Yes, that’s right. My most recent trip to Iceland was so magnificent, that I have to break out this trip into multiple blogs. This fantastic country not only deserves it, but so do my fingers. So let’s begin shall we?
To celebrate our 40th birthdays, my besties and I planned a trip to Iceland. I came back a couple weeks ago and I am still reeling from the trip. The geysers, glaciers, constant sunlight, delicious food, blue lagoon….but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the beginning.
We’ve been talking about a 40th birthday trip since our 30th birthday. We imaged something spectacular and memorable, a once in a lifetime type journey. Well, fast forward 10 years and our planning now has to account for husbands, kids, houses, and full-time jobs. That forced us to place more focus on direct flights of a certain length. In exploring our options, Iceland kept coming back up for consideration and before we knew it, we had booked 4 nights in this amazing country.
Iceland Air flies direct to Reykjavik from Chicago and in less than 6 hours we had arrived. Like Chicago, the airport is far from the main sights, and the best and most reasonable option was to book a bus from the airport.
We rented an AirBnB right near the city center and while we waited for it to become available, enjoyed a coffee and some dim sum.
Okay, we enjoyed some beers too. We knew they would come in handy for a quick snooze before our first night out.
As soon as we checked into our rental apartment, we headed for the beds. The jet leg had caught up to us and we needed to recharge. We had a 6pm dinner reservation at a Michelin star restaurant, Matur Og Drykkur (and no, I cannot pronounce that nor most Icelandic words).
I should probably pause a moment as well to explain the dynamic of my friends and I. We have been close since we were 14 years old, and one of the things I most appreciate about our relationship is how different we are.
Dana is a tall blonde bombshell who works in PT and has two kids. She is a big fan of the outdoors, Harry Potter, and the White Sox. She is one of the most considerate, generous, and thoughtful people I’ve ever met, remembering every birthday or anniversary. I also adore her dry and wicked sense of humor. She has these zingers that will come out of nowhere and I cry laughing. If I ever need a hug, I think of Dana. She radiates love and warmth in everything she does.
Amy is my adorable, brilliant friend who married an Irish gentleman and has two kids. She has these piercing blue eyes and a memory like an elephant. She is extremely well read and is our go-to for any and every question – what language do they speak in South Africa? Why is there fighting in Kiev? How do we get to our AirBnB? Her quiet confidence and bubbly personality make her one of those intellects that doesn’t act like an intellect. We know she’s brilliant, but she is our very approachable secret weapon until you get her talking. Then she schools you. She has a love for the outdoors like Dana, but also appreciates a fine glass of wine coupled with a great book.
And then there’s me. Loud, silly, extremely bougie yet simultaneously low maintenance. I enjoy the outdoors as long as I have a cocktail in my hand in the sunshine. I prefer to dine and travel well, and enjoy travel, fashion, and all designer things. Yet I also love me a good dive bar, beer and pizza, and especially giving back to those in need.
We are a motley crew for sure, but it’s our differences that make us such great longtime friends and travelers.
This brings us back to our Michelin star restaurant, Matur Og Drykkur. My bougie-ness required that we dine somewhere fancy and delicious, especially on our first night. I specifically looked at restaurant choices weeks out. In the past, I have kicked myself when missing out on a great dining experience due to poor planning. Since we were already staying near the city center, we were able to walk. The restaurant was strangely connected to some sort of viking museum, so we thought we were in the wrong location at first.
Once inside, we were quickly seated and handed the menu – no a la carte, just a 12 course list of delicious Icelandic items. Iceland has approximately 350,000 residents and 800,000 sheep, so lamb is often on the menu.
Being a bit of an island, seafood is also a staple item on most Icelandic menus. We opted to also partake in the beverage pairings, and needless to say, Matur Og Drykkur offered us an iconic and unforgettable sensory experience.
We were at the restaurant for around 3 hours and made great friends with our Polish waitress. Ending at around 9:00pm, we walked out of the restaurant and were greeted by the sun. Like, felt like 4:00pm sun. In Iceland in the summer, the sun almost never sets. We were lucky that we all brought eye marks with us otherwise we would have never slept during the trip.
Given our naps and the never setting sun, our next natural choice after dinner was to explore the city center. Like most tourist destinations, there were souvenir shops (and bars) everywhere. What else we appreciated was the graffiti art that decorated most buildings, and the street paint. One street was painted as a very long hopscotch path, and another was a rainbow leading up to the famous Hallgrimskirkja.
Even though it was summer, you can tell by our clothing that it was quite cold. The temperatures were hovering between 40 – 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and as it got later, it got colder. We decided to end the night at a cute little bar serving yummy pink gin drinks. We stayed out until about midnight, and yes, the sun was still out as we walked back to our rental.
Day #2 in Iceland started with the Golden Circle Tour, but I’ll save that for the next blog!
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