Cindy LFH - Cindy
is a writer that currently work for LFH. Besides writing for lifestyle and
flower topic, she is a sucker for good romance novel. Cindy enjoy a quiet
evening with a great book on her side and fly away with her imagination.
****
[SINGAPORE TRAVEL] Read the rest of Explore Singapore
Travel Blog Series:
Iceland
Travel For the Very First Time
Hey, you guys, quick survey: Has anyone of you
seen the latest Netflix hit: Lost in Space? Are you a fan of
Netflix’s Lost in Space? Oh yes to you, two thumbs up, right? I recently got
hooked on this Netflix-and-Chill series, and whenever I watch the Robinson
family harrow through the icy and treacherous highlands of an unidentified lost
planet, I find myself daydreaming about my equally out of this world kind of travel experience: ICELAND.
While I’ve heard that they are developing some rocket ship of some sort that
will allow us to reach Mars and hopefully other inhabitable planets, I suppose
Iceland is the next best thing, if you are looking for that otherworldly
experience. Needless to say, you can only visualize how much thrilled I am to
be sharing this to you guys! FINALLY! After months (which felt like years) of
anticipation, I can share this travel series to you! My much awaited and truly
one-for-the-books travel escapades to this top dazzling bucket list worthy
place known as Iceland.
Never in
a million dreams have I fantasized about traveling to Iceland, when I was a kid.
It’s just not something a stereotypical middle-class Filipino kid would dream
of. It’s not in our cards; it’s never a given. And much like my beloved home
country, the Philippines, once you live
in such diversely distinctive paradise, full of exotic landscapes and rich
floras and faunas, you tend to never even feel the courage to imagine of a
place better than what you have. Besides, we have gotten to know that “it’s more fun in the Philippines”; and
it sure still is. Nonetheless, flash forward to two decades and a thousand
travel misadventures after, I have finally set foot in this Nordic island
country in the North Atlantic, which is the most sparsely populated country in
Europe. I immediately understood why
everyone is instantaneously hypnotized by the
beauty of Iceland. The
gods must have spent a little more time beautifying this volcanically and
geologically active island – it’s so damn gorgeous! If Philippines wasn’t
on my list, this tops any must-go-must-visit life bucket list.
Iceland’s
is mostly sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, with most of the
archipelago having a tundra climate. If you are like me, who prefers outdoors over
the stereotypical city lights and structured concrete puzzles known as
skyscrapers, you’ll be awed by how Reykjavik, the largest city and
capital of Iceland, meekly compliments well with the rest of the archipelagoes
natural landscapes. It feels out of this world, the beauty and all. The
geology, climate, and biodiversity shows well in how the Icelandic cuisine,
literature, arts, cultures, and most importantly travel preference are
highlighted. I have never found a place in Northern Europe that is as comfortable,
casual, and approachable as the people here – they appreciate new blood who
appreciate their country.
While I still try to find my way on how to
visit Mars in this lifetime, I would be
very happy to go back to Iceland tomorrow, next week, or several times soon.
Lol. But for now, it’s time to join me as we sightsee around Iceland,
through the upcoming visual posts on every possible crook and crevice you can
perceive, all thanks to my inner Lost-In-Space-Infinity-Wars avenging eyes of
wonder. #SomeoneJustWatchedAvengers #LostInSpace #AstronautGoals
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