Wanderlust: 24 Hours in The Highest Capital, Reykjavik

So I'm baaaack!

Iceland was literally INCREDIBLE and like nowhere I have ever been before. Thought TBH, right now I am shattered so am kinda happy to be back in the warm here in the UK and in my pjs for two days of chill before reality again lol!

I've taken so many pics so I will try and consolidate them down as always, best way I thought was to do 3 separate blogs on this, one on Reyk, and one each on the tours we did.

Sooooo... on To Reykjavik!

The highest capital in the world was already dark when we got there, There are not too many planes to Iceland from the UK a day so the earliest Gatwick flight was 3pm- 3.30pm. As it was our first evening and we had spend the day pottering around the airport we quickly headed to our apartment which was really central in Reykjavik and just behind the main shopping area.

We stayed at Heidas Home - a well known little block of apartments run by the lovely Heida. If you are travelling on a budget (which we were, more on that later!) then self catering in Iceland is def the way forward as the hotels will set you back SO much money as well as you also don't get the experience of living like a real Icelander :)

We had our own bathroom, cosy little kitchenette with Microwave, hob ect and spacious bedroom with TV. Perfect to return to after a long day out and about!

It was a chilly 1-3 degrees outside during our stay (arguably less than that outside the city) so it was then time the next day to wrap up warm and explore the city!

Being the touristy tourists we are we went to all the main attractions, all of these can easily be visited during your 24 hour stay. Reyk is a very small city so its best to walk around on foot and see the sights for yourself.

1. Sólfar

The Sólfar, or The Sun Voyager,  is a beautiful sculpture located on the seafront. It celebrates 200 years since the city was created. 

2. Downtown Reykjavik - District 101

You can't miss the colourful 101 district! It is the main boulevard of the city for shopping, food and bars. There are plenty of souvenir shops as well to buy the usual magnets, mugs and keyrings or shops selling warm clothes which are perfect for excursions out the city!

Laugavegur is one of the longest streets in the 101 district and has some incredible street art!

3. Hallgrimskirka Church

Dominating the city skyline is Reyks centre piece, Hallgrimskirka Church. Its free to pop inside and have a look around.

Unlike most churches I've visited which are usually very grand or chock full of stained glass, this church has a very minimalist look which I almost actually prefer!

You will need to pay to head up to the top of the viewing tower (900 ISK) but it is well worth it for the views across the city!

4. The Harpa Music Hall 

The Harpa is beautiful to visit day or night, whether you are seeing a concert or not! It is located on the seafront, not far from the Sun Voyager Sculpture.

5. The Old Harbour

We stumbled on The Old Harbour when walking further past The Harpa, which is well worth an afternoon stroll. Aside from meandering round the ships, it is here that you can book some great tours if you haven't already done so when you visit. The offer boat tours which include Northern Lights Trips and Viking fun tours around the harbour!

There are also a great number of museums in the harbour area including the Aurora Centre which we went to when it looked like it was going to rain. Its a very small place but worth a visit if you want to know more about the lights and how they are caused by the sun,

They also show an endless cinema screening of the lights around Iceland which you can go in and watch along with some chill out music! nearly nodded off a couple of times in there as I was so relaxed!

A great idea seeing as the lights for real are obvs not guaranteed when you visit Iceland. despite having favourable conditions for the lights we sadly didn't see them in person but going to the centre made up for that abit :)

Wheres the foodie pics?!

The main downside was food, so sorry no food pics :( we simply could not afford to eat out aside from once.

Food in Iceland I'm sure is great but the cost is absolutely barmy. I had budgeted extra for the trip knowing the expense beforehand but had no idea of the costs of the smaller things - a simple ham sandwich in a supermarket for example would set you back £10, a bottle of coke or the Icelandic equivalent - £4 and eating out could cost about £25 to do in a restaurant for said sandwich and drink
:( Fish and chips about £16, you get the idea. You will run out of money extremely fast if you are not savvy with your moneys here, Dinner prices were double this each!

Best budget food buys we spotted were Reykjavik chips and like I've explained Self catering is the way to go (still like buying your food in Harrods in the budget off-licence for the expense) but still cheaper than eating out,

All in all, I hope this covers everything you wanna know about Reykjavik and what to do if you are only there a short time :)

Love, Sarah x

Wanderlust: Monte Carlo

So last week me and the boy went on a midweek break to southern France!

We stayed in a beautiful villa in Boulouris, a small town outside popular tourist spot St Raphael on the Cote D'Azur - separate post to come on this another time!

As a few things didn't go entirely to plan (slightly poor at the mo due to the boys Uni course fees and that there was a good old fashioned transport strike going on) we were watching the money and also didn't get to go to Cannes as planned (booo)

We did however, have a fantastic day in the glamorous and ever so lovely Monte Carlo.

Monte Carlo is well known for being a home & playground to the rich and famous. If you want to stay there on a break or live there, you will obviously pay through the nose for the privilege. However as we found, its not too expensive to have a day out in Monaco whilst on a budget, we spent just £63 between the two of us during the day we were there.

In total in Monaco we spent

x2 train tickets from Nice to Monaco  - 3 Euros each
x2 tickets to the aquarium (depending on month of visit) 14 euros each - peak time
x2 tickets to the Prince Rainier vintage car collection exhibit 6 euros each
x2 Ice creams at the Cafe De Paris 10 euros
GP Trackside snackage from local supermarket (6 sandwiches, 2 drinks and a box of 20 Madeline's) - 13 euros

Being that we came for the Monaco GP week we also bought tickets in advance from bookf1tickets.com

x2 Monaco GP trackside tickets for Thursday Practice - £120 (bought before we went)

Total - £183.00

Make sure that you arrive early as there is plenty to do but its far nicer to enjoy at a slower pace as per the relaxed Monte Carlo way of life!

I'd recommend anyone to come along to Monaco during the GP week as this is when the city really comes to life as its well known for it's famous race circuit around the harbour which is stunning!

The circuit is already set up but you can freely walk around it (aside from on the roads obvs!) but you also can wander in to the pit lane where the teams are starting work on the F1 cars and get a close up look at the Red Bull party boat before this all gets cordoned off for the VIP ticket holders! Quite possibly F1's best kept secret :)

Near the pits you can make the climb up the hillside stairs to see some beautiful views of Monte Carlo. A great picnic lunchstop.

Up the top of the hill you will find a huge aquarium with 3 floors of sea-life heaven and a top floor museum which is all included in your ticket price a great place to sped a couple of hours out of the sun.

This has to be one of my favourite aquariums I've ever visited due to the number of species of fish and that you also could touch the sharks!

After cooling down in the aquarium we headed over to the west side of town which you get through by going in to a lift going underground, though a small shopping center and then out the other side of one of the rocky mountains (yep, sounds like a evil Bond villains lair!) we paid a visit to the Prince's vintage car collection.

Basically imagine the biggest garage you have ever walked in to and times this by at least 200! so many old cars, rally cars and old F1 cars are on display in here.

So there you go!

I'd definitely go back to Monte Carlo again one day We didn't have time to visit the beautiful exotic Gardens or the Casino so we will make sure we include this in our return visit one day. Though next time we will go in a car, hopefully avoiding any kind of strikes! :)

Love, Sarah x