December in Iceland

I can’t count the number of people who have said something along the lines of: “Why would you go to Iceland in December? Won’t it be freezing?!” My husband Andrew and I do live in Florida after all. If it drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, people start wearing puffer jackets and Uggs everywhere they go. Living in a place where other people vacation has caused me to start craving cold vacations. The idea of Iceland blanketed in snow and ice seemed like the way one should see the country. It’s in the name after all.

We flew out of Baltimore at 8pm Friday night, the 6th of December. The flight was a short 4 hours and 50 minutes. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep, Andrew got 0. When we landed, it was 6:30am Iceland time. We couldn’t check into our hotel yet, so we took advantage of walking around downtown Reykjavik during sunrise. Surprisingly, there was almost no one out, despite it being 9am on a Saturday morning. We enjoyed the peacefulness of the morning and the opportunity to take in the stunning views. Once the sun started coming up around 10, the streets started to fill up and shops started to open. Because of the time of year we visited, the sun never rose higher than just above the horizon, so for about 4.5 hours per day, everything looked to be in the state of constant sunrise or sunset.

Because we were functioning on practically no sleep, we thought a trip to Reykjavik’s famous hot springs would wake us up. We made a reservation in advance for 12pm at Sky Lagoon. After enjoying a serene morning in the capitol, we went to our booking, which turned out to be one of our top experiences of the trip. You can read more about our experience at Sky Lagoon here.

After returning to Reykjavik from Sky Lagoon, we were finally able to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Canopy by Hilton Downtown Reykjavik and it was such a treat! The room was unique and cozy, the bathroom floor was heated, and we had a lovely view of the city.

Canopy by Hilton Downtown Reykjavik Hotel view from window, fifth floor

As we lay down for a nap, I was worried we would sleep through the night. We only had one night in Reykjavik, it was a Saturday night, and I wanted to experience the city!

I set an alarm and a few hours later, sleepily started to get ready. We wandered around a few blocks and ultimately decided to eat at a trendy looking place called Monkey’s. We tried filet of reindeer and a wagyu beef dish. I also have to give a shout out to the cocktail I ordered called the Stuðlaberg. This was a gin cocktail with strawberries and marshmallow.

Stuðlaberg

Gin with Strawberries & Marshmallow

Filet of Reindeer

Wagyu

After dinner, we were keen to go out for some drinks. A friend of mine had told me about a place called Hús Máls og Menningar or The Bookstore Bar. This bar consisted of three of my favorite things: books, booze, and a band. The live music they had that night was exceptional, playing a range of music from Bon Jovi to Britney Spears. The building itself is an old bookstore that still has two stories full of shelves of old books. We found a spot on the second floor along the balcony to watch the band from above. It was such a fun time and I will certainly be going back for another visit the next time I find myself in Reykjavik!

With that, we concluded our night in the city and went to bed. We had an early morning coming up to catch our Golden Circle and Southern Coast Tour.