DAY 2 - Out on the Town!

Rekjavik, Iceland is a beautiful city!

We arrived on Icelandair at 9:30 am and after negotiating the bus systems, met our host at the main bus terminal at 11:30. Such a nice guy to pick us up! Jonas has an Air BnB that we'll be staying at for 3 nights.

Reykjavik is the capital and largest city of Iceland. Population: 140,000 Place of the 1st permanent inhabitants in 874 AD. The city was officially founded in 1786 as a trading town and grew steadily over the following decades.

Our apartment was very cosy wth everything we would need. AND so close to everything! It was going to be perfect!

YUM! We used some of our freeze-dried food - veggies, a bit of chicken & eggs, and a ramen and spices that Jonas had provided. Oila - so tasty. The Air BnB had quite a lot of food and snacks, so we were all set! Time to go explore the city! We set out to catch a bus, but met a kind couple who lead us downtown, through a beautiful park, and to the main drag of Laugavegur. The street is one of the oldest streets in Reykjavík. Its name roughly translates to 'the Water Road'. We spent a couple of hours meandering through tourist shops and taking photos of several of the old/new buildings. Bright colors were welcome on a gray day.

The old prison at Skólavörðustíg street closed in 2016. The building is located in Reykjavík’s main shopping and nightlife area. Its construction was finished in 1874 and for years it was one of the capital’s most grand buildings, serving additionally as the home to Iceland’s Supreme Court between 1920 and 1949. Prisoners rarely escaped from the building. The last escape occurred in 1993, when three prisoners sawed a bathroom window bar apart with the blade of a hacksaw. They were quickly recaptured. Some of the stained glass windows were famous prisoners. We enjoyed talking to a gal who had just finished her Master's in Architecure and they were presenting their works on the lower floor of the prison. Her class was the 1st ever in Iceland.

What a great 1st day in Iceland! Our comfy bed was a welcome sight as we came home, after eating eggs and instant potatoes.