Michael 84

Reykjavik Roundup – FAQ, Travel Tips & Random Things

Monday, 15th September, 2014

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So you’ve read about my days and nights in Reykjavik, but there is so much more I must of missed out! What about the general things in Reykjavik, Iceland, prices, living and so on. So here it goes!

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Reykjavik: Day 3 – Blue Lagoon & Home Time

Sunday, 14th September, 2014

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After Saturday night out in Reykjavik I needed to chill.We had already booked the Blue Lagoon which was a really good idea, however the bus picked us up at 9:30AM and I got in at 5AM….So I only had around 3 hours sleep! :mrgreen:

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa, basically a large lagoon which is heated up by the earth. It’s probably the best way to unwind after our Saturday night in Reykjavik, and best way to waste a day when waiting for a flight;

Far, far better than trying to kill time wondering around bored which I’ve had to do on other holidays! 😛 Unfortunately it was the only day it properly rained, but I guess that didn’t matter so much since we were in water anyway, and it was so warm! 😛

It’s a cool place, you go in and have a shower, then there is a small pool indoors, and the large lagoon outside. I got the €60 package which included priority entry to the lagoon, a drink, robe and towel and some skin products.

The lagoon is all different depths throughout, it goes down to around 1.5m so you can easily stand, and in places it’s so shallow you can sit on the floor and not be under the water. It’s pretty big, and even though it was pretty busy there was plenty of space for you to relax or have a wonder.

I got a waterproof pouch for my phone so I could talk pictures while I was in…Thank god it worked! 😛

From the Blue Lagoon we headed to Keflavik airport to catch our flight. The only bad thing was that the last bus from the Lagoon was at 3PM and we did not need to be at the airport until 6!

But the Blue Lagoon is definitely worth going to if you ever visit Iceland 🙂

Check out the rest of the pics below…

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Reykjavik Night Three – Saturday Night – Let’s Go Out Out!

Saturday, 13th September, 2014

Me In B5 In Reykjavik

So it was Saturday night, we had just been on the Golden Circle Tour which takes it out of you, being out all day, but we’re in Reykjavik, and were only there for 3 nights, so we can sleep when we’re dead and let’s go out-out! :mrgreen:

We saw the weather was no better so resigned ourselves to the fact that we’d not see the Northern Lights and this being our last night we’d not get another chance. We did contact the company who organised it just for the formalities of them telling us, and they did 🙁

It was such a shame we did not see them, which was the biggest reason to go on the trip.

Saturday night was supposed to be the big one, we were going out-out :mrgreen: Another friend and I booked to go to the Blue Lagoon the next day, and had to leave at 9:30AM so it was another early start, but that did not really stop us doing it up as big as we could 😀

The Wheel Of No Fortune – In a lot of bars there’s this wheel behind the bar (you can see it in the pics below).

You can pay 2,000kr (about £10) to spin it, and you can win whatever it lands on. Of course there are a lot of chances to lose, the options are; 8 beers, 1 metre beer, 2 beers, spin again and sorry.

There are 5 chances of sorry, and since 2 beers would cost around 2,000kr you’ll only really win if you get the 8 beers or 1 metre beer. It did not stop lots of people having a go, in fact we saw 7 people try, and 5 got sorry!

So the odds are heavily stacked against you, as you can see in the pic there’s only 2 of the sections in red, those are the big wins. Still, it’s good fun to watch…Probably not so good when you don’t win :mrgreen:

We went to a few bars such as Shooters, The English Pub, KaffiBarrin, Hressó Hressingarskálinn and B5 which we’d previously been too.

The problem with Reykjavik is almost all the bars are quiet even at 10PM, so if you’re like us and like to go to a lot of bars and start quite early it’s pretty quiet especially at the start of the night. The previous night we had gone to B5 and it was quite early, maybe 23:30 or something like that.

The Saturday night we did not go until later, which proved to be a mistake. Despite there being only 7 or 8 people ahead of us in the queue, it took 2 hours to get in! I got in before my friends, and was in around 30 minutes before they got in, even though they were only 1 place behind me!

I was kept entertained by an Icelandic girl who was cute and had some good banter in the queue 😉

B5 on a Saturday night is a crazy place. Other than the fact you have to stand in a queue which does not move, when you’re in it’s pretty packed.

The people dance and jump around like crazy, it’s like being in a mosh pit, I’ve never been in a club like it. People barge past, jump around and are pretty crazy, but everyone is the same and it sort of seems fine.

There’s no fighting or people saying sorry when people are jumping around into each other, it just seems like half the fun. It was strange at first, but I did get amongst it after a little while :mrgreen: The place played pop, RnB and Hip Hop bangers, I loved it! :mrgreen:

Check out more of the pics below…

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Reykjavik: Day Two – The Golden Circle Tour

Friday, 12th September, 2014

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So on the second full day in Reykjavik it was Saturday and we had planned on doing the Golden Circle Tour out in the Icelandic country. It was a long day, getting up at around 8AM and the tour lasts around 8 hours, so it is a full day, but worth doing.

This included going around the countryside of Iceland, and seeing Gullfoss aka The Golden Waterfall, Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir hot spring area, a church and the geothermal power station.

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Reykjavik: Night 2 – The Nothern Lights Did Not Happen

Thursday, 11th September, 2014

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Our first night was the Thursday, but we arrived late in Reykjavik so the plan was to go out for a couple on that night which we did, and the Friday night we planned on doing the Northern Lights. Unfortunately the weather was not good, it was cloudy so they told us there was no chance of seeing them and cancelled the tour 🙁 They said we could try again on the next night, the Saturday, which we had planned on having a proper night out but obviously the Northern Lights were a priority so we’d rather of done that.

Since we could not go on the tour of the Northern Lights we had planned, we decided to go out, but not stay out for too long as we had to be up early the next morning for The Golden Circle Tour. We went to a couple of places which were much more lively than the first night, and went in to B5, one of the more trendy bars which stayed open until 4:30AM. When we went in it was a little quiet, but then got busier, we stayed for a couple of drinks, of course I had to stay a bit longer and did not want to leave 😉

I have no idea why the pic is so bad, that’s what happens when you’re drinking in a dark bar and taking pics lol :mrgreen:

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Reykjavik: First Day – Look Around The City

Wednesday, 10th September, 2014

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After the first night in Reykjavik we had no trips or anything planned and it was the day we picked to chill out and just have a look around the city of Reykjavik. It’s a small city with the main street (called Laugavegur) hosting most of the bars, shops, clubs and everything in between. There were plenty of smaller streets off this main street, which does changes it’s name a couple of times as you make your way down it, but it’s all mainly one long street and easy to get around.

We had a good look around, and checked out the old harbour, got some food in a place called Icelandic Fish And Chips and went to the Saga Museum which is a museum detailing the history of Iceland and Reykjavik.

We went to Hallgrímskirkja Church which is so cool, and done a few happy hours. A lot of the bars in Reykjavik have happy hour, usually between 16:00 – 20:00 and it seems to get quite busy (busier than 20:00 – 22:00), we went to Kaldi, Bravo and The English Pub for some drinks.

Check out the rest of the pictures below…

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Reykjavik: First Night & Travelling

Tuesday, 9th September, 2014

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I am back from Reykjavik! 😀 If you did not know last weekend I was in Reykjavik in Iceland. It was a cool trip which we planned a while back, and finally last week we went to check out the cool city, go and explore a bit of culture, and the main event was to see the Aurora Borealis aka the Northern Lights…Sadly this did not happen 🙁 It was still a good trip, here’s how it went…

We flew from Edinburgh because there’s no flights from Newcastle to Reykjavik. Edinburgh has a decent airport, and even has a Wetherspoon Bar, however it’s not Wetherspoons regular prices! :mrgreen: I was at the back on the plane, I hate flying and I think the back is the worst, but the flight was OK.

We got to Reykjavik in the evening and the apartment was pretty spacious and cool. It had everything you’d need, WIFI, Satellite TV, Kitchen and the essentials, a proper home away from home 😛 We had a first night out on the Thursday night when we got there. We checked out a couple of bars, and went to Obla Di Obla Da, The Lebowski Bar and Boston. We soon found out that the bars close at 1AM on Thursdays, but the weekend they’re open a hell of a lot later which I’ll write about 😉

Check out more pics below

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Reykjavik Here I Come!

Thursday, 4th September, 2014

My Icelandic Money

Today I am off on my travels to somewhere cool (I hope!)….Reykjavik!

We are off to get some culture and see some sights, hopefully including the Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis, as well as seeing everything else Iceland has to offer. I am all set, and have my money and everything else, I got a good new lens for my camera, some Air Max all black trainers, and everything else I need for my travels 🙂

I imagine I will be updating my Instagram and Twitter, you can follow me on those, and I will update my blog properly when I get back (I may do little updates). 🙂

See you soon! xoxo 😛

 

Cornerstone Shaving

Saturday, 30th August, 2014

cornerstone shaving review

I have always had a wet shave, which means buying a lot of blades over the years. There’s almost always a time where I have to think, “Do I need to buy blades” and when I do, it means having to go into town and get myself a pack, which are getting more and more expensive.

Shaving is not just about the blades, you’ll also need shaving gel or foam, and as I always mention you can’t forget about post shave balm. If you’re like me you, you’ll not run out of these things at the same time which is quite annoying.

Cornerstone is a men’s shaving brand with a difference. It’s a subscription based service, and their philosophy is to create a more simple way to shave. Their shaving kits comprise of a face scrub, shave gel and post shave balm, as well as a pack of blades and your very own, customised stick with your initials inscribed.

The service costs £30, and they have three plans you can subscribe to, which depend on how often you shave; You can opt to get a box send to you every 6, 12 or 24 weeks depending on how often you shave. The box will contain:

1 stick (Your first box)
6 blades
Face Scrub (100ml)
Shaving Gel (150ml)
Post Shave Balm (75ml)

For myself, shaving 3 times a week they recommend a box every 12 weeks, which would mean using one blade for 2 weeks. This seems a long time to me, since I currently use one blade every 10 days or so, however I’ve been reading that they actually last a lot longer.

I really love the box and the presentation, each component has it’s own compartment, everything is laid out well and the packaging is really cool.

How does it stack up against old fashioned shopping?

I usually buy 150ml King Of Shaves Gel (£3.69), 150ml Dove MenCare face scrub (£2.86), MACH3 blades, £13.99 for 8 and 100ml Dove Mencare Post-Shave Balm (£3.86). That is a total of £24.40 which is slightly cheaper, and you get slightly more than the Cornerstone box.

Final Word

The Cornerstone box is slightly more expensive than the DIY options of buying your own products, however you’re getting them delivered to your door, without the need to go out to the shops which can make this service worthwhile.

If you’re the guy on the go, living a busy life and don’t want to worry about your shaving regime being disrupted because you’ve forgotten to buy something, this takes all the hassle of buying essential products for your shaving needs.

Forget about forgetting that post shave balm, with the Cornerstone box it’s as simple as choosing your plan and letting them take care of the rest.

cornerstone shaving box - a simpler way to shave

Bonbar Review

Friday, 29th August, 2014

Bonbar Newcastle Bar Review

Bonbar is a fairly new drinking establishment and restaurant in Newcastle, and has taken over The Old Assembly Rooms. It’s located on Fenkle Street, just off Westgate Road, up from The Milecastle. It’s a classic style of place, offering the best in cocktails, wine and champagne, as well as the traditional drinks you’d expect to see at a bar.

I do love the layout and the décor and building is really nice. The bar is in the middle as you walk in, with plenty of room to get served which I think is important. Down each side there are booths if you fancy chilling in one of those, or get on the dance floor at the top of the room. Everything is open and easy to get to, it’s a large space without feeling too big. There’s an exclusive VIP room called the 467 Club, and an outside terrace for the warmer months or if you need some air.

The £8-£10 entrance fee on a Saturday night is just above average for an upmarket type of place such as this, and it’s open from 11pm until 4am which is pretty good.

Dress Code

The dress code is smart casual.

Club Nights – Beau Monde on Thursday nights, open till 3AM; Makeway Fridays and Be Somebody Saturdays At Bonbar

Essential Info

Opening Hours: 7 Nights A Week, ‘Till 4AM (Weekends)
Weekend Entry Cost: £8 – £10
Music: House, Chart, Hip Hop, RnB
Recommended Age: 21-35
Guestlist/VIP: YES
Bottle Service:YES
Stag & Hens: Dress Smart

Address / Directions

Bonbar, The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5XU
Closest Metro Station: Central Station
Other Nearby Bars: The Milecastle, Union Rooms, Revolution
Official Website: