To the Land of Fire and Ice

The mountains surrounding Reykjavik offer a dramatic backdrop to that city's skyline.

Visiting Iceland was a long time “bucket list” item for me. Iceland's booming appeal comes down to its dramatic, alien landscapes and its reputation as one of the world's safest, most progressive countries. Travelers love Reykjavik because it acts as a cozy, culturally vibrant basecamp that puts otherworldly natural wonders within easy reach. The city is located in Southwest Iceland on the very shores where glaciers, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions have shaped the landscape over thousands of years. Reykjavik is so popular because it perfectly blends a quirky, cosmopolitan culture with unparalleled access to otherworldly natural landscapes. As the world's northernmost capital, it acts as the ultimate jumping-off point for exploring volcanoes, glaciers, and geothermal springs, while offering a safe, walkable, and vibrant city experience. Unfortunately, our itinerary didn’t allow us but a single day to enjoy the city before hopping on a cruise ship to explore several other locations in Iceland and cruise the North Atlantic to Scotland, eventually disembarking in England. 

Icelandair's smaller aircraft like the B737-Max 900 help the carrier to maintain high load factors.

Our journey began on a Thursday evening in early June with the non-stop Icelandair flight from the Raleigh Durham International Airport to Reykjavik. Check-in at the SAGA Business counter in Ticketing Aisle A was smooth and efficient. Although we had purchased SAGA Premium tickets, which would have permitted us access to the United Club, for some unknown reasons this did not show up as such in their reservation system. It didn’t much matter as the United Club is across from Gate D3 and our flight was departing from Gate C21 at the other end of the concourse, so we simply chose to wait at the gate. As a "lounge lizard" that was a bit difficult for me, but we didn't have a long wait. Before too long, the Icelandair B737-Max 900 arrived and parked at the gate. The carrier flies narrow-body aircraft across the Atlantic because their “hub and spoke” network system connects cities (like Raleigh) that currently lack the higher-passenger volumes needed to fill large wide body jets. By using single-aisle planes like the Boeing 737 Max they can offer frequent and profitable flights between North American and Europe via Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport. 

There were no lie-flat beds in SAGA Business, but the extra-wide seats were pretty comfortable.

The friendly purser showed us to seats 2A and 2C on the port side of the aircraft and as we settled in, I noticed the seats appeared somewhat wider and firmer than those found on most domestic US carriers. There were 16 of them in the forward cabin in a 2 x 2 configuration across four rows. The seats had a pitch of 40” and offered a five-inch recline, adjustable winged headrests and in-seat power outlets. They also featured fold-down, pedal-style footrests attached to the base of the seat in front. While the seats didn’t feature full leg-rest extensions, the adjustable foot bars allowed us to comfortably elevate our feet during the quick, five-hour and 50-minute flight across the Atlantic.

Icelandair has introduced "on-demand" amenity kits designed by a talented and famous local artist.

What Icelandair Saga Business Class lacked in lie-flat seats and robust in-flight entertainment options, they more than made up for in the kindness and responsiveness of the flight attendants working our cabin and the high quality of the food onboard. The airline is big on sustainability and so cocktails were served with pretzels in a paper ramekin. There were no less than six Icelandic Gins on the menu that night, as well as four different Beers and an assortment of Wines, Spirits and Liqueurs. We started with a Tomato Salad with Burrata and Basil Oil, served with Bread, Whipped Butter and Icelandic Rhubarb Salt. For the main course, we chose the Braised Lamb Stew with Truffle Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Vegetables. I enjoyed a glass of Banfi Centine Cabernet Sauvignon with my meal and am happy to report that dinner was delicious, topped off with a slice of Pecan Pie for dessert. In order to reduce waste, Icelandair encourages SAGA passengers to choose their amenity kit items and, after the meal service, our selections were presented in an eye-catching, reusable kit bag featuring the work of local artist and ceramist Inga Elin.

Long and slow-moving immigration queues at Keflavik Airport awaited us on arrival in Reykjavik.

Our aircraft landed at 6:31 on Friday morning and parked at a remote stand. We were bussed into the international arrivals area of the terminal building. Border control lines at Keflavík International Airport (KEF) often get highly congested. The process for non-European Union travelers included biometric scans of facial features and fingerprints (as part of the EU's Entry/Exit System), which can cause major bottlenecks when multiple international flights arrive at the same time. That is exactly what happened to us as we spent a good amount of time waiting for clearance from the Icelandic Immigration Officer who seemed to have several questions for each traveler. Finally, it was our turn and after answering a few queries, we were cleared and permitted to enter the country. Baggage claim was crowded of course but the tagged Business Class bags were delivered rapidly and so our wait time in baggage claim was minimal. We then faced a choice of either taking a bus into Reykjavik or a taxi and that was an easy decision for us to make. We knew that Iceland is considered expensive, but were surprised to learn we spent a whopping $202 on that 45-minute ride to the 101 Hotel.

The 101 Hotel was that nation's first boutique property and focuses on modern Icelandic artwork.

This sleek, 38-room boutique property is a member of Design Hotels, Marriott's curated global brand and marketing network representing over 300 independent, family or privately-owned hotels across more than 50 countries. It's situated in a former downtown office block. As Iceland's first truly chic and stylish hotel, it’s heavily focused on design, utilizing a stylish palette of black, grey, and white paired with modern Icelandic artwork. Amenities included free Wi-Fi, in-room massages, plush bathrobes, and blackout curtains. These proved to be very helpful as the sun didn’t set until after Midnight and rose again around 3:30 in the morning. The 101 Hotel featured a stylish, futuristic-feeling restaurant with a glass ceiling and high walls. Guests could also relax in a cozy lounge warmed by a fireplace and heated oak floors. Tucked away in the basement, was a fitness center as well as Japanese-style baths and a steam room heated by the city's natural geothermal pools. We arrived shortly after 8:00 AM and the front desk clerk advised us that check-in was not until 3:00 PM, but we could take an available room for an additional charge, which we were happy to accept. Heading up to Room 417 on the extremely small elevator, I was eagerly anticipating a shower and a change of clothes. The room was overheated and we couldn’t find the thermostat, so we called the front desk and were told to simply open the window and let the colder air inside. We did and it worked. It reminded me of being in a similar situation in a Moscow hotel room one very cold January evening many years ago when I was given the same advice.

Rainbow Street (officially named Skólavörðustígur) is downtown's vibrant, pedestrian-friendly pathway.

It was cold and rainy in Reykjavik, but we were determined to make the most of the only day we had in the capital city. With umbrellas in hand, we found our way to the famous Rainbow Street that’s painted in vibrant pride colors. The street led directly to the iconic Hallgrimskirkja Church. This is the nation’s largest church which towers over everything in the city at 244 feet tall. Unfortunately, the interior was closed for a choir rehearsal, but we did see the prominent Leif Erikson Statue directly in front which was gifted by the United States in 1930 to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the Icelandic Parliament. After an expensive but disappointing lunch at the Prikió elf. Coffee House, we did some shopping, but discovered that American Express wasn’t accepted at most establishments. Apparently, merchants there are not willing to absorb their higher transaction fees. The rain continued all day, but that didn’t dampen our enthusiasm. Through it all, we walked to Harpa, the country’s largest concert hall. Its attention-grabbing honeycomb facade was designed by Olafur Elíasson, a Danish artist of Icelandic descent. After a brief respite back at the 101 Hotel, we headed out for dinner at Kastrup, a modern Nordic-style bistro in the very heart of the city. That meal turned out to be very good indeed.

Sleep came easily for us on that Friday night. We were anxious for our 7-day cruise that would be departing the very next day. I'll tell you all about it in a future post.

Until next time...safe travels.