Author: Mel

Living aboard a sailboat, blogging about the places we visit and the adventures we have. Love hiking, cycling, scuba, animals and adventure.

Easy Year to Travel on Christmas

We got lucky! We had 3 flights plus a rental car trip to take us from Toronto on Christmas Eve afternoon into the Austrian Alps on Christmas afternoon, and all of them were on time and had plenty of room for our non-checked bags! I said we had three flights and still it was an easy year to travel on Christmas. Merry Christmas indeed!

Toronto to Detroit

Easy, on time, and Detroit is a pretty fun airport. They have a tunnel to take you between terminals where they play great Motown tunes and change the light colors so it’s a fun experience for airport movement. We enjoyed the disco tunnel, Detroit!

Detroit Airport Tunnel
Detroit Airport Tunnel

We also had a three hour layover so plenty of time for a couple good ole American craft beers to get us tired for the nighttime flight to Frankfurt.

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Whale Watching in Reykjavik

Whale watching is a pretty popular activity in Iceland. In Husavik and Reykjavik, boat tours seeking whales, dolphins, and puffins are commonplace. So, we did what the tourists do and spent Sunday whale watching in Reykjavik.

Where to take a whale watching tour in Reykjavik

There is a long pier down by the harbour where all the boats have offices and sell tickets for their tours. Besides whale watching and puffin hunting, you can also book a “Northern Lights” tour. The problem with that is, if it’s cloudy, as it often was for us, you aren’t going to see those lights on land or a boat. But people will pay, so they have the tour.

Reykjavik Pier
Reykjavik Pier and Boat Companies
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Reykjavik Street Art

For a small city, Reykjavik street art is plentiful. Some of it is more commercial than others, but there’s a large variety and it makes it fun to explore the downtown. From murals to store decorations to statues and sculptures, there’s something new around every corner.

I read that a lot of the street art was supported in conjunction with the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, trying to bring another component to the concerts they throw annually. It’s not all modern graffiti in Reykjavik. There’s a mix with some historic and old art in the streets of Iceland’s major metropolis. We learned about some of this Reykjavik street art on the walking tour, and some we found on our own.

SCULPTURES and statues

The sculptures and statues offer a glimpse into Reykjavik’s history and humor.

The statue of Skúli Magnússon, known as the father of Reykajvik, is prominently placed in the main square of the city.

  • Skuli Magnuson Statue Reykjavik
    The father of Reykjavik
  • Reykjavik Street Art
    Memorial to the Unknown Bureaucrat in Reykjavik

The Memorial to the Unknown Bureaucrat is a satirical tribute to all the thankless servants by Magús Tómasson.

  • Heavyweight Sculpture Reykjavik
    Water Carrier Sculpture from 1937
  • Sculpture Reykjavik
    Sad man Sculpture Reykjavik
  • Harborfront searchers street art Reykjavik
    Harborfront Searchers
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