Reykjavik Iceland 23 Sept 2024

I may have slept an hour on the West Jet 6.5 hour flight from Calgary. We left at 745 pm on 22 Sept and arrived at 830 am on 23 Sept..
I am dressed way too warm!! It is a sunny blue sky day here, no wind. The sun feels warm. A great day! 9 degrees C was the high.
We took the city bus system from Keflavik Airport to downtown Reykjavik. The number 55 bus leaves from a street near departures - right across too from the Aurora Airport Hotel. Pay by credit card right on the bus and get a transfer to number one bus. Transfer at Fjordur. This takes longer than the flybus and is half the cost.. There is a substantial (half price) discount for seniors so yay. Two people, an adult and a senior for 36 dollars Cdn.

Iceland is considered sub arctic. We are in the tundra. I haven't been to the Yukon but I am imagining similarities. This is the furthest north I have ever been 64 degree latitude. The long day length in the summer increases the otherwise short growing season. The dominant life forms are low shrubs, sedges, grasses, mosses and lichens. We pass through this type of rocky countryside between Keflavik (airport) and Reykjavik, where we will be staying at Andrea guesthouse. It is about a ten minute walk from where the bus stops. We are too early for check in which is two pm but we leave our bags at the sister guesthouse Aurora and enjoy a coffee in their breakfast room before walking to the church nearby.

Hallingrimskjerke - a Lutheran Church - famous for its towering steeple. At 74.5 metres (244 ft) tall, it is the largest church in Iceland
The statue of Leif Eriksen, renowned explorer - discovered Iceland and Vinland five hundred years before Columbus.

We walked downhill towards downtown and stopped at a grocery store and a bakery enjoying the bright sunny day - no wind. Bonus grocery stores have the cute shopping bags with a pig motif. We had to sample the chocolate covered licorice (delicious) and the rich thick Skyre yogurt. Yummy

Eventually we checked in to our clean, comfortable room at Andrea Guesthouse and slept. It had been a long cramped 6.5 hours on West Jet - maybe one hour of sleep. The beds are comfy and there is a little fridge.