Exploring Reykjavik, 2017

Stepping off the plane in Iceland was one of the most surreal experiences in my life up until that point.

I’d never been overseas before, and I couldn’t believe I was on another continent. All I’d done was buy a plane ticket and book a hotel, and it happened.

My friend and I had a week to spend in Reykjavik, and we had a ton of adventures all over the west side of the island, but right now I’m going to focus on adventures around the city.

So far, Reykjavik is my favourite city on this planet. We visited in mid-October and got very lucky with sunny weather all week. I loved walking around, exploring Reykjavik and admiring its quiet, beautiful atmosphere.

In front of Harpa Concert Hall

I always love seeing a city’s architecture, and getting a chance to explore the Harpa Concert Hall was very neat. The views of this building were gorgeous inside and out.

We also took a short walk to see the Sun Voyager sculpture where we had a fun photoshoot, and then only a short walk from there to the Hallgrímskirkja church, which was incredible. Taking a peek inside the church at its high ceilings was spectacular.

The Sun Voyager sculpture

Right next to Hallgrímskirkja Church was the Einar Jónsson Museum that displayed the famous artist’s very detailed sculptures. We couldn’t take any photos in there, but if you get a chance, I highly recommend taking a visit. Behind the museum is the Einar Jónsson Sculpture Garden – a beautiful garden decorated with even more gorgeous pieces.

Hallgrímskirkja church

A lot of my city wanderings included admiring art and how every building seemed to be very different from each other. I grew up in a suburbia where every house looks the same, and I spend most of my time in Toronto where a lot of the buildings are fancy skyscrapers that aren’t super inspired. So seeing all of the colourful storefronts and street art was really cool.

I loved exploring Reykjavik. It so instantly felt like home away from home, and I can’t wait to go back someday.