After a
smooth flight we landed in Iceland – ready to explore the sights, smells, and
lava rocks.
Where we
stayed: Apartment K – as it sounds, an apartment, on the main street Laugavegur
lined with shops and restaurants (upside: shops and restaurants, downside:
noise). We had ample space, a kitchen
table to seat 10, a fridge, toaster, oven, and dishwasher, and a view off our
balcony of Hallgrimskirkja, the iconic Reyjavik church. Sounds pretty swanky, and it mostly was, but
for the first two nights
the bathroom smelled like a giant feast of Hakarl (an Icelandic food of shark
that has rotted in the ground), which has an intense ammonia smell. Either that or a herd of cats had been locked
in the bathroom for the week prior peeing wherever they liked. Luckily, with some open windows and shower
products it cleared out. Britt was also
slightly disappointed that our décor was more of the “thrift store
antiquey/leftover furniture from a basement” variety, as opposed to some of the
other apartments advertised with chic looks.
It didn’t quite live up to our luck of the rest of the trip but was a
solid place and one we would still recommend in terms of value for money.
What we ate
and drank: The best of everything. A
newspaper called the Reyjavik Grapevine ranks restaurants based on a series of
categories. We ate a club sandwich and
amazing warm goat cheese and beet salad at Snaps, ‘The Best Goddam Restaurant’,
a pad thai (underwhelming) and beef curry at Ban Thai, ‘The Best Thai
Restaurant’, croissants and coffee at Sandholt, ‘The Best Bakery’, Indian food
at Ghandi, ‘The Best Indian Restaurant’, pizza at the Deli, ‘The Best Slice’, and
Korean/Icelandic fusion food at K-Bar, ‘The Best Cheap Eats’. We also had amazing food (and dessert) at
Apotek, a high class hot spot for Icelanders staff with an internationally
trained pastry chef… we were underdressed.
We ate fish and chips at Icelandic Fish and Chips and tried Icelandic
hot dogs at the famous hot dog stand by the wharf (which may or may not have
made Britt sick). We also ate the
Icelandic Feast at Sushi Samba, which besides allowing us to be adventurous
with whale, puffin, and reindeer in small portions, put us in the same place
where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had their last meal together as a
couple. We drank many Icelandic beers
(and brought seven home, if you want to try some) and had several delicious
cocktails.
What we
did: Took in most cool things within 6 hours from Reyjavik. We explored the world’s most Northern capital
city, doing a free walking tour where we learned about magical elves and
Iceland’s feminist history. We also tried to learn how to pronounce the name of the 2010 volcano that interrupted air traffic, but did just as bad a job as all the news reporters who butchered the name in their newscasts. We took a
day trip to the Blue Lagoon where we drank beer in the 38 degree water, gave
ourselves a face mask with the silica mud, and Britt got a 30th birthday
water massage. It was tough, but we
eventually had to leave the Blue Lagoon mostly to prevent further sunburn. We not only learned the name of
Landmannalaugar but survived a treacherous hike upwards across lava rock and
through snow to look down on the valley above the smoking ground. It’s always a bit disconcerting when the
ground underneath you is smoking but you just trudge on. We also stopped with a great view of Hekla, the volcano once thought to be the entrance to Hell. We were very proud that we made it through,
with Ash only slipping twice – once on snow, to be expected – Britt able to
stop shooting for 2 minutes out of an attempted 5 minute photo embargo – and JD
setting the pace and making sure we made it back to the bus on time. We were on a bus with wheels almost as tall
as Ash and Britt and a hard core driver to escort us off-roading through the
interior highlands. For our last day trip we did the Golden Circle Tour, where
we saw where the Eurasia and North American plates divide (it is also disconcerting
to think about the earth shifting underneath you), the largest waterfall in
Europe, Gullfoss, and a power plant where they turn the steam and hot water
under the ground into energy. We also
got to see the big geyser explode several times, timing it down to every 4
minutes. We did a beer tour, which was
less of a tour and more of us watching a comedian portray Iceland’s history
with alcohol (and she got funnier with every drink served, of which there were
many). And we finally got Let it Go out
of our heads, preferring instead the eclectic music of national hero Bjork and
Of Monsters and Men.
Lessons
learned: Teenagers will likely overrun
the iconic statue and ruin your photos, making it their hangout spot post 8 pm
when they can’t get into bars and have escaped from their chaperones. If you go back at 11 pm, after their curfew,
you will only find serious photogs who stay back and respect the space.
Best line: “That’s
not funny” – from an adorable three year old, who told off a laughing Britt and
Ash that sending JD into the state-run liquor store to buy the complete set of Einstok
beer was not funny.
Where will
we go next? We’re undecided… but stay
tuned!
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