Arriving in Reykjavik was a wet experience for Julie and I. After checking in at the Bus Hostel, Julie and I strolled into town. It wasn’t raining when we started but we were fairly drenched by the time we reached the noodle bar. We dried out a bit while eating some okay noodles but got pretty soaked again in the short walk back to the hostel.

Luckily, our private twin room was roasty toasty and we were able to spread all our clothes around to dry out. By the morning, my jeans were dry and so was the sky. It wasn’t a clear sky but you can ask for everything.

The massive cloud over Reykjavik was not uncommon so it surprised me how many buildings were so grey. The Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral, one of the city’s major landmarks was depressingly concrete, the only splash of colour the red on the double doors at the front.

The interior was austere but with an impressive set of pipes.

Amongst the grey concrete, below the grey cloud, Reykjavik hides it’s colour in some other buildings, painting corrugated iron in cheerful colours.

Maybe the Harpa Concert Hall is dazzling with blue skies and sunshine creating different colours?

And look, there’s a Viking. With blue sky in the background.

There’s hope for a dry day in Reykjavik yet.

Museums

Luckily, for us, there are tons of museums in Reykjavik which are an excellent way to spend a few rainy ours.

We enjoyed The National Museum of Iceland. Nice building and interesting exhibitions. A locker is included in the ticket so it’s handy for leaving bags and wet coats. We didn’t make it to the Culture House (the afternoon was closing in and hot chocolate was calling).

I enjoyed the Maritime Museum. I like boats. There was an exhibition on women in Iceland’s fishing industry and I got a bit more an understanding of the ‘Cod Wars’ between Iceland and the UK.

Julie thought the Saga Museum was a bit naff. The Settlement Centre and Saga Exhibition of Egil’s saga in Borganes was more satisfying.