So I'm not quite finished with Iceland just yet. I have a little more to share as my mom and I experienced some other sites throughout the city of Reykjavik. Although the walking food tour appeared to be the majority of our trip, we treasured a few other moments while in Iceland. As we prepared to meet up for the food tour, our meeting place was the Harpa Concert Hall which is situated not too far from the Old Harbour. Harpa is not only a concert hall but also a conference center which houses the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Icelandic Opera. Its architectural designs on the inside and outside instantly draws your attention as you're driving down the road. At night, the distinctive color glass facade turns to blues and greens. Currently, there is construction centered around the Harpa Hall due to previous development plans that fell through temporarily due to the financial crisis ten years ago. The development plans involved building restaurants, luxury apartments, shops, and a car park adjoining to Harpa Hall.
We went to the Laundromat Cafe for breakfast which was one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time. I found out that the humble abode got its name due to their being an actual laundromat downstairs for people to wash their clothes. The ambiance is full of laundromat paraphernalia, hundreds of colorful books, and nostalgia souvenirs. Patrons are pretty much off to themselves engulfed in reading their newspapers, talking amongst each other, and people watching while they eat outside the windows. I must admit it wasn't a breakfast spot that I would envision nesteld in Iceland as it felt like I was hanging out at my neigborhood breakfast spots. But, the food proved me wrong as my mom and I were both satisfied. I knew the food was delicious as my mom continuously praised how good and fully cooked the bacon was made to perfection. She kept talking about the bacon on our plane ride back to the States. My mom ordered sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs with a grilled ripe tomato. I order breakfast a la carte dishes including bacon, english muffins, a buttery crossaint with chocolate butter, and a cup of hot cocoa with whip cream. It was definitely suitable for the 40 degree weather we encountered throughout our trip.
Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Another famous tourist attraction in Reykjavik is Hallgrimskirkja. It's the largest cathedral church in Iceland and one of the tallest structures standing. The beautiful robust ridges that make up the unique design draws your attention from afar. You can get a nice look of the city centre and if you want to see an overview from the top of the cathedral, there's a small fee. If you just want to view the high cathedral ceilings, admission is free. Tourists come from all over the world to give the beautiful cathedral. Amongst other things to see and do, you may want to consider adding this tourist attraction to your list of places to visit. The next place we visited was the Pearlan Observatory Deck and museum. I was first introduced to this place inadvertently from our apartment's balcony the night we checked in. There was a green light beam going in a circumference throughout the city of Reykjavik. From afar, it looked like a lighthouse as the green light became a mystery that turned into a nuisance for me on not knowing the name of the attraction. Alas, after researching the internet and asking a few people, we found out it was indeed the Pearlan Observatory Deck.
Checking out the view of Reykjavik from the Perlan Observatory Deck was one of the highlights we truly enjoyed. It was peaceful and serene and not alot of people on the deck. We had an opportunity to take in a 360 degree view of the still and scenic city. Reykjavik has a nice balance of trees, houses, and colorful buildings that make up for an astounding nature backdrop. The icing on the cake for us was to capture a shot of Hallgrimskirkja's cathedral church with the steeple on top and Esja mountain. The view was so picturesque and it felt like we were experiencing the city out of a postcard. Although we were only in Iceland for a week, we had an opportunity to take in so much of the city that offered much of its Iceland culture.
Reykjavik, Iceland is one of those destinations that has so many hidden gems and I think we only touched the surface. At the same time, we saw and experienced so much that this blog post would turn into a book. One last hidden gem I would like to share is a visit to Braud & Co.'s bakery. A couple of tourists told us about this spot to check out for a nice sweet treat, their cinnamon rolls. So off we went to the bakery on our last day in Reykjavik before driving back to Keflavik. We waited about an hour as the cinnamon rolls were made from scratch and baking. The wait was so worth it! It was one of the most delicious and delectable warm buttery cinnamon rolls I've ever tasted in my entire life. I've had my share of good cinnamon rolls as my mom is the queen of cinnamon rolls. Savoring this delicious treat had me floating on cloud "9." My words seriously cannot describe the experience we had while hanging out here. They also had some other really good savory treats such as blueberry liquor drizzled on top of a warm buttery cinnamon roll as well.
I think one of best ways to learn about a travel destination is to learn and see it for yourself, if you can. You will have so many more pictures and stories to share with people. If you enjoy the outdoors, natural landscapes including waterfalls and geysirs, and enjoy being around friendly people, then I would recommend adding Iceland onto your list to visit. WOW Air continues to offer inexpensive airfares to Iceland and other countries in Europe. Don't look for any frills but if you're focused on arriving to your destination, this may just be the airline to travel for you. If you're looking for ways to cut corner financially, WOW Air would be the way to go!