Written by the Warrior
Reykjavík saw us at our best and our worst.
When we arrived jet lagged, bleary eyed, in absolute shock over prices and unable to find ourselves on a simple map, the city and its residents embraced us.
On our first day there, so many people stopped on the street to help us find our way, and more importantly point us to free parking!
Accordingly to the source of all worldly knowledge, Wikipedia… Reykjavík, with a latitude of 64°08′ N, is the world’s northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a population of around 200,000 it is by far the largest city in Iceland.
According to the Lonely Planet on Iceland, it is packed full of excellent museums, none of which we visited.
This is the first time that we travelled overseas with the Dragon and the Tiger Princess, and while travelling with young children has its challenges, it also opened the door to a whole new world that I have never experienced. The world away from the tourist crowds, right into the lives of the real Reykjavík.
We arrived in Iceland at 4:30am on Saturday June 4. Somehow we managed to rent a car and found our way to the Reykjavík Zoo & Family Park.
It was a beautiful day and we found ourselves surrounded by local families out enjoying the sun, in a zoo with iconic Icelandic animals.
And a crazy fun family park.
The next day happened to be the Seafarer’s festival, where the entire old harbour area was transformed into a children’s oasis, complete with obstacle courses, hands on activities, display of fish, helicopter rescues and rescue ziplining.
A few boys, the Dragon included, thought that it was a great idea to throw eachother off these beams and onto extremely thin mattresses.
Along the way, we met many local families, who were pleasantly surprised that we brought our kids, who welcomed us to Iceland, who shared their insights and many useful tips.
Reykjavík also saw us at our best. When we returned triumphantly as seasoned travellers, after having travelled the entire Ring road, realizing that, it actually had the best prices for everything and the largest selection as well. (I highly recommend Icewear Iceland).
In fact, I would dare say that Reykjavík has a little something to suit every taste.
From inspirational leaders who fought for women’s rights to symbols of rebellious defiance.
From treelined botanical gardens to artlined avenues.
From tacky souvenir shops to Icelandic classics.
From fountains filled with melted glacier water to the best swimming pools filled with geothermally heated water.
From fantastic architecture to thought provoking art.
From mouth watering food and desserts to the best tasting coffee.
They even have their very own santa – 13 of them.
Adventure Around the World and Back 