Iceland, Wembley and Helsinki: a tale of a northern winter

[Denali]

That Saga leg room, or lack of, is disappointing.

What did you think about the Skyr?

 

[Justinf]

That Saga leg room, or lack of, is disappointing.

What did you think about the Skyr?

I didn't try Skyr. I should have. I tried fermented shark and Black Death though. Coming up soon.
Legroom was OK, but not great. I'm 6'1" and found it to be adequate, plus the price of the fare was very reasonable.

 

[Justinf]

As the minutes ticked by we were approaching Iceland.
One thing that was good about this flight was that there was wifi and it was free for Saga Class passengers. The speed was excellent.
The aircraft was a Boeing 767. It was showing its age.
Up until a week before I got there, Iceland had barely had any snow. Temperatures were very mild approaching 10 degrees, but thankfully I arrived to a white, chilly wonderland.



We were looking at landing on time at Keflavik at around 3.30pm.
The scenery started to change dramatically and I was now getting quite excited, and it wasn't just because of the cold cans of Gull.






Geothermal plants. All of Iceland's hot water comes naturally from underground.

 

[tgh]

Very timely report Justin ,thanks…
Just booked cdg>kef in Saga , captive market = Red hot price

 

[Justinf]

Pretty soon we were on solid ground.









No aerobridge for us.
All passengers were required to make a short walk to a bus which would then shuttle us to the terminal.
Saga Class passengers were off first, but of course we had to wait until the bus was filled to the max.
Immigration asked me quite a few questions, but eventually I was allowed into Iceland.
Bag came out quickly and then it was off to the prebooked bus.
Keflavik airport is 45 minutes from Reykjavik itself.
Once again it was onto the bus which didn't leave until every seat was taken.
The drive took longer than 45 minutes as we had a couple of stops along the way.
The bus only took us as far as the main BSI bus station.
We then had to get onto separate minibuses which would then ferry us to our designated stops.
To be honest, it was all a pain in the cough. I'd spent 48 hours door to door and was not in the mood for it.
As the hotel I was staying at was in a car-free zone, I was dropped off only a short walk away.
I checked into the City Center Hotel at around 5pm.

 

[Justinf]

Very timely report Justin ,thanks…
Just booked cdg>kef in Saga , captive market = Red hot price

I paid about AUS$650 return, which for a flight that is nearly as long as MEL-PER, I thought it was reasonable value. Even if just for the Aer Lingus lounge access and the nice food.

 

[Denali]

.....
We then had to get onto separate minibuses which would then ferry us to our designated stops.
To be honest, it was all a pain in the ****. I'd spent 48 hours door to door and was not in the mood for it.
As the hotel I was staying at was in a car-free zone, I was dropped off only a short walk away.
I checked into the City Center Hotel at around 5pm.

Yep, I already have a driver that will pickup/deliver to our door as Im not trudging from bus stop to our accom.

Im sad that the nations airline doesnt pay for aerobridge as most Ive read have them using the remote, stairs and bus - whats up with that IcelandAir! ?

Did you get rental wifi at Trawire?

 

[Justinf]

Yep, I already have a driver that will pickup/deliver to our door as Im not trudging from bus stop to our accom.

Im sad that the nations airline doesnt pay for aerobridge as most Ive read have them using the remote, stairs and bus - whats up with that IcelandAir! ?

Did you get rental wifi at Trawire?

Nope. I bought a SIM card from SIMcorner for $38 with 12GB of data on it.
Also free wifi is everywhere in Iceland.

 

[ozjuice]

What a shame you couldn't have seen the game in our shiney new stadium. Maybe next time. I've made plans to get there next year.

 

[Justinf]

The hotel room was very small and facing the party strip street. It was Saturday night and I had heard stories of music and yelling and vomitting until all hours on weekends. I was confident that a combination of earplugs, jetlag and more Gull would defeat that.
Please forgive the untidy state of my room. I had literally tossed everything out looking for something.





Literally across the street from the Drunk Rabbit.






There were literally (I have used this word three times in this post already) five bars within 80 metres of my hotel.
I found the best to be the one right next door, called the American Bar.
It was happy hour there (4pm to 7pm) so ventured across for a few pints of Gull (800KR) before calling it a night.
Ummmm, you did sign up to this thread for goofy selfies right?



It had been pretty much (not literally) 48 hours door to door. I woke once just before 5am and the doof doof and yelling was for all to hear. Fortunately I was so tired and my earplugs worked so well, that I feel back to sleep almost immediately and didn't wake until around noon.
It had been one heck of a journey.

 

[Justinf]

I had the afternoon free in town, but I had a 5pm beer walking tour booked.
The tour was booked with Wake up Reykjavik. I cannot recommend them highly enough.Super responsive to questions and very hip and friendly.
Unfortunately the shower in my room was pretty ordinary. I had to keep fiddling with the hot water every 30 seconds or so. Also that rotten egg smell of the sulphuric water was a bit off putting.
Out into the light of day to explore this beautiful little city on foot.
It was chilly out, about minus 4, but no wind, so if you dress right, it's quite OK.







The beautiful Hallgrímskirkja.

 

[Justinf]

I walked around quite a bit, but also made a stop at Bonus supermarket. When you go to Iceland, you will spend a bit of time at these places. I stocked up on sandwiches and ready-made meals like tortellini pasta and curries.
Unfortunately I didn't realise I didn't have a microwave in my room. I ended up having to eat them cold. Make sure your room at the very least has a microwave in it if you come here. I bought four meals and two big sandwiches for about $35.
One thing I did before leaving Keflavik airport was stock up on duty free booze. It's very cheap. You are allowed 6 'units' per person. So 6 units equals 1 bottle of 700ml spirits and 12 cans of 500ml beer. I bought my entire limit, which proved to be a mistake as I barely touched it.
I also ventured to a mostly frozen lake. Geese were loving it. Some people were walking on the frozen lake, but at 90kg I didn't think it was wise that I follow suit.







Back to the room for a can of Viking.



My beer tour was for 5pm and I was to meet at the arts centre, a 10 minute walk away.
It was small group. Our tour guide Geirny (easy to pronounce as she said 'I don't have a bad knee, I have a good knee'), two American women and a German man and myself.
We went to several different pubs and Geirny explained about Iceland's beer culture.
Beer was prohibited in Iceland until 1989.
In fact alcohol was prohibited very early on, but the Spanish refused to buy Iceland's fish if Iceland wasn't going to buy any Spanish wine.
So Iceland made wine legal.
Spirits also became legal.
In Iceland you can buy 2.25% alcohol beer from supermarkets. Icelanders consider this 'nonaolcoholic' whereas we would just consider it a light beer. You can only buy proper booze at the state run liquor stores called Vínbúdin, which aren't open on Sundays.
Anyway, locals got around the no beer thing by ordering a pint of the 2.25% beer and having a shot or two of vodka in it. Hey presto! Full strength beer. But that was soon criminalised as well.
In the end the beer ban was lifted in 1989 and since then, the craft brew scene has thrived.
Here's our tour party and a pic of myself and Geirny.





At the first pub we had the chance to try fermented shark. None of the others were game to do it. Why you wouldn't at least try, I don't know.
I gave it a go.
This was before I took the plunge.



The smell was rancid, the texture rubbery and the taste unpleasant but not awfully so.
The trick is to follow it with a shot of Brennivín, the local Icelandic spirit, also known as Black Death. It tastes a lot like vodka.
Here's me after the shot.



The tour was expensive at around $150, but we didn't go thirsty (drinks included), it lasted three hours and we got some hot bar snacks as well.
I'd highly recommend it, even if I did walk home a little 'merry'.
The company is Wake up Reykjavik.

 

[Justinf]

Up early the following nursing a small hangover, but nothing I couldn't handle.
Had a Golden Circle tour booked for today. Tour started at 9am but pick up was anytime from 8.30am onwards.
My pick up spot was Bus Stop 1 which is near the city hall and only a couple of minutes' walk from my hotel.
So many tour companies and so many people milling around. As soon as a bus pulled up they are all scrambling for the door. Just sit back and wait until the driver gets out and calls your name people. It's not that hard. Also, if you are travelling with Geoiceland for example and the bus has Gray Line written all over it, then chances are it's not your coughing bus.
Rant over.
Today I was on a 'small group Gold Circle tour'. I booked with Wake up Reykjavik, but it was operated by their mother company Geoiceland.
the bus seats 20 people and today there were nine on the bus, so a small group.
Our tour guide wasn't great to be blunt. She did her job but didn't interact with any of us and give limited information. She basically acted as a bus driver, not a tour guide.
Today we would be seeing

• Gullfoss Waterfall
• Thingvellir National Park
• Geysir Erupting Geothermal area
• Hveragerdi Earthquake town
• Faxi Waterfall

It was a long day with a LOT of driving and sitting on the bus. The bus had free wifi which was a bonus.
First stop was the Hveragerdi Earthquake town, which was little more than a coffee and toilet stop. It had a miniscule display on earthquakes and was totally uninteresting. I think it was just an excuse to spend money at the bakery.
Our first proper stop was something that wasn't mentioned on the website at all, Kerið crater lake.
I would imagine this place is stunning in summer with all the colours, but with a white blanket enveloping the entire site, it was honestly a bit meh. Sorry to sound like a negative nancy, but just telling it as I saw it.





Our next stop was the geysir, which 'erupts' every 10 minutes or so.
It was quite crowded. I was surprised at how many tourists there were at this time of year.
Again, without wishing to sound negative, it was a bit meh. The eruption was not that impressive, nor were the surrounds that enticing. Still, it was OK to see.
I didn't manage to capture the geysir erupting but I did video it. Unfortunately whenever I try to load it, it turns upside down.

 

[Justinf]

Hopefully that video works.

And this one.

 

[Justinf]

This was also our lunch stop.
There were three options. A restaurant, a fast food place and a soup place.
I chose the 'cheap' option and had a small bowl of soup for $13.
Thankfully the afternoon's sightseeing got much better.

Our next stop was Gullfoss waterfall and it was stunning.

 

[Daver6]

I didn't manage to capture the geysir erupting but I did video it. Unfortunately whenever I try to load it, it turns upside down.

Suspect your camera is still in southern hemisphere mode

 

[Denali]

Ive decided the fermented shark stuff is what giving vegemite to tourist is like for us. We will not be partaking.

 

[Justinf]

Sorry a bit confused uploading pics.

Anyway, the waterfall was stunning and powerful. Well worth the time to explore.
Our final stop was Thingvellir National Park. It was very cold here as it was in the mountains. I think it was around minus 9.
But it was beautiful.













Before too long it was back on the bus and back to town. We got in at 5.30pm, which meant I had 90 minutes for happy hour and a cold bowl of tortellini carbonara when I got back to the room.




The Golden Circle is something you have to do. I didn't care much for the geysir and the crater lake, but loved the waterfall and the national park.

 

[Justinf]

Ive decided the fermented shark stuff is what giving vegemite to tourist is like for us. We will not be partaking.

Oh try it once. It's not that bad.

 

[Justinf]

Oh and this is where the first ever parliament occurred in Iceland. In the middle of nowhere.