On the way to Reykjavik, Iceland

I continued my circuitous route from Malaga, Spain to San Diego via Amsterdam and Reykjavik - please don't ask me why....

After Marbella, I flew back to AMS.  I am still not sure why I booked such difficult and arduous flights.  When in Amsterdam, I was so thankful to hook up with a former co-worker for dinner.  Sousann Mobasser is a fantastic female role model and I enjoyed catching up with her after 4+ years!


After dinner I stayed at the Yotel in the AMS airport.  It is quite an interesting little place.  You pay by the hour and sleep in a shoe box, but that is really all you need!  It was a good experience that I would repeat if I have the chance.  

other side of shoebox

Airport sculpture of a bird emerging from its shell
So, I got teased into an overnight stay in Iceland based on the prices and Scott and Paula’s experiences.  Apparently, things have changed between 2013 and 2017!  I got a very inexpensive ticket for travel, but by the time I paid for the hotel in Reykjavik, I was pretty much even.  Now, add on top of that the fact that you need to book your Blue Lagoon tickets 3 weeks in advance, I was now having my second bummer of the trip. 

I paid around $300 for a one night stay with a twin bed in Reykjavik.  I am afraid to figure out how much my dinner was that night!  I did need it, since I had been traveling with several disappointments and needed some red meat.





Of course, it rained, so the few short hours that I had in country were mainly spent on bus rides to and from the airport to Reykjavik.  The land is very barren and made of volcanic rock.  Iceland is considered a European country and is the most sparsely populated.

Iceland or Ireland?  Hard to tell...

Reykjavik did remind me a bit of Bergen, Norway.  When you are so far north, the skies are darker and the colors deeper.  You know it is a good vacation when you are ready to get home, and I certainly was!

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