Iceland > Walking tour through Reykjavik

The last day in the north has arrived. I pack my suitcase, have breakfast, and head to the bus. Around 9:00, we say goodbye at the hotel and drive back to the airport. Since the bus is running a bit early, it takes an extra round through Akureyri. Even with this detour, we arrive at the airport well before eleven. The plane is not scheduled to take off until 12:10. We fly again on a Fokker 50 towards Reykjavik.

Iceland - The town of Akureyri

The flight goes smoothly, and just under an hour later, we are back over the capital, Reykjavik. The plane makes a turn over the ocean to line up properly with the runway, giving me a view of the vast sea instead of the city. A shame! The bus quickly brings us back to the hotel. It turns out there haven’t been many guests; some rooms haven’t been cleaned since our departure. We are quickly assigned new rooms. For us, everything is fine—we have the same room, just one floor higher. In the afternoon, we have free time and explore the city on foot. We walk to Höfdi House. This is where Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986 for a special summit to discuss the end of the Cold War. I had always thought the house was in a remote location, but it turns out to be right in the city. Only when photographing towards the sea do the surrounding buildings disappear from view. We also visit Hallgrímskirkja from the inside. The interior is modern—not particularly remarkable, mainly made of concrete. What is impressive, however, is the church tower. We take a lift to the top. Normally there is an extra fee, but there is no one to receive our donation. On the sixth floor, we take the stairs to the highest platform. From here, we have a beautiful view over the city with its many colorful houses. It’s wise to plan the timing of the tower visit carefully, as the enormous bells also hang at this viewpoint. Well before the hour strikes, we are back downstairs.

Iceland - Hofdi House in Reykjavik famous for the ReaganGorbachev summit in 1986

We wander through Reykjavik and arrive at Tjörnin, the inner lake. Unlike at the beginning of the week, the lake is now mostly frozen. Ducks, geese, and swans gather around a hole in the ice and along the quay. Crossing the lake brings us back to the city center. After a cappuccino, we view Reykjavik’s oldest house, which is currently under renovation—actually, quite heavily restored, with the entire roof lifted and beams being replaced. We walk back to the hotel via the harbor. In the evening, we eat near the city center at a Thai restaurant (very Icelandic…). After dinner, we stroll along the quay back to the hotel. Faintly, the Northern Lights are visible, but there is too much light pollution around Reykjavik to really see them properly. Back at the hotel, we have a glass of wine, and around midnight, we go to bed.