Ah, this will be the bittersweet ending to my Icelandic travel series. Mr M and I didn’t make it to the majestic Westfjords but this would be a good enough excuse to return to Iceland in the future.
After spending the night at the foot of Kirkjufell in the Snaefellsnes peninsular, we set off on the last leg of our road trip the next morning. The plan was to drive through Akureyri (the second largest urban area in Iceland) towards Reykjavik where we would be spending a couple of nights at the charming Old Bicycle Shop before heading to NYC. I gotta admit that I’m having trouble remembering the names of the places we visited so I have to consult google to jog my memory. I will let the photos do most of the talking for the remaining portion of the road trip but I do have a few Reykjavik-related tips that I would like to share.
Tip #1 I might have mentioned this before but I need to reinforce that people living in Reykjavik are very very stylish. If you are fashion-conscious, do bring something other than your hiking gear so that you could ‘blend in’ with the locals.
Tip #2 Some people might beg to differ but there’s a lot of good food (seafood especially) in Iceland, or Reykjavik in this instance. Most of our experiences had been great (bring on the langoustine soup!!!) and here are 3 restaurants that we really liked: Fiskmarkadurinn, Sjavargrillid and Snaps (personally recommended by our host at The Old Bicycle Shop).
Tip #3 Reykjavik is flooded with gift shops. By gift shops I mean really nicely curated shops with items that you would love to purchase even if you don’t really need them. There are a number of repetitions between shops but generally the prices are similar. What I would consider as a must-buy is Icelandic ceramics. I bought a couple of plates from Stigur and I’m kicking myself now for not purchasing more. Things are quite expensive over there so take your time and go slow! If you’re into design, Hrim is your friend.
Tip #4 You fibre lovers out there, check out Stokurinn. I hyperventilated at the selection of beautiful yarn and was one of those pesky customers who took forever to make a decision. Part of me was trying to hold back but the other part just wanted to indulge in the opportunity. I ended up purchasing a couple of things because I had to! What are the odds of me standing in a yarn shop in Iceland again? Having said that husband mentioned that he wanted to visit the Westfjords one day…
Tip #5. There are a few museums that are definitely worth checking out. However if you’re not into that kind of thing, take your time, walk around the city and just indulge in the colours and architecture of your surrounding. Reykjavik is small but definitely beautiful.
It has been great fun (and quite a bit of work) putting this series together. Hope you’re not all iced-out :p Next up, I will start another travelogue on NYC so you big apple lovers out there, stay tuned.
Outfit details: #1. Asymmetrical Sweater Helmut Lang Lopapeysa Purchased in Iceland Jeans Nudie Backpack Rains Rainboots Sperry Scarf Seed Heritage Beanie Handknit by me (view pattern here) Sunnies ROC Eyewear
#2. Linen Shirt Uniqlo Knitwear Helmut Lang Jeans Nudie Socks Handknit by me Sneaker Superga
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