Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark, RebeccaWanderlusting

In & Around Nyhavn, Copenhagen

On November 20, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Denmark, International Travel3 Comments

On my last day in Copenhagen, I started off bright and early to stuff as much in as possible. It seemed like it was only me and the street washers out as I wandered around the city. It was the perfect time to take photos, with the lack of crowds and the misty morning sunshine.

I decided to head to Nyhavn to have breakfast by the water. Boats were tied up along the canal, their sails still down from the night before. I walked up and down the streets that flanked the water, admiring the colorful buildings that lined each side.

I landed at Hyttefadet Pub for breakfast and got the Danish Brunch, which consisted of eggs (pass), bacon, bread, salami, cheese, jam, melon and coffee. At $15, it seemed like a good deal, and the coffee was good, but the food wasn’t really. My favorite thing about this café, and a lot of the other cafes in Copenhagen, is that they put blankets on the backs of the chairs in case you get cold, which adds a coziness to them.

I decided to give in and walk over to the Little Mermaid statue, which was almost a mile away. The walk took me along the water and it was a beautiful day, but there was a crowd of other people enjoying it with me. The walk took me past a bunch of Copenhagen’s finest attractions, including Amalienborg Palace, the Royal Cast Collection, and Gefion Fountain.

The Little Mermaid statue was swamped with people taking photos. I stood with the crowd, took my picture, shrugged, and walked back the way I came. Gefion Fountain held my attention much longer, with its beautiful sculpture of Gefjun, the Norse Goddess of abundance, and the picturesque church behind it.

The fountain was breathtaking, as was the scenery surrounding it, I could have happily sat there by the water all day. Unfortunately, I was low on time, so I moved on to Amalienborg Palace, home of the Danish Royal Family. The center of the Palace was a beautiful square containing a statue of King Frederik V and guards at every entrance. The guards wear black jackets and blue pants, their outfits topped with the same furry black hats as the British guards.

There is a museum in the palace with artifacts from the long history of Danish Royalty that I decided to check out since it was included with my Copenhagen Card. The museum showcased replicas of rooms within the palace filled with items owned by royal families past. My favorite part of the museum was the large glass cabinet of royal jewels, obviously, and would have been very happy to take any of those items home with me.

I wanted to stay to watch the changing of the guards, but it was still thirty minutes away and the crowds were wearing on me. I cut back through the square and walked over to Atelier September to get some lunch and a break from the overbearing throngs of tourists. The trendy café had a limited menu from which I ordered a lemonade and the avocado toast and has a seat by the window.

Natural light filled the room, highlighting the simple, tasteful décor; it was a nice place to hang out for a bit. The atmosphere was very chill, with the owner’s dog (I presume) wandering around, a black and white scruffy pup that I wanted to steal. The food was delightful and gave me just the boost of energy I needed to keep moving.

Stay tuned for the last blog in the Copenhagen series!

Have you spent time in Nyhavn? What did you think of the Little Mermaid statue?

Solo Trip Snapshots, Copenhagen, RebeccaWanderlusting

Evening Adventures in Copenhagen

On November 13, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Denmark, International Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Torvhallerne in Copenhagen is an outdoor and indoor market that sells everything from homemade beauty products to candy to full meals. I decided to head there for dinner from the SMK National Gallery to try one of the famed Danish open faced sandwiches, the Smørrebrød.

I chose a roast beef one from Hallernes Smørrebrød and went to sit outside in the sunshine to enjoy it. The sandwich had red onions, pickled cauliflower, and pickle pickles on top and it was delicious. It was a beautiful evening so it was nice to be sitting amongst the outdoor stalls with fresh flowers and fruit.

I wandered amongst the stalls after I ate, buying some homemade caramels and drooling over all of the bakeries. The market is a joy to wander through, with different stalls lining two buildings with even more stalls in between the two buildings. The market is beautiful and colorful and a definite must-see in the city, in my humble opinion.

I wanted to spend the evening in the downtown area to explore the cobblestone streets and window shop. Luckily for me, my random wanderings brought me to a bookstore/café I had wanted to check out: Paludan. The café’s walls are lined with color coordinated books, most of them for sale, and an extensive food and beverage menu.

Still full from dinner, I ordered a glass of rose and settled into their upstairs section to read. It was the perfect setting for it. I ended up staying for a couple of glasses of wine and a few chapters, feeling perfectly at home in the beautiful bibliophile’s paradise.

Once I finally left, I continued randomly wandering, admiring the architecture and turning down whatever streets looked appealing. I ran into the Round Tower, which was another attraction included with my Copenhagen Card, so I decided to check it out.

The best part of the Round Tower is the view from the top which is reached by way of the endless slanted, spiral hallway that leads there. It was a dizzying trip, especially after all that wine, but I arrived at the top as the sun was setting (for the second night in a row with a beautiful sunset view).

The platform at the top offered a 360 degree view, showing off the city in red gold light. Sitting on a bench, taking in this beautiful view, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be there. On the way down, I popped in the small gallery in the middle of the tower which used to be a library frequented by Hans Christian Andersen, but now features works of art. I bought a beautiful copy of his fairy tales for my niece and went on my way.

I was on the hunt for the perfect sidewalk café to get something sweet and a cup of coffee. After thirty minutes of wandering, I settled on Café Phønix for their perfect view of the fountain in the middle of the square and their chocolate fruit cake.

By the time I was done savoring the cake and coffee, it was full dark, and the street lights lit the way back to my hostel. It was another perfect night in Copenhagen.

What are your favorite solo travel activities?

Norrebro Neighborhood, Copenhagen, Denmark, RebeccaWanderlusting

Exploring the Norrebro Neighborhood

On November 9, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Denmark, International Travel1 Comment

I had read that the Norrebro Neighborhood was a fun, hip place to explore so I headed there on my second morning in Copenhagen. I took the 6A bus from downtown, which only took about fifteen minutes. When I got off at the stop that Google Maps had instructed me to, I was a little confused. There was nothing around. No shops, no cute cafes, just warehouses and residences.

I popped into a coffee shop for a latte and to take advantage of their free Wi-Fi. Of course I should have found more exact directions before I left the hostel and took the bus to an unfamiliar neighborhood, but I was too excited to get going to sit down and think about practical things. In the coffee shop, I discovered that the main hub of Norrebro was just a half mile walk away, so I headed in that direction.

I was instantly happy when I arrived in the neighborhood and immediately spotted a cute café, called Sebastopol, for more coffee and a bite to eat. I sat outside in the cobblestone square and people watched while I drank my coffee. This was exactly how I pictured I would spend my time in Copenhagen.

The women of this beautiful city make me want to throw my Ventra Card (public transportation in Chicago) in the river and buy a bike and some flowy dresses. The basket of bread and croissants I ordered (and finished off, I might add) was probably unnecessary, but I rationalized that it would give me the energy I needed to walk around. After I reluctantly peeled myself out of my comfy chair and paid my bill, I started to wander the neighborhood, popping into the very trendy clothing stores and thrift shops as I went.

The stores that I liked best were: Urban Room, a cut clothing and home goods store with beautiful posters and fancy undies, Mondo Kaos, which sold gorgeous vintage dresses with accessories to match, and Baan Suan, really beautiful and practical clothing and jewelry. There were plenty of others that were fun to browse through, but those were the ones that stand out to me.

In between the stores were plenty of cafes, bars, sweet shops and restaurants. Everyone I passed was super stylish and I was so glad I wore something decent that day. After hours of zigzagging through the neighborhood, I wound up at BRUS, a brewery/restaurant with craft beer and cocktails on tap.

I ordered the BRUS Cocktail (when in Rome…), which was a tastier, fancier gin and tonic. They had picnic tables set outside around the restaurant, which is where I sat to enjoy my drink and do some more people watching. The people of Copenhagen gave me some major fashion goals.

I decided to head to the SMK National Gallery from Norrebro, which had me wander back through the neighborhood one last time. My favorite thing about Norrebro is that wherever there was a free space along a wall, people had tables of antiques and used goods set up. It made exploring the neighborhood like a treasure hunt through an antique store.

Plus they had actual great antique stores throughout as well. The walk also took me along the three rectangular lakes in Copenhagen, named Sortedams So. It was a beautiful walk and I passed many other pedestrians and bikers and picnickers enjoying the beautiful day.

The museum itself was housed in a huge building with a sprawling lawn behind it and a pond in front. I arrived there in the late afternoon and the museum closed at 5pm, so I rushed in to see as much as possible. The entry was included in the Copenhagen Card, but my bag was deemed too big, so I had to store it in their cloak room. It was actually a relief not to have to carry that clunky thing around for a while.

I started at the top of the main building and work myself through the works of European Art from the 1300’s to the 1900’s. My favorite paintings were the works of Johan Christian Dahl, whose paintings of Danish landscapes were gorgeous, and the Picasso and Mattisse paintings, of course.

I would have loved to take more time walking through, but I did get through most of the museum in my two hours there. They have a whole other building dedicated to modern art that I wish I had more time in, but that side of the museum was amazing and whimsical in its displays. The two buildings are connected through indoor bridges on the higher floors and a walkway of sculptures on the main floor.

If you plan on visiting the SMK, I would recommend setting aside a few hours to take in all the amazing art there. After the museum closed, I headed back towards downtown, this time on foot. Each new area I was exploring in Copenhagen was making me love the city more and more.

Which neighborhoods in Copenhagen have you explored?

Christiania + Tivoli Gardens

On November 6, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Denmark, International Travel1 Comment

Christiania and Tivoli Gardens are two of the better known attractions in Copenhagen, but could not be more different. I visited them both on my first day in Copenhagen, and they both left significant impressions on me. I walked to Christiania from Paper Island, which took about twenty-five minutes. For a moment, I thought maybe I’d missed it. It’s kind of a hard place to find, but then you notice the painted buildings and the small market stalls and the other tourists wandering around, looking perplexed.

Christiania is an autonomous neighborhood, meaning it’s technically its own micronation, and was created in 1971. It became famous for its inhabitants interesting way of life and for its green light district, which is actually no longer openly advertised. It’s a strange place, because it seems like the people of Christiania aren’t super happy about tourists tromping through their town, but also want to sell them Christiania t-shirts and homemade goods. A lot of the area outside of the main square consists of brightly colored homes along cobblestone streets.

This area is one of Copenhagen’s most popular tourist attractions, in fact, it is even included on the Hop On, Hop Off tours of the city. However, there is no photography allowed inside the neighborhood. This, along with no running and have fun (smiley face, pot leaf) are the neighborhoods displayed rules. It’s a beautiful place to visit, with amazing murals on the walls and a town square with shops and restaurants and a gorgeous little lake. I’m glad I went but I also felt a bit guilty about bursting into this peaceful community (and sneaking some pictures).

Tivoli gardens, on the other hand, is also very colorful but in a much more manufactured way. Photos are encouraged and everything there is there for tourism. The park was a short walk away from my hostel, Annex Copenhagen. The entry fee was included in my Copenhagen Card, but the entry fee didn’t cover any of the rides, so I paid an additional $33 to get an unlimited pass. Like I would go to one of the world’s oldest theme parks and NOT go on any of the rides, psh.

As I entered the park, I walked by a stage where a ballet was being performed, and the main stage, where an apparently famous Danish band, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, was to play that evening. I headed straight to the rides, and hopped on one small roller coaster, aptly named The Roller Coaster, that took me through dark caves and bumped along over fake mountains.

I hate to say it, but during my time at Tivoli Gardens, I did feel a bit like a loner, especially having to get on the rides with families of three or with the third wheels of dates. I still had fun though. Especially on the swings, which are always my favorite. Once we reached the top, the city was bathed in a red glow from the setting sun and the view was completely stunning. I think that was the very instant I fell in love with this city.

The largest roller coaster in the park was called The Demon, which I got in line for after dark. It was a thrilling, twisty-turny ride that I absolutely loved. I would have gone again but by that time, the lines were getting a bit long. I got a hot dog and beer from one of the many snack stands and sat down to soak in the beautiful, historic park in all of its twinkly-light glory.

I went on a few more little rides, including an incredibly creepy Hans Christian Anderson themed ride featuring grinning animatronics. I was planning on staying to listen to the band, but once they started playing the park filled to capacity and there was nowhere to even stand to see them.

After I left Tivoli Gardens, I wandered back to the hotel to have a nightcap and do some writing in the bar. The hostel I was staying in, Annex Copenhagen, was unique in that it was attached the Absalon Hotel, and to get in and out you used the hotel entrance. The hostel occupied the same floors as the hotel, but you could tell where the nice hotel rooms ended and the hostel rooms began because the carpet went from calm pastels to garish, brightly colored carpets and signs for communal bathrooms decorating the walls.

That’s not to say the hostel wasn’t nice, it definitely was. The bathrooms were clean and private and my room was cozy and overlooked the hotel’s courtyard. I went to bed that night feeling content and happy with my first full day in Copenhagen and ready to begin exploring again the next morning.

Have you been to Tivoli Gardens? Which was your favorite ride?

Canal Tour & Copenhagen Street Food

On October 30, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Denmark, International Travel6 Comments

After a frustratingly long day of travel to get to Copenhagen the day before, I was very happy to start fresh on my first full day in this beautiful city. Walking the streets of Copenhagen was a completely wonderful and totally humbling experience. The history of the city is palpable. The architecture is stunning. I don’t even know how to describe it fully; it was all just classically European.

My first stop was a café called Streckers for breakfast, where I enjoyed a teeny, tiny croissant and an iced coffee. They had Bill Withers on the stereo and the Broncos v. Panthers game on the TV. It was a nice place, but the only thing really remarkable about it was how small the croissants are (see for yourself below).

From there, I kept wandering with the intention of eventually finding Nyhavn to take a canal tour. There was no shortage of storefronts and cafes, and I thoroughly enjoyed hopping into the cute boutiques to browse.

Nyhavn is perhaps one of the most photographed neighborhood in Copenhagen, with its brightly colored rows of buildings on either side of the boat-lined canal. It is so very charming that I can see how it’s so popular. The canal tour was included with the Copenhagen Card, which I picked up earlier that morning from the city visitor center.

The boat was about 2/3’s full with tourists all listening intently to our tour guide, Astrid, who switched between English, French and Danish with ease. The canal tour wove through the city, under bridges that were so low we had to duck our heads to avoid losing them.

It was a great way to see a lot of the city for the first time, but gave me no real bearings of how to get to the attractions we passed on land. I loved being on the water though. We passed through residential areas where our tour guide was not allowed to speak, so we sat in companionable silence and admired the scenery until we had moved on.

Astrid gave us some insights into what the Danes think of some of their most famous attractions; for example, they liken their Opera House to a toaster and believe that the Little Mermaid statue is the most disappointing tourist attraction. She was very knowledgeable and presented all the facts with just enough sarcasm to keep us on our toes.

The canal tour was a great way to form my must-see list for the rest of my stay in Copenhagen. After the tour, I walked over the inner harbor bridge to the island that houses Copenhagen Street Food. The indoor food market is housed in an old newspaper warehouse (hence the name Paper Island), and offers a wide variety of international meals.

My best advice for visiting this culinary wonderland is get a drink first, because you will definitely be taking a few laps around the food stalls to figure out what you want to eat. Everything looks amazing and the prices aren’t too bad. I did four laps before deciding on a Brazilian grill called Brasa, where I ordered the pork plate with chimichurri sauce, pineapple and pepper slaw, salad and potatoes.

I sat at one of the tables in the center of the stalls; there was plenty of seating despite the crowds of people eating there. They also had outdoor seating by the water, but it was a bit chilly for me.

The food was delicious, and so was the Danish Pilsner I had on the side. The energy in the market was cheerful, and the open layout of the building made it great for people watching. Right next door to this wonderful food labyrinth is Copenhagen Contemporary, an art museum featuring print and performance art. The entry fee is not included in the Copenhagen Card, but it’s only $7.50 so I paid up and went in.

The first exhibit I wandered into was one by Icelandic Artist Ragnar Kjartansson that featured the band The National playing their song “Sorrow” for six hours straight on the roof of the MoMA. At first, I thought it would be a bit of a boring video because of its repetition, but it really drew me in. Each time the song started over you could see the struggle the band was going through to keep playing it. Sometimes they would perk up and power through and sometimes they would almost be crying from exhaustion. I’ll admit it… I downloaded the song right after.

The museum also featured a few installations by Bruce Nauman, which were very thought-provoking and a little in-your-face, and an exhibit by Yoko Ono. The museum was a fun experience and I’m glad I popped in. If you are planning on eating at Copenhagen Street Food, the Copenhagen Contemporary is definitely worth a visit!

Stay tuned for more Copenhagen adventures!

Have you ever been to Copenhagen? What do you think is the best way to see the city, by land or canal?

Reykjavik, Iceland, RebeccaWanderlusting

Last Day in Reykjavik, Iceland

On October 19, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Iceland, International Travel3 Comments

My last day in Reykjavik, Iceland was bittersweet. I was so sad to leave the country that I had fallen head over heels for, but was also very excited to move on to my next stop, Copenhagen. I planned the day’s activities around a last minute Reykjanes Peninsula Tour, which ran from 1pm to 4pm. The one thing that I really wanted to do before I left the country was go to The Laundromat Café for breakfast.

I had read great reviews about this quirky restaurant and wanted to try it for myself. I started the day early and walked over to the café from Hotel Holt. Every time I had passed this restaurant it was full of people, luckily I was able to catch it at a slower time. I sat down at a table by the windows and ordered coffee right off the bat. The menu here is simple, and it was easy to choose the blueberry and banana pancakes.

This meal was my absolute favorite in Iceland. The pancakes were topped with fresh blueberries, caramelized bananas, maple syrup and had Greek yogurt and blueberry compote on the side. It was heavenly. And the restaurant is so cute! They have a rainbow of books lining the outside of the coffee bar and framed photos of laundromats on the walls.

After breakfast, I walked over to the National Museum of Iceland, which was about a ten minute walk from the restaurant. There was a $13 fee to enter the museum, which features two floors of exhibits on Iceland’s history from its discovery through modern times. I found the museum to be very interesting, especially the exhibits featuring information and artifacts of the Vikings and the feminist movement in Iceland.

I took an hour and a half to go through the museum in its entirety, but I could have spent more time going back through to take a longer look at my favorite exhibits. However, I had to run back to my hotel to catch my tour bus to The Reykjanes Peninsula (read all about that here).

After the tour was over, our bus driver drove us wherever we wanted to be dropped off, so I got out at the Old Harbor to attempt to eat an early dinner at the Sea Baron. Every time I had attempted to eat at this seaside restaurant in the past few days it had been packed. Thankfully, since I was ahead of the game, it was easy to snag a seat at one of the community style tables.

The famous lobster soup was served up with a personal basket of fresh baked bread with butter. The soup hit the spot; it was so delicious. There were chunks of fresh lobster and the broth was perfectly seasoned. After being out in the cold all day, the soup was a perfect treat. After dinner, I stopped back at Hotel Holt to change out of my hiking clothes, then headed out to catch the rest of happy hour. I walked over to the Lebowski Bar on Laugavegur Street, where they boasted a two-for-one special.

Because I arrived towards the end of happy hour, at 6:30pm, I had to have both my drinks at once to take an advantage of the good deal. So I found an empty table and sat down to enjoy my two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and Blues Brothers, which was being projected on the wall. This bar was so fun, with its themed decor in line with the 90’s cult classic, and even had a White Russian menu.

After happy hour, I was planning on wandering around a bit and maybe finding another bar to have a drink, however, I fortunately ran right into a Haunted Reykjavik walking tour. The tour was cash only – 2500isk, which I didn’t have. But! Lucky for me, he was accepting other currencies as well, and I had a 20 pound note in my wallet that I’ve had in there for years, since a guest at work tipped me with it.

The tour started at an Elf Rock, which is where elves live, of course. Elves are serious business in Iceland, which is fascinating to me. The tour circled through downtown Reykjavik, along old churches and the parliament building. Our tour guide, Oli, had us all engaged and laughing the whole way.

The way he told each story was great; he had all the facts but still made jokes the whole time. The last stop of the tour was the Reykjavik Cemetery. The lights hadn’t kicked on yet, and it was very dark and pretty scary. Oli guided us through using the flashlight on his phone and explained the different historic graves and Icelandic traditions. As we moved through the cemetery, we passed a gentleman lounging against a statue next to his scooter. We kept moving, and stopped for Oli’s next talking point.

Soon into this next story, the aforementioned gentleman started yelling from the direction that we came. I think it’s safe to say that everyone in the group jumped when it started, and we all tried to laugh it off. We moved on to the last grave, Jon Sigurdsson’s, where Oli was telling us all about this significant Icelander’s life. This was when the fight broke out. Mr. Scooter was grappling with another guy, and they both were yelling in a mash up of English and Icelandic. Very calmly, Oli suggested we move the tour somewhere else. The group quickly moved back to the downtown area, everyone whispering about the two amateur wrestlers in the cemetery. Oli finished up the tour with the same charisma he started with and just as he said his closing line, we spotted the scooter guy and his friend cruising by together, on the same scooter, both looking battered and unhappy.

It was actually a great end to the tour, plus it was hilarious. I finished up the night getting some ice cream at a charming little creperie on the way back to the hotel. It was a perfect ending to the wonderful whirlwind of adventures of Iceland.

Have you visited Reykjavik, Iceland? Which museums did you visit? Did you take a walking tour of the city?

Reykjavik Street Art, Iceland, RebeccaWanderlusting

Reykjavik Street Art + An Announcement

On October 16, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Iceland, International TravelLeave a comment

One of my favorite things about the city of Reykjavik was how every available space was decorated with street art. As I wandered around, I marveled at the murals on the sides of buildings, paintings in alleyways and doodles scrawled across scaffolding and walls. Each day that I walked around this colorful city, I noticed a new (to me, at least) piece of art.

It became almost like an easy treasure hunt through the city to find the best pieces of street art, which could be uncovered around almost every corner. Each piece was so thoughtfully done and perfectly placed, unlike other cities, where the artwork can be scribbled and overlapped.

One of the best things about Reykjavik, is that it’s small and easy to explore. That being said, there are also so many nooks and crannies that could almost go unnoticed but house such beautiful paintings. I walked up and down the main streets of Reykjavik just to see what kind of art I could find in the hidden corners of the city.

I have no doubt that this constant search for more and more street art contributed to the ten miles of walking I each day while in Iceland. It made scouring the city for affordable places for dinner or for the best happy hour deals all the more fun.

I loved how vibrant, whimsical and unique each painting was. The one above was my absolute favorite, and I got to pass by it each time I walked to and from my hotel, Hotel Holt.

Scouring the city for great street art was definitely one of my favorite ways to pass the time in Reykjavik. To read more about all of my favorite things to do in this beautiful city, check out my post “How to Spend the Perfect Day In Reykjavik” on The Pin the Map Project, where I will now be posting from time to time (in addition to Rebecca Wanderlusting, of course).

Have you been to Reykjavik, Iceland? Which piece of Reykjavik street art was your favorite?

Reykjanes Peninsula Tour

On October 12, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Iceland, International TravelLeave a comment

The Reykjanes Peninsula may be known as the home of the Blue Lagoon, but the rest of this amazing landscape should not be missed! Because it is also the home of Keflavik Airport, so it’s typically the first glimpse of Iceland that most people get. The Peninsula is a geothermally active, otherworldly landscape full of wonders. I’m so glad that I got an in-depth look.

I booked this tour on a whim after enjoying the South Coast tour so much. It was relatively inexpensive and only took the afternoon, so it was a perfect choice for my last day in Iceland. A Grayline Bus picked me up from Hotel Holt and shuttled me and the other passengers to the main bus terminal (right near the AirBnB I stayed at!). From there, I took another bus to the Blue Lagoon to catch yet another bus, which would take us on the actual tour.

I didn’t feel the pull to actually visit the Blue Lagoon, but I’m really happy that I got to see it at least because it is BEAUTIFUL. I checked in with the tour guide, DeeDee, to make sure I had time, and then ran off to take some photos of the bright blue water. There’s a path that winds around the Blue Lagoon Spa where other people were also wandering around in awe like me. It was such a gorgeous site to behold.

I was smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt by the time I boarded the bus to get on with the tour. I really enjoyed this tour guide because she was quirky and talkative (her first line of the tour was “BUCKLE UP EVERYBODY, THERE’S A WOMAN DRIVING!”), and made sure to stop anywhere and everywhere that we might want to take pictures. So, naturally, our first stop was a scenic overlook of the lava fields that cover a lot of the area.

We did a quick driving tour of the fishing village of Grindavik, which DeeDee narrated, spouting out interesting facts as we went. Like, did you know that fishing was the #1 industry in Iceland until last year, when tourism took its place? The drive along the peninsula was stunning. We had volcanoes to our left and the Atlantic Ocean to our right. Our next stop(s) were in the geothermal area, starting with the Green Lake and moving on to Krysuvik, a bubbling, sulfuric area.

The green lake was beautiful and its smooth surface resembled blue and green agate; it was amazing. We hopped back in the bus after taking our pictures and drove across the street to the active geothermal area. We walked through it on a boardwalk that zigzagged over the steaming ground.

The colors were gorgeous, from shades of orange and red to deep purple. The sulfur smell made us all try to breathe exclusively through our mouths, but it was a beautiful place to explore. From there, we drove down the road a ways to Kleifarvatn Lake, one of the largest lakes in Iceland. It was freezing and windy over by the water, so we ran to take our pictures of the moody, choppy lake set amongst the green-topped hills.

Recently (in 2000), an earthquake caused the lake to drain a bit and the water level went down a significant amount. This, plus murder of course, became the plot of a famous crime novel written by one of Iceland’s most well-known authors. We also stopped up the mountainside so we could take in the view of the lake from above, which was a thoughtful addition to the tour.

Our last stop of the tour was a whole area of the peninsula devoted to drying fish heads to be shipped out to whoever buys dried fish heads. It was quite the sight to see; all those fish heads dangling from wooden posts.

Deedee drove us back to Reykjavik and dropped us off wherever we wanted to go. And where I wanted to go was the Sea Baron in the Old Harbor, but more on that later…

Have you visited the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland? What was your favorite spot there?

Black Sand Beach, Vik, Iceland, RebeccaWanderlusting

South Coast Tour Part Two

On October 9, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Iceland, International Travel1 Comment

The first half of the South Coast Tour was jaw-droppingly beautiful; full of lush, green land, gorgeous waterfalls and world-renown hiking trails. The second half was a completely different landscape, much like how the landscape of Iceland as a whole changes from mile to mile. Our first stop after the waterfalls was the quaint south coast fishing town of Vik, Iceland for a lunch break.

On our way there we passed miles of farmland and mountains, all of which was spotted with fluffy, little sheep. The tour van took the hills and curves at about 50mph, which was thrilling to say the least. We came over a hill to view Vik for the first time in all its cute, small town charm. Siggy, our tour guide, brought us to a roadside café for lunch. It was an order-at-the-counter kind of establishment, so our group made quite a long line. There were a lot of great looking local options, most of which came in the form of a stew. By the time I got up to the counter, I ordered a cheeseburger out of pure indecisiveness. It was pretty good! From the diner we could see the backside of the Black Sand Beach, with its telltale stone pillars lining up into the ocean.

We finished up our meals and were ushered back to the bus. We drove on to the front entrance to the beach and were set loose to explore. I love being anywhere near the sea, so this was my favorite stop of the day. The waves were quite large, and crashed onto the black stones on the beach, slipping through the cracks between them and sending tourists scurrying away from them to avoid getting soaked.

In addition to the stunning view of the ocean, the surrounding hillside and rock formations were strange and beautiful. Opposite the water was a hillside comprised of what looked like stone jenga pieces stacked up behind each other. Just to the right of this sculpted hill are the two stone pillars sticking up from the ocean.

If I were on my own schedule, I could have sat on the rocks watching the waves roll in all day. However, I was on tour time, so we moved on after spending 30-40 minutes admiring the Black Sand Beach.

Our next and final stop of the tour was the Solheimajokull Glacier, which was a little ways away. Siggy got out with us and walked us the half mile towards the glacier, giving us the facts as we went. Along the way, I got to talking to two retired teachers who travel together frequently, one was American and the other was Canadian. As it turns out, they were going to Copenhagen next too, so we made tentative plans to meet up there.

The tour stopped a bit away from the actual glacier and Siggy explained that the year before, the glacier had come up to the point where we stood. It’s been receding rapidly, and even when we moved up to stand next to it we could see the water running out from underneath.

The glacier didn’t look how I thought it might look; it was black on top with white and icy blue beneath. We walked up the glacier a couple steps, but only a couple because none of us had the spiked shoes needed to glacier hike. On the glacier, there were cracks that went through to the bottom, where I could see the water running underneath.

It was a lot colder by the glacier, so by the time we had to go back to the bus, most people were more than ready. The bus ride back to towards Reykjavik was pretty quiet as I think everyone was reflecting on all the beauty we got to see. The tour bus dropped us each off at our hotels, where we each thanked Siggy as we got off.

When I arrived back in my hotel room, I quickly changed and headed back out to get some dinner. I wanted to go to the Sea Baron, but the line was out the door, so I set about finding something else that was in my budget but wasn’t fast food. This is kind of a struggle in Reykjavik, because a lot of the restaurants are pretty pricey. After thirty minutes of wandering, I landed at Fish & More for their specialty, which was a sort of fish casserole served with broccoli, sweet potatoes, rice and rye bread with a Viking beer on the side.

It was either really delicious or I was really hungry. The restaurant had a really fun vibe, with stacks of National Geographic magazines on the side tables, comfy benches along one wall and bags of water (like the ones you’d bring a goldfish home in from the state fair) hanging from the ceiling. Their playlist was also really good, with bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Death Cab for Cutie. It was a great place to end a day full of adventuring.

Stay tuned for more adventures in Iceland!

Have you ever been on a tour through Iceland? Which one and what did you think?

South Coast Waterfalls

On October 5, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Iceland, International Travel2 Comments

The morning of my South Coast Tour, I waited outside Hotel Holt for the Extreme Iceland bus to scoop me up. I had a rocky start to the day after I spilled a cup of coffee all down myself and on my notebook while I was trying to enjoy the complimentary continental breakfast. This unfortunate event sent me running back to my room to change while apologizing to everyone I passed for making a mess. I tried to salvage the outfit, but it was no good so I changed and hurried back downstairs to jump on the bus, still smelling a bit like coffee.

We had a relatively small group of seventeen people plus our guide, Icelandic Harrison Ford (aka Siggy), and everyone was chatting excitedly as we left Reykjavik. The landscapes we passed were otherworldly; scruffy green hills, golden fields for miles, mountains and ridges. We passed Icelandic horses (shorter and prettier than American horses) and tons of fluffy sheep (fun fact: there are three sheep to every one human in Iceland).

The bus stopped briefly for a bathroom/coffee break before moving to our first South Coast stop of the day: Seljalandsfoss. This gorgeous waterfall stopped me in my tracks. This is exactly what I came to Iceland to see and it hit me right in the gut. The waterfall cascades from a cliff into a small pool, with an inlet carved out behind it so it’s possible to hike all the way around the fall. Sets of stairs were situated on both sides that were perfect for photo ops. The view from behind the waterfalls was breathtaking. Jagged rocks led down to the pool where the falls landed, where it was possible to wade in a bit.

It was also very wet, and everyone came out on the other side a little damper than before. We were given thirty minutes to explore this waterfall and the area around it, which included a couple other small waterfalls and green grass as far as the eye could see. I bonded with a mother/daughter team from London during the first stop. They were from right by where I lived when I studied abroad in London, which gave us plenty to talk about. Making friends on the tour was really easy because we were all on the same small bus for the whole day, which was very nice. Of course there were some rotten apples in the bunch, but only a couple (I’m looking at you girl who ate a stinky sandwich on the bus and loudmouth that absolutely had to be the center of attention at all times).

Once we all piled back onto the bus, we headed to our next site, another waterfall named Skogafoss. While this waterfall is very different from Seljalandsfoss in appearance, it is equally as beautiful. Skogafoss is wider and taller, with a staircase snaking up one side that leads to a hiking trail (Laugavegurinn pass) that National Geographic named one of the 10 best in the world.

A rainbow stretched across the bottom of the falls, where a pool stretched over the rocky ground. There are three vantage points from which to see this waterfall: from the ground, halfway up and from the top. At the halfway point, there is a very small peninsula of land jutting out from the cliff, no railings, no safeguards. I have just a small fear of heights so it was a little scary on that ledge, but the view was beautiful.

At the top of the waterfall, there’s a barbed wire fence with a slanted wooden ladder to climb over it. This leads to the famous hike that goes along the Skoga River, where there are more waterfalls and lush green hills. The scenery here looks like something out of Lord of the Rings, it’s stunning.

I would love to come back and hike the trail; it was really tempting not to go off and let the tour go on without me. Unfortunately, I resisted the urge to split from the group and made my way back down from the top of the waterfall back to the bus. The next stops were going to be the fishing town of Vik for lunch, the Black Sand Beach and the Solheimajokull Glacier. Stay tuned for the second half of the South Coast Tour, coming soon!