Reykjavik (Iceland)

...edge of the Arctic Circle, Reykjavik sits on the south west coast of Iceland, oh so many miles north of Scotland in the north Atlantic Ocean. It is rapidly increasing in size, mostly from people migrating here from other parts of the country. Iceland is very sparsely populated, two thirds of a total of only 300,000 Icelanders live in the Reykjavik area. This was one of the most striking aspects of our visit to me, the fact that there are just so ...
...The mountains and hills around Reykjavik make for a dramatic backdrop - in particular the mountainous island Videy which sits over the harbour of slate grey water, which received a dusting of snow part way through our visit just to add to the drama. You don't have to go too far out of the city to experience the volcanic landscape of Iceland: Geysir (where you can see the geyser from which all other geysers take their name), the dramatic Gullfoss ... more

Intro
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I have just returned from a family holiday in Reykjavik, the most northerly capital in the world. No one in our family is suited to the heat and we are not drawn by beach holidays. We were attracted by the reported beauty of the city and Iceland promised adventure with its volcanic landscape, geysers and waterfalls, puffins and whales. We were not disappointed and we left keen to return and explore more of this beautiful country.

The City
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Perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle, Reykjavik sits on the south west coast of Iceland, oh so many miles north of Scotland in the north Atlantic Ocean. It is rapidly increasing in size, mostly from people migrating here from other parts of the country. Iceland is very sparsely populated, two thirds of a total of only 300,000 Icelanders live in the Reykjavik area. This was one of the most striking aspects of our visit to me, the fact that there are just so few people. October is certainly not the peak of the tourist season, either, and so we never had to queue at all and sometimes had the café or the viewing platform or even the museum to ourselves! It really was refreshing to take a break from the crowds of our busy little island, especially as on a daily basis I'm either fighting for a seat on a commuter train into London, struggling for air on the hot and overcrowded Tube, or following the swarm of mums, kids and siblings on the frenzied school run.

The city has gained a reputation for cool with those long, long Summer nights being the perfect opportunity to party pretty much all night at the ever more common and ever more cool bars and clubs. I would love to tell you how deserved this reputation is, but with a 3 year old and a 7 year old in tow, we didn't have the opportunity to test it out. The most I can say is that we went into one bar on Laugevegur (the main shopping street and centre of the nightlife scene) to use their loo when my 3 year old got caught short and there were 2 themed bars downstairs that were totally cool. One was set up like a prison, with bars separating the 3 or 4 dark wooden tables, with elaborate dark wooden chairs, chandeliers and flock wall paper, the other one was all white plastic and 70's kitsch. I understand that the prices for booze are quite high, so come prepared!

Icelanders have a very strong sense of their Viking and Celtic heritage and are proud of their relatively short history. The first settlers came to Iceland in the 9th century from Norway, attracted by free land. The harsh conditions must have been quite something for early settlers and as a nation they are self-dependent and tend to pull together for the common good - oh how far this is from our own competitive nation driven by self-interest. You can get a real feel for the nation's settlement and history from the National Museum and the Settlement Exhibition (more on this below).

The mountains and hills around Reykjavik make for a dramatic backdrop - in particular the mountainous island Videy which sits over the harbour of slate grey water, which received a dusting of snow part way through our visit just to add to the drama. You don't have to go too far out of the city to experience the volcanic landscape of Iceland: Geysir (where you can see the geyser from which all other geysers take their name), the dramatic Gullfoss waterfall and Pingvellir National Park are all accessible from Reykjavik on a day trip.

For those more active amongst you there is plenty to do here from whale watching to fishing, hiking to horse riding, and, very popular amongst Icelanders, swimming in outdoor geo-thermally heated outdoor pools, the most famous of which is The Blue Lagoon, 40 minutes outside of Reykjavik and possibly Iceland's most famous attraction.

The Highlights
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~~~Hallgrimskirkja~~~
This modern, concrete, Lutheran cathedral, with its tall main tower, resembles a space rocket taking off, or probably more appropriately, a volcano erupting. It sits on a hill in the heart of Reykjavik and so as well as providing a useful ever visible landmark so that you always know where you are, it affords excellent views over the city. You can pay to go up in the lift to a viewing platform in the bell tower. The day we went, we arrived as soon as it opened and were the only people there. It's a great place to start any visit to Reykjavik as it gives you a sense of the geography of the city and an overall view of how attractive it is. The cathedral has a superb organ, so if you visit, don't forget to go into the church and then turn around and look above the entrance you've just walked through - I've never seen an organ like it (?!). We were lucky enough to see the organist practising on it, but had to make a swift exit when my 3 year old comment that 'he has a funny face'. Kids!

Just outside is a superb statue of explorer Leifr Eiriksson the first discoverer of America, in an iconic Viking pose - axe in one hand, cross clutched to his chest in the other, standing at the prow of his ship. Superb.

~~~Whale Watching~~~
October is a little late in the season for seeing whales in Faxafloi bay, but we were determined to give it a try. There are two main companies that operate tours from the harbour in Reykjavik and you pay a serious 4000Kr (£38ish) each for the trip (and half of that for children of 7 and over). We didn't see the Minke whales that were spotted - by the time we were looking in the right direction, they'd dived never to be seen again, but we did see a group of White Beaked dolphins who raced alongside the boat. This made the trip totally worth it. I'd like to say that the kids enjoyed it, but the youngest slept for almost all the trip and the eldest suffered with sea sickness, as did quite a few other kids on the boat. We'd picked a pretty still and sunny day considering the time of year, so it would be well worth considering this before taking your kids on the trip.

~~~The Saga Museum, National Museum and Settlement Exhibition~~~
The Saga Museum is set in the sci-fi style building south of the city centre which houses tanks of thermal water that supplies the city. The museum is made up of a series of wax works, each depicting a famous character, or famous moment in Icelandic history. The waxworks are truly lifelike and some of the scenes were disturbing for the kids (particularly the Viking woman holding a sword to her bare breast as she stands over her man who's just been killed by a stone to the head by native Americans). It won't take you long to get round the museum, but when you do, there's a very interesting film playing on a loop that shows the making of the museum and its waxworks. It's walking distance from the BSI bus station, but probably a bus ride from the centre of town, especially if you've got young kids in tow. Pick up a bus map from one of the tourist info centres in Austerstraeti or Laugevegur - the number 18 goes closest.

The National Museum has only recently opened after a major renovation. It's a really interesting, well thought out and laid out place, split of 2 main floors. The first floor covers the history of Iceland from the Settlement to the 17th Century, with lots of interesting artefacts displayed alongside words that explain what they tell us about life in Iceland at that time. The second floor takes you up to the modern day. There are 2 rooms aimed at kids on the first floor, with lots of hands on puzzles and clothes to try on.

The Settlement Exhibition centres around the excavated ruins of a Viking long house. It is situated in its own purpose built hall under Aoalstraeti in the heart of the old town. The walls around the ruin are given over to images of the surrounding area as it would have looked in the time that the long house was in use. A very interesting visit. Again, plenty of nicely laid out information and another very recently opened museum.

~~~The Blue Lagoon~~~
The Blue Lagoon is to Reykjavik what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris - it is probably the most commonly recognised Icelandic attraction (and features in my son's superb Usborne Great World Search book). This outdoor, geo thermally heated pool is situated amongst the lava fields 40 minutes drive outside of Reykjavik, close by to Keflavik airport - in fact many people choose to tie their visit into their arrival at or departure from Iceland. The pool is fed by the subterranean thermal sea water that also explain the power plant next door and is deliciously warm, milky-blue water, apparently very good for your skin, but from experience, very bad for your hair given the high mineral content - you'll need to give it a really good wash and condition afterwards. It is quite an experience to visit here, with the cold air whipping around your ears, but the salty warm water making you feel very relaxed, particularly as it is very easy to float in! The Blue Lagoon has only this year finished it's expansion and I must say that the facilities are immaculate, a real pleasure to use. The pool itself is quite big, but once more, though this was the busiest place we visited, it was still not that crowded compared to tourist attractions in most other countries!

~~~The Golden Circle~~~
You can take a day trip out of Reykjavik to the Geysir, Gullfoss and the National Park Pingvellir. I would strongly recommend you make the effort (and pay the price) to do this if you visit the city, as it gives you a real insight into the raw natural beauty of this country. Despite the drive, it was a really engaging day for the kids, being able to get so close to a geyser, which after all is just like a giant, natural jack in the box, and to a waterfall. In Europe or the States, these sights would have barriers to keep you well away from them, turning them from natural phenomena to tourist attractions. Not so, Iceland. It's as well to remember this with small children in tow!

Overall
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I would not hesitate to recommend visiting Reykjavik, particularly if you want to avoid tourist traps and crowds. The landscape is weird and beautiful all at once, unlike anywhere I've ever been before.

The main drawback to the place is the price. It is understandable that prices here are higher - with such a small population nothing here has a very big market to drive costs down. I would urge you not to visit and complain about it, but to plan your visit, choosing where you stay and how you eat carefully, or keep it to a long weekend if you want to limit your spending. You could see all the highlights above in one long weekend.

The weather is also for the hardy. Clearly, the summers would be milder, but during our October visit it was basically cold rain and wind punctuated by some small pockets of sunshine. Go prepared with the right gear and you won't be too uncomfortable.

The city is not child friendly in the conventional way we think of in the West (children's menus in restaurants, museums aimed at children, theme parks), but the lack of people is a major bonus when you've got small kids and it means that they can look around places without you having to hold onto them at all times and worry about them disappearing in the crowd. Most attractions are free for kids under 11, which saves on expense. Kids also hate queues (we saw none of those here) and long flights (only 3 hours from Gatwick to Keflavik)! If your kids love adventure, exploring, swimming, well there is plenty of opportunity for this in Iceland.

For me a great trip is one that sends you home with your perspective slightly changed, and this one did. It woke up my senses (how could swimming outside in 5 degrees not?) and shook me out of my sedentary life of trains and office work and reminded me how it feels to be alive. I learned loads about the geology of the area and about Viking history and I'm even thinking differently about the British weather - as our guest house owner said, we Brits are always complaining about our weather because we're looking at Spain with envy. The Icelanders look to Britain with envy and I have to say, this October seems tropical to me now we've returned!!

Useful Info
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http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/ iceland Lonely Planet Guide
http://www.bluelagoon.com/ The Blue Lagoon
http://www.re.is - Reykjavik Excursions for the Fly Bus and day trips out of Reykjavik
http://www.goiceland.org Iceland Tourist Board site 

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