Iceland: Day 1

It started off with a bit of a scare. My flight from Copenhagen to Iceland was at 7:50am but the earliest train from Lund to Copenhagen was at 5:30am. I was supposed to arrive at the Copenhagen airport at around 6:40am, which means I had a little more than an hour to check in, which would’ve been okay since the flight was within Europe (i.e. I needed to be in the airport an hour before my flight). Only problem was that the train I was on got massively delayed in Malmö. I actually had to switch trains after waiting for more than 20 minutes. I got to the airport with less than 45 minutes before my flight would leave and I was so worried that I would miss my plane. What was worse was that the queue at the baggage drop in counter was so long (I had an e-ticket so I had already checked in using one of the electronic check-in counters, but I needed to check in my bags.) I asked help from one of the Danish airport personnel, saying that there were major train delays in Malmö and that my flight was leaving really soon. He very nicely agreed to check in my bags for me. I finally breathed a sigh of relief when I got on the plane.

I was really excited throughout the entire plane ride, and when the plane finally landed in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, I kept thinking to myself that I couldn’t believe I was finally there!

I decided that I would spend my first day going around Reykjavik to get a feel of the city then I’d head to the Blue Lagoon to relax. I visited the Hallgrímskirkja, or Hallgrimur’s Church, which was named after the 17th century hymn writer Hallgrímur Pétursson. It was supposed to have been built to resemble a mountain of basaltic lava. (Note: This photo was taken the day I was leaving – I decided I wanted another photo taken of me with the church under brighter sunlight.)

Here’s a photo I took from the top of the church. It was unfortunate that it was a bit murky that day so the skies weren’t as clear as they could be on a bright sunny day.

I made my way back to my hotel shortly after lunch to get ready for my trip to the Blue Lagoon. The great thing about taking the organized excursions in Reykjavik is that you get picked up at your hotel. I actually booked my excursion from the Information Center who got me on the Reykjavik Excursions tour. I was a bit bummed later on because it cost significantly more (ISK 3,800) than the tour provided by Iceland Excursions (ISK 2,500) but I didn't let that ruin my day. (Note: ISK is the Icelandic Krona. 1 Philippine Peso = 1.52203 Icelandic Krona.)

Anyways, I get to the Blue Lagoon and now I was quite glad that it was cold and raining very lightly. There’s something about sitting in the warm Lagoon water while the weather is cool and nippy that feels incredibly relaxing. Made the whole experience a lot better, in my opinion. It would’ve been nice to have my photo taken while I was in the water, but since I wasn’t with anyone, I left my camera in my locker for safekeeping. So I only managed to have my photo taken once I had gotten out of the water.

Bathing in the water is supposed to be healthy and very good for your skin (don't know if it worked on me though LOL). If you do go to the Blue Lagoon, bring your own towel so you won’t have to pay to rent one (Iceland is one of the most expensive countries I’ve ever visited). I can't recall how much it costs though because I just took a towel from my hotel (and returned I after, of course).

Next stop: the Glacier Lagoon!