Today, I planned to take it easy and explore Reykjavik a bit. We landed at 3 am, but the local time was 6 am—three hours ahead of Pacific Time. The flight from New York with Iceland Air was smooth, but I couldn’t sleep a wink.
Arrival at Kefllavik Airport
Disembarking was quick, as Keflavik Airport is small. I expected immigration to be a hassle, but it was surprisingly smooth. I handed over my passport, and the officer simply asked where I was from. “The Netherlands, sir,” I replied. “Oh, okay, here you go,” he said, handing back my passport without even glancing at the photo. I walked away, a bit stunned that he hadn’t asked me anything further. “No wonder all those immigrants are entering Europe,” I thought, smiling at the simplicity of it all.
At the airport, I found an ATM and then grabbed an overpriced breakfast—a salmon sandwich for about 8 euros. It was the only place open at that hour. After 30 minutes, I headed to the exit and asked around for public transport options. I came across a tour company by the exit that sold tickets to and from Reykjavik. I bought one for 9000 Icelandic Krona, so I wouldn’t have to worry about the return journey. The tour bus would pick me up and drop me off at my accommodation near Hlemmur Square.
Arrival in Reykjavik
I also booked a day tour for July 18th, which I was really excited about. The bus left early, around 7 or 8 am. I boarded, handed the driver my ticket, and mentioned I needed to go to Hlemmur Square. I found my seat, and we were on our way—lucky me!








The journey to Reykjavik took about 45 minutes, and I was the first one to be dropped off at the hostel—though it felt more like a hostel within a hotel. I checked in, but my room wasn’t ready yet. The receptionist mentioned the lounge where I could relax and hang out. She handed me the access card for both the lounge and the kitchen.
Supermarket Prices in Iceland
I dropped off my big backpack and headed to the small mini-market next door. I picked up some juice, Coke, cheese, bread, and a few snacks. It was convenient having the store right next to the hostel—I loved that. Iceland was definitely expensive, which I expected, likely due to the financial crisis in 2008 (I think?). One euro was worth 150 Krona, and almost everything in the mini-market started at 300 Krona. It was pricey, to say the least.
After storing my food in the refrigerator, I headed to the lounge. It had a big, comfortable sofa and offered a great view of Hlemmur Square.




Nap Time at the Hostel
I took a nap and woke up around 1 pm. Then I went downstairs to check in, planning to sleep some more in the dorm. The place was empty, so I had my pick of beds. It was a large dorm, with about 16 beds. I chose a lower bunk at the far end, hoping not to be disturbed by anyone coming in. Each bed had its own power socket, and as I reached for my nearly broken US adapter, I realized I didn’t need it. “Ah, back in Europe,” I thought, relieved that my laptop and phone chargers fit the sockets here.
I took another nap until 3 pm, feeling tired and with no plans for the day other than typing and relaxing. I watched some series and listened to music. I also booked another tour for tomorrow, which was quite pricey. Checking the weather forecast, I felt a bit down—it was going to be rainy all week, especially on the day of my day tour. I closed my laptop and knew what I had to do. I had to grab a raincoat and sweater right away.
In Search of a Cheap Store
At the reception, I asked the guy for directions to a cheap store, and he gave me clear instructions. I needed to take the bus, which was convenient since Hlemmur Square was a bus station, so buses came and went from there regularly. I took a bus to a specific street and asked the driver to let me know when to get off. He spoke a little English, which was helpful. I explained that I only had a 1000 Krona bill, not 300 in coins (the standard bus fare). In the end, I didn’t have to pay the full fare. I just gave him the remaining coins I had, around 150 Krona.




The houses in Reykjavik looked a bit depressing and worn down to me. Some of them were painted in bright colors, and I couldn’t help but think sarcastically, “Yeah, you definitely need some color in your life with this weather.” It was cloudy, but thankfully, it wasn’t raining at the moment.
The Hagkaup
The Hagkaup was a typical European-sized supermarket. I picked up a sweater and a raincoat for about 12,000 Krona. I asked a young kid for some change for the bus, and to my surprise, he spoke perfect English. The locals were friendly, always smiling once they realized I was a foreigner (especially when I responded in English instead of Icelandic).
I took the bus back to Hlemmur Square and relaxed some more. I worked on several articles and stayed up late. In the dorm, I met a girl named Clara. She was doing the Golden Triangle day tour on another day. We chatted for a bit—she was a friendly German girl traveling through Scandinavia for three weeks.
A Short Period of Darkness
Around 4 am, I finally went to bed. I was surprised that the sun set around midnight. The darkness wasn’t as intense as I expected—it felt odd. At 3 am, the sunrise began, though I didn’t see it since the sky was cloudy. However, I could tell the sky was starting to lighten. By 4 am, I had finished booking my plans for tomorrow afternoon and decided to sleep in.