Takk Fryir and Welcome to Iceland

After a 14 hour travel day we finally flew into the charred, intimidating landscape of Iceland. We landed at a tiny airport in a city outside of the capitol called Keflavik. My first impression: The country is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Very rugged, mountainous, and riddled with volcanic rock. But when you get closer to Reykjavik, the atmosphere is completely different. The colors are vibrant. Buildings are the brightest shades of yellow, blue, and red in many places. Restaurants, shops, and bars stretch for blocks and all have a unique flavor. Reykjavik is pretty hip. And gas is only a dollar a gallon!

Nick and I were welcomed to our temporary apartment by our gracious host Halldor (pronounced: Hal-Dour. You have to roll the R!) We are in a nice area and smack in the middle of all the city's sights. (Reykjavik is very small so it is kind of hard not to be). You get the sense that you are in town where everybody knows everybody. The two of us probably stand out like the flock of discombobulated American tourists we are. Hopefully the jet lag wears off soon.

With the short time that we have had, we've wandered the bustling street corners, strolled along the coast of the Atlantic, tasted Icelandic pizza, and visited a gorgeous, towering church at the city-centre. Hallgrimskirkja Church, the Church of Iceland, dates back to 1937 and took almost 50 years to build in stages. The architecture is fascinating and reminds me of Oz. I'll post some photos below.

That's about it for now. Tonight, we're going to check out some nightlife. Not sure when that begins given the sun sets at almost midnight... We will be renting a car tomorrow to travel through some state parks and lava beds! And then the world famous Blue Lagoon!

Cheers!

Sam