Iceland seems to be enjoying more air time in the world news in recent years: The economic crisis leaving banks empty. The volcano whose eruption stopped European air traffic for days but whose name reporters still had difficulty to pronounce. The whistle blower who favored this country as shelter after failing to stay free in several other places.
All of the above, plus Iceland's location half way between Europe and North America, makes it a great stop for my trip.
Before landing on this somewhat mysterious island (Iceland is actually Ísland in Icelandic), limited research taught me three facts. 1) the capital is called Reykjavik. 2) Hot water smells like rotten egg because of the sulfur residue from geothermal heating process. 3) Iceland winter is not as cold as we would think ( based on its official tourism advertising) and summer can be pretty warm ( based on guys in flip flops in photos). So I came, mentally well prepared for the smelly hot water, severely under prepared in attire.
The weather when I landed was so beautiful. The sun was tirelessly radiating like an autumn afternoon when it was already 9pm. I walked from the shoreline to downtown to the city pond, admiring how differently the clouds shaped on this island.
Reykjavik is small and special. Among the low story buildings, the Hallgrímskirkja Church can be seen from most places around the city. Later I found out that Icelandic churches are all very cute or unique.
You won't find most international retail stores here such as H&M. Instead, local apparel brands like Geysir, Farmers Market, 66° North are this countries answers to rebuild national pride.
Probably for the same reason of national pride, the traditional lopapeysa or Icelandic sweater is wore by so many locals and tourist alike. I went to the Handknitting Association, which is said to have the most lopi sweaters directly for the knitters. Overwhelming amount... Sadly not my style of shopping... The store also sells yarn and knitting tools, which are not my category of shopping either.
From day two, the weather deteriorated into a wet, cold and windy mess. Even worse, all major weather forecasts showed the following several days were equally bad. I started reconsidering the lopi sweater. It turned out, the fleece from Icelandic sheep has two layers. The wet-resistant outer coat contains long, coarse fibers, while the insulating layer beneath consists of soft, short fibers. You don't need a raincoat over these sweaters!
I went back to get one, because I need to stay warm in order to explore Iceland. Wen I was cold, the sweater didn't look half bad at all.
I also wrote a letter to Icelandic Santa.
More travel recommendations will be updated in later post after I fully explore the city and around. I planned 6 days in Iceland without any detailed plan. But since I'm by myself, I have no choice but to join tours- driving in a strange environment is not a good idea even for overly confident people like me.
I have to talk about the largest supermarket chain in the first post though. It's called Bónus, with a stupid pink piggy bank in the logo. The yellow and pink color scheme is ugly, but eye catching nonetheless. It's impossible to miss anyone on the trees with Bónus bags in their hands. I have to admit the whole design is perfect for its positioning- a mass market supermarket.
There are other grocery stores such as 10-11. Since I seriously need some spending control, I directly go to the cheapest one, Bónus. And to the other dairy product I've been longing to try, Skyr.
Skyr is, for want of a better word, Icelandic yogurt- only comparing regular yogurt to skyr is like comparing Kraft slices to a perfectly aged Danablu cheese.
Yes, it's thick and creamy and comes in tons of flavors. But I still prefer Greek yogurt over skyr.
Shopping the refrigerated products at Bónus is a new experience by itself- you literally walk into a refrigerated room with shelves of dairy and meat products. It's cold, so plan ahead.
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