And I don’t mean the frozen food supermarket.
Unfortunately she had to take the rest of the gang too and this meant she spent lots of time trying to stop unruly kids with Toilet Tourette’s from shouting “poo” (and worse) on tour busses, cleaning up seafood sick from beds in the middle of the night and repeatedly dressing and undressing her precious offspring in multiple layers of thermals, fleeces, coats, hats, buffs, gloves, socks and snow boots.
Despite this there is something completely captivating and magical about Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice. There are beautiful landscapes and unusual geological features, but something else as well, something that I can’t quite put my finger on, but which has captured a part of my heart and left me longing to return.
Reykjavík itself is… totally unique, quirky, vibrant, fun, historic, cultural, gastronomic, awe inspiring, expensive, diverse, colourful and EPIC! We absolutely loved it.
When we said we were going to Iceland people asked if we were all going -meaning were we taking the kids. I‘m guessing this is because it is seen as a relaxing grown up break with serene geothermal pools and calm spa treatments and no one wants kids ruining that kind of luxury. To be fair they have a point. However, a trip to Iceland is actually perfect for kids. It is super family friendly with loads to interest young enquiring minds; which kids don’t love snow, lava, volcanoes, stories of trolls and hidden people, puffins and vikings? And it was all worth it to hear the girl literally whooping with delight as the Aurora Borealis put on a fabulous show and danced across the sky. It was a family trip we will never forget.
We landed at Keflavik Airport mid afternoon and felt straight away that we had arrived somewhere we could relate to when there a was giant puffin crashing through the ceiling above the conveyor belt at baggage reclaim. “Auck!”
The landscape on the journey from the airport into Reykjavik is otherworldly; a volcanic area of great lava fields covered in green moss, it looks rough and more than a bit alien, rather reminiscent of the moon, with plumes of steam visible from the Blue Lagoon and nearby geothermal power plant.
On arrival we checked in to our accommodation – one of the Reykjavik Residence’s apartment-style hotel accommodations in the colorful heart of downtown Reykjavik. Ours was a spacious two bed apartment in the historic 1920’s “Publishing House” and it made the perfect base for our stay. You can read more about our accommodation here (coming soon).
We couldn’t wait and immediately headed out to explore. We were only a couple of blocks away from the waterfront and had spotted the gleaming Sun Voyager (Sólfarið) on our way in. The Sun Voyager is a striking steel sculpture by the sea and although it resembles a Viking long-ship, it actually serves as an ode to the sun. According to the sculptor’s vision, the piece is a vessel of dreams – a dream boat. In his own words, he says that the sculpture represents, “the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom.” Gracefully facing north across Faxaflói bay to the majestic snowy mountains beyond, Sun Voyager is in a fantastic spot for a photo opportunity and it is one of my favourite pictures from the whole trip.
It was a lovely walk from here along the seafront to the distinctive Harpa Concert Hall and the kids loved jumping on the rocks, like deranged rockhopper penguins, and constructing stone towers. Simple pleasures.
Our ultimate destination was the Old Harbour district, specifically Grandi Mathöll Food Hall, for some gourmet Icelandic street food.
Grandi Mathöll is an innovative street food hall located in a refurbished fish factory in the Grandi Harbour District of downtown Reykjavik. It features 8 artisanal food stands offering Icelandic fish and meat and street food from around the world. There is also wine and beer on tap. Long wooden communal tables enjoy views of the harbour and fishing boats and the relaxed vibe made it an ideal spot for a family meal.
One vendor, LAX, specialises in the genius combination of sparkling wine and seafood. Salmon is the main element; buried (cured), smoked and grilled, but they also offer other hot and cold seafood, according to the season. LAX also purveys a choice of sparkling wines, including Prosecco on tap. The boy insisted on fish and chose a huge seafood sharing platter of cured salmon and prawn skewers which was immense – in both size and quality (and price). We all got stuck in and it was perfect with a prosecco.
Fjárhúsið (The Sheephouse) specialises in Icelandic lamb and, wow, it was good. As well as a unique smoked lamb coming straight from a farm in Þistilfjörður in the North-East part of Iceland, they also sell sheep’s head, a delicacy here. We gave it a miss this time. However the lamb chops were some of the best I’ve ever eaten, ‘Addy enjoyed the succulent, tasty lamb burger and the girl had lamb in pitta. The chips deserve a special mention too, very moreish!
We loved having various different food options together in one hip place, there was something to please all the family. The food was top quality and prices were reasonable, by Icelandic standards.
The Harpa Concert Hall looked majestic, lit up in the dark, as we made our way back to our apartment.
It snowed overnight and we awoke to a covering over the city and much excitement from the kids.
Today was spent touring The Golden Circle by coach on an organised tour. We had decided against driving ourselves in the unpredictable and potentially dangerous winter conditions. The Golden Circle is the most popular tourist trail in Iceland and consists of stops at three equally spectacular locations in southwest Iceland: Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss waterfall. It is about 140 miles to drive the entire circular route and all three can be easily visited in a day from Reykjavik.
We travelled the Golden Circle clockwise from Reykjavik and Þingvellir (pronounced ‘Thingvellir’) was our first stop. It is Iceland’s first National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site too. Geologically significant, Þingvellir National Park is the meeting point of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are moving apart at the rate of about 2cm per year, and you can walk between the two.
Our coach dropped us outside the main visitor centre where you can get an amazing view across the valley and the lake, Þingvallavatn. You can then walk down Almannagjá gorge towards the culturally important site of the AlÞing, the oldest Parliament in the world, established in 930 and lasting until 1798, after which it moved to Reykjavik. Þingvellir translates as “the fields of parliament”.
Many of the trails here are on boardwalks or well maintained paths, some were icy but otherwise walking is easy.
Our second stop was at the Geysir Geothermal Area in the Haukadalur valley. Just across the road from the visitor centre is an area dotted with bubbling hot pools, and steaming fumaroles, and in parts the hills and soil are coloured vividly by the minerals in the earth. It’s rather surreal, but very cool.
The original Great Geysir used to erupt regularly but is now largely dormant. Luckily Strokkur has taken over and goes off every few minutes so we weren’t waiting long, which is perfect if your kids have short attention spans or are intent on yelling “Go!” at the top of their lungs every second or are more interested in throwing wayward snow balls. You can stand close to the bubbling pool and see if you can guess when it will erupt, you need to watch closely for the bulging blue dome the water makes before it suddenly shoots up into the air.
Gullfoss (Golden Falls) is one of Iceland’s most powerful waterfalls. Conveniently located a few minutes away from the Geysirs, Gullfoss made up the last stop on our Golden Circle tour. Again there is a large visitor centre and a series of boardwalks which take you to various viewpoints where you can admire the falls. Access to some paths are restricted in winter and we couldn’t get down to the lowest view point right on the edge of the falls, which was a shame. However seeing it partly frozen is mesmerising, it’s power is vast and the almost turquoise hue to the water and ice is stunning.
There is a monument by the lower view point to Sigríður Tómasdóttir (1874 – 1957). She was a local Icelandic woman who fought to help preserve the waterfall, protecting it from industrialisation when others wanted to develop a power plant on the site. She is widely seen as Iceland’s first environmentalist.
Our guide on the tour provided an insightful commentary along with stories from the Icelandic Sagas and interesting folk tales about elves, trolls and other “hidden folk”. The driver was thankfully experienced at driving in blizzards, wind and snow. It was an enjoyable tour with spectacular sights and we knew we had definitely taken the right decision not to self-drive as the snow came down and we powered past tourists in inadequate cars stuck by the roadside in the snow drifts. I wasn’t quite as smug as I may have been though, given that the boy was being outrageously ridiculous onboard our coach and his Toilet Tourette’s was uncontrollable.
Next morning we took a coach and headed back towards the airport to the Blue Lagoon. It is sometimes said that the Blue Lagoon is overly touristy and I was slightly worried that with all the hype it was going to be an anti-climax. However I needn’t have worried and we really loved our visit. If you are expecting an exclusive natural hot spring in picturesque mountain surroundings then you may be disappointed; this is Iceland’s most visited tourist attraction after all and has been named as one of the 25 wonders of the world by National Geographic. Plus it is located next to an industrial geothermal power plant and has been quite extensively developed in recent years. However the new buildings are low and in harmony with the surrounding landscape, using mostly natural building materials, such as wood and lava. It actually feels quite classy and, although busy during our visit in the middle of the day, it didn’t feel at all crowded. For me the rather stark, surreal and industrial nature of the surroundings is part of the other-worldly character of the place, after all the Blue Lagoon wouldn’t even be there if the power plant wasn’t, so it adds to the atmosphere and is actually part of what the Blue Lagoon is about.
We spent a few relaxing hours floating around in the warm water (the temperature varies but is around 38 degrees), enjoying the surreal black basaltic landscape, trying out the silica mud masks and enjoying a drink at the bar. Bliss.
One word of warning…the water plays total havoc with your hair so definitely tie it up if it is long and take the advice and slather it in leave-in conditioner (provided) before you go in.
It is also worth noting that it is mandatory for kids 8 and under to wear arm bands; my two are very proficient swimmers but the life guards were insistent. This is because the water is milky, not clear, and it would be impossible to see a child in difficulty under the water. The indignity of wearing the bands, something mine have never worn, somewhat “spoilt” their experience – my dramatic 8 year old cried, the boy whinged endlessly that they hampered his swimming – but rules are rules.
By now we were starving so headed back on the coach intending to find the famous Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, translated as “The best hot dog in town”. This is a popular hot dog stand in central Reykjavik, visited by various celebrities including Bill Clinton, Anthony Bourdain… and us. We ordered Ein með öllu – “one with everything” – which consisted of raw and fried onion, ketchup, remoulade (a type of sweet mayonnaise dressing), and sweet mustard. Actually one wasn’t enough so we had two each! They were good dirty dogs and a cheap option for food in an otherwise eye-wateringly expensive city.
For dessert we enjoyed waffles and Ástarpungar (AKA Love Balls), from Kaffibrennslan on Laugavegur, the main shopping street. A Love Ball is the Icelandic version of a doughnut, though they are completely spherical (ball shaped in fact) and do not have a hole in the center. Basically it is a slightly sweet, deep-fried ball of dough speckled with raisins and a hint of cardamom.
That evening we embarked on an another adventure, this time in search of the elusive Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). We set off pretty unhopeful given the cloud cover and weather conditions. As our experienced guide and light hunter told us, there are three things needed to see the Northern Lights, these being: solar winds, clear skies and darkness. The sky was overcast, however he seemed optimistic and as we drove south the skies cleared so we made a stop to see if we could see the lights. The pitch black sky was illuminated with the most incredible number of the brightest stars, but the lights eluded us.
We drove further south to the site of the “Miracle Church” on the south west coast. Here stands an archetypal little Icelandic church, unassuming and alone perched atop a hill, surrounded by a smattering of graves and looking out to sea. It is watched over by an Angel.
Strandarkirkja (“Coast church”) is located in Selvogur (Seal Cove) and was originally built in the 12th century. The story goes that one night a group of sailors were trying to navigate back to shore in a storm. The southern coast of Iceland is notorious for its hidden reefs and rough coast, the distressed sailors prayed to God for a safe return and vowed to build a church wherever they landed. When they ended their prayer an angel, seemingly made of light, appeared. The angel guided them through the waves and led them safely into a bay. The sailors kept their promise and built a wooden church at the site and named it Strandarkirkja. The bay nearby is named Engilsvík (Angel’s Bay) to commemorate the incident and there now stands a statue named Landsýn, or “Land in Sight”, next to Strandarkirkja to celebrate the story of the church’s founding.
Many miracles have been attributed to Strandarkirkja. I am almost sure we witnessed one as we watched a faint grey-green strip of light materialising across the sky. If that was all we had seen we would have been happy, if perhaps a little underwhelmed – it was a faint but perceptible sighting of the Northern Lights. Well the boy apparently couldn’t see them at all and thought they were “rubbish”, but the rest of us would have been happy. We got back on the coach ready to depart, but our guide sensed something and suggested we stay a little longer to see if the lights developed. They did.
We rushed outside again to witness full on flashes and swirls of green, pink and white light, all dancing together through the sky. I instantly understood the obsession with this phenomenon, it was quite emotional and people whooped with joy and amazement.
Our guide said later that they were the best Northern Lights display of the year and almost as good as they get. Wow, what an unforgettable experience.
Luckier than they know, the kids were asleep before we had even left the car park.
One day we’ll return to this special place to see it in the daytime and I hope they will remember it as the place we saw a spectacular display of the Northern Lights.
Our last day was spent recovering from our late night then some lovely pancakes for brunch, shopping and further exploration of the vibrant city.
First stop was Hallgrimskirkja, the Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church. This soaring modernist building took 41 years to build, with construction starting in 1945 and was not completed until 1986. It was designed to reflect Iceland’s natural environment – the rocks, mountains and glaciers that abound the landscape. The unusual stepped facade is an ode to Iceland’s basalt lava flows, in particular the basalt columns around Svartifoss waterfall and at Black Beach. The concrete building is somewhat stark, particularly against a cold grey sky but is undoubtedly unique and impressive. It looks completely different when viewed under a blue sky and almost gleams white in the sunshine. Whatever the weather it defines the skyline of the capital city and represents something that is truly Icelandic.
Inside it is minimalist and subdued but houses a beautiful pipe organ with 5,275 pipes, which stands 15m (49 ft.) tall and weighs 25 tonnes (27.5 tons).
The iconic church, at 74,5 meters (240 ft) high, is the tallest building in Iceland and we took the lift to the top of the building for great 360° panoramic views across the city.
Standing proudly in front of Hallgrimkirkja is a statue of Viking Leifur Eiriksson (c. 970 – c. 1020), now widely acknowledged to be the first European to discover America in 1,000 AD, around 500 years before Columbus.
Just down the hill from Hallgrimskirkja is groovy Braud & Co (Bread & Co), a fantastic bakery famed for its sourdough bread and fantastic pastries and where where you can watch the bakers at work. We stopped by for salty pretzels and vanilla pastries which were divine.
From here we headed to the area known as Old Reykjavík which includes Tjörnin lake, Alþingi (the Icelandic Parliament House) and an eccentric monument dedicated to Iceland’s faceless or “unknown bureaucrats”.
Next we visited The Settlement Exhibition – a fascinating archaeological museum that is based around a 10th-century Viking longhouse unearthed here in 2001 and other Settlement-Era finds from central Reykjavík. It imaginatively combines digital technology and archaeology to give a glimpse into early Icelandic life. It is contained within one room, set around an in-situ open excavation of the Viking longhouse, just below ground level. Discovered during building work, then carefully excavated, these remnants of the past are the earliest evidence of human settlement in the city. It was really enjoyable, very interactive and family friendly, including a small children’s activity area with Viking games and role play. It kept them engaged for ages.
We had enjoyed the Grandi Matholl food hall so much we returned for more, this time sampling the pizza from Skjaldbakan and fish & chips from Frystihúsið (The Freezing Plant). Freshly fried delicious chunks of fish, served in crispy batter and big portions, straight from the fishmarket located in the same building, they were great fish & chips. The girl had plaice, we had haddock.
We loved just walking round the atmospheric, colourful streets of Reykjavik, checking out the different architecture, sculptures and street art – some sanctioned and some not, but all of which is worth admiring. The kids loved searching out new examples on our journeys around the city.
The whole place exudes an aura of effortless Nordic cool; it is a city with real personality, despite the steely cold. It is difficult to imagine where might have spawned such eccentricities as the celebrated musician Björk or the ethereally beautiful Sigur Ros, or have a bar dedicated exclusively to The Big Lebowski, but that place could only be Reykjavik and it is perfectly unique.
We really didn’t want to leave this enchanting city, but had an early flight back home next morning. Iceland had certainly provided us with an utterly remarkable and memorable trip and has left us wanting more!
You can find further details of our trip and tips for planning your own here.
