I’d like to talk a little about my free time in the city of Reykjavik, as it is probably one of the best and craziest cities I have ever been to.

From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, we hardly ever had a moment to just sit down and relax. I certainly don’t mean that in a bad way, because it was an amazing trip.

From the crazy bars, house parties and all-night festivals with fireworks to the afternoon street performances, museum visits and downtown restaurant meals, Reykjavik has it all.

Within the first 15 minutes of arriving in Reykjavik, we found ourselves in a bar. I was exhausted, looked like a nomad compared to all of the fashionable young (and I stress young!) Icelanders, and not really digging the crazy dance music. We had some drinks, wandered awhile and got our first taste of the Reykjavik nightlife.

The young Icelanders went well into the night as we wandered home. Strangely, the sun was already coming up as we got home. Then again, it had barely even set. No wonder they stay up all night.

The next day was Culture Night (Menningarnótt). We were super excited for the festival, but bummed that our luggage never made it off of Icelandair (or wherever it got list in the airportverse). To dress ourselves for the night and get out of our travel clothes, we visited Kolaportið (Iceland’s only–and awesome–flea market!). We also got some delicious food there.

Then we set out for the night. Meeting a reader of Seattle’s Travels, we were also introduced to some locals of Reykjavik.

We spent the rest of the night with them; watching the fireworks, getting drinks at different bars, and also sneaking a few drinks on the street.

We ended up back at their house party where the craziness really started, and went well into the night.

The following days were a bit of a blur because we were in and out of town on so many tours. The time spent in town was made easier with our Puffin Scooters that helped us get around from place to place. The thing about Reykjavik is that as small as it looks, it required a lot of walking.

One day, we wanted groceries. We rode our scooters to the nearest grocery store (Bonus), and loaded our little trunks with our Icelandic goodies. I should probably add that all labels in the grocery store are written in Icelandic, so you will probably end up pestering a few shoppers to ask for help.

Another day, we wanted to visit the National Museum of Iceland. Our little scooters took us up the hill and down the street, arriving just in time for the next tour.

It’s too bad that we didn’t go in September, when tours are free on Wednesdays! Oh well, 5 ISK isn’t so bad.

Our Puffin Scooters also took us to the Perlan and Laugar spa. They were extremely fun to ride around, and easy to charge up.

Our hostel was also the perfect location in the city. We could walk to nearby downtown shopping, and could see the ocean from our window. We got to know our neighbourhood pretty well, and it started to feel like home.

We found a cute little thrift shop around the corner, where I bought an Icelandic Harry Potter shirt for my fanatic sister.

Locals in Reykjavik are probably the most fashionable people I have ever seen or met. I felt like I was interrupting a fashion show each time I walked out onto the street.

Even the babies were dressed to impress, with adorable hats and trendy mittens.

School children were neat and tidy, and young adults were sporting the latest and most daring hairstyles. Move over Paris, Reykjavik is taking over!

One of the best views of the entire city is from Hallgrimskirkja, where Kristján of Iceland Unlimited took us on our last day.

We could see the entire city in every direction, including all of the places that we had already been to ourselves. We pointed out familiar landmarks and tried to identify different neighbourhoods.

The city itself is clean and beautiful. rooftops create a rainbow of colors in neat little rows and patterns.

The buildings downtown are covered in gorgeous works of art the smells of yummy waffles or tasty Icelandic hotdogs fill the streets.

It is something that should be seen on any Reykjavik tour.

I’ve been to a lot of cool European cities, and I’m pretty sure that Reykjavik is a contender for the top, if not ultimately the best one.

I’d love to live there one day, and perhaps I will.