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Reykjavík, Iceland (November 2013)

About This Trip

This was a non-revenue trip on American Airlines with co-worker airline friends in 2013. We had to connect from DFW in either Boston or Denver to get to Iceland. We chose Boston for our layover and enjoyed (debateably too much) the Cru wine bar at the airport. We then flew BOS-KEF (IcelandAir 8:15 p -6:15 a) which was a 5 hour flight, arriving Saturday, November 23 in Iceland.


We also did this trip over a four day weekend which is a crazy thing to do unless you fly free or discounted. We did get on the standby flight no problem from Boston to Reykjavik. 

Cru Wine Bar at Boston Airport

Stay

We stayed at the CENTER HOTELS ARNARHVOLL, INGÓLFSSTRÆTI 1. When we arrived, it was 6:00 a.m. local time. Everything was closed, and most of us were unable to sleep on the flight, so we decided to just try to rest for a few hours until the city "woke up" at 11 a.m.  

Enjoying Iceland

Touring Reykjavík

We spent our time in Reykjavík shopping, exploring, and just enjoying the feel of the city. It’s a super walkable place—easy to get around on foot—and everyone we met was friendly and welcoming.

The shops were fun to browse, especially the ones with Icelandic sweaters, local art, and quirky souvenirs. We didn’t have a set plan, so we just wandered, took in the sights, and stopped whenever something caught our eye.

Even just walking around was part of the fun—there’s cool street art, great views of the water and mountains, and interesting buildings everywhere. Reykjavík is a small city, but it has a lot of charm.

Hallgrímskirkj - The largest church in Iceland

Blue Lagoon

Before left town, we visited the Blue Lagoon. We loved this experience so much. When we went, you could pre-purchase a package which included: the spa and lagoon, a glass of prosecco, a face mask (at the swim up bar), and access to the full sushi bar when done. This was an amazing experience. They even had a system to store our luggage on a bus for us to be ready to go straight to the airport after the Blue Lagoon. Highly recommend. 



Northern Lights 

We really wanted to see the Northern Lights, and were hoping by going in November that our chances were good. We booked a tour to see them through Grayline Tours, and our tour ended up canceled (with a full refund) due to visibility which was disappointing. We made the best of it by finding a bar near our hotel and a quick stop in the The Icelandic Phallological Museum. 




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