5 Jun 2017 - Iceland Day 11: Exploring Reykjavik

Though we were at Reykjavik on the first two nights in Iceland, we had not visited most part of the city.  After we parked our car, we were told by another tourist that today was a public holiday (Whit Monday) in Iceland.  As such, parking was free in the city.  From the car park, we walked across the road to a prominent building, Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre.

This modern glass honeycomb concert hall and conference center is the home to the national opera and symphony.

We then took a walk to Arnarhóll Park where Statue of Ingólfur Arnarson stood.  According to the Book of Settlements, he and his crew were the first permanent settlers in Iceland and named the place Reykjavik (Smoke Cove) on account of billowing steam rising from the area's hot springs.

We continued to explore the other parts of the city centre.

Before this trip, we had heard about a hot dog stand that sells the best sausages around.  We decided to search for it as both Jerlene and Javier love sausages.  We were a bit surprised to find it at a corner beside some construction.  However, you will never miss it because there is always a long queue.

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, "The Town's Best Sausages" in English, has been in continuous operation since 1937.

In August 2004, the stand was visited by former United States president Bill Clinton while he was visiting Iceland for a UNICEF conference.

We sat down at the bench right next to the hot dog stand and were all very satisfied with the tasty sausages.

After the delicious sausages, we visited the Kolaportid Flea Market.

This place reminded us of Paddy's Market City in Sydney where there are stalls selling vintage clothing, used books, dvds, knick knacks and antiques, as well as toys, woolen goods and more.

We continued to explore the rest of the city centre before driving to other interesting places in Reykjavik.

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