Where in the world is Kat Kong?: Exploring Reykjavik, Icelandic cuisine, Northern Lights hunt

Trip Index

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Wednesday morning, Kaleb and I woke up and had a lovely buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant, GOTT, included with every stay. Some TripAdvisor reviews complained about the lack of variety, but everything I wanted to eat was there, including fresh fruit, juices, bacon, eggs, and of course, pickled herring and smoked salmon. The skyr (Icelandic yogurt) was so good, paired with fresh berries. The coffee machine also made a fantastic hot chocolate. There were gluten-free and vegan options. Pancakes, waffles and French toast were not present, which could be a reason for dissatisfaction.

vegan selections

gluten-free counter

We checked out the fitness center as well as the bath house, located in the basement of the hotel.

complimentary bottled water

relaxing bath house, no one was ever here

refreshment

shower room, robes, lockers

sauna

hot tub (no bubbles)

We ventured out into the city; first thing was to locate "Bus Stop #3", from where our booked tours would pick up. Reykjavik banned buses from the city center a few years ago, establishing a bus stop system along the perimeter to consolidate pick-up/drop-off. The Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel was located near Bus Stop #3, which was only a couple of minutes' walk from the entrance.

stop #3

Next, we made our way to Hallgrimskirkja, the largest church in Iceland.

360 spherical picture inside Hallgrimskirkja, taken with the Ricoh Theta S: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Inside Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

We walked more around town, passing by Hljómskálagarður park, the shoreline, and ducking into a supermarket to check the price of groceries.

lake at Hljómskálagarður

Oceania Riviera in the background far right

yogurt for $2.25 USD

dozen eggs for $7

10 slices of cheese for $8.50

this looks yummy

For lunch, I wanted to try Icelandic hot dogs. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, a famous hot dog stand open since 1937, was located very close to our hotel. There was a constant line, but it moved quickly. We had the dogs garnished with "the works", which included ketchup, sweet mustard, onions and a mayo-like sauce. It was comforting to bite into a warm hot dog with soft bun, quite saucy. The casing had a snap to it, and the filling consisted of lamb, beef and pork. Total for two hot dogs came out to around $7.50.

We never needed Icelandic cash (krona). Credit cards were accepted everywhere, even at the hot dog stand. We made sure to use a credit card that did not charge foreign transaction fees, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Returning to the hotel, Kaleb and I decided to try out the basement bath house. As hot water is abundant in Iceland, bath houses and swimming pools are a popular social activity. The Blue Lagoon is also a famous tourist destination. Since we didn't have time to visit the lagoon, it was quite convenient that the hotel had its own bath house. Kaleb and I had the whole place to ourselves, which was great as there was only one shower stall inside the men's and women's locker rooms. Plus, had we gone to the public swimming pool, there would be a large shower room for each gender without privacy, with attendants watching to make sure you cleaned the necessary parts. Fortunately, there was no such person in the hotel's bath house, but there was an informative sign on what body areas to target. Note that there was a security camera inside the public part of the bath house.

After a short time soaking in the hot tub, we rinsed off, returned to the hotel room to change and then walked a few blocks to have dinner at Icelandic Street Food. I wanted to try the local cuisine, and it happened to be quite budget-friendly. Though the price of a bowl of soup plus a piece of bread was around $13.50, you could refill the bowl as many times as you wanted (except the seafood one), and dessert of the day was free for the taking, piled on plates next to the cash register. The place was small, with limited seating, and very hot inside as soup was cooking at all times. We ordered a lamb and a seafood soup; both were quite delicious. The side of bread was the carved out center of a bread bowl.

random coins inside the case

lamb and seafood soup

After dinner, we returned to the hotel to attend a social hour for hotel guests in the bar from 6-7pm. A complimentary drink was served, plus a selection of small bites such as non-raw sushi were offered. The trays were not refilled, so come early if you want to eat.

Tonight was our Saga Travel small group tour to view the Northern Lights. I had purchased tickets without adding a bus stop pick up (extra cost to do so), and was prepared to meet the tour at Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Center, a 15 minute walk from the hotel. However, I received an email from Saga Travel a couple of days before the tour, asking where to pick us up, so I replied back with "Bus Stop #3". It was nice of them to offer; we wouldn't have to walk back in the wee hours of the night.

The instructions stated that participants were to be at their designated bus stop between 8-8:30pm. The tour mini-bus arrived at our stop around 8:25pm, already carrying passengers. We disembarked shortly at Aurora Reykjavik, spending a brief time perusing the few exhibits until the center kicked us out after 9pm. The sky was not yet completely dark, but we had a long drive ahead of us to where the potential for Northern Lights viewing was greatest. I had checked aurora forecasts earlier and the prediction was "Low", with little solar activity. It also didn't help that remnants of a hurricane in the Atlantic had made its way towards Iceland. The mini-bus drove from site to site, finding openings amid the clouds, but we failed to see the aurora. It was getting very cold and windy; we were shivering under the night sky, patiently scanning for any hint of glow. During one of the stops, a table was set up outside the bus with hot chocolate and Icelandic donuts called kleinur, which was a nice break. We eventually returned to Reykjavik around 1am; the search for the Northern Lights was a bust. Everyone was entitled to a free re-book on the same tour for another night, but Kaleb and I did not want to try again as we had day tours planned the rest of the week. I'm sure we'll be back again someday. I recommend booking a Northern Lights tour only as far in advance as aurora forecasts can predict.

good to have red light

inside Aurora Reykjavik

a whole lot of dark

Next, we embark on day tours visiting the South Coast, Golden Circle, Silfra, and West Coast of Iceland...stay tuned!

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