Departure Day: The 1st Day in Reykjavik (27 June 2008)

Already on the flight AY 6833 (or in fact it is an Iceland Air flight), I got excited by stunning landscape of Iceland viewed from the aircraft window (thanks TT for choosing an excellent seat!). 

Kaflavik Airport is even smaller than Helsink-Vantaa Airport; the size makes it easy for me to find my way. When stepping in the Flybus which I bought the ticket in advance via the internet, I was asked which hotel I was going. This is because the Flybus has a service free of charge to bring passengers from the bus terminal to the hotels with which the company has an agreement. I just said the nearest one to my residence. However, there is no free thing that is good. It was a total chaos at the bus terminal which took a while to be sorted out. 

On the way from the airport, I called Kristin and she said that the guest room I would be staying for 4 nights was in the other building which is located more in the city center. This means that I had to drag my suitcase longer than I had planned from the hotel I informed the bus driver. Anyway, I arrived at the place which is an old building on Hafnarstraeti 16. After struggling with dragging my 19.9 kg suitcase up a steep staircase, I finally arrived at my room on the 3rd floor which is an attic. 

The weather was very nice the whole day, with clear blue sky and 14C.  I decided not to lose the nice weather for photo-shooting. I first went to Hallgrimkirkja (my aim was actually its tower). The exterior of the church is under renovation, unfortunately.   

From the church, I walked towards the city pond Tjörnin full of various kinds of birds, ducks and swans. There is a modern building of the City Hall by the pond (in my opinion, it doesn’t look as impressive as a town hall should be). On the way, I passed a park (I don't know the name) along Frikirkjuvegur on which many nice villas were located. Then, there came the National Gallery, which was unfortunately closed because it was already late evening, and the Frikirkjan church. 

It suddenly became chillier. When I arrived in the afternoon, I had only a long-sleeve t-shirt on. Then, for the walk around the city I put on my jacket. In the evening, two layers seemed not enough. So, I went back to the residence to wear one more layer. I met Sheryl, an Irish painter who seemed to be nice and friendly. 

I ended my first day in Reykjavik by walking to the Old Harbor. The scenery was more stunning than a capital city usually be. Old boats were also very cute.