Madrid
There’s little that can’t be done in and around Reykjavik. Urban scampering leads you from cosy cafes to wool-packed shops full of blankets and jumpers. Music venues foster an intriguing scene, and art fills the streets, galleries and shoreline. In winter, souped up 4x4s get you across snow and ice filled tundras to ice caves, lava tunnels and waterfalls that mesmerise. Though, accessing the open plains on a traditional Icelandic horse has a certain air of authenticity that a monster truck can never really muster. In the seas? Big whales are regular visitors and tour operators get you as close as ethically possible.
Puffins add a splash of colour to nearby islands and the Northern Lights cast ethereal glows over the skies. It may be a land of fire and ice – but Reykjavik’s streets hold as many wonders. A punk museum wedged into a disused public loo might not be for everyone, but it does give a hint at the city’s sense of humour. Elsewhere, the colourful streets deliver a dose of a very different kind of architecture. Ancient Euro/Roman/Baroque stylings have been cast aside in favour of functional buildings. That’s not to say it’s bland. Just different. Which is, after all what we’re all here for. A change of scene. And that’s available in Reykjavik at every turn.
