>
Next

Why oh why do you always end up getting out of bed far earlier than you need to, convince yourself that you've still got loads to do when in fact you have nothing to do and then end up being bored and frustrated about how slowly time is ticking by. These were the precise events of our morning. From 07:00 to 10:00 am. Three hours of self induced frustration, boredom and continually checking the bags to make sure your passport had not moved itself since the last time you looked.

Our chariot (sounds better than taxi) arrived at 1000 and we headed off for the first part of our journey to Portsmouth Harbour Station. Today was a day of Trains, Planes and Automobiles!

Our first stress (but not our last) was at the ticket booth, the automated machine suddenly went out of order before our eyes so we joined the queue for the one open ticket booth only to watch the screen reboot itself leave the queue again to use said rebooted machine to find that it was not working for pre booked tickets so it was back to the even longer queue with the clock ticking!

On board the train (first class dont you know) we were disturbed by a mother who was clearly regretting buying her 7 year old son the most annoying light sabre type toy ever and she had not learnt how to turn the noise off (surely this is basic parenting...always learn how to remove the batteries ????). Anyway they were moved on by the the guard checking tickets (we knew they were not travelling on a first class ticket!)

At Gatwick South we checked in and made our way through security rather swiftly and a quick bite to eat at Pret before heading for our first experience of WOW air. No complaints here, we arrived safe and sound after a no thrills flights and caught the bus into Reykjavik.

The journey in from the airport, approximately 40 mins, was a real view onto lots of other countries that we have visited before. The lava fields of The big Island in Hawaii, the black volcanic beaches of Lanzarote. The lava fields broke into a totally flat landscape covered in moss and short grasses strewn with rockeries and basalt looking rocks. This flat landscape led into views of snowcapped mountains and cloud covered volcanoes, all this on a forty minute bus ride.

As we drove towards civilisation the architecture started off with wooden cladded fisherman's cottages in untouched marshes raised on stilts, corrugated iron houses painted in pastel colours to concrete brutal modernist cubes demanding the best view across the shoreline.

We changed coaches to a smaller mini bus at the bus station to be taken directly to our hotel for the next five nights. On arrival all was not as it should have been. The hotel told us that we had been upgraded (not sure about that??) to a better room in a different hotel just around the corner. Now to be fair, our new different hotel is just around the corner and the room is probably bigger but saying its an upgrade might be pushing it a bit. It's fine though, I mean you cant really complain about a room that has Charles Eames chairs in it and a decent wetroom can you?

Once we were settled we went up to the Sky Bar at the top of the hotel to take in the view.....and boy what a view. Our hotel is located right opposite the Harbour and the Harpa Concert Hall (built as part of the rejuvenation of Iceland before it ran into the little problem with all the european savers). The Icelandic Government had no choice but to finish it as it was half built but the plans for the other hotels to surround the centre are now well and truly moth balled.

Itching to stretch our legs we headed across the street to look inside the Harpa Building. It really is something, all black dyed polished concrete and angular glass and mirrors with splashes of neon electric high voltage yellow as an accent.....very bold indeed. My favourite part was the ceiling....inspiring indeed.

Next it was down to the harbour front for a look about taking in all the buildings and the ambiance. Its a real mix of old and modern here and it has a feeling of trying to be just a little bit to cool for school. We stubbled across a 24 hour supermarket that was putting on a pop concert inside. The ceiling had a lighting rig up in it and the music was blaring out.....only in Iceland or so it would seem.

We stopped for Dinner in a cafe and you really get some idea of how expensive Iceland can be.....really expensive!

Looking though the menu we both chose the same (again) of soup of the day (mushroom) and catch of the day. It was nothing special but it was far from being bad and for £10 a head we could not complain at all.

We took a stroll up into the main town passing more cool for school cafes and quirky design shops. Imagine the north lanes of Brighton crossed with the architecture of Worthing high street (a proper mixed bag from victorian to concrete 1960's/70's) and you could be here too.

Heading back towards the hotel via the shoreline path we gazed out across the bay onto the volcanoes and mountains in the distance......beautiful. The sea itself looks black and foreboding. It looks the colour of its temperature which must be freezing despite all the thermal spas and pools here. We passed the Solfar sculpture (see picture above) on the way back a real nod to Iceland's past and its norse/viking heritage.

Its now just gone 11 at night here so midnight in the uk and we have been back in the room planning stuff for tomorrow. It's still daylight outside on the street which really is a peculiar feeling.

Shattered.com but tomorrow is another day.

0000