It's about 5.30pm in the evening (6.30pm for you if you are wondering) and I've been up since 6.00am yesterday morning so unsurprisingly I'm feeling a bit tired!
My pickup to the airport arrived punctually at 2.30am UK time this morning. We had a rather circuitous route thanks to extensive overnight roadworks on the M25 which began with the closure of the M26 so we had to travel the two sides of the triangle first up towards the Dartford crossing and then back down the other side of the triangle via Orpington to pick up the Motorway at Sevenoaks. The second diversion was down to the closure of the M25 between junctions 8 & 9 but my driver , Jose – of Mexican extraction I would guess – and a man of few words but excellent driving skills so that we still arrived at London Heathrow Terminal 5 in just under 2 hours and I stayed awake!
Refreshed with a Prets Almond Croissant and Latte coffee – my favourite treat – I was ready to board my Airbus A320 for the 3 hr 05 min flight to Reykjavik. The first photo is my first sighting of the Southeast coast of Iceland from the aircraft. It was a bit cloudy but sunny and if you are wondering what an earth you are looking at it is a snow-capped peak.
Two Silversea reps were waiting our arrival and soon I was joined by 3 other fellow guests to be on the upcoming cruise.
Keflavík International Airport is some 50 kms from the city of Reykjavik so we enjoyed a 40-minute transfer in bright sunshine but a biting cold wind. The roadside verges were a sea of purple flowers that our driver explained were Lupins and locally now regarded as a weed. This part of Iceland is very flat – well inland at least – and had suffered years of wind-blown sand from the coast. To stabilise the soil someone had the idea of planting Lupins which was very successful in preventing soil erosion but like the 'Day of the Triffids' the Lupins are now seeking world domination! So as our driver put it 'The solution has caused another problem"!
The driver also pointed out the rising steam from the recent volcanic eruption. He said the eruption had finished some 4 days ago and that stories about the disruption that had been caused in recent months were wildly exaggerated. For example, the Blue Lagoon Hot Baths had only been closed for a day and not permanently as had been extensively reported – the Icelandic economy could not survive without the tourist income from visits to these hot springs.
We arrived at our hotel at just after 11.00am local time. I knew the rooms were not guaranteed to be available until 2.00pm so I stored my case and backpack in a cunning electronic vault in the hotel lobby – well once I could find one that was free and get my Room Key to operate the lock and took myself off for a walk and in search of some lunch.
The second photo is of the harbour with the mountains beyond and the third is of the famous Harpa Conference Centre and Concert Hall. This is a fabulous bulding constructed with glass cladding set at different angles to reflect the light. I last visited Reykjavik back in 2015/16 and had a tour inside this architectural wonder. I remember there was a David Bowie Exhibition in the Conference Centre, but they wanted an eye-watering entrance fee to view so I didn't! Since returning, I have found the photos that I took back in 2016 and they are now included at the beginning of this book.
Talking of eye-watering I then spotted a restaurant offering local caught Fish & Chips which feature in the last photo. Very fine Fish & Chips they were too until I got the bill for 4490.00 ISK (Icelandic Kronor) which if the exchange rate I looked up is correct equates to about £28.00!! Lesson one confirmed – it's jolly expensive here but you can still drool over my Fish & Chip lunch!
So that's Day 1 of this adventure drawing to a close. Having had a lazy and snoozy afternoon in my room I'm going to venture out in the evening sunshine with an additional sweater under my jacket in search probably of another expensive but tasty fish meal. It's now 6.30pm local time as I send this post winging on its way!!
Well as you have guessed by now this post wasn't sent on its way until I returned home!
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